just some thoughts

Land of Cheese and Watches

2007-10-12T02:09:00.000+08:00

Hi all... greetings from Switzerland. Attending a UN military observer course organised by the Swiss Army. Itäs absolutelz lovelz in Stans, abt 1h awaz from Zurich. The onlz complain i have is that the bloodz kezboard is weird. So please replace all (z) with (y) please.

Itäs kinda weird being a minoritz... there are onlz 2 asians in mz group of 15 persons. The rest are all Europeans. The other asian dude is a vietnamese who hardlz speaks english. Overall itäs fun... met a whole lot of new friends... the Swiss are reallz friendlz but becoy thez are a big group... thez get kinda cliquish at times. I guess that is inevitable and we are guitz of it in singapore. I promise to be nicer to ang mohs when i,mback.

Realise that i have been reallz out of touch of outfield stuff... i mean the last time i was out field was in
We are training for the final exercise which will be 4 dazs outfield... where we are supposed to man an militarz observersä post.... like the real thing in a UN militarz observer mission. Excited zet also nervous coy do not reallz know what to expect. Hopefullz things are ok. I miss home somehow... but i get this feeling that once i get home... i'd miss life here and the new friends i've made.

ok lars... i am gonna do some jogging coy all the swiss cheese and chocolates and heavz meals are making me fat.

Meet up with old frens from Biz Ad

2007-09-17T00:14:00.000+08:00

Meet up Biz Ad frens over the weekend. Went with Alwin a business case competition at Seattle during our NUS days. He's working for Temasek Holdings based in Vietnam so managed to catch hold of him for dinner with Angie and I at PS Cafe.

Hey at PS Cafe... coincidentally met up with more Biz Ad frens Magdeline and Ronald. Magdeline is a smarty pants... top honours student from our cohort.

Then went on to Wild Oats. Alwin knew Pearl Floss from his NUS days so we gate-crashed her farewell. Met our Mr Biz Ad - Keng Leong (extreme left)

Everyone seems to be doing really well from my biz ad batch. Overachievers aplenty...

VJC A Division Badminton Guys - Hat Trick of Titles 1996-1998

2007-09-10T11:50:00.000+08:00

Found this clip on youtube. Brought back good memories when VJ guys badminton were dominant in the A Division scene.

These were my juniors who completed the hat-trick of A division badminton guys title and hence allowing us to keep the coverted trophy.

Secretly thankful they didn't have the video of the finals for my year... coz although VJ won, but my doubles partner and I lost the sole point to RJ. We were overwhelmed by the occasion coz unlike our team-mates, we didn't really had big game exposure during our secondary school days. But what the heck.. we still got the trophy!!!

Expensive Toilets and Badminton Friendly @ Langkawi

2007-09-08T13:51:00.000+08:00

Being sick has its advantages... I get to rest at home and not burn out by squeezing every min of my weekends. And i get to update my close to dead blog...

Spent last weekend at Langkawi for a badminton friendly with Four Seasons. Nay, didn't stay at Four Seasons coz it costs freaking 850 USD per nite! but we managed to use the facilities there for a day.

Above is the supposedly famous langkawi eagle. Their version of S'pore Merlion I guess. I am 2nd from left.

Did some go-kart racing... i am not exactly the initial D type but still had a whale of a time burning rubber.

So they say, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Went clubbing at some cantopop bar with live ah lians belting out "Lao su ai da mi" techno version. It was Malaysia's National Day so the flag was conveniently shaffed into my hands. And that's my kick ass badminton mix doubles partner. Can u believe we've known each other since 15 and her dad used to be my coach.

The beaches of Langkawi. I was actually expecting golden fine grain sand with crystal clear water... erm not really lah but good enough.

And finally checking out the toilet in the 850 USD per night room at Four Seasons Langkawi...

MIKE the Mazda 3 Hatchie

2007-09-08T11:09:00.000+08:00

This is a belated announcement of the arrival of the new family car. It's a family car coz mom paid for downpayment, while Bro and I are sharing the instalments.

A sleek pearl white Mazda 3 Hatchie. Quite like the "make" of the car and the drive.

The license plate reads "SGX1300T". Didn't bid for the number... according to Lester the dawg, it might mean that the stock of SGX is gonna hit $13.00 soon!

Check out the interior...

The only sucky thing is that... white is rather difficult to maintain. Specks of dirt are accentuated on the white colour. Lucky we've got our trusty 'bangla' to wash our car everyday.

Photos copyrighted from Grace.

Djoking Around

2007-09-08T10:43:00.000+08:00

Novak Djokovic is the latest "it" boy of tennis. Just aged 20, he is currently world no 3. And during the last tournament prior to US Open, he defeated Andy Roddick, Rafael Nadal and the great Roger Federer in succession to win the title.

In addition to his tennis abilities... he is one funny dude. Check out the impersonalitions of Maria Sharapova and Nadal.

During our younger days

2007-08-19T13:18:00.000+08:00

Looking thru photos in hard disk... chanced upon this. Wah piang... we were damn young then.

Part of the E4 brudders

From left - Siang, Dino, Lester, Yanxun

Absent with apology - Melvin, Ceyu, Bernard, CJ, Andrew, Edmund

Mysteries Behind 'Honour and Passion'

2007-08-16T23:18:00.000+08:00

Mysteries Behind "Honour and Passion"

1. How come we never see CPT Wenjing (played by Tay Ping Hui) push paper for his CO?

2. How come CPT Auyong Pei Pei (played by Felicia Chin) perpetually has flawless make-up at work?

3. How come we never see any of the regulars log on to Janus and fight the "computer war"?

4. How come CPT Wenjing always so free to "drop" by CPT Auyong's camp considering that Commando Camp is at Changi while Armour Camp is at Sungei Gedung (wait.. is she from armour)

5. How come *actors/actresses do not cringe at the lines they have to say?

E.g. WO Pengju, "With my pension, i can live the rest of my life comfortably."

E.g. SG Wenzhong, "As long as you train hard, getting gold for IPPT will be no problem at all." Extra replies, "Exactly! And you get $400 as well".

* maybe it's becoz they are really good at acting.

6. How come CPT Wenjing keep visiting CPT Auyong's parents store for donuts but he never gets fatter?

7. How come CPT Wenjing, CPT Auyong, WO Pengju, WO Auntie (dunno what's her name) don't have to submit USMS for workyear?

I am sure there are many more mysteries... what a pity the show is gonna be over. I wait anxiously every night for each episode... it's such a comedy.

Wait.. isn't it supposed to be a drama?

Good Steak... Good Company

2007-08-14T23:47:00.000+08:00

Pic taken at Black Angus. Dinner with Lijuan and Ban Mian Kaki.

Photo "stolen" from Ban Mian Kaki's blog... erm... i am expecting a earful from her. Brace myself for it!

Life without Fred

2007-07-25T22:22:00.000+08:00

Life without Fred has been tough.

25 Jul 07

0545 - wake up. switch alarm to snooze.
0550 - wake up. really.
0620 - take private bus from tampines mart
0730 - reach mindef pass office
0745 - take mini bus up to office at ulu hill up mindef
work work work
1330 - Hitch ride from Sing Ping to mindef taxi stand. Take taxi to Kranji Camp 3
1400 - Reach Kranji camp 3 for interformation badminton. Played doubles with Eugene. Scrapped thru in 3 tight sets
1450 - shower and call cab
1500 - take cab from Kranji camp 3 to mindef hilltop
work work work
1900 - shit... last colleague leaving office. NO transport out of office. Hitch ride to Kallang MRT
1930 - board crowded MRT to tampines central
2000 - take feeder bus
2015 - buy dinner and reach home

Was feeling ill yesterday so decided to forgo tennis plans. But couldn't disappoint badminton team.

Spend so much time travelling!!! In fact the first week i had a migraine from taking too much public transport.

Well... that's abt it. Sometimes i wonder whether i should spend the extra $ and get a car. but then i think i should rough it out for a while and save some $$$ for... ... some plans lah.

Sometimes we take for granted what we have... like i think i've been blessed with great colleagues. Back in 203 and also now at my new office. Heard horror stories from frens in the private sector that it's just one political arena out there. Backstabbing is common.

Erm.... i think this blog entry is rather random.... there is no focus... but whatever goes. What is my point again.. oh yeah... life without fred is tough.

Weekend Getaway to Bintan

2007-06-25T23:09:00.000+08:00

Hotel Stay = $140

Jet Ski = $45

Snorkelling = $35

Lunch = $24

Dinner = $50

Poolside lunch = $18

SPA (Body Scrub and Milk Bath) = $109

Chilling out with good friends = P R I C E L E S S

In memory of Fred...

2007-06-20T15:10:00.000+08:00

Yesterday my trusty car, "Fred the Ford Focus", fell ill on my way back from work.

Thankfully... i haven't entered the expressway when the engine warning and malfunction light went on. Fred started to vibrate as well.

Thanksfully i heeded the advice of my colleague and signed up for AA membership. So free towing to workshop.

Thankfully i have not renewed my car insurance/road tax which will be expiring in Jul.

