We don't work on Sundays now, well, at least some of us anyway.

2009-04-16T23:24:00.004+08:00

Hi Guys, I am organizing the "junk" in my TP & came across this video. Thought I'd share as a recap of our youth & vitality. Wilf - you had spunky hair then. YJ - you looked cuter...

Joyce

Lunch at Lou Wai Lou

2008-12-05T09:51:00.001+08:00

We went back to West Lake area to the famous Lou Wai Lou restaurant for lunch.
The food was good, we felt the price was reasonable. We tried the famous dishes like Beggers Chicken.

Waiter cutting the Beggers' Chicken for us.

I guess this pretty much concludes Atul's short trip in Shanghai. : ) Take care bros and sis!

See what I mean about playing MP3 in small boat on romantic lake.

2008-12-05T09:38:00.003+08:00

More Photos

2008-12-05T09:37:00.000+08:00

Atul Posing - I posed as well, but I shall not put it up. I still need to attract girls.

Grandma and Grandpa - romantic pose on bridge

Golden buffalo

Contemplating life on Westlake, and playing MP3 from phone

2008-12-05T09:34:00.000+08:00

Very very cold, and Atul's ears nearly got frozen. Just drink hot tea to keep warm baby.

Wonder who my bro is thinking of? Is it the mysterious girl he refused to tell me about?

Well, this is the contemplating part we had on West Lake. To add to the overall romantic scenary, we had hot fresh brewed Longjing tea, and played mp3 from Atul's phone..."I'm Yours" and James Blunt.

Hanzhou continues

2008-12-05T09:30:00.000+08:00

Uncle who rowed the boat.

Female who could not resist Atul's charms

We took a row boat out to West Lake. It was such a romantic and scenic place, and on the entire lake, there was only me and atul, 2 freaking guys in a little boat. We contemplated and rued about the ups and downs in our lives...but it was one of the best moments I ever had with him..haha.

Visit to Hangzhou

2008-12-05T09:26:00.000+08:00

We went to Hangzhou. Took a train from Shanghai South Train Station, the journey was only 1.5hrs and it was quite cheap and comfortable. Anyway, you notice a lot my photos cos these were taken from my phone. Very scenic, looks a scene from Bollywood...Atul was the exotic lady killer in Hangzhou, in fact, Shanghai. All the girls wanted to take photo with him. I should have charged them for that!

Atul and me at tennis Masters Shanghai

2008-12-05T09:20:00.000+08:00

Dont ask me who this is, just a model for toilet fixtures...

The tennis court

Atul's pose

My pose

Atul's Visit

2008-12-05T09:15:00.000+08:00

Hi friends, finally managed to find some time to upload some photos we took when Atul is here. We went for Lan Zhou La Mian near my place in the afternoon before we made our way to the Tennis Masters to catch Roger Federer vs Andy Murray. It was pretty fun as this was my first time watching a tennis match, but the stadium was so so far away. It took us 1.5 hrs to get there, and almost 2.5 hours to get back....but we had a lot of fun, shouting and cheering!

Great day @ Barclay Open

2008-11-21T00:06:00.006+08:00

Thanks to our Mr Hedgefund... Managed to enjoy a "VIP" treatment outing at the Barclays Open... This is really the first time i become a starchaser and actually went around chasing autographs and pics.. Thinking back it kindof funny, 30+ yrs old man acting like a teenager :P

However, Great food, beer, ice cream and of course company! Arigato Handsome :)

Anyway, here are some pics from the event

Big Easy in action

YJ in action

Lefty looking pissed after his bogey

Big easy with Thomas Bjorn behind him

YJ with Rory Mc who is a up and coming 19 yrs old who finish 4th.. Think this pics and his autograph should be worth alot more in the comin yrs.. Hmm what am i doing at that age??

YJ getting autograph from Padraig Harrington who finished joint 2nd

My pic with my hero Els :) who sadly finished joint 2nd with Padraig

Happy camper with his autographs :)

I am counting myself lucky...

2008-10-28T21:21:00.002+08:00

Hi brudders,

I am just happy to be able to share with you all what I have gone through yesterday night, an experience of a lifetime!

It was a great night, I was on my brother's car where we were heading home after hanging around in town. So, after refueling @ Shell Tampines Ave 4, we took the usual Tampines Ave 10 and then TPE so we can exit Elias Road for home.

While on lane 3 between Tampines Ave 10 & Elias Road exit, we felt a thud from the back, and before we knew it our car was spinning anti-clockwise out of control. The front slammed onto the metal guard railing, car sprung and continued turning. It came to a stop between Lane 2 & 3 of TPE.

The first instinct was to see if we were wounded. What can I say, we were so lucky to be only suffering from bruises, other than slight nausea from the spin! Quickly we got down, and realized our car was in a total wreckage at the engine & car boot. My god, how did we survive the impact?

So, here came this young chap checking us if we were ok. Only then did we know he was the driver that filtered from Lane 1 to Lane 3, and in the process bumped into our rear right. We were relieved no one was seriously injured during the car accident, except causing a huge jam as our car were stuck on the TPE. Shortly, the officers came by to assist. The episode came to a temporary end after the tow truck took our car away around 1am.

Through this close encounter, I really appreciate the gift of life and no matter how well managed it appears to be, there could be times where things are just not within our control. So, live happily and fully while it last...

Surprise

2008-10-16T00:54:00.006+08:00

Hi guys,
I was supposed to be at work by 9AM today, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of a fellow colleague in HR. Completely forgot, because I have not been able to sync my Lotus Notes calendar with my Nokia phone the past week. So I got 2 calls from my colleagues and walked in late at 9:30AM to a room full of HR people who went "Surprise"!

Apparently, the surprise was on all the Oct babies (ME) as well and I had held up the "celebrations. So here is the picture of us happy Oct babies from the HR Team. 3 of them share the same birthday. I think us Libra, well-known diplomats make good HR people, hahaha....

My Blog :P

2008-10-15T23:59:00.005+08:00

Yoz brudders, i have decided to setup a blog myself but focused purely on my trading.. You guys have fun reading if u r interested in trading yah :)

http://swing2win.blogspot.com

2008-10-11T16:56:00.000+08:00

Photo of my block

My first minced meat noodles at small shop near house.

Menu

Went grocery shopping and took photo of Oriental Pearl Town

Adding some more highlights

2008-10-11T10:07:00.002+08:00

Hi people, i am haphazardly using blog, not very familiar with it yet. Anyway, here are some more photos. Life here is pretty good so far, weather is cool, i think i can wear the same shirt for 3 days....but dont tell anyone ok?

Today i started tinkering around the house - i started the washing machine without putting any clothes in, cos i did not know how to stop it when i accidently pressed start. Wireless is up, no issues. At night, i walked around and explore the place. Nice place, though usually there is haze throughout the day. Amazingly, i have not sneezed yet. Ok friends, keep in touch!

Atul - I will check if i can get your wimbledon tickets here, but dont be lazy la, buy online! Dont think will have much difference lor....

2008-10-11T00:53:00.001+08:00

Woke up early this morning, around 6.45am. Again, dint sleep well! This is view from my apt.

Arrived and taking Maglev

Going to work!

2008-10-11T00:48:00.001+08:00

This morning I took taxi to Longyang road, to catch the Maglev! Super cool train which can travel up to 400km/h I heard. It is the only magnetic levitation train outside Germany.

Oh this is just my breakfast - bought porridge at KFC....

