Days Of Our Bra

Dimsum Monkey

2011-03-28T06:31:00.000-07:00

Hi, I thought I'd start a new blog to document my life in Hong Kong because I realized the "labels" are a lil messy. I want to own just one journal for my life in Hong Kong. I'm so sorry but I got to ask you to update your RSS feed.

Here's my new blog - http://dimsum-monkey.blogspot.com/ Cheers!

Food in Hong Kong

2011-03-27T00:19:00.000-07:00

I wanna jot down some lovely places I've been to before I forget about it.

Caffe Habitu at Hutchison House, 10 Harcourt Road of Central serves really good coffee and pasta. The pasta is actually al dente and goes really well with the fresh coffee. Cost around HKD 65 for a pasta and the coffee's around HKD 38 to 45.

There's a ramen place opened by Japanese that I like as well. Turn left from Causeway Bay MTR, Exit B. I've tried fish soup base and they are really generous with their servings. Cost around HKD 50 - 70 per bowl, depending on how much toppings you want to get.

Okay, this is more a note for myself. Enjoy the remains of your weekend!

Random Thoughts

2011-03-25T10:47:00.000-07:00

There's always something going on in Hong Kong.

On the 2nd day I arrived, I saw a man being pinned down on the floor at the North Point MTR station. He was accused of molestation and he was peeing in his pants. No kidding.

At work, during lunch hour, there're always some protestors outside the government house at Central, hurling insults at both the government and the banks.

At home, there's always Bryan to talk to, or we'd be busy doing the laundry or cleaning the apartment. On Friday nights, I'd play poker or have drinks with friends. There's always something interesting on TV. Or I have How I Met Your Mother to catch up on. I do noticed that I'm always at Lang Kwai Fong every weekend though.

At work, our finance lessons are one of the most intensive classes I've taken in my life. 2 days on Corporate Bond, a day on Government Bond, just an afternoon on Municipal Bond, 1.5 days on Mortgages...then bam, you gotta take a closed book exam, passing grade would be 75%. My worst scoring subject till date? Equities. It's supposed to be the most straight forward subject of the lot but we are just not friends.

I always feel that I could barely stop to reflect on my day or to just sit here to record my experiences in Hong Kong.

I've made some really great friends at work too. People whom I really admire because they are so smart. It's really nice to be surrounded by people who are smart because that's how you grow. Especially more so in an area that you're not familiar with, but you're surrounded by helpful people who know what they are talking about and are willing to teach you.

Most importantly, we click well and I'd say some are more like friends than colleagues. I mean, in the afternoon, Andrea and I were busy drawing penis emoticons. It's Saturday morning at 2 am right now, and we are continuing out artwork over Facebook....

Because I'm not trained in finance, I have to put in the extra effort. I would stay behind till 10pm to study and familiarize myself with the terminal. It's a 'lil hardcore but to be honest, it doesn't feel like work. I really enjoy the learning and expanding my comfort zone. In a way, I'm really proud of myself that I've taken the plunge into something that I try to avoid at school.

Tomorrow, I'm going running at Happy Valley, along the racecourse. The route is the diameter of where horses race. That's another first for me.

Like I said, something always seems to be happening here. I really feel that I'm living life to the maximum in Hong Kong. Need to pen down all these thoughts before they slip away.

p/s 8====D ~o ~o ~o {()}

We Are Unique

2011-03-04T06:58:00.000-08:00

The syllabus has been getting harder and harder. Equities and I are not friends. I haven't been getting enough sleep since I normally hit the sack past midnight, but my alarm rings at 6 am. It's really challenging for me to sleep earlier because a) I need to clean up a lil b) I really do want to talk to Bryan and c) I need to read up. Sleep, is more luxurious than a panda-fur coat. Other than that, I'm having a good time at work because I really like the people so far. It's so dynamic and the pace is so fast.

Perry just came last night but he's moved to the hotel. Lian's popping by tonight, but she'd be working on Sunday. There's some plans made to go drinking and clubbing at TST. I'm arranging for all my friends to meet up and cross paths. I don't have much friends in Hong Kong to begin with so I supposed no harm bringing everyone together.

So, I just went to Burgeroom at Causeway Bay. Ordered a chilli burger and it's really, really yums. What I like about Hong Kong is its surprises. There's always some really niche boutiques/eateries at some random lil street, hidden and silent. Only some would know where it is. It's like finding gems. I used to not like Hong Kong much, but I guess I haven't been spotting those gems 'cos I don't even know they existed.