Unfortunately Ford's warranty for Fred just ended 1 month ago so his medical bills chalked up to 500 buckaroos! So after thinking abt it... i've decided to scrap poor Freddy. It's gonna be a hassle without a car esp since my office is freaking up the mindef hill, but i'll get by. And I can save some $$$...

"In memory of Fred, the Trusty Ford Focus"

Feb 2001 - Jul 2007

Princess Fiona and Kim Clijsters

2007-06-05T21:30:00.000+08:00

Kim Clijsters is one of my fave tennis players... but found this on the web... the resemblance is uncanning. Erm... sorry Kim.

Princess Fiona & Kim Clijsters

Riding the Wave

2007-05-31T14:24:00.000+08:00

So it's been a long time since i last blogged... ok fine, The last entry was not counted. But but but... a picture speaks a thousand words - so technically my last entry was worth at least 1000 words.

I'm not sure whether it is this mid-year syndrome, but come June-July for the past 3 years, I've sat down and reassess my direction in life. What's gonna happen for the later part of the year. Unfortunately i feel rather aimless, yet again.

I had a sharp colleague who asked me just last week, "Are you ok? You look kinda sad." I think sad might be too strong a word to use. In my mind, i replied him, "I'm not sad... i just feel helpless." I like to believe that i am a person who places a great deal of pride in the work i do. No sub-standard work i.e. task oriented. But recently i get the feeling that in the line of my work, there is nothing much i can do to influence the system. All i can do is to "ride" the system. Either I go faster than the rest, or I fall behind my peers who are also riding the system. Which explains my helplessness.

I am embarrassed to say that i am resigned to my fate... at least for now... at least for the next 11 months

Yesterday was not a particularly great day either... i got screwed for some work-related matter. But i can't help but wonder whether the screwing was because of a mistake or just temperment of a personality. I like to believe it is the former.

This is such a depressing entry! Maybe i should just stick to blogging pictures! Don't worry, i am a big boy. I'd just suck it in and move on with life.

In the words of my top dawgs - keep it real...

Partying

2007-05-11T00:00:00.000+08:00

Visiting Nephews from Surabaya

2007-02-19T13:48:00.000+08:00

I'm not very close with relatives from my dad's side. But recently got to meet up with a whole lot of them. I always knew that my indon roots are from my mom's side but didn't realise that relatives from my dad's side are also indonesian... from the Riau Islands - Tanjong Balai, Pekan Bahru (yikes! RSAF training ground), Tanjong Pinang, Batam etc etc.

So apparently my 'roots' are deeper than I thought they were.

Check out my 2 nephews from Surabaya visiting Singapore for Chinese New Year - the older one is Bryan who studies in an international school and Jason who is just this energetic kid with a strong Surabayan slang.

Chinese New Year 07

2007-02-04T22:43:00.001+08:00

Apparently our blogs are being monitored... ....

My life is so complete. I am so happy with work... there's just so much job satisfaction. I wake up every morning with a smile on my face. I am just so deliriously happy with work.

(cough... cough...)

Resemblance?

2007-01-31T21:17:00.001+08:00

I thought this is rather nice pic taken. Apparently many have told us that we look alike. I don't think we look alike physically but it's more the "pattern" that's similar. Even I cannot deny our mannerisms are pretty much alike... the slight slouch while we walk, the way we talk etc.

I think as I grow older, I'm starting to value family more and more. I remember ban mian kaki once told me... people come and go, girls come and go, friends come and go... but regardless of circumstances, your family will always be there for you. So one of my resolution this year, is to be nicer to my family... and also to ban mian kaki lah, since she always claims that i am a heartless guy. Haha.

Finding Sugarmummy vs Striking Toto

2007-01-28T22:01:00.000+08:00

Haven't been blogging in ages.. I've been rather busy. This is kinda strange because i usually blog when i need to bitch abt work or life etc but life has been rather good to me recently. I don't know why.. maybe I'm just trying to see the lighter things in life.

Time really passes so quickly. Just 2 years back, I was lamenting about how long my bond is. Now I can say that my bond is ending next year!!! But in line with what i tell my bosses and colleagues, "I'm keeping my options open."

You don't really know what can happen in a year. I might :

1) Save the president and my CEP would increase to BG grade! ***
2) Get married and get tied up with housing loans, renovation loans, car loans etc etc ****
3) Strike toto **
4) Find a sugarmummy *

* indicates remoteness. More * implies greater remoteness.

So.... as i said, "I'm keeping my options open." But it's really an exciting thought that I'd no longer be bound by contractual obligations.

Ok... digress. Check out these pics taken at the Istana Open House for ADCs. Brought family along and my dad went on a crazy phototaking rampage. I had to give specific ground-rules to him.

1) No asking Mr Nathan when his son is getting promoted.
2) No asking Mr Nathan when his son is getting a pay-raise.
3) No asking Mr Nathan how much the president's pay is monthly.

President to Brudder, "What's up?"

Brudder to President, "Nothing much."

President to Brudder, "Keep it real."

Super Dan vs Bad Boy of Badminton

2006-12-10T11:27:00.000+08:00

So the badminton finals of the Doha Asian Games was contested between 2 different characters.

Lin Dan

- Country of origin : China

- Otherwise known as "Super Dan"

- He is the reigning world champion and current world no.1.

- Consistently winning tournaments throughout the season.

- Media darling in China because of the charisma he exudes

- Dating the Sharapova of badminton "Xie Xing Fang", current world no.2 of women's badminton

- Has known history of choking in tight matches

- Lost to S'pore's Ronald Susilo in 1st round of Olympics

Taufik Hidayat

- Country of origin : Indonesia

- Otherwise known as "Bad Boy of Badminton"

- He is the reigning Olympic Champion, former World Champion

- Current world no.12

- Has immense talent. Does not bother taking part in many tournaments. Only in important ones and has the capability of winning them.

- Often getting into trouble with media, badminton officials but still has rock star popularity in Indonesia

So the set is staged. And with the recent war of words between the 2, it made the encounter even more mouth watering! Taufik mentioned that Lin Dan is arrogant and does not have many friends out of China while Lin Dan replied through their relationship is ice-cool.

Eventually Taufik proved why he's one of the most talented players in the world. Ranking is just a number to him. He defeats Super Dan in 2 straight sets, 21-17, 22-20 despite Dan leading 17-20 with 3 set points in the 2nd set.

Kick-Ass badminton!

Check out the moves

2006-11-26T18:46:00.000+08:00

Just watched the movie, 'Step Up'... man... the music and dancing - fantastic.

A blend of hip hop and modern dance. Check out the moves!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LpwiWfzfaM

Turning 28

2006-11-25T12:49:00.000+08:00

Well... I am 2 years away from hitting the big 30. It seems time flies when you are in your twenties.

Not really sure why but this year in particular, I had well-wishes from a number of friends I haven't heard from quite a well... (not in any order of merit)

Lester (Pimpin' dawg 1)
Amos (Pimin' dawg 2) - all the way from Philippines. Cool... but not too snaggy please... haha
Cynthia - ban mian kaki
Minli - controvesial/R(A) movie kaki
Shirley - Biz Ad study kaki
Suzhen - Biz Ad kaki
Brendon - Biz Ad kaki
Shilei - Biz Ad group mate who's married with 2 month baby (fell off chair while reading sms)
Siang - Hall/Tennis/Party kaki
Dee2 - VJ council friend/prop queen, sms all the way from London
Andrea - Sporty Spice Fren
Dian Juan - Valentines Day kaki/Badminton Queen
Marion - KC friend and now badminton mixed doubles partner
Melissa - my 'raise the red lantern' kaki
Aaron - St.Pats Bestest Fren
Yaorong - St.Pats Bestest Fren
Xiaoxuan - Eusoff Kaki
Mandy - Seattle Case Competition Fren, now in Hong Kong fren
Hsueh Fong - Good Fren from work who is also good frens with Ah Hean.
Ethan - 'Drawn Together' /Hey Hey Fren
Lihui - 5566 crazed fren
Michelle - fren from long time back
Su Ping - 'Mom' from JC fren
Raymond - OC/Mentor/Fren
Huimin - 'book reading' kaki
Doreen - Ms 'Let's Party at Butter' Fren

Of coz there's my family - Dad, Mom and Bro as well.

So... I think I should have a birthday resolution. My resolution is simple - not to take my friends for granted which I think I am guilty of. My "let's get married if we are not married by 30 fren" once told me that my door is always closed. I think I shall try to leave my door ajar... just for a while and see how it goes. But if it opens a flood-gate of SNAGGINESS, I'll shut it closed again. Just a little experiment.

In the words of my top dawgs frens - keep it real.

Kick-Ass Lee Hom Concert

2006-11-05T20:30:00.000+08:00

Kick ass "Hom" boy concert. Totally worth the 148 buckaroos I paid for.

Chilling it out with the rest of the crowd in da house.