2008-10-10T00:24:00.000+08:00

My first dinner alone - Pork with Rice, soup and coke

Scene at nite - my handphone sucks.

This is Wendy Shanghai - place where i ate the pork with rice....so many Wendys in Shanghai eh, Atul?

OK folks, will upate you in the future. Meanwhile, this place is really cool, and so many "entertainment" haha....but no money leh...YJ will be coming over to Shanghai, hopefully will be able to tour the place with him. Ok folks have a good time and take care!

2008-10-08T23:50:00.002+08:00

These are photos of living room, bedroom and toilet. I think this is a pretty nice place! Impressed, bathroom with jacuzzi, anyone wants to come and stay with me?

2008-10-08T23:48:00.000+08:00

Day 1 in Shanghai

Folks, I touched down at 2pm and immediately went to airport office. Left around 7pm to go makan dinner and make my way back to apartment. Ironically, I had dinner at Hooters....ahaha...nothing much, just friendly waitresses. Then I made my way back to apartment and was sooo sooo surprised - super shiok. Bathroom with jacuzzi and tv, masterbedroom with walk in wardroom.....I will publish some photos of apartment

All the best for Shanghai

2008-10-08T10:19:00.002+08:00

Okie bro, by the time you see this you would have landed, settled (hopefully) and looking forward to this new chapter in your life.
Wish you all the best, work hard, play hard, enjoy your stint, i am sure it will be fun and stay cool as ever yeah...:)

Mahjong at Wil's

2008-09-28T19:36:00.002+08:00

Again, i paid "tuition fees" to the lady in red....

Flyer movie clip 1

2008-09-25T01:03:00.003+08:00

Movie clips of what we saw in the flyer - skyline of Singapore

Flyer with Atul and F1 race track

2008-09-25T00:50:00.006+08:00

The F1 race track along Marina as we made our way to the Flyer...

Views from the Flyer

TORN MIME feat. NATALIE IMBRUGLIA

2008-09-21T23:06:00.001+08:00

Nice Mime! Funny.

rock on!

2008-09-06T04:31:00.003+08:00

yo friends,
that was a very memorable gathering, just reminds me that whenever we meet it is so easy to connect and have fun, u folks are great friends...
hope all of you had fun too and not sure when we would do this often, but i can say that i will miss wilfred soooooo much, so please stay around and let us all 'rock on' in whatever we do ...:)

Greeting from NY

2008-08-12T12:44:00.015+08:00

One morning I was yearning for a bowl of noodle soup. So I took the subway down to chinatown. When I popped out from the subway, I was greeted with light rain. I started walking on the wet road surrounded by my many asian faces and shops ... I really felt that I am being transported back to Singapore. That's the time that I really remember the good time back in Singapore and started missing you guys :-)

Anyway, a little update from NY, I have been here for almost 2 months and been eating a lot of asian food here. I feel like I am trying to get back all the good asian food (esp. Jap) that I haven't had since I moved to Montreal. In general, I love the city, especially central park. It is much cleaner that I have expected :-).

I will post some pictures hopefully soon. Well you know ... i always say that but it happens much later :P. So enjoy these pictures for the moment ;-)

Central Park

View from empire state building

Brooklyn Bridge

Time Square

Random pictures:

and lastly: The best pastrami!!

Bali Trip 2008 - Atul, Vikas and Wilfred

2008-08-02T11:21:00.002+08:00

More Photos, please visit
http://picasaweb.google.com/Wilfredhee/BaliTrip2008

Evacuated at 4AM

2008-07-18T11:38:00.002+08:00

Friday 18 July 2008 0400

This is the first blog I'm creating, so you know it's serious stuff. I was evacuated from my flat this morning at 4AM.

I woke up to an incessant knocking of my front door and ringing of the doorbell, peered out the window and saw 2 fire engines sitting at the foot of my block. Panic set in, so I ran to the front door and behind a veil of smoke, there was a policeman asking me to leave my house. And boy, was it a mistake opening the door, because my flat was immediately engulfed in suffocating, stinging white smoke, so much so that I had to use 2 sets of keys to open the front door (I couldn't find the right key on 1st set of keys)

I have no pictures to prove the chaotic drama but there I was - dashing to wake my sisters; opening the door for our escape; running to get wet towels to cover our noses; running to get my sisters' shoes; half blind without my glasses and in my pajamas. While my sister, calmly took a piss, changed into "decent" clothes, put on her glasses, brought her handphone along and even remembered to lock the door after we left the house. It must have been a hilarious sight and only goes to show how different we are. She, taking the time to perceive the situation and doing the right things while I, dashed straight into action to do the most urgent things.

Well, with me writing this blog, you would know that all is fine. The fire started on the 4th level and was contained in about 30 mins. No one was injured and nothing was lost. We went back home at 4:30AM but it was too exciting a night for me to fall asleep.

Parking Coupon Shield

2008-07-09T13:52:00.003+08:00

http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/singaporeseen/viewContent.jsp?id=27875

Haha, I guess this is either Zane's car or mine.....luckily I did not have this display of coupons when we parked at Isaac's!

Mahjong at Isaac's

2008-07-06T22:14:00.004+08:00

Hi friends, we had a very exciting mahjong session at Isaac's. First we started round 1 of the Mahjong challenge, followed by a scrumptious steamboat prepared by the wonderful hosts, and ended off with round 2 of MJ. Overall, atul and i paid school fees this time to Isaac and Shea Lee. Will await the next time to win back!

Anyone game for durian?

2008-06-25T21:00:00.003+08:00

Hi people,

the durian season is here again! Anyone wants to visit this famous durian place for durian (and other fresh food?) http://717trading.com/pastries/. Now can even order durians online! Home delivery within Singapore for delicious butter durians!
onlinedurianstore.blogspot.com

Singapore Passport Error Fiasco

2008-06-24T18:59:00.002+08:00

Please check you are using the correct passport when you travel!

Straits Times
June 24, 2008

He checks in at Changi, clears immigration and gets on Tiger Airways jet to Vietnam
By Carolyn Quek

IN HIS hurry to catch a flight at Changi Airport’s Budget Terminal yesterday morning, retiree Ang Heng Soon, 61, grabbed the wrong passport and left home.

He took his 39-year-old son’s passport. They had left their passports on the dining table, because the son was also flying from Changi Airport.
The father’s mistake, and how he cleared all security checks at the airport and flew to Vietnam, led to a long day for both.

Even with the wrong passport, Mr Ang first checked in at the Tiger Airways counter for his flight to Ho Chi Minh City, where he was headed for a six-day holiday.

He next got past the security check by Certis Cisco officers at the entrance to the restricted passenger area.

Then he ran into problems, failing repeatedly to scan his fingerprint at the immigration Automated Clearance System.

Cleared to go, again and again AT CHECK-IN

RETIREE Ang Heng Soon checked in at the Tiger Airways counter using his son’s passport. The counter officer issued him a boarding pass in his own name. … moreNoticing his difficulty, an Immigration and Checkpoints Authority officer directed him to a lane for manual clearance.

There, an officer cleared him to leave Singapore, and he boarded his plane.

Mr Ang told The Straits Times he realised his mistake only during the flight.

As soon as he arrived at the Ho Chi Minh City airport at 8.15am, he owned up to immigration authorities there and they put him on the same plane back to Singapore.
Around that time at Changi Airport’s Terminal 1, his son Vincent, an electronics company sales and marketing executive, also discovered the mix-up.
He was waiting to check in for his flight to Hong Kong when he realised that he had his father’s passport.