Also, I noticed I'm really proud growing up in Singapore. I got made fun of my Singapore accent but I'm really proud of it and with much pride in my voice, I would reply Kan Ni Na. But at work, I do have to switch to a less Singaporean accent because I noticed it's really difficult for people who have been growing up overseas their whole lives (that makes up 99.999% of my colleagues) to understand what I am saying. An American told me that I could sound really American. Thanks to exposure to much American TV. Also, I noticed we've been exposed to heck a lot more cultures than anyone from other parts of the world. Put it this way, name me somebody who would know all Wu Zhong Xian jokes AND can sing at least 1 Korean boyband song AND knows who Phua Chu Kang is AND watched at least 5 TVB shows AND knows the plot of 99% of American TV shows AND have seen British's Top Gear AND actually knows Bruno/Borat AND knows who Siti Nurhaliza. Must be either Singaporean or Malaysian. Yeaaaa, Sg Pride siah.

Last thing, I always got asked, which I prefer - Singapore or Hong Kong? Well, I like both. They are different. It's like asking me, who's hotter - Daniel Wu or Jin Chen Wu. Different, but equally good, you know what I mean?

Being Active in Winter

2011-02-20T03:53:00.000-08:00

I want to get to know winter more.

Besides eating heck a lot and trying not to get out from my warm duvet, I'm not clear what else I'm motivated to do in my spare hours.

I've been feeling really inactive but I hate running in the chilly cold winter wind. Normally, tightening those shoe-laces excites me. I don't even have the motivation to walk to my gramp's place these days. Today's the Stand Chart run in HK. Maybe it's all about will. I just need to will myself to get out of the house in a windbreaker and wiggle those legs.

Day In The Life Of

2011-02-19T01:06:00.000-08:00

It's been a week since the start of my new job in Hong Kong. I'll be spending the first 2 months like a good ol' student, taking classes and having exams. I've backpeddled in my career a bit to join a completely new industry and I really think it's great that my new company has such a good training program so that finance noobs like me could play catch up. I thought it's a good thing I've the habit of reading vastly, so I actually have a vauge idea of everything said though I've never learnt it in details when in school.

B and I have fallen into some sort of routine at our apartment. Every morning when my alarm rings at 6 a.m, I'd jump out of bed and he'd stir a lil. I used to take 30 min to get ready in the morning but I take almost an hour here 'cos the cold weather makes motions much slower. I'd commute to work for 40 minutes and get coffee with breakfast (company gives a good breakfast spread of toasts and cereal). My classes end at 6pm, so I'd usually reach home at 7. I get to chat with B a bit, and wait for him to finish whatever he was doing. We live in a lil condo at the top of the mall, so we'd head down for dinner as there're too many cafes and restaurants to choose from. It's around 9pm ish after our meal. B would chat with his parents on skype, and I'd shower and read a lil before I end the day. It then become my favourite part because B tucks me in bed, we'd hold hands a chat a bit while I fall asleep. He'd continue with his stuff when I'm prancing about in slumberland. Sometimes I get caught up with my life (like checking work schedules and emails from home) that I completely ignore everything around me. But I try to stop at home and appreciate how fortunate we are, living at our own place, having new experiences in Hong Kong.

Well, it's a Saturday. He's gone out with some friends and I chose to stay in to finish up some online courses and tests I have to complete by tomorrow. I hope I could finish up soon, so we could drink some wine together before bed time tonight.

2011. Hong Kong Adventures.

2011-02-10T11:17:00.000-08:00

I really need to document my 2011 adventure as everything's so fresh and new. On the 19 Jan, I flew to Hong Kong for the start of my adventure. It was a cold, windy Wednesday night. I knew I was frowning for most of my plane ride because there're so many uncertainties and I have so many questions that I don't have answers to. The next day, I was a mad man on a mission to house hunt within 3 days. I viewed 9 flats in 2 districts I've shortlisted, like 1 of 'em very much and started bargaining. Negotiated the rental down to my budget and there, I put down my deposit, just like that. All done within a day.

I thought I'd have it easy once I've found my apartment in Hong Kong but hell no, next come furniture, then curtains, then the mattress, then the pillows...basically, every nitty gritty things I've taken for granted in my life. I hunted for the best valued items and it's not an easy feat. It never ends. Till now, we don't have forks. Or a pot. Thank God, Bryan flew in on 30 Jan to be with me. I picked him up from the airport. We spent the night sleeping on the cold, hard floor because the mattress couldn't be delivered then. We spent next 10 days or so sorting out the house, cleaning, getting our broadband (got HKBN for $189, comes with cable tv) and getting everything else we need (never knew we would fight over our limited hangers).