Pimping it up with the main man, Lester "Snoop Dogg" Yong

Life Choices - Beads & Stones

2006-10-08T10:28:00.000+08:00

Recently I attended a week-long course at CMPB. The purpose of this course was supposed to prepare me for my next posting but I think it accomplished more than that. The facilitator was this engaging speaker previously from our organisation. Usually I get rather apprehensive abt such "consultants" because more often than not, they are just there a make a quick buck. But I think he managed to win skeptical me over.

There was one session on time-management that remains deeply etched in my mind.

"Everyday we are making decisions... where to eat, who to meet, what movie to watch etc etc. These beads signify the everyday decisions you make"

(The facilitator was filling a glass bottle gradually with small beads)

"These stones are big decisions that you have to make... like whether career, family, ideals etc. Sometimes we get so occupied making small decisions, we keep delaying making the big decisions. Until eventually, you have no capacity for the big decisions"

(Glass bottle filled with small glass beads and there's no room for the stones)

"What you should do is to first make the big decisions in your life. Then you'll realise that the smaller decisions will be in line with the important decisions that you have made"

(Empties glass bottle and slots in big stones first before slowly filling in the small beads)

So that got me thinking... sometimes i get distracted thinking of mundane stuff like what new tennis racket to buy, where and what to eat... I forget that there are other important decisions to be made. Like am i happy doing what i am doing? If I am not happy, what would i like to do?

So I am going to start filling my glass bottle with the large stones first.

Prince & Princess of Badminton

2006-09-24T22:00:00.000+08:00

They play kick ass badminton while looking good at the same time.

The prince and princess of badminton - Lin Dan & Xie Xingfang

Coincidentally both are in the finals of the World Championships in Madrid. Lin Dan just defeated Bao Chunlai in 3 sets. Let's see whether Xie Xing Fang can beat Zhang Ning.

Rodents

2006-09-24T11:46:00.000+08:00

So it has been some time since I last blogged. Perhaps there's nothing going on much in my life hence nothing much to blog abt.

Well... after 2.5 years in my unit, I'm moving along to a new posting in MINDEF. Mixed feelings I guess. Happy that I am finally getting a change of environment but the thought of leaving my friends at work, the familiarity, to a completely different place can be rather daunting.

Sometimes I feel that I am like a little rodent in a big open field. But i am being nudged forward by my masters toward a direction he wants me to take. Not necessary a bad thing because this direction may be for my own good. BUT... BUT... BUT... it's all abt freedom of choice. I think that the sucky thing abt being bonded is that you lose your right to make decisions for yourself. Or rather decisions are made on your behalf. You cannot run freely in the open field exploring corners never explored before.

I was just wondering... if the direction i am taking now is the path i decided on my own.. and not determined by a hand pushing me foward, I'd be a happier person.

Here are some rodents...

Beauty Queen

2006-07-30T00:58:00.000+08:00

I'm not sure what possessed my mom to take part in a beauty pageant... but she did anyway, and the amazing thing is SHE WON! Check out a pic I took with her... My mom is one HOT mom (in my eyes at least).

My mom was born in Jakarta, Indonesia hence my indo-chinese roots. She met my dad while on a business trip in S'pore back in the 1970s. Despite not being able to speak English, she married my dad and moved to S'pore.

My mom didn't have much of an education but she's one of the smartest persons I know... she has this fantastic knack of doing business. And I think she's the pillar of the family, holding us together with her strength and her positive outlook in life. I always bitch abt work, life etc but she always reminds me to appreciate the things I already have.

Here's a family pic taken after the pageant. We are proud of you, Mom!

Souvenir from Bangkok

2006-07-27T21:57:00.000+08:00

I spent too much $$$ in Bangkok... but of all the souvenirs I brought back, this one is PRICELESS

A picture with Peter Gade Christensen

For all you people who have no idea who he is... he is one of the top badminton players in the world from Denmark. I was walking around Siam Discovery Centre and then found this ang moh dude with his wife rather familiar. So I asked him whether he's indeed Peter Gade.. and yes it's him!!! Coincidentally he was in Bangkok for a tournament. Wasted didn't have a camera with me so had to rely on my friend's camera phone.

A little abt Peter Gade. He plays kick ass badminton! His strengths are his speed around the court, and more impressively is the deception that he brings into his game. Often his opponents are caught flat-footed by his trick shots. He was world number one from 1998 to 2001 but left the circuit for a year due to injury. Since his return, he has been steadily climbing the world rankings and as of TODAY, he is back on the helms of the badminton circuit- World No 1!

Peter Gade KICKS SERIOUS ASS!

Check out the deception by Peter Gade, and mind you this was played on match point - http://www.petergade.net/files/Peter_Gade_Deceptive_Shot_at_Net.wmv

Aide-de-camp

2006-07-17T16:32:00.000+08:00

You know those military guys standing around looking important next to the President during official visits to the Istana... well, I have the privilege of being one. We are called Aide-de-camps.

Perhaps some history behind this concept of ADCs.. no no... we are not imperial eunuchs. Many centuries ago, when the King led armies in war, he had trouble managing his troops because they were widely dispersed. Thus, he enlisted ADCs on horses to relay messages to his ground troops. ADC's conveyed the message of the King thus they were representatives of the King. Hmm... but modern ADCs do not go galloping around in horses lah, no horses at the Istana. But we assist the president in hosting guests visiting the Istana.

So far, I had only one ADC duty. That was when the Japanese emperor and empress paid a visit to the president. Quite an eye opener with all the pre-visit work by MFA and Japanese embassy.

Check out my 2 ADC friends and I draped in our no 5.

Chickens & Michael Owen

2006-07-17T15:45:00.000+08:00

It's funny how I seldom find time to blog... but today I managed to squeeze in some time. Why? Coz I'm S.I.C.K! Down with a throat infection that led to a fever. When I visited the clinic, the nurse asked whether I had been overseas the past 2 weeks... so I said yeah, I was in Jakarta from 10-13th. Later the doctor asked whether I had contact with poulty... like chicken... huh??? Anyway it turned out I had a throat infection which caused the fever. For a moment, thought that I was hit by Bird Flu!

Anyway, my trip to Jakarta was really fruitful. Met up with relatives, old friends from St.Pats and a biz ad friend working there.

I stayed at my grandma's place and coincidentally my fave uncle and his son was visiting from Medan. His son i.e. my youngest cousin is this hyperactive, smart kid named Owen, after the soccer star, Michael Owen. Check out a pic of him. Copyright from Juliana's blog. My camera is still in Jakarta with my mum.

Juliana & Owen

Anyway my uncle used to be a bad-boy rebel who had hoards of girlfriends. He was pretty much the sweet talker girls were attracted to (how come doesn't run in the family ah? Not in my blood!) But he's such a changed person now. It's amazing how having a kid can completely change a person's perception to life. He was telling me that his sole purpose in life now is to nurture his son, to make sure he is not led astray. I don't think I can really understand this - until when I have a little kid of my own. Wait... if I have a little kid of my own. Fatherhood is just such an enormous responsibility.

I also had the chance to play badminton with 2 of my team-mates from St.Pats badminton team. One of them was my doubles partner back in our good old secondary school days. He opened an Apple accessory shop doing pretty ok. The other guy was our 1st singles... he is doing amazing. He bought exclusive rights to open Baker's Inn in Indonesia. So he has 200 employees working in 6 branches of Baker's Inn at Jakarta, Surabaya and Medan. To top it off, he's also opening an international photography office in San Francisco. Photography was initially a hobby... but now his charges start at 10 000 buckaroos!

I think Indonesians have this knack for doing business, sometimes lacking in Singaporeans. I'm guessing that this is attributed to our upbringing... we are always taught to take the "tried and tested" path. Study hard, get into a good sec school, get into good JC, go to university, get a good job, have a family. Everything is just so predictable... yawn... and boring.

I also had a chance to meet up with an old friend from Biz Ad, Juliana. She's working for STB and they sent her to the Jakarta office for 3 months. We met up at one of my overachieving cousin's restaurant - Dragonfly. Modern asian fusion restaurant.

Sorry juliana again... copyright from your blog. Initially I had this evil scheme to get my cousin to give us a free meal but ALAS! my evil ploy was foiled coz I didn't get to meet him. Wanted to buy Juliana dinner but in the end she beat me to that by paying for dinner while I was in the restroom. Anyway it was good to catch up with her. We even had a chance to meet up with my mom, uncle and Owen for serious post-dinner durians at my grandma's place.

Well, that pretty much sums up my annual trip of Jakarta. Looking forward to next year's trip!

Retro... ... 1997

2006-05-30T21:52:00.000+08:00

Was reading Blizzard's blog and he uploaded photos from his soccer days back in VJ. That sparked me to search thru my old photo albums... and look what I found.

'A' Division National Schools Champions - VJC 1997

(damn retro this pic. I was still sporting the Aaron Kwok fringe!)

Remember that we beat RJC 4-1 to seal the gold medal for our college. Actually... I lost my doubles games against RJ, hence the blemish of 1 match against them. Grr!! Was really overwhelmed by the atmosphere, and damn freaking nervous. Couldn't play to my potential. Heng my team-mates ALL of whom were from Anglican High, were used to these kinda situation.