He cancelled his flight and went to Tiger Airways’ office in the Budget Terminal, where he learnt that his father was heading back.

Father and son were reunited at close to noon. Both made fresh arrangements and flew off to their respective destinations later in the day, correct passports in hand.
By then, it was too late for Mr Vincent Ang to make it to his business meeting in Hong Kong.

Speaking to The Straits Times before catching his flight, he said: ‘The question is, how did this happen? From a security point of view, this is pretty shocking.’

Responding to queries from The Straits Times, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority confirmed that Mr Ang had cleared all the checks at the airport despite showing his son’s passport.
In a statement late last night, it said that the immigration officer who looked at his passport and did the ‘face-to-face verification’ let him through because he bore a resemblance to the photo in the passport.

‘The officer should not have relied only on this but should have checked Mr Ang’s boarding pass with his passport,’ a spokesman said.

‘He should also have conducted a secondary biometric check to ascertain Mr Ang’s identity. The fingerprint scans would have led to the positive identification of Mr Ang and that he was holding his son’s passport.’

The spokesman apologised to Mr Ang for the inconvenience caused and said: ‘ICA takes a serious view of such lapses.

‘We will conduct a thorough investigation into the case. Appropriate disciplinary action will be taken against the officers responsible for the lapses.’

DPM’s Response

DPM: It’s totally appalling

Those who slipped up will be taken to task, says Wong Kan Seng, pledging action to improve vigilance at all levels

DEPUTY Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng issued this statement late last night, commenting on yesterday’s passport mix-up at Changi Airport:

‘I AM totally appalled and flabbergasted at this slip-up at the airport checkpoint.

The officers who failed to spot the discrepancy between the name in the man’s passport and on his boarding pass, will be taken to task.

But this will not be enough. I have been reminding officers of the need for vigilance repeatedly after each lapse of human error. Obviously the message is not sinking in deep enough to the last man.

I want all the heads of departments in the Home Team to directly take charge and step up checks to ensure vigilance on the ground at all levels and leave no room for complacency. They will have to do whatever it takes to get this going.

Just last week, I had directed the Ministry HQ’s Homefront Security Division to work with all the departments to review their security systems and processes. This may take time but we will get it done as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, all the heads of department will be calling up their subordinate commanders and managers and tightening scrutiny and supervision on the ground.

Each of the 26,000-plus officers in the Home Team has a sworn duty to do his or her job well. They deal with more than 350,000 people each day in the line of duty.

Mistakes will happen occasionally, but the Home Team has to keep these to the absolute minimum, especially where the potential consequences are extremely serious. They clearly cannot afford to be complacent, and must stay alert at all times.

There is no other way if they are to remain effective and not disappoint Singaporeans who put their trust in the Home Team to keep them safe. Any lapse by any department in the Home Team is a failure which all in the Home Team family must bear.’

Uncle Tan's bday

2008-06-18T20:59:00.002+08:00

a very joyful evening with close friends, good food, better company and we missed yanwar and chen way, zane you should have really come, it was fun. anyway, here are the pics ;)

few lines

2008-06-12T15:37:00.001+08:00

"I remember those old days,
When you were by my side,
You were there when i cried,
My tears trickled on your cheeks,
My joys played in your eyes,
I was your dream,
your life ...u said ... you said
you cared,
Has it become a dream, for you?
A mere thought, a dream?
If not, then why am I alone In the crowd?
Why am i feeling deserted?"

meaningful and hit me with some thoughts as i read them.
and ooops i am blogging at work!! guess there is some spare time today.

New fren (1xFemale) for Mr Chia

2008-06-04T23:14:00.003+08:00

I have good news. I will try my best to arrange for a rollerblade session on a sunday, and a lady fren will blade with us (meaning master chia, me, joyce, maybe atul, and anyone else who is interested). This same lady was introduced to ben ben at a movie attended by YJ, me, atul and chia. She has nothing but positive comments about benben, like how nice he is, quite handsome, very gentleman, tall and career minded..the list goes on...

Something is happening here people, watch out for the updates. Joyce will be the evaluator this time, since me and atul have given the ok from that movie session.

Another Cool car ad! - I hope.

2008-06-04T23:04:00.004+08:00

I dont know why, but the youtube honda ad is not loading....not sure if this is the same ad though, very cool too. Pls forgive me if its the same ad...

Take care, all my friends who are reading this! Love all around..

Honda Life Ad!

2008-05-31T03:40:00.002+08:00

Impossible is nothing! I am so loving Honda O:-)

They actually broadcasted this ad live from Spain

You can read the news here
http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/Community/Car-Magazines-Blogs/Tim-Pollard-Blog2/Latest-Honda-advert/

Clarification - Yanwar's mugging incident

2008-05-29T00:07:00.003+08:00

Hi folks, just got off the msn phone with yanwar. My mistake - apparently, our dear friend was not mugged by 4-5 black guys as previously rumored (by me). It was only 1 giant of a man. In any case, he was mugged of his digital camera. Luckily his chastity remained intact...

Anyhow, this lucky dude is going to NY next week I think, doing internship with Bloomberg. Anyone going to NY can look for him.

Cheers!

'TRIANGLE OFLIFE' - Earthquake survival tips

2008-05-27T22:18:00.002+08:00

I received this email from a friend, so posting it for everyone to read.

EXTRACT FROM DOUG COPP'S ARTICLE ON THE: 'TRIANGLE OFLIFE'

My name is Doug Copp. I am the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of the American Rescue Team International (ARTI), the world's most experiencedrescue team. The information in this article will save lives in an earthquake. I have crawled inside 875 collapsed buildings, worked with rescue teams from 60 countries, founded rescue teams in several countries, and I am a member of many rescue teams from many countries. I was the United Nations expert in Disaster Mitigation for two years. I have worked at every major disaster in the world since 1985, except for simultaneous disasters. The first building I ever crawled inside of was a school in Mexico City during the 1985 earthquake. Every child was under its desk. Every child was crushed to the thickness of their bones.. They could have survived by lying down next to their desks in the aisles. It was obscene, unnecessary and I wondered why the children were not in the aisles. I didn't at the time know that the children were told to hide under something. Simply stated, when buildings collapse, the weight of the ceilings falling upon the objects or furniture inside crushes these objects, leaving a space or void next to them. This space is what I call the 'triangle of life'. The larger the object, the stronger, the less it will compact. The less the object compacts, the larger the void, the greater the probability that the person who is using this void for safety will notbe injured. The next time you watch collapsed buildings, on television, count the 'triangles' you see formed. They are everywhere. It is the most common shape, you will see, in a collapsed building..

TIPS FOR EARTHQUAKE SAFETY
1) Most everyone who simply 'ducks and covers' WHEN BUILDINGS COLLAPSE are crushed to death. People who get under objects, like desks or cars, are crushed.

2) Cats, dogs and babies often naturally curl up inthe fetal position. You should too in an earthquake. It is a natural safety/survival instinct. You can survive in a smaller void. Get next to an object, next to a sofa, next to a large bulky object that will compress slightly but leave a void next to it.

3) Wooden buildings are the safest type ofconstruction to be in during an earthquake. Wood is flexible and moves with the force of the earthquake. If the wooden building does collapse, large survival voids are created. Also, the wooden building has less concentrated, crushing weight. Brick buildings will break into individual bricks. Bricks will cause many injuries but less squashed bodies than concrete slabs.