It was also the first time I celebrated Chinese New Year with my gramps. It was...different. Most of my Chinese New Years have been quiet. Here, there're lots more visiting and fuss (must get box-gifts, not just 2 oranges). 1 day was more than enough so I squirmed my way out 2nd day onwards and visited Cheung Chau Island with Jason & Bryan. I have been taking the time to explore Soho, Central, the Peak and our neighbourhood with Bryan past days.

I'm very excited about the year. There's really loads more to look forward to. Just last year, I never thought Bryan and I would get our own place, out of Singapore. Things always work out by itself, no matter what. Just one step at a time.

The Road Less Travelled

2011-01-14T08:57:00.000-08:00

It was a tormenting 5-rounds process and I didn't think I would stand a chance. Especially with some questions looking like these -

Tell us about the bond bubble
Sell me this mug for $50
Who's the Federal Reserve Chairman?
What's happening to China? Tell me what's going to happen to the yuan.
What's 30% of 35?
What's been happening to the Euro?

So I'm really stepping into a new chapter of my life now. I'm letting go all I am familiar with - friends, food and culture. I never thought I'd be going off to live in a place I'm not that familiar with. Heck, I have never even lived alone, paying my own rent and utilities. I have never been away from my tight group of friends.

I'm feeling really excited, but yet really scared. Would I like the new lifestyle? Would I like the new pace of life? I'm super looking forward to meeting new friends, but yet I am so going to miss the old friends. I'm super looking forward to experiencing four seasons as well.

I talked about wanting to expand my comfort zone and growing new experiences as one of a key focus in life. I felt that I have actually done it. 2010 was the year of fresh perspective. I got a lot of time working alone and thinking things through. 2011 is the year of...freshness. Fresh set of people, fresh perspective, fresh life. Whatever it is, I know it's not by pure randomness. I'm really on the lookout for fresh experiences.

I shouldn't let the old hold me back, but look forward to the new. I am going to miss you all. But I really do look forward to the person I have become when you next meet me.

Shut Down Mode

2011-01-06T01:13:00.000-08:00

I really must eat more fruits and supplements.

Been sleeping for more than 15 hours past 3 days because I've been having the fever, the flu, sore throat...the whole package. It feels like crap and it's just not worth going through the pain. Being sick is the most unproductive thing ever. I don't have the energy to do anything and we could avoid it by just taking care of ourselves a lil better.

Hence, more resolutions for this year :

1. Stop having instant noodles for lunch

2. Drink lots of water and juice

3. Take Vit C. Loads of it.

Movin' Into 2011

2011-01-02T08:31:00.000-08:00

This year, I want to document my life so I that I could flip through this blog and look back at all the great memories.

So on the last night of 2010, Bryan and I visited Wensi at her place. Teddy made a yummy pasta dinner for us. After some red wine, games and chatting, we headed to UE Square to start the party. It was a night of foam, mad hats, poppers, crooning, noisy whitles, almost puking, talking and whisky. At 1 am ish, Bryan and I couldn't take the late night anymore (we were playing poker the night before), so we ended the night early and went for bak kut teh. Normally, we would spend some time chatting before we sleep. But on that night, we just crashed immediately.

I spent the first day of 01 Jan 2011 with Bryan's family. Shaun made us lunch and we played Monopoly City (which was a torment for me because I'm not really good with boardgames). I used to wish that my dad doesn't work in the F&B industry because he's the busiest during festive seasons. My mom trots between Hong Kong and Singapore so sometimes I get really bored at home during Christmas or Chinese New Year. I'm glad that I have the opportunity to know Bryan's family because they always celebrate the festives with family dinners & games, and it's always good ol' fun being with them.

So that's my final night of 2010 and first day of 2011. I hope yours have been great too! (:

2010 Review

2011-01-02T01:32:00.000-08:00

I would say, 2010 is the year of fresh perspective for me. Some highlights include

1. Building an apparel & printing business into a somewhat successful business, considering it's only 12 months worth of work.

2. Having a professional relationship with Bryan, my boyfriend of 2.5 years, that gives me the opportunity to know more about him and communicating with him in a whole new level.

3. Running the ops of our business at home (for a chatty person like myself, it's somewhat a torture)

4. Flying kite for the first time at Marina Barrage. It was a special, beautiful afternoon.

5. Lots of vacations: Spending a week in Krabi with Bryan (we love the place a lot). Spending 4 days at Perhentian with Bryan and Fiona. Spending 3 days in Malacca with Mommy. Spending 2 weeks in Hong Kong with my family.