Hmmm... let me recall the guys team composition

Jian Liang - Anglican High

Jun Wei - Anglican High

Lim Shuen - Anglican High

Melvin Lek - Anglican High

Yaowen - Anglican High

Weijie - Dunman High

Yiliang - Dunman High

Ming Jie - Chung Cheng High (Main)

and... .... errr there was Dino Tan - St. Patrick's School

If you notice there's an oddball in the team.. yah - me. The rest were all from SAP schools and initially I think I had trouble understanding their lingo. But thankfully they are super nice people and made me feel part of the team despite the language barrier and that they played KICK ASS badminton. I think my badminton has really matured since JC days thanks to them.

If a college wins the A Division title 3 years in a row, the college gets to keep the trophy. So my seniors won, my juniors won as well. So the trophy is resting in the hall office at VJC.

Here's a tribute to the VJC Badminton Team
1996-1998

Tennis Forehand

2006-05-23T00:43:00.000+08:00

Make every shot, a power shot.

The Blame Game

2006-05-23T00:11:00.000+08:00

It's 1209am and I am pretty much exhausted. Yes yes.... I haven't been updating my blog religously but today I think circumstances neccessitate me to do so. Sorry all, I have to do some bitching again. And guess what, it's abt work.

In an organisation, when something screws up, the blame game is played. And this is when witch-hunting starts. This was what happened at work and in my own personal opinion, I do not think that justice was upheld. We talk abt integrity, we talk abt upholding rights, but sadly sometimes in a bid to save some asses, another person's ass was exposed for lashing.

Must it really be like this? A dog eat dog world? I hope not. My null hypothesis used to "Everyone is nice unless proven otherwise". But I think I need to rethink this hypothesis.

For those who know what I am talking abt - The push factors are just accumulating. And the pull factors are dwindling.

Running around like headless ducks

2006-04-22T02:35:00.000+08:00

Today was absolute MAYHEM (copyright from HF) at work. A elaborate WAYANG lasted the entire day. At the end of the day, I was left pretty much brain dead playing a supporting role. But somehow I'm gradually mastering the ability to shut off work from my head after I leave office.

Been hanging out at this new-found place called Settler's Cafe. Ok lah, it's been around for ages but last week was the first time I went there. Excuse my mountain tortoiseness. This evening I visited there again with another bunch of friends. Quite an ingenious concept of integrating a diner with board games. Realise that I am rather slow when it comes to 'heart' attack kinda games but pretty good at drawing/pictionary ones. BUT I think I shall try not to frequent there too often coz the 'marginal utility' derived from visiting there may start of decline. Haha, think econs. We had a good mix of 3 girls and 3 guys. 3 from EDB, 3 not from EDB. 3 formerly from Biz Ad NUS, 3 not. Must be a coincidence.

Anyway, I've promised my siglap ban mian kaki that I'd signed up for the credit risk management course soon. I think I shouldn't let work get in the way... or rather subconsciously it may just an excuse for me not to start studying. Recently, I've decided to enrich myself... subscribed to Newsweek, watching lots of CNN, Channelnewsasia, taking up finance courses (actually only one course which i haven't signed up for... counted lah). I must not be consumed with work such that I lose track of what I really want in life.

Yawn... I need some shuteye... zz..z.z.z.z.z..z.z.z

Outbreak!

2006-04-08T01:21:00.000+08:00

Ok... apparently bitterness is contagious. Coz we just had a dialogue session with big boss and apparently the bitterness amongst the few of us is overwhelming. But I am not sure of one thing... whether I am the HOST - i.e. my bitterness rubs off others, or I am the infectant - i.e. someone else's bitterness rubbed off me. It is prob a combination of both and it's self-perpetuating, spreading like an infectious disease at work.

All I can say is that I am really really tired. Tired of handling all this shit...tired of trying to convincing myself that what I do really matters coz it doesn't. The only consolation is that there's a support group at work that doesn't make the shit seem so bad... but only slightly.

The Constant Gardener

2006-03-29T23:18:00.000+08:00

Just watched "The Constant Gardener" (Thanks Avid Reader no 7, u know who you are). It's really a great movie and strongly recommend to those who's looking for something intellectually stimulating. Pls - if you are hoping for "Dude, where's my car" kinda show, don't bother coz you are gonna be sorely disappointed.

Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz put up brilliant performances but I think the appeal of the movie lies in the plot, the conspiracy theory and one person's fight against evil large conglomerate. Trying not to say too much here for those who are interested in catching the movie.

The movie centers largely in Africa. And personally, I felt certain scenes of poverty / living conditions were rather disturbing. So I wonder - is that all I can say, the scenes were disturbing?! here I am in my airconditioned room, watching a movie on my 19 inch LCD and that is all I can muster - the scenes were disturbing?!! I think it's just human nature. You see someone less fortunate, you sympathize, then you move on and bitch abt all the things you don't have and take for granted what you have.

So tomm, I am gonna try something different and appreciate the good things that I have. Just to emphasize, I said 'try'.

Revelation

2006-03-25T13:38:00.000+08:00

I just had a revelation while I was driving to work yesterday.

I have become a rather bitter person.

I just read my first blog entry posted a few months back... "But life is everchanging, sometime I'm happy, sometimes I'm sad, sometimes I feel silly. So my blog will take its cue from me. Sometimes there will be happy posts, sometimes there will be sad posts, and sometimes silly posts."

Unfortunately most of my recent posts are not exactly the "YIPEEE - the hills are alive with the sound of music kinda - entries". Like I said, my blog entries will take cue from my current emotional state... and the current state of affair is bitterness.

So why the bitterness... let's just say that I am a little disappointmented with life (esp work) and how it is turning out.

My friends/colleagues do not get to see the full fledge of bitterness but at home, when I am lying on bed trying to get some sleep, the bitterness gets overwhelming.

Yet another wedding...

2006-03-21T00:00:00.000+08:00

Silent workers often forgotten

2006-03-20T23:21:00.000+08:00

Nil Sine Labore - Nothing without labour

I'm a strong advocate of the philosophy, "Hard work will be rewarded"... unfortunately several events that happened at office have cast seeds of doubt in my mind.

I've got this friend who has been working hard for the past year. The 'sai gang' / 'Samsui' shit that we have to cope with is difficult to describe. There was this one time we had to brave muddy, slippery slopes to install close to 100 phones in a building! At the end of it, we were drenched in perspiration and we question ourselves why are we always subjected to this kinda shit.

Unfortunately, his efforts were not recognised by our boss simply becoz he has not been visible enough. On the contrary, those who have been proclaiming their hard work, long hours put in etc etc... were generously rewarded. I can't help but wonder whether 'Empty vessels make the loudest noise'. One of my bosses spoke to me personally saying that I've been too quiet, I have to speak up but I rebutted (politely) that I do not believe in talking for the sake of talking. What's the point of it? In doing so, I will just be participating in this big WAYANG show that we have to put up with day-in-day-out.

The injustice inflicted onto my friend is a bitter pill to swallow. I just hope our bosses will have enough sense to look beyond the theatrics by the numerous 'actors' and 'actresses'... and give due credit to those working silently behind the scene.

Chill...

2006-03-16T23:10:00.000+08:00

Sometimes we have to lighten up... like this...

stumble stumble stumble

2006-03-16T00:25:00.000+08:00

Yikes... i have a slight problem. It seems nowadays I have this problem of stammering... or rather just stumbling over my sentences. I suspect it's coz while I am gathering my thought processes, to convert thought into speech - i do not give sufficient time for the process to complete before opening my mouth.

I hate it! People just give me funny looks when it happens... but they are usually polite enough to just brush it off. I don't recall having this problem in University... perhaps it is becoz of the endless project presentations that require us to speak. Practice makes perfect. But this fluency is somehow affected. It's all this technical shit that I have to deal with at work... I am morphing into this socially handicapped geek... hell... the people who call me most often are the DSTA chaps.

I think I need to chill out.

The Land of the Rising Sun

2006-03-11T01:07:00.000+08:00

Just met up with a group of good friends from University. We are sending off a friend who recently married a Japanese. She's heading to Tokyo next friday to start a new life with him... it's just amazing how love can sweep a person off his/her feet... sweep her all the way to Japan. Really happy for her because I see that glow on her face since she got married (disclaimer - not all who get married get this glow).

I just wish I could leave everything behind and get out of Singapore... to explore, to find work overseas, to experience life. Life is that short and youth is fleeting by (refer to past blog entry). I do not wanna look back when I am in my 60s and start regretting. Goh Chok Tong refers to such persons as 'quitters'. But eventually I do wanna come back to Singapore because my family, my friends... the familiarity of surroundings are all here - how can I leave all this for a prolonged duration?

So in the meantime, I guess I'll have to look forward to Hong Kong... Xiaohan! Are u reading this?

Check out Danielle (the Tokyo girl) and I during our younger days.

... .... she looks better now lah... ... haha

Sigh...

2006-03-07T23:20:00.000+08:00

Sigh... today isn't a good day at work. Didn't deal certain situations appropriately... could have done better.

Heck. I'll just sleep on it.