4) If you are in bed during the night and an earthquake occurs, simply roll off the bed. A safe void will exist around the bed. Hotels can achieve a much greater survival rate in earthquakes, simply by posting a sign on The back of the door of every room telling occupants to lie down on the floor, next tothe bottom of the bed during an earthquake.

5) If an earthquake happens and you cannot easily escape by getting out the door or window, then lie down and curl up in the fetal position next to a sofa, or large chair.

6) Most everyone who gets under a doorway when buildings collapse is killed. How? If you stand under a doorway and the doorjamb falls forward or backward you will be crushed by the ceiling above. If the doorjam falls sideways you will be cut in half by the doorway. In either case, you will be killed!

7) Never go to the stairs. The stairs have a different' moment of frequency' (they swing separately from the main part of the building). The stairs and remainder of the building continuously bump into each other until structural failure of the stairs takes place. The people who get on stairs before they fail are chopped up by the stair treads - horribly mutilated. Even if the building doesn't collapse, stay away from the stairs. The stairs are a likely part of the building to be damaged. Even if the stairs are not collapsed by the earthquake, they may collapse later when overloaded by fleeing people. They should always be checked for safety, even when the rest of thebuilding is not damaged.

8) Get Near the Outer Walls Of Buildings Or Outside Of Them If Possible - It is much better to be near the outside of the building rather than the interior. The farther inside you are from the outside perimeter of the building the greater the probability that your escape route will be blocked.

9) People inside of their vehicles are crushed when the road above falls in an earthquake and crushes their vehicles; which is exactly what happened with the slabs between the decks of the Nimitz Freeway. The victims of the San Francisco earthquake all stayed inside of their vehicles. They were all killed. They could have easily survived by getting out and sitting or lying next to their vehicles. Everyone killed would have survived if they had been able to get out of their cars and sit or lie next to them. All the crushed cars had voids 3 feet high next to them, except for the cars that had columns fall directlyacross them.

10) I discovered, while crawling inside of collapsed newspaper offices and other offices with a lot of paper, that paper does not compact. Large voids are found surrounding stacks of paper. Spread the word and save someone's life... The Entire world is experiencing natural calamities so be prepared!

'We are but angels with one wing, it takes two to fly'

In 1996 we made a film, which proved my survival methodology to be correct. The Turkish Federal Government, City of Istanbul , University of Istanbul Case Productions and ARTI cooperated to film this practical, scientific test. We collapsed a school and a home with 20 mannequins inside. Ten mannequins did'duck and cover,' and ten mannequins I used in my 'triangle of life' survival method. After the simulated earthquake collapse we crawled through the rubble and entered the building to film and document the results. The film, in which I practiced my survival techniques under directly observable, scientific conditions, relevant to building collapse, showed there would have been zero percent survival for those doing duck and cover. There would likely have been 100 percent survivability for people using my method of the 'triangle of life. 'This film has been seen by millions of viewers on television in Turkey and the rest of Europe , and it was seen in the USA , Canada and Latin America on the TV program Real TV

Spring Bloom

2008-05-23T03:34:00.005+08:00

Finally my first post here after being a passive reader in this blog since its beginning. I have been wanting to post here for the longest time but ... well there are always plenty of excuses.

Anyway ... It is spring now in Montreal! After a long winter and piles of snow (it is one of the record year here this year for last 40 years, with more than 360cm of snows), it feels like heaven sitting on the lawn and having my lunch under the warm sun. The flowers are amazing too ... especially the tulips. I don't think they are really wonderful, it just that they are the first to bloom :-). Enjoy the flower pics for the time being ... and I hope I can add more soon

2008-05-17T10:54:00.003+08:00

Source: ETV1.com
http://www.evtv1.com/player.aspx?itemnum=2428

The Speed Racer Theme Song
Here he comes
Here comes Speed Racer
He's a demon on wheels
He's a demon and he's gonna be chasin' after someone

He's gainin' on you
So you better look alive
He's busy revvin' up the powerful Mach 5
And when the odds are against him
And there's dangerous work to do
You bet your life Speed Racer will see it through

Go Speed Racer
Go Speed Racer
Go Speed Racer, GO!

He's off and flyin'
As he guns the car around the track
He's jammin' down the pedal
Like he's never comin' back
Adventure's waitin' just ahead

Go Speed Racer
Go Speed Racer
Go Speed Racer, GO!

Speed Racer (2008) Official Music Video

2008-05-14T22:22:00.001+08:00

Please everyone, I watched this awesome movie with Benson, and we (i think this time, I can safely include people who watch movies recommended by me) thoroughly enjoyed it! Super cool cgi/cinematography - I am going to watch it one more time!!! I like the way 60s-hippies style themes and music are fused into a futuristic racing animated movie. Must see! 5 out of 5 stars! (Point of reference - Blades of Glory is 3.5 out of 5, The Matrix is 5 out of 5, and Nacho Libre is -999 out of 5).

Makan Fest with Joyce, Atul, Wilfred and Benson

2008-05-09T22:01:00.006+08:00

Folks, went to dinner with our friends yesterday. I reached quest at 5.30pm, and waited for joyce and benson to appear at 6pm. As usual, ibmers are very busy and by 6.30pm, we were still at Quest cos joyce had a call. Busy people. I had to wait, as usual. Next time I shouldn't meet them so early. Next outing will be gathering at uncle tan la...need to have more outings and gatherings. Work can only be that entertaining. And cheer up Atul! If you have con-call on friday nites, then "So Be It" quote unquote from Benson!

Benson on the phone

Joyce still on the phone!

We left Quest for East Coast food center, and Atul joined us for the feast. Ordered famous duck, famous beef noodle, famous sting ray and kailan, delicious chicken wings (6pcs!) and sugarcane juice! Look at the food - which was not enough to satisfy Joyce, by the way.

Happy with chicken wings

Benson bringing the famous duck meat for us!

Someone obviously enjoying herself.

Of course we had to have desserts. Walked from food center to Gelare at MacDonalds, took us 25 mins but we had a lot of fun and jokes along the way. One of the highlights was Benson swearing his first swear word. He described a female colleague as "super fair", of course that's not the swear word, but he said it in mandarin....超级白

Below are Gelare waffle pics!

This final pic was taken today, just outside training center. What a co-incidence to Benson's swearing! I dedicate this photo to Benson...

Graduate's application for bus driver post rejected

2008-05-09T11:40:00.001+08:00

I guess you can guess I am bored by training, cos I am blogging....

Thu, May 08, 2008AsiaOne
Graduate's application for bus driver post rejected
http://www.asiaone.com/News/Education/Story/A1Story20080508-64084.html

Is this a case of an overqualified job seeker kicking up a fuss?
A graduate went for an interview with a Singapore bus company, but was told to go home because he was overqualified for the job, reported Shin Min Daily News
Recently, The Straits Times reported that local bus companies have been hiring more drivers from China due to a manpower shortage.
Puzzled by this phenomena, the graduate wrote in to mypaper airing his grouses.
The treatment accorded to him by the bus company was unreasonable, he felt. According to the same report in the Chinese Daily, a Human Resource personnel from the bus company told him that they were worried that he might not last long at the company because he was overqualified.
The graduate voiced that having a degree was not the main point. If the company does not have good benefits nor a working environment, people would still be inclined to resign.
He also said that there were many advantages to hiring bus drivers with good educational qualifications. One advantage was that they could provide constructive criticism that might help to boost the company’s service standards to a higher level.