6. 2010 is the year that Bryan received great gifts from me too. We celebrated his 26th birthday in Kuala Lumpur, which was a surprise trip. We stayed a Piccolo Hotel and got a free upgrade to a suite room. This Christmas, I supported his decision of pursuing a creative career by giving him a tool he would need.

7. I have built closer and more meaningful relationships with selected friends. I felt that 2010 was the year that I was more comfortable in opening up and sharing some things that I'd normally not divulge too much on. I felt that some of my friends have reciprocated and we felt much closer to each other than before.

8. I got my mom addicted to red wine in 2010. Now she drinks every night. My dad and I have contributed to all her vices. (...and they say family is supposed to be the most positive influence in your life?)

9. Doing photoshoots with Alex for IronBra. Modeling is just, not my forte but at least, I have had this experience in my life.

10. Watching my friends, Daniel & Emily + Lindy & Melvin, tie the knot. It hit me that most couples are cementing their relationship around this age, all taking their lives and relationship to a whole, new different level.

11. I finally explored my creative side. I picked up the craft of candle-making. I even attended a soap-making class. I'd most likely continue honing my craft since handmade gifts are priceless.

It was a year that I did not conform with anything that was expected of me. I didn't get a "proper day job". I have built a profit-making business from scratch with my boyfriend. I believe my parents trusted that I could handle myself, no matter what sort of circumstances I put myself in. Also, I think some friends see me in a whole new light with the decisions I have made for myself. I think I have placed more trust in my intuition.

I also believed that, 2010 was a year I did a lot of pondering of my life - evaluating what I am doing, what I am actually after and arranging my priorities. I am glad I took the year to pursue all the projects I have chosen. My year of independence in 2009 has prepared me well for 2010. I have enjoyed this year immensely, but I do look forward to fresh experiences and new excitements.

That said, looking forward to 2011, here are some general things I wish to see more of from myself.

1. A more regulated lifestyle.

2. More exercise.

3. Drink more water and juice.

4. Expanding my comfort level

5. Living in the present.

6. Expanding my knowledge

Cheers to 2010. You have been wonderful to me. I have a good feeling to 2011 and I look forward to it immensely.

Christmas With Uni Friends

2010-12-20T01:34:00.000-08:00

One thing I enjoy about Christmas is gatherings of all sorts - with friends, family and it's a perfect excuse to snuggle up to your boyfriend while enjoying a glass of wine or two. Bernard and Desiree put together a really good barbecue with the most awesome steak in the world. Alex brought a couple bottles of red wine. Karl and Debby brought pasta. Fiona brought the dessert. As for Bryan and I, we brought imported beer (from China). It was a wonderful night of chatting, playing of Monopoly Deal and with Desiree's pets (she's got 2 doggies, a kitty and an intellectual frog who made it's own toilet in his crib). Wish such dinners could happen more and I probably should volunteer to plan the next one.

This Christmas

2010-12-10T19:28:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty psyched that it's Christmas soon. I love dinners and gift exchanges. It's the time of the year you tell people you love how much you appreciate them. This year, I bought one of the most meaningful gifts ever. It's a great way to say I heart you and I believe in you.

Sunday Rants

2010-11-13T21:49:00.000-08:00

I've been trying so hard to regulate my sleep hours. It went a bit insane again, sleeping at 7am and getting up at 3pm. The thing is, it's so easy to get carried away with whatever you're doing. This is not the way I want to live my life because I always, always wake up feeling lethargic.

I've been successful in sleeping by 2am and getting up between 9 to 10 am these few consecutive days and I am determined to keep it up. It took so much effort to peel the iPhone or the book I'm reading away from my own hands. Note to self: Discipline optimizes your time. And just cos you can, doesn't mean you should, you zany woman. Ooops, got carried away with myself.

It's a rainy Sunday and I'd like to leave you with a good interview with Richard Tait, who tips us on entrepreneurial success. Hope you have had a good weekend!

Books Books Books

2010-11-12T19:31:00.000-08:00

Yesterday at the Borders Clearance Sale, I ran around the hall like a superhero on mission. So many books, so much ideas packed into one convention hall, such a wealth of knowledge. I splurged close to a hundred. Here's some of my loots

Learn Spanish CD + Book pack
Learn Spanish Phrasebook
How Starbucks Saved My Life
Marketing Calculator : Measuring and Managing Return On Marketing Investments
Weekend Entrepreneur

Plus a few books meant as pressies. My best buy would be the Marketing Calculator book because I wanted to get it a year ago, when it was retailing at $47. I got it for $10 so aye-aye to good bargains and learning. (;

p/s The sale will last till Sunday 10pm at Suntec Convention Hall 403.

Feed Me