"Freshmen" by Verve Pipe

2006-03-03T20:07:00.000+08:00

It's friday evening and just chilling out in my room. Will be heading down to a friend's birthday party later. Looking thru my mp3s and chanced upon the song, "Freshmen" by Vervepipe. Not sure whether you guys are familiar with this song but back in Eusoff, as a tradition, the song was sung by a senior to the freshies during orientation. This opened my floodgate of memories...

My years in NUS I believe was so enriching becoz of Eusoff. The friends I've made, the fun we had, the crazy things we did (or rather the crazy things my neighbours did), the ups and downs... if you didn't stay in hall, I don't think you can understand what I am talking abt. I remember in year 1 as a wide-eyed, bushy tailed freshmen, I had a bit of trouble coping with hall activities, school work and managing an emotionally exhausting relationship. Eventually one had to go... and sadly, it was the latter. I remember I completely broke down in the presence of my neighbour the day singlehood grabbed me by the throat, the devastation just choked me. But I was glad that my friends were there. My E4 buddies, Xiaohan etc etc. It was difficult but it was time to move on.

IHG is a big occasion for Eusoff. Although we pride ourselves as a sports hall, Temasek usually emerged as champions. But heard this year, EH finally won! I do believe however that it's not the end that's important, but it's the process. It's the bonding forged during training, the commaraderie, the bitterness of losing a close-fought match vs the euphoria of winning an important decider. The great thing abt the tennis and badminton was that we didn't really have any star players... prima donnas. So most of us had to work and train hard. Even the stronger players showed a lot of tolerance and patience to the weaker players. I mean I picked up tennis from hall... mainly becoz the IVP/College players bothered to train newbies like me. So I brought back this attitude from the tennis guys to the badminton team. I always took extra effort to make the weaker players feel comfortable during training, that their presence made a difference and I sincerely believe it did.

From D&D Programme, Dance Production Marketing to Flag Committee, I think I've learnt awfully a lot. Yes, it's shitty at times. Yes, sometimes I do feel unappreciated. But the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow was the friendships forged.... ..... the sense of satisfaction achieved when the tasks were completed.

"For the life of me I cannot remember,

What made us think that we were wise and,

We'd never compromiseFor the life of me I cannot believe,

We'd ever die for these sins,

We were merely freshmen... ....

abstract from "The Freshmen" by Verve Pipe

Spaced Out

2006-03-02T21:47:00.000+08:00

I was in a meeting at work this afternoon to update my boss on some projects at hand. So after my presentation, some other colleagues of mine started presenting... at this moment I had this out of body experience... perhaps not literally but all the chatter abt project x lah, project y lah, project z lah... all jumbled into this buzzz..z.... I can't really describe what it really sounded like, perhaps like 1001 chipmunks speaking very very fast.

And I thought to myself... shit, I don't really give a damn abt Project X nor Project Y, nor Project Z. But the thing is I am by nature a very task-oriented person. So when given work, I'd do the best of my abilities because I've taken ownership/responsibility of the task. But truly believing in what I do, is totally a different ball game altogether. I just find it tragic that more often that not, many of us are stuck doing something we do not believe in because circumstances require us to.

On a separate note, I've got 2 weddings to attend this month... $$$ dwindling...

A Light Affair

2006-03-01T21:17:00.000+08:00

Just chilling out in my room, surfing net, watching tv, msn'ing. Another lazy weekend evening. Actually weekday evenings aren't usually that lazy. Either whacking shuttlecocks or playing tennis or going for a run. You know with all the shit we get at work, there needs to be some sort of physically liberation after work.

Anyway watching this reality tv show on tcs5 "A Light Affair"... rather interesting concept where 2 singles get to screen through dates within a time limit. Some of the girls are really SEXED up. If caught in a similar situation, I think I would just cringe and shrink into a tiny, little, small dino...

Enough said... i think my life right now is pretty much like this reality tv. I've got 1001 attached and non-attached friends trying to hook me up with their friends. Yah, this girl is damn nice... she's tall.. she's independent... etc etc... I am trying to keep an open mind so I usually just smile and say,"We see how it goes lah". BUT BUT BUT... i have to admit I have a super soft spot for girls who are sporty... preferrably play tennis! So there you go, all you 8 avid readers of my blog.

In the words of Sharapova, "Make every shot, a power shot"

For Kris

2006-03-01T00:49:00.000+08:00

Kris... I am updating my blog. So you should too... ....

Short-term direction in life found

2006-02-05T22:54:00.000+08:00

I had dinner with a long time friend from hall. We've been there for each other... she was there for me when I broke up with my ex, and I was there for her when she broke up with hers. It's good to know that she'll always be there during my times of depression. Yes yes... although she insists that my 'door' is always closed, but the times that the door is ajar, she'd be there.

Anyhow, we have this grand plan... thought through over steamboat buffet at Tanjong Katong. She plans to work in the legal sector in Hong Kong abt 2 years from now... and I plan to find a job out of Singapore... possibly Hong Kong after the end of my bond. So... we thought why not find an apartment together and work in Hong Kong, at least we can look out for each other. PERFECT!!! So at least now I have some sort of short-term direction in life.

Having said that, I guess things can be rather unpredictable. A year ago, I wanted to be an academic but the thought of studying again - not exactly very appealing. So this is more or less a soft plan. Perhaps if I enjoy my next posting, I may very well stay on. Too many variables. And perhaps I meet that special someone and decide to spend the rest of my life with her, I'd stay on too. Too many variables, too many uncertainties. Such is the unpredictability of life.

Lacoste Boys

2006-02-05T22:43:00.000+08:00

Lacoste Boys

from left - Lester 'Nadal' Yong, Dino 'Safin' Tan & 'Agassi' Siang

Hong Kong Rocks!

2006-01-28T20:52:00.000+08:00

Hong Kong Rocks... that's all I can say. The people, the food, the shopping, the weather was just great. Check out the city skyline... takes your breath away doesn't it?

My intention to visit HK was to meet up with the HKUST girls I got to know in Seattle... they were nice enough to meet us despite their busy schedules. Thanks Janice! Ada! Mandy! Miss them already. You know... just immersing myself in the whole Hong Kong culture solidified my perception that it's a great place to work so I'm keeping HK as a possible destination to work at.

Shopping was crazy... I don't think I've ever shopped so much. I don't really shop much but when I do, there's just no holding back... but the thought of receiving my credit card bills soon is giving me a cold sweat! Check out Ethan impersonating as Paris Hilton!

Lan Kwai Fong is totally KICK-ASS! There were hoards of HOT hong kong girls swarming in the clubs. Everyone of them looked like a movie star and were dressed to kill. I can't really descibe the place but it's a cross between Holland V and Clarke Quay.

I think I've been bitten by the holidaying bug.... should start planning to go for my next holiday! Hmmm.... where should i go next?

And this pic is just for laughs!!

PRICELESS

2005-12-30T19:54:00.000+08:00

Last Tuesday was supposed to play tennis with friend. But it rained... so badminton instead.

Badminton Racket $50.00

Renting badminton court $7.00

Donut for snack $0.70

Laughing at SAFOS Scholar pulling over along Kaki Bukit Ave 1 to piss in desperation... ... PRICELESS

Sammi Cheng, Tim Sum & HKUST girls

2005-12-16T21:22:00.000+08:00

Well... looks like my Aussie Open plans have to be canc'ed. My tennis buddies can't take time off work. Initially thought abt going alone but then again, it's rather depressing to watch tennis alone. Sorry Sharapova, maybe year after next. So it's time for Plan B - a trip to Hong Kong. Shit... I hope I don't jinx this by saying it. I'm prob the most superstitious person I know, very pantang abt virtually anything and everything.

If you are an avid reader of my blog (yes, all 6 of you out there), you'd remember I went to Seattle for a case competition back in my university days. I made some friends from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. The 4 girls there are the zenith of business intelligence which also explained why their team finished 1st runner up at the competition. I dropped them an email abt my intention to visit and the girls promised to meet up with me for at least dinner. Whoopeee... tim sum with 4 girls from Hong Kong, what else can I ask for. Shit.... am i jinx'ing all this?

Check out this rather arty farty picture i took of the HK girls during our visit to Boeing, Seattle.

From left, that's cheerful Mandy, smart sophisicated Ada and wild party girl Janice.

Haha, check out this pic taken also at Seattle. Our feeble attempt at posing as Hugo Boss Models.

So Hong Kong... here I come.

On Board the Fokker 50

2005-12-14T21:17:00.000+08:00

The perks of working in the airforce include getting a ride on some of our country's planes. A few hours ago, I had the luxury of piloting a Fokker50 for 10 mins. Before we go into that, here are some reasons why I never considered applying to be a pilot.

1) I have a fear of heights (yes... I am 1.84m tall. Go figure)
2) My parents forbid it coz they think it's high risk
3) I get motion sickness easily (this one i just discovered today)

Anyway my colleague and I were slotted in a training sortie for new pilot trainees... GASP. This is not good. Suddenly felt a bit groggy. I got on the navigator's seat behind the 2 pilots so I managed to get a cockpit view. There were so many buttons and knobs and lights and levers etc etc and the trainee was perspiring profusely while we were taxying for take off.