Myanmar Cyclone Aid & Relief Effort (CARE)

2008-05-09T09:42:00.004+08:00

Source:
MSN: http://sg.msn.com/
CNA http://www.channelnewsasia.com/cyclone

Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar on 2 May 2008, leaving at least 80,000 dead and 41,000 people missing.

To help the victims of Cyclone Nargis, send your donations to:

Singapore Red Cross Society

15 Penang LaneSingapore 238486

BY CHEQUE:Address your cheque to Singapore Red Cross Society. Indicate behind the cheque "For Survivors of Myanmar cyclone"Include name, organisation (if applicable), mailing address and telephone number at the back of the cheque as a receipt will be sent to you.

OTHER WAYS OF DONATION:

Cash or walk-in donations can also be made at the Singapore Red Cross Society.

COLLECTION HOURS:Mon - Fri: 9.30am - 5.45pm Sat & Sun (10 - 11 May): 9.30am - 5pm

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

ONLINE DONATION:Credit Card Donations at donate.ifrc.orgIndicate you would like your contributions to go to "Myanmar Cyclone Nargis".

Mercy Relief Limited

172 Pasir Panjang RoadSingapore 118558

BY CHEQUE:Address your cheque to Mercy Relief Limited.Indicate behind the cheque "Myanmar/Cyclone Nargis".
BY PHONE:

S$10 donation: call 1900 112 1010

S$50 donation: call 1900 112 1050

BY ATM OR INTERNET BANKING:- DBS Account Number: 054-900493-6.

World Vision International

10 Anson Road#13-08 International Plaza Singapore 079903

BY CHEQUE:Address your cheque to World Vision International.

CASH DONATION:You can also mail your cash donation to this address.

BY ATM OR INTERNET BANKING:- DBS Autosave Account: 001-030600-6- Standard Chartered Bank Fusion Account: 130-830-6900

Buddhist Fellowship

9 Chwee Chian Road

Off Pasir Panjang Road

Singapore 117488Tel: 62780900

BY CHEQUE:Address your cheque to Buddhist Fellowship.

Indicate behind the cheque "Aid for Myanmar".

OTHER WAYS OF DONATION:Cash or walk-in donations can also be made at the Buddhist Fellowship Centre.

Yoma Strategic Holdings Ltd

Members of the public who want to help can contact Company Secretary Lee Kam Seng at kslee@yomastrategic.com. Read more here.

What are love bases?

2008-05-09T09:15:00.002+08:00

Went out with atul, joyce and benson for dinner..talked about some interesting topics, one of which was about the Love bases.

So my dear fren took the trouble to locate the answer and here it is:

FAQ:
What are the 4 or 3 love "bases"?

As per yahoo answers,
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060614170307AAfEWr3
Best Answer - Chosen by Voters
1st Base = Kissing
2nd Base=Fondling / Often a hand under girl's shirt
Third Base = Fondling genitalia.
Home Run = Intercourse / Oral SexIf a girl has performed oral sex, but not vaginal sex, she is NOT a virgin.

Another interpretation:
http://loveisgreat.com/LOVE_Q_AND_A/TeenQA200405/Love2004052900022.htm

Hope someone finds this useful.....

Boys will be Boys: Straight Guy Got Owned

2008-05-02T10:41:00.001+08:00

Benson, did you encounter this in Bangkok during your HPC?

Night out with the boys and joyce

2008-05-02T00:37:00.006+08:00

A long awaited break, catching up with Atul, Isaac, Joyce and a few more friends. We went to the National museum singapore, and had a drink at Nouveau bar (I think). Hehe, nothing much happened, and we are looking forward to next mahjong session at Isaac's!

We are Belittled yet Inspired simultaneously.

Isaac's gone nuts...

Next, we proceeded to Lunar Bar for round 2. Wish you were here, whoever were not here.

Hongkong Popular TV Series - AH WANG song and lyrics

2008-04-27T01:00:00.006+08:00

This is currently my favourite HK TVB series called Ah Wang. I am usually home by 6.30pm to catch this show from 7pm to 8pm keke....eat your hearts out my hardworking workaholic friends.

Anyway I love the show, very nice and heartwarming. Basically about this mentally-challenged (must be pc) guy and how he overcame challenges with his innocence and honest, hardworking character. No problem in life is too big as long as we do our best, be kind to others and start off with a heart to help others first. Kinda reminds me of us in teamblue eh!

The theme song and the ending song are in Cantonese, and they are very nice. I have put up the songs and the lyrics for easy search and appreciation by all:

《阿旺新傳》主題曲
click here to listen
http://blog.52harrypotter.com/UploadFiles/2007-6/28936419671.mp3

作曲：鄭智偉
填詞：鄭櫻綸
主唱：郭晉安宣萱

男：十萬夢兒裡有你
一起闖入穿梭機
與你挽手星海中探險遠飛
女：若問爲何愛上你
推開關著的心扉
你以愛將千顆傷透心救起
男：怎麽天天見太陽
東方夕升接著陽
女：夜與白天分開去細賞
男：怎麽一天再漫長
心中總有你在場
合：念掛（女）就似是唯一的傾向
（男）著你如在美夢我想
Sunshine and love be with you
In rainy days,I shall be with you
Love is no fool
Dreams come true
問問愛會有多闊
原來像那片天高海闊
Love is no fool
Dreams come true
I\'d always be with you

《阿旺新傳》曲
软糖
click here to listen online
http://www.tudou.com/programs/view.php?itemID=1078057

男）手中的糖果
共你伴我高歌
同路挽手走过
唯独你跟我
（女）手执起糖果
自觉又在哼歌
相处爱护过
平淡中有你跟我
（男）从心裏
已未寻伴侣
愿意奉上所有亦伴随
（女）童话裹
愿这欢乐可以仍陶醉
（合）避世隐居
（男）爱是从未变
快乐如当天
（合）手裏带著甜蜜圆糖忆当天… … …

Donate to Save the Bears cause

2008-04-26T19:12:00.003+08:00

I was watching a Channel U program about a Singaporean building engineer who gave up his day job to work as a volunteer in a Bear Rescue center in Sichuan which house rescued bears from farms which lock them up in horrible condition just to extract their bile!!!

Some bears have their paws chopped off just so that the farmers can save the trouble of cutting their nails for them... There are some bears which were insane after more than 20 years of captivity and are not the same again even after being rescued..

Feel really sad and sore after watching that... Feel that even though i am not as noble as the guy in giving up my day job to help out... We should contribute whatever bit we can from a couple of having a couple of cheaper meals to having fewer drinks sessions and transfer the saving to such cause... So here friends is the link to the organisation.. If you feel the same, do donate whatever amount we can..

http://www.animalsasia.org/index.php?module=1&menupos=2&lg=en

Signing off with anger with those people eating bile!!

GongFu noodle maker

2008-04-01T14:55:00.004+08:00

Sharing this cool clip i recorded in this cool steamboat restaurant called "HaiTiLau" in BJ

Fantastic business, took us 1 hour of queuing to get in..

The guy managed to pull noodle out of a piece of flour while showing off his excellent "gongfu" at the same time!! Other then the noodle man, they serve great food and offer good services.. A must go if you guys are there :)

Good business idea if Atul can master this skill :p

Ideal jobs - out of rat race

2008-03-22T17:06:00.002+08:00

Wow, i am blogging this the same time as Way!