Eventually we were airborne and we did circuit training at PLAB for a good 1 hour... soon I could feel the duck/char siew rice i ate just 45 mins ago churning in my stomach. Shit, I regretted not curbing my greed... but cannot help it lah - I'm a glutton. Eventually the instructor asked the trainee to get off the seat so that I could give flying a try... perfect... duck and char siew now back of throat. Air Traffic Control vs Piloting - it's total different ball game. So under the close supervision of the instructor, I did a few turns, descends and an instrument approach into PLAB. Excellent... Soon it was my colleagues' turn to have a go. I went to the back of the plane and vomitted all of my $3.50 Duck/Char Siew rice from Changi Village into the airsick bag! Thankfully I didn't 'merlion' in the cockpit! But I definitely felt much better throughout the rest of the flight.

For those who have no idea what a Fokker50 looks like, check out the picture below.

Youth, what's left of it

2005-12-06T21:06:00.000+08:00

Youth is like this fleeting moment, before you know it... it's gone. So while my youth is still fleeting by (yes yes... it's still fleeting lah), I've set several goals I would like to accomplish in the next few years.

On sunday, I've accomplished one of them... I completed my first marathon! All freaking 42.195km of it in 4 hours and 40 mins! I have been training religiously for it but the max distance I've done was only 30km. So pass 30km, my legs were numb, my knees were giving way, each step was torturous. It was literally mind over body. Check out the post marathon analysis by the organisers... not too bad yah?

Your placing in the entire field

1003rd place with 3805 finishers behind. About 21% of finishers ahead.

So i've decided that I will run 3 more marathons on different continents. I checked out the Boston Marathon... there's actually an entry timing requirement and it's 3hrs 15mins!!! WTF! How is that humanly possible? So that is out. I checked out the London Marathon... there's another entry requirement! You need to raise at least 700 pounds for charity! Ok... at least that seems more realistic. Well, there are other marathons in Hong Kong and Australia... so i'll look out for those next year.

In summary, here are the goals I'm setting out to achieve -

1) Run 3 more marathons
2) Watch the Australian Open, US Open, Wimbledon and Roland Garros (Tennis)
3) Start investing in stocks - not to make $ but to learn how it works
4) Successfully completing CFA Level 1
5) Successfully completing the "Financial Risk Management" Course by next year

All this while my youth is still fleeting by... ...

Table Tennis Genes

2005-11-28T17:52:00.000+08:00

Yesterday was a special day, my family declared last sunday as Dino's Day coz I just turned 27. Yes freaking 27, I am like in my LATE twenties now can? Children are no longer calling me kor kor, instead I'm referred to as 'Uncle'. Argh! So looking back, what have i achieved? Nothing much. I am still 'yi1 shi4 wu2 cheng3'. Do I have the 5 Cs?

Cash - not much lah. Most in savings
Credit - yes. The citibank clear card coz i wanna be like the contented guy driving his sports car in the citibank brochure.
Condo - err.... I still stay with my parents in a HDB flat
Car - yes. my 2nd hand fred the ford focus.
Country Club - yes, if you consider SAFRA tampines.

Groan, I have not achieved much but I guess I am not unhappy. There's a subtle difference between being happy and being not unhappy. Just like experiencing job satisfaction vs no job dissatisfaction according to studies of organizational behavior. Basically, I am not unhappy and I have no job dissatisfaction. I don't think that is very healthy especially since according to one of my friends, 27-28 is considered to be the prime age for guys. I am supposed to be full of vigour and energy and my sperm supposed to be damn fertile (according to scientific studies btw), yet somehow I have no where to channel my vigour! my energy! and err... .... nevermind.

Ok ok... enough of wallowing in self-pity. I met up with my uncle whom I last saw 15 years ago! He is such an inspiring person. His family comes from a long line of table tennis champions from Indonesia... my granduncle was 10 time national table tennis champion of Indonesia and he was runner up at the Asian Games during the 1970s! But at the age of 18, he decided to trade his ping pong bat for medical school in Germany becoz he wanted to break this cycle of poverty. So here is now, with a medical degree from Germany, practising in LA, with a house with a tennis court and 3 luxurious cars. It's all abt risk taking and knowing what you exactly want in life. After all, we only live life once.... so I'm hoping when the time comes, I'd have the same courage to take this risk and live life to the fullest.

Being a Dad for an evening

2005-11-04T00:39:00.000+08:00

On wed evening, I met up with an old friend of 10 years. Knew her from NACTI (think it's called NACLI now) camp back in Sec 3. Subsequently her dad also became our school badminton coach. After dinner at Siglap - yes siglap again, she invited me to hang out with her cousins and 2 young nephews aged 7 and 2.

We met them at Marina South where her cousins were already bowling - hmm... very family kinda of activity. Her nephews were these two adorable little rascals, esp the younger one who seemed to be perpetually high on esctasy or something. He just went around exploring, playing hide and seek, and reaching out for me to carry him. The kid literally went crazy at the arcade running from game to game pretending he was really playing the game. I really cannot imagine how his parents keep up.

Ok, the point is - despite just hanging out with the kids for abt 5 hrs, i can understand why some parents just decide to devote their entire lives with their kids. Yes yes I'm missing all the crying in the middle of the night, the constant fear of them being kidnapped by some crazed psychopath etc but there must be some satisfaction from raising them.

Personally I don't think I am ready to trade my current lifestyle of freedom for changing diapers. But when (if) the time comes, does anyone wanna have kids with me? haha...

Guidelines to getting Hitched

2005-11-03T20:32:00.000+08:00

A few weeks back, a good friend of mine started seeing someone and within a week, they got together.

Initially when I heard the news, I was thinking "wah so fast ah!" Perhaps I'm out of this game but is it me or has the mating game evolved to this - 'let's not waste anytime and get on with it' mentality. I believe there are 2 schools of thoughts.

1) School 1 - the chemistry is there so strike while the iron is hot. Any problems with compability can be dealt with later.

2) School 2 - take baby steps. Get to know the person long enough before making any long term commitments.

I guess during my younger days, I'd go with School 1 but I do not think it would work anymore simply because I believe getting into a relationship is no longer a game. It's a gamble where the stakes are high and emotional losses can scar a person permanently. So I'd rather wait a bit longer to find out the odds before taking the plunge.

Wait... to begin with I hate gambling... so go figure.

Complication? I can do without.

2005-10-25T00:51:00.000+08:00

I think I am prob the most predictable person I know. I need to snap out of this... not very healthy. Just jio'ed a friend for a drink (not alcohol) at Siglap. I just love taking a long run from tampines to Siglap... not racing against anyone... just running at a comfortable pace thinking abt anything that comes to mind.

Ok ok, that's beside the point. I was talking to this friend and realise that I hate COMPLICATION. I hate complicated friendships, relationships etc. I suspect this has to do with my last relationship which was an emotional rollercoaster - you know, during happy times I was on cloud nine, but during unhappy times, I just felt like utter shit. Since then I've decided to moderate my life, keep things simple. If you plot this on a graph x axis - time, y axis - emotion, it would be a straight line parallel to the x-axis! And I kinda like it that way.

Some friends just expect too much out of friendships - e.g he or she gets pissed off if I don't meet up frequently enough or if I don't confide my feelings sufficiently. These are usually girls which explains why my good friends are guys, the male species tend to take things lighter. I've mentioned this before, the girls I hang out with are usually like guys - uncomplicated. Then there is the complication of relationships - the everyday calling, tolerating PMSes (vice-versa coz I get PMSy as well), the weekly/monthly/yearly anniversaries etc, I can do without. Ok ok, some say that it's because I haven't met that special someone, well I must admit there is prob an element of truth there but right now, this is who/what/how I am.

I had a conversation with another friend of mine a few days back and she asked me whether I am really happy right now because I was single... I thought abt it and yeah I think I can be happier but that doesn't imply going into a relationship. I'd be happier making new friends, getting a better job, making more money etc. I don't see why some tend to equate happiness with being in a relationship. It's just mutually exclusive.

In case you don't get the crux of this entry - basically it is 'I hate complications'. And that's that.

We cater to all your needs...

2005-10-19T01:40:00.000+08:00

Recently I got bitten by the cheonging bug. Been partying for 3 consecutive weeks now. No... no, not those crazy drinking sessions but rather just chilling out with friends at clubs.

I usually cheong with my tennis kakis who have become my good friends since hall days. We 3 are so different yet when we hang out, we have a blast of a time. We have great conversations abt girls, life, cars etc because of our diversely different pespectives. I've concluded that when we cheong, we manage to attract some female attention because we cater to the needs of all. They have 3 different guys to choose from.

Guy 1 - typical jock who enjoys sports, living life to the fullest.

Guy 2 - ambitous, career minded set to conquer the corporate world

Guy 3 - nice, dependable, down to earth stable guy.

Won't reveal which guy is which... that's for you to guess.

Sleepless in Seattle

2005-10-11T01:16:00.000+08:00

The title of this blog entry is "Sleepless in Seattle" for 2 reasons.

First - It is 115am in the morning and I can't get any sleep because I've slept more than 18 hours today.

Second - I was happily surfing the net and chanced upon a familiar website 'The Global Business Challenge' organised by University of Washington, Seattle.

During my honours year at NUS, I had the privilege of representing our business school in a global case competition... all expenses paid! In preparation for the competition, we had to undergo "training" by analyzing multiple cases with our academic advisor. The final case was presented to members of the business faculty. So we travelled all the way to Seattle and met our competitors from various universities e.g. Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, McGill, University of Auckland etc etc. It was this bridging of business school minds that broadened our horizons. OK lahs, eventually we didn't manage to progress into the finals because we were grouped with the eventual champions - University of Auckland (excuses excuses excuses... ok i know). Those law/business students were really good with both their content and presentation so they deserved to win.

I was looking through the presentations by the other colleges... (http://bschool.washington.edu/gbc/participants.shtml) hey I don't think we fared very badly. In fact I think if we were grouped in another group, perhaps we might have gotten into the finals (ok lah, that is a big IF). The point I wanna bring across is that I miss all that - the case analysis, the pressure before a big presentation, the late nights preparing the powerpoint slides, flash presentations, the practising with my team mates before the big day. It's the adrenaline rush that thrills me. Hell... I even miss the freaking finance figures that we had to decipher and make sense of. Yes yes... I'm a finance major but my forte is actually management. So how are my other team mates doing?

Girl 1 - She was offered a Samsung post-grad scholarship to study in Seoul

Guy 1 - He's working with IBM Marketing

Guy 2 - He was working with Credit Suisse, recently decided to hop over to Temasek Holdings and was posted to Vietnam.

And then there's me. Ok, I think I am probably earning the most amongst the 4 of us but it's only because civil servants get a higher starting pay. But what's important is that they seem to be enjoying what they are doing. It's not all abt dollars and cents... it's abt job satisfaction.

I just can't help but wonder how things would be if I had chosen a different path.

Linda Liao at Double O

2005-10-10T14:21:00.000+08:00

I was pretty much in a party-mood last weekend so decided to club with some like-minded colleagues of mine. We were torn between several clubs -

1) Zouk - na coz of renovation

2) Mdm Wongs - rather par se

3) Double O - drinks are cheap, music sucky, girls are ugly

4) Attica - too many SPGs

After much deliberation, we decided Double O because when drinks are that cheap, lousy music doesn't seem that lousy and ugly girls start resembling Linda Liao (break break - I have the hots for Linda Liao).

So to start the night off, we had 2 shots of tequila each which were freaking potent... ... no effect though. So we had a jug of Vodka Lime... ... no effect. Yawn... so boring. Apparently my tolerance for alchohol had somewhat improved. So I decided to go the restroom and along the way I saw a bunch of NS guys drinking away and Linda Liao.. WAIT! Linda Liao!

Then I saw another and another and another. Haha... I am in paradise so in a state of nirvana, I floated to the dance floor and joined my colleagues. We partied the night away in semi-conscious state of mind with "great" music and super "hot" Linda Liaos.

Guys and PMS

2005-09-29T22:12:00.000+08:00

More often than not, men have to endure irrational mood swings by women. I beg to differ. I believe that these mood swings commonly known as PMS are experienced by men as well.

Today I had PMS. I have no idea why but I was pretty much pissed off with virtually everything and everyone. And the strange thing was that I knew I was moody and was consciously trying to contain my irritability, but it was a futile attempt. I have to give credit to myself though for

1) Acknowledging that I am PMS'y

2) Warning my colleagues that I am PMS'y.

On a separate note, my PMS was worsened by several things that happened at work which made me believe that everything done at work is one freaking big wayang. I think that everything that we do should have some sort of positive value-add i.e. an action should lead to some sort of positive externality (think econs). I guess "wayanging" is inevitable and most of us just resign to it. It just sux that this is so...

The Road Less Travelled

2005-09-27T00:06:00.000+08:00

When I was a Sec 1 kid at St.Pats, my school sent a group of us to a Lasallian Convention at Ipoh, Malaysia. Perhaps I should elaborate more abt this - basically St.Pats is part of this Lasallian family of Christian Brothers' Schools. We have schools scattered all over the world and those in S'pore include St.Stephen's, St.Michael's, De La Salle, St.Anthony's, St.Patrick's and SJI. Annually, one of these schools hosts a convention for CBS in Malaysia/S'pore.

I remember the theme of the convention was "The Road Less Travelled". The speakers posed this question to us, "Are you willing to take the road less travelled? To follow your heart and not conform to societal norms. Not to take the easy way out". Tough question posed to a bunch of tender-aged adolescents but back then most of raised our arms and echoed in unison that we were willing to take up this challenge of taking the road less travelled.

15 years later i.e. now, I suddenly thought abt this resolution I took as a kid. Have I really accomplished what I promised to do then? I studied hard, applied for JC, got in University, got a stable job (although sucky one). Everything is just so "predictable". If I decide to stay in my current job, I would know when I am going to get promoted, how much I am going to earn, when i am going to retire - life cannot be so stable. Like a business cycle, there has to be troughs and booms, ups and downs. There needs to be some form of instability and dynamism, otherwise what is the point of life?

The road less travelled has to be taken.

Ah Beng coming out of the Closet

2005-09-21T23:19:00.000+08:00

The privilege/unfortunate few who know me long enough would also know that my mandarin sucks. In fact, my chinese sucks so bad that my "du shu bao kao (book report)" was recycled from Sec 1 to Sec 4. Back in JC, I had "special" remedial classes from the HOD of the Chinese Department, infamously known as the 1000 year old virgin. So eventually I managed a B4! Gasp!

But what most people do not know is that... ... I am huge fan of Cantopop, Chinese Mainsteam pop! I am talking abt Canto-techno tunes like Sammi Cheng's 'du yi wu er', Aaron Kwoks 'Para Para Sakura' etc. I don't really remember how this came about. If I am not wrong, it was from my JC days. I was the only guy from the VJ badminton team from St.Pats. The rest of the team were from Anglican High/Dunman High and there were particularly nice to me despite my language deficiency. So some of the girls insisted conversing to me in Mandarin during trainings and one of them suggested that I tune in to 933FM. So I did and I've been hooked since then.

So yeah... so there. I've came out of the closet. I have one less skeleton in my closet. But don't get me wrong, according to my close friends my diction is still as "out of tune" as before.

Long Island Tea for you?

2005-09-14T22:18:00.000+08:00

Different people have different reactions to excessive alcohol intake. Take a look at the different categories below

1) Funny Drunk - person who cannot stop laughing when intoxicated.

2) Sleepy Drunk - person who feels sleepy when intoxicated.

3) Giggly Drunk - person who starts giggling like a convent girl when intoxicated

4) Violent Drunk - person who gets possessed by Bruce Lee when intoxicated.

5) Obnoxious Drunk - person who proclaims he is God's gift to women when intoxicated.

6) Generous Drunk - person who starts flashes his credit card when intoxicated.

7) Buaya Drunk - person who starts getting all touchy feely with the opposite sex when intoxicated.

I am not a big fan of alcohol but apparently during one of those rare occasions I do get intoxicated, I start giggling uncontrollable like a convent girl while flashing my credit card offering to buy strangers drinks. So I guess I am a combination of 3 and 6. This is not very good.

So what categories do you fall under?

Dino vs Auntie

2005-09-11T10:16:00.000+08:00

At 4am, my trusty alarm clock rang. I got up, took a shower, brushed my teeth and put on my newly purchased addidas running singlet, nike shorts and my Asics DS Trainer. Took a quick bite and off I went to the Esplanade for the Army Half Marathon!

So I was at the starting point, I put on my polar bra strap (transmitter to detect my heart rate) and did some warm ups. Not long, the chief of defence force (who really looks like Ah Hock, the butcher from the market near my place) let out a siren and officially started the race. There were so many people, so I was virtually stationary. 1 min later... I was still stationary. 2 mins... 3 mins... 5 mins... still stationary. Suddenly someone shouted over the loud-haler, "Will all non-competitive runners move forward. The flag off will commence shortly." Shit... I am in the wrong category! I was supposed to be in the competitive category! So I wormed my way through the crowd and started the run.

1km - la la la.. the weather is so cooling

4km - la la la.. my polar watch damn nice

8km - shit... auntie overtook me, i must run faster

10km - la la la.. my addidas singlet so nice

15km - pant, pant... legs tired... must perservere

16km - Signage shows, "Come on, you only have 5 more km to go". Stupid signage with stupid messages...

17km - How come I run so much only 1km ah?

20km - Life flashing before me. I see angels receiving me into the gates of heaven... I'm so light... I'm floating...

21km - Yay... passed finished line in 2hrs 1min. I started late, so that means my timing is 1hr 55 mins. Woohoo... improved.

I was taking a sip and auntie beside me telling her fellow auntie, "Wah, not bad. My timing improved... it's 1hr 35mins". My ego was bruised. Anyway I am pretty pleased that I didn't faint and survived the 21km. Next up is the Standard Chartered Marathon end of this year! No auntie is gonna overtake me this time!