Not sure if this is considered 'low wage job', but i think a beach bum selling ice cream or beer at a beach side pub is nice. Also i think it is cool to be a 'fish & chips' seller at a wonder scenic beach (coast with wonderful seafood and people)...for me it is not so much the post or what i do, rather at that level where monetary returns are not a factor, it would be the environment which i would be happiest...even a noble profession like being an educator a.k.a teacher is quite stressful and economically driven nowadays!

what low paying job would you want to do?

2008-03-19T23:59:00.002+08:00

Okie, random thoughts, I was thinking what is the lowest paid job you are willing to do, i mean hypothetically, a job that does not pay a lot but you will be happy doing it...this is an open post so would be great if everyone writes...

for me, two jobs come to mind :

1. drinks boy at kopi shop - not the stall owner (that one very rich), the boy who serves drinks to customers. i would like it because get to meet many different people everyday and always updated with latest news and gossip. actually get to meet a variety of people also.
in fact, i quite pity the aunty / uncle who do this job, sometimes they are treated so harshly or rudely by customers, not nice lei...i think i will scold people if they are rude to me ...haha

2. taxi driver - okie not that low paying but still it does not pay a lot. this one because i like to drive (dunt laugh, i dunt always end up in accidents)....and whole day u get to see new places/lanes/roads and meet a variety of people...tourists, families etc etc...will be an interesting job..

okie maybe i should add, choose a job/s that pays low and has low dignity as well...do not come back and say, social worker or school teacher....those are respectable jobs even if they do not pay a loot...i think all of you get the point...

Can u see me and atul on stage?

2008-03-15T16:09:00.002+08:00

No la, just kidding. I happened to pass by toa payoh today after swim, and i saw these Home Team guys having body building competition. I think uncle tan should take part..haha!

Airshow 2008

2008-03-15T10:57:00.001+08:00

Hi friends,

just some of the many shots we took at airshow 2008.

come on folks, cheer up...

2008-03-12T22:39:00.002+08:00

There have been quite a few 'emo' posts by dear friends and so I thought I would just say some good things and try to make everyone happier :)

- Jobs / profession / what we do for living is a continuous learning process. There is no good or bad, no right or wrong. Every company has its pros and cons. Though we might hate to accept it, but difficult situations, demanding bosses and challenging environment teach us a lot and improve us for future situations. In fact, I would go one step ahead to say that everything in life is a learning experience and just go with the flow, enjoy whatever you do, wherever you go, whoever you meet, and even whatever you eat....:)

- People (whether at work or anyone) are generally nice. What I mean to say is no one actually means to harm anyone and everyone is looking for that extra love/attention/appreciation. Really, I feel it is just that simple. So just be yourself, if you are friendly , be friendly everywhere, if you can crack stupid jokes and smile with us, do it with everyone, they might resist or feel uncomfortable in the beginning but they will like you...:)

- Be realistic and not idealistic or overly optimistic. Yes, everyone has got a job to do and every person has their own agenda or measurement criteria or bosses to please so just take that extra effort to understand and see how you can help them. You will be surprised how people remember it and how someone you totally forgot comes out of the blue and helps you one day...:)

Okie, none of the above has actually happened to me though I think if we all can do our small bit everyone around us would be happier and so would we.To end, I heard somewhere 'To be happy is an ability' and I totally agree, so lets smile and cheer up fellas ! :)

My first attempt

2008-03-12T16:42:00.006+08:00

Well after reading all the emotional post by Wilf, Atul and Joyce. I have decided to make my first contribution to this blog :p

Not being good with words.. I have decided to post a pic i took while i was in BJ that i feel convey my feeling after working in the industry for close to 4 years.. Emptiness and jaded are words that pop into my mind... Does picture says a thousand words in this case???

But life has been good to me.. At least i manage to know this bunch of brudders who hang out together and help out during my wedding without any hesitation.

To end this post, happy thoughts guys and gals.. Mahjong session approaching.. Uncle Tan will buy some yum yum snack from SH if i got the time for shopping :)

Innocence Gone?

2008-03-11T22:12:00.003+08:00

Dear friends, I cant help but think and feel that I have changed so much over the past 3 years since entering the work force. I am not sure if this is generally the trend or the effect is all the more evident as we are working in such a high performance driven company. I felt that I have changed, yet I cannot put a finger as to exactly what has changed. I am definitely more mature and serious at work, yet when I hang out with you guys, I am back to the same person as when we first met; fun and genuine laughter, and pure innocence. Not afraid of saying the wrong things in front of you guys, and not afraid to make a fool out of myself. Is that what joyce has been saying as "speak devilish to a devil and humanish to a human?" I know we have personas, masks we put on, yet which is the real us? So can we show our unguarded selves at the office, or it is because we know better than to put our vulnerable front in front of our colleagues?

I miss our training days....

Violent Jet Landing in Storm Caught on Tape in Germany

2008-03-04T02:32:00.001+08:00

This is totally crazy....

A jumbo jet nearly crashed Saturday as it attempted to land in the midst of a tropical storm in Germany, Spiegel Online reported Monday.

The Lufthansa jet, with 137 passengers onboard, struggled through the strong winds of a powerful winter storm to land at Hamburg Airport, Spiegel Online reported. An amateur video captured the dramatic landing.

see the video clip http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ddb_1204404185

then and now..

2008-02-25T22:53:00.004+08:00

It seems like this blog will soon die if we do not start writing, so come on folks write something okie, can be anything, and it does not take very long , haha!

I will try to make this post not so emotional but few thoughts have been dancing in my head ever since I started work at my new place and just wanted to share these with my close buddies.

I am not sure if I am the only one who feels all this. I could not help noticing some differences between my old and current jobs. Some of them good and some not so good.

Let me start with the good things about my new place. It is a very warm and cosy place with friendly people. I was really touched with the monthly employee meeting concept where all the new employees were introduced and a huge cake was cut for people whose birthdays fall in that month. I have always felt it is very important to be close to your colleagues beyond work and at the big MNC, everyone was so caught up with work that we could not find time to even wish our team mates on their birthdays.

But then as the old cliche goes, a coin has two sides. I must admit that the intellectual calibre of the people here is not comparable to the old company. I myself am no guru or anything but I have been very privileged to work with some of the best brains in the industry and learn from them and very importantly spend the first three months of my professional life with smart and passionate friends like yourself. It is not wrong when they say that the big MNC attracts the top talents in the industry, at least from what I have seen so far.

Besides these, other feelings are quite mixed at the moment. Still lots to learn and prove myself , even though having a strong sales foundation does help me.

Okie, let me end this post by putting up some photos from our mahjong gathering on 17 feb 2008 at brother isaac's place...enjoy friends!

Post Colonial Hangover?

2008-02-24T14:35:00.002+08:00

Are we still suffering from post colonial hangover? Take a look at this advertisement at a local kopi stall...."....good old colonial days..?!"

me like 'Timbre' very much

2008-02-10T19:35:00.000+08:00

It is surprising that I have not blogged about Timbre yet considering I have been there like almost every week , sometimes every twice or thrice a week in the past couple of months. I had heard about a cozy restaurant + bar near the old national library but only went there in Dec last year. And now it is my favorite hang out joint. Since it's discovery, I have also brought many of my friends there and all of them absolutely loved it too.