Social Circle Shrinking

2005-09-10T01:08:00.000+08:00

So I was staring blankly into the computer, vigorously typing. It was 7pm on a friday... and I was stuck at work. Suddenly I stopped and took a look at my colleague to my right. He is 30 right now, doing pretty alright at work. But all at the expense of his social life. Then it HIT me! I was looking at me 4 years from now. Balding - Buried in work - Non-existent social life. Unless I do something drastic right now to prevent this from happening, I am driving straight towards this tunnel of no return.

Somehow I just let work consume me and lose track of the true meaning of life. As much as I feel that work has become rather meaningless, I still take responsibility in my work. But then again, I am still grappling with the definition of "true meaning of life". Is it to find God? To make shit loads of money? To settle down, get married, and have kids? I really don't know. What I do know is that I have to do something... anything to break out of this vicious cycle of monotony.

Polar vs Timex

2005-09-04T14:39:00.000+08:00

My timex (the official watch of Baywatch) died on me. The strap snapped after about 2 years so I decided that was it, it was time to venture into another brand.

A good friend of mine who works for Polar, told me a few weeks back to get a Polar watch after my timex so I decided to give her a call. I met up with her and she showed me a few models... the price range was way above timex with some models costing as much as 600 bucks! Fwah! But I decided that this investment could perhaps fuel my running bug. Finally I decided on the... ... drum roll... ... Polar RS 200TM

Ok, this watch is really cool. It has a in-build fitness test using your heart-rate to measure how fit you are. Currently I am in the "moderate" category. Hopefully I can increase this to good/very good/elite. It can measure your heart rate as you run providing sound signals for you to alter your pace so that you can maximize calorie burning. The only functional drawback is that I have to strap on this transmitter below my chest, like a freaking bra. I can say how much I paid for it coz my good friend managed to secure me a big fat discount! But let's just say I can buy 3 timex watches with the same amount.

The Sheares Bridge Run/Army Half Marathon is just next week. Gonna go for a short run today to gear myself up for it. Ok lah, so I am going to strap on my bra and off running with my new toy.

Intra-Council

2005-08-28T01:23:00.000+08:00

Nine years back, a wide-eyed kid in his awkward teen years decided to run for the Students' Council. Despite being the only student from his secondary school, he managed to garner enough votes and was elected into the 13th Students Council of VJC. Nine years later, that kid has matured somewhat into - me.

Ok, maybe not all that mature.

Anyway, every year the current batch of councillors will organize an intra-council gathering inviting all past and present councillors to come back for a reunion. That was today. Looking at the kids running about cheering and mass dancing, I can't help but feel that I have aged. Still remember the hours spent painting banners, preparing for open house, Senior Dinner and Dance, orientation, dialogue session, teachers' day, college day, and at the same time juggling badminton trainings and studies - I really do not know how I managed to cope.

Conversing with my council friends about the good old times made me realise that my college days were really fulfilling and enriching. College was an important 2 years of my life... ...a bridge between the light years and adulthood. Wish I could turn back the clock.

To live for the moment

2005-08-24T23:14:00.000+08:00

I have this friend who believes that one should live for the day. That means spend whatever you have as and when you earn it because you never know what's going to happen to you the next day.

Personally I find this philosophy difficult to accept simply because I am a staunch believer of forward-planning. In fact sometimes I feel I tend to over it. I am always worried what's going to happen to me in 20-30-40-50 years time when I retire. Inevitably, I'm falling into the trap of ,"Thinking too much, thinking too far".

My friend posed this question to me, "So what's going to happen if you die tomm (touch wood)?" All the saving and worrying for the future is going down the drain.

So I rebuted, "So what's going to happen if you don't die tomm, and live for 60 more years?" He had no answer to that.

I guess the best thing we can do is to - strike a balance. Easier said than done.

Dino

Ironman? Hardly...

2005-08-23T00:39:00.000+08:00

The Sheares Bridge Run is around the corner... and it has been my yearly resolution to participate in this event. However this year, in addition to the Army Half Marathon, I've decided to take a step further... or rather, many steps further. I'm gonna take part in the Standard Chartered Full Marathon! Oh yes, all 42km! Timing is not an issue here. It's just a matter of completing the entire marathon so that I can tell my grandchildren next time (that is if I decide to pro-create) that ah kong took part in a marathon during his younger, more fertile days.

I suspect age is catching on because my knees are killing me after a game of badminton. So I reckon I'd better do this before my bones get too brittle.

Maybe I should explain why this interest in running. During my primary school days in St.Stephen's, I was proud member of the TAF Club (Trim and Fit Club or FAT-spelled backwards club). My parents, being typically chinese. believed that obesity is a form of good fortune. Yah, so they fed and fed and fed while I ate and ate and ate. When I started schooling at Jakarta International School in Primary 6, the ang moh kids bestowed on me the title "Fat Asian Dude". I was damn pissed hence I decided to go on a Kate Moss diet of bread and water and a Kenyan-jogging regime. So I did lose some pounds and I've been running since.

Check out the distance I covered... ran from tampines st 32 to parkway parade!!

Dino

Mind Games People Play

2005-08-21T04:27:00.000+08:00

So it's Saturday night, my friends and I decided to catch a movie. It was a toss between "The Maid" and "Must Love Dogs".

One of my friends lives alone and actually has a maid... and considering that it's the 7th month, she was dead against this movie. She was afraid she would freak out everytime she sees her maid! I thought that was funny. Eventually it was "Must Love Dogs". I was rather apprehensive about watching sappy, sweetly sachrine kind of movies. But anyway, the movie turned out to be really good. The script-writing of the movie was fantastic and it felt good watching a feel-good movie.

There was this part in the movie where the lead actor told the female lead during a date,"Let's stop playing these mind games and be totally honest with each other". I was just thinking how often are we guilty of this - playing mind games. E.g. Girls do not respond to interested guys quickly, otherwise it's an indication of desperation.

So my question is - Are mind games really necessary? Of course I am guilty of playing this game myself. E.g. the MSN/ICQ 20 second rule - During an online converstaion, if she takes more than 20 secs to respond to your msn messages, she's not interested. Don't waste your time. Isn't it mentally and emotionally exhausting to always try to second guess what the other person is thinking?

So my proposal is - Let's just throw this whole ritual out the door? Perhaps honesty is the best policy.

Dino

Closed Door?

2005-08-17T23:47:00.000+08:00

A few days back I had a conversation with a close friend of mine. She believed that I was a "Closed Door". I didn't know my door was closed! Wait... I didn't even know I had a door. Well, the definition of a closed door is - "Person who does not involve himself emotionally with his/her friends".

Ok ok. So I pondered on this accusation. Well yes! I guess I am a closed door. The reason being very simple - I hate complicated relationships. Be it platonic or not, I like things simple. Which also explains why I prefer hanging out with my guy friends. There's just less complexity. We just hang out, have fun and laugh ourselves silly. Even the girls I hang out with are easy-going girls without that emotional baggage usually carried by the typical female species.

So there. My door is indeed closed. Why is it closed? Let's just say it's the result of something that happened in the past. Will it ever be opened? Why should it be since I'm having a blast of a time now?

Mail-Order Brides

2005-08-16T20:31:00.000+08:00

Have you ever thought what your purpose in life is? Some believe it's to get married, have kids and contribute to the birth rate of Singapore. Others believe it is to make shit load of money and contribute to the economy of Singapore... well I haven't really found MY direction in life.

Life is right now freaking mundane. Wake up - eat - shit - go to work in a job I do not believe in. It is this predictable routine that is draining/stifling me. It is difficult to find that motivation to keep on going and seriously I have no idea where I get this drive from. Some say,"Hey, just get married lah". Not that easy. You think mail-order-bride from Vietnam? Just click on the specifications and TA-DAH! Hot Vietnamese bride delivered to your doorstep by DHL... who will eventually cheat you of ALL your money. Not that easy.

I think I know what is keeping me going right now. It's my friends! Today I am down with a cold. And our occupation is such that if we report sick, my colleagues have to work extra hard to compensate for my absence. So unless I am REALLY REALLY sick, then I would call in for sick leave. And today... I am REALLY REALLY sick! So a big thank you to all my colleagues who are working extra hard for me.

Here's a pic of my pals from work.
From Left - Lin Keat, Dino, Kenneth and Ethan

Ok ok... I promise this blog will not be one of those depressing "My life sux" kinda blog. But life is everchanging, sometime I'm happy, sometimes I'm sad, sometimes I feel silly. So my blog will take its cue from me. Sometimes there will be happy posts, sometimes there will be sad posts, and sometimes silly posts.

Dino

Just Some Thoughts

2005-08-15T20:59:00.000+08:00

Ok, I've succumbed to blogging. I used to laugh myself silly at my friends who have this obsession with this whole mumbo-jumbo... well look who has the last laugh (not me btw).

I guess this is probably an avenue for me to pen down my thoughts hence the blog title "Just Some Thoughts". If you're looking for porn, don't bother to read on. If you're looking for pics of hot girls, don't bother to read on. Ok lah, if the girls are really HOT, then I have to reconsider.