Timbre is a restaurant + bar with live music from upcoming local bands. You may like this place for several reasons ...
1. It is an open air place with wooden tables and chairs. It gives one a very relaxed and cozy feel. And with good evening breeze it is just about the perfect place to hang out with friends or business associates for a drink after work/classes.
2. The food is simple and yummy. I personally like the think crust pizzas and the soft shell crabs. The pizzas are not too cheesy and go along well with the beer or drinks.
3. And that brings me to the drinks. The bar has almost all popular beers on tap and a good variety of wine too. The prices are reasonable given its location and setting.
4. But the most important reason I love Timbre is because of the live bands. The management encourages local bands and gives them opportunities to perform. I have now long been a fan of 'The Goodfellas' ever since they played in China One on Thursdays. They now perform in Timbre on Thursdays and Saturdays. I also heard this new band '53A' who now play on Fridays and quite liked them too. Maybe I should go back next Friday to hear them again. Besides these, 'E I C' plays on Wednesday and 'Reverie' on Tuesdays.

Another thing, whatever I have written here is all with respect to Timbre @ Substation at Armenian Street as there is another Timbre at Arts House too. I have been to the one at Arts House only once but did not like it all that much. There are more details on www.timbre.com.sg and you can even do reservations.

So yeah, if any of you friends want to hang out at Timbre, do not forget to call me okie :P

saturday night life in taiwan p1

2008-02-06T19:14:00.001+08:00

To end off, let's take a look at this clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7eiY2xkltE. Now this is something I want to see more often anywhere!

Singapore English Gets Criticised

2008-02-06T18:59:00.000+08:00

I was quite tickled when I read about this in the newspaper and I found the youtube clip showing a snippet of the show. In a nutshell, during a popular Taiwanese variety show, the celebrities were criticizing and laughing at the way Singaporeans are perceived to speak English. With their limited knowledge of what is the actual language standard of Singapore, they mimicked the way some Singaporeans speak English and actually had the audacity to laugh at our standard. I have posted the link to the clip, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYuIg7Tnc7g, hopefully this link works. In any case, I do not find it worthwhile to debate over the language proficiency of our fellow Singaporeans. We know better, the facts speak for themselves.

In fact, some of the interesting and entertaining moments when I am watching the Taiwanese variety shows are when the celebrities speak English - namely Jackie Wu, but I do not assume the entire Taiwanese population speaking like him. Let's be open and tolerant, and be proud that both countries' citizens have a level of proficiency in a non-native language.

Taiwan Celebrities Criticise Singaporean English

2008-02-06T18:56:00.001+08:00

This is from a popular Taiwanese variety program. Critisizing the english of Singaporeans....cannot believe my ears.

Team Bxxx - more than just friends

2008-02-04T21:50:00.000+08:00

Reading the emotional posts of Joyce and Atul has brought back many fond memories we shared. The truely wonderful moment in life I will always remember are the days we met and joined Big Blxx in 2004. I am very proud and blessed to know all the wonderful, talented and intelligent people like you. In a way, we saw each other through the maze of processes in the office, the ups and downs of working life, and we witnessed each others' growth and maturity. What better way to start a career than this than with bosom friends who truely care? From being brudders and sisters caring for each other, to being brothers and emcees for Isaac at his wedding...all these are moments which we will always remember.

Of course we have Ben Ben growing up too - just opened his first JW Black Label last week!

Today I was taking the train to T2, and for the first time in 3.8 years, I did not alight at Expo. I was a little sad, wistful, and probably wondering what the people are doing in the office (actually they would be having SSLs). Oh well, we will all adjust eventually, as long as we keep in touch, our friendship will last. Heehee...now I need to figure a way to invite Zane and Isaac to share their views...haha, maybe ask them about the stock market?

CouchSurfing - Interesting!

2008-02-04T21:43:00.001+08:00

I came across CouchSurfing on the papers and checked out the website http://www.couchsurfing.com/index.html?index=1

Simply, to save on lodging and experience a more native and authentic travel, you can locate a person in that country who is willing to host you for free. You will sleep on his/her "couch"! And of course, through this, you will interact and make new friends, as well as learn a lot more about the culture of the country you are travelling in. Now this is a good intiative to have, though couchsurfers must be careful in selecting the host. Typically selecting hosts who have positive reviews and feedback is the most important. I have yet to try, haha.

Gem in East - Chuan Kee Cooked Food

2008-02-04T21:02:00.000+08:00

Name: Chuan Kee Cooked Food
Category: Chinese Cooked Food
Location: East of Singapore (Katong)
Address: Jalan Batu Market/Hawker Centre And Food Centre, #01-40, 4A Jalan Batu (S)432004

Opening Hours: Not very sure as this is my first time, but closes around 10pm. Please let me know if you have the information.

I tried a couple of dishes at this stall and it was simply delicious! In my opinion, this stall offers restaurant quality food at hawker price. I ordered the hot plate tou fu and their speciality of the week - orange sauce fried fish. It seems this stall innovates regularly to keep the customers coming back for more! The price is reasonable - I had vegetables, a plate of hot plate toufu, the fish and it costs only 20 SGD for 2. That is only S$10 per pax. The toufu came sizzling hot on the hot plate, and the sauce tasted very similar to the sauce used for chilli crab. Very nice, and the prawns accompanying the toufu is very fresh and succulent. The fried fish went very well with the refreshing orange sauce, and the owner placed freshly cut pineapple and orange slices on the dish. Also, what was surprising for a hawker dish is that the cook included the orchid garnish! This cook definitely takes great pride in his cooking! So go ahead and definitely must try!

How to get there: I do not know how to include the web widget from streetdirectory yet, if someone knows, pls let me know. I will just include the html link and hope it does not change anytime soon!
http://www.streetdirectory.com/asia_travel/travel/travel_id_4206/travel_site_64471/

Hidden Gems to please your taste buds : Chicken Rice

2008-02-04T16:44:00.000+08:00

The first attempt on this blog to unearth some of the hidden food gems in Singapore. Most of the times we know about the popular joints but Singapore being a food lover's paradise has so many of these hidden gems that we thought it might be worthwhile to let our readers know (hopefully people read this :p) about some of the food places we like.

Today, I am writing about a chicken rice stall at New Upper Changi Road. Yeah, most of you might go 'oh no, chicken rice again', but whatever one says chicken rice is still one of the more popular food items in Singapore. And there are so many places where you can find good chicken rice but this particular stall does it a bit differently. At least I prefer this to a lot other chicken rice joints now.

This stall is 'Kim Poh Chicken Rice' and famous for its kampong chicken. Located at Blk 57, New Upper Changi Road in the Upper Changi Coffee Joint kopi shop, the S$2 per plate chicken rice is one of the freshest and best I have had. They also have thai style beancurd or the usual oyster sauce veg and braised egg to go along but I really liked the beancurd chicken rice combo, something that I have not seen at any other chicken rice stall.

The stall is convenient for office workers around Bedok/Changi area for lunch as there is a lot of parking space and the area is also well connected by public transport. Another advantage is that it is comparatively less crowded than the other more popular joints around the area.

I am posting some pics of the stall and the chicken rice that me and my friend ordered, hope they get you interested in this stall and let us know your thoughts about the food here.

And no, none of us get any commission from the stall for posting this ...:)..

We'll be there for you, beause you are there for us too

2008-02-03T04:47:00.000+08:00

"I guess when you're young, you just believe there'll be many people with whom you'll connect with. Later in life, you realize it only happens a few times."
And for me these few times/people are my dear friends from Team Bxxx.

All of us got to know each other because we joined Ixx at the same time, but it was really more than that. We clicked as a group of people, we complemented each other and we accepted each other for what we were. And not forgetting similar interests which range from dancing on Friday nights ;) to eating waffles or cursing/swearing/bitching about random things.

We may have worked together as a team in Ixx Club, but it was really more than that. All of us had the same passion, the same vision and unidentified levels of enthusiasm and motivation. If I ever felt down or upset, the rest of you were always around to cheer me up.

We are no longer working together or might see each other everyday (though I wish we could), but I am sure this friendship that we have formed will last forever. We should all be happy for each other that we are pursuing careers or dreams of our interest be it studying in Canada or being a station manager for the world's top airline ;)

At this stage, I am really running out of words but I guess all of you know how I feel. The feeling of starting work at a new place is sinking in slowly and I miss you folks too and feel the vacuum, however I know that my friends like you are just a phone call away and I cherish that more than anything.

"I realized how much I missed you only when you were not around."

----------- That is the end of emotional Atul -------------------------

Regarding sales rallies, I have always felt they were ra-ra events and for people to show off and earn brownie points in front of the senior management. It is just sad that corporate life has come to this but it is true that not many people who go up on stage feel much for the company or are even sincere about words they sing/say. I am still very young in my corporate career and perhaps in no position to make such statements, but I feel that for Ixx to be even a better company the people and specially the salespeople need to step down from their thrones 10,000 feet high in the sky and be who they are. They need to peel off this layer of plastic and stop portraying a certain image , an image that they think people will appreciate because we do not. But somehow we are all caught in such a vicious cycle that it will take something big/drastic to break it. Who dares?

Hug me & cry with me, the next time you see me

2008-02-02T23:18:00.001+08:00

Sales Rally 2008 1 Feb The Rock

We had Ivan sing "I Love IXX" to the tune of "I Love Rock n Roll"
It was all very ra-ra with the Team Blues (new & old) on stage
Try as I might, I just could not rev up the "I love IXX" spirit with me
With the last 3 '04 Team Blues (Zane, Benson & me) scattered across the room
I could not find much to sing and dance to ... ...

I recall the last Kick-off where I worked my a** off
attending weekly meetings with my dear 'ol friend, Wilf
learning to sing and dance to "We're all in this together"
and having the tune stuck in my head and mobile for the rest of '07
The truth is, my friends... ... it's just not the same without you

So I left the Rock on 1 Feb with emptiness
with no feelings of inspiration, whatsoever
and a little loss of love for the Blue Cult.

2008-01-31T10:04:00.001+08:00

Someone just sent you a bug.... Thanks, Benson for your detailed explanation yet again, complete with instructions and pdf link. But to blog at 2.30am in the morning after golf and still doing chart, man, you are really crazy.

Hey buddy...

2008-01-31T02:32:00.000+08:00

Yo man, thanks for inviting me to the blog.
It is always a little sad to have someone leaving the family. On the contrary, I am really happy for you with the new job starting this Friday, and sure you'll be looking forward to the new challenges ahead!
Hmm...who's next to join THE club? :)

You're right about the SCV Digital Box...was confused with the trial HD box I had last year.
The 'Digital box' only has RCA plugs for composite video and stereo audio.
The 'HD box' does have composite as well as component video, and of course HDMI & digital audio.
You can find more information on the 2 links below:
http://www.starhub.com/CableTV/SF/CustomerCare/DTVonline.pdf
http://www.starhub.com/CableTV/SF/CustomerCare/HDTVOnline190107.pdf
Your Sony LCD TV is not put to waste yet, well...at least you can start enjoying the only 'free HD contents' now on a new gaming console, or maybe if you're considering to buy a TV recorder that has component & HDMI.

Quite bored at this hour, looking at the charts making me dozing off...think I shall call it a day soon...catch up with you then.

Someone stole my SAF boots

2008-01-30T23:30:00.000+08:00

WTH, some person stole my SAF boots which cost 100+ of SAF dollars, and now I am without any boots. Hopefully I do not have to use them, and may the feet rot of whoever stole my new boots!

Anyway, I think my brudder here is misreading what baby joyce has written. I simply do not see or feel anything negative from her little passage..senstive new age guy. Or I am too insensitive?

It is true we do not a need an outing to meet up and chat and catch up, but if we do not take steps to create that opportunity, that catching up will never happen. Unless keep in touch via sametime, msn or blog. I think this blog is not a bad idea, when I have more photos and information to share.

Also, to Ben Ben, the starhub digital setup box does not have the HD component cable. I looked at the back of the box and it just has the usual RGB cable inlets. So my new Sony LCD tv is another white elephant. There are no HD content which is free! Can Starhub and Mediacorp come to an understanding and work for the benefit of the consumers?! And the relevant media authority is seemingly working hard to roll out HD content, so I really hope HD content will be readily available by 2020. Fingers crossed.

Addin on food and pics and other things

2008-01-29T00:22:00.000+08:00

Just spoken to another jaded Zane. I have added him to add too, so I am expecting some nice poems from him too. That is a really good piece of literary work by joyce, hehe. thanks! Hey people, we are compiling interesting food places too for this blog. So take out your camera phone and snap your next interesting meal and put it up. Or interesting places to share. I want to know what is going in your lives now!

What melodrama...

2008-01-28T23:44:00.000+08:00

My dearest buddies (no longer at IBM),

If I may just say, it always helps to write in prose
No emoticons that'd belittle our intelligence
No ... ... to indicate a sudden loss of refined speech

Visuals always help so do be liberal with incriminating evidence of our indulgences
Not that we need to go out and party on Friday, in order to compile a library
But let us be forward-looking and build new memories
Even as we continue to laugh at the old *Hi, I'm Roger*

I'm on, as soon as Sales Rally is over,
which of the 2 temporarily unemployed brothers will gather the troops?

Dedicated to my best buddy in IBM

2008-01-28T23:31:00.000+08:00

As you flip to a new chapter, I linger at the old,

Realising a sense of loss, where no more;
a smile at Tanah Merah
a breakfast buddy to start the engine running
a heart I can pour out to on the rooftop

Savouring the moments of humour;
Roger Lim, the security watchdog
chilli & ketchup fattening my wallet
"hubby", "darling" & "spiderpig" ringing my cell

'tis a considerable sense of loss...

Welcome to Blogging!

2008-01-28T22:38:00.000+08:00

haha bro, this is really a surprise and i never thought YOU would blog...but hey yeah it is a good idea bro...so good luck and update it regularly yeah...also thanks for adding me as an admin and hopefully i can contribute some sense to YOUR blog..hehe...
okie now let us get down to plan a launch party for your blog, how about this friday...and of course celebrating your new job...yeah basically just party whatever the reason maybe...

A new chapter begins

2008-01-28T21:59:00.000+08:00

ok, i do not know who will read this, yet, but I think I can start blogging some thoughts first. Today marks the beginning of a new chapter - Leaving a company of 3.8 yrs is not easy, especially when I have so many fond memories and friends I leave behind. But as luck would have it, most of my good friends have left the company, and the emotional baggage is not as strong as it might have been. This is my first blog anyway, so let me try it on Atul and Joyce....haha...give me comments man, on what to write! My plan is to blog when I am overseas to keep in touch, but meantime, let me chop this username first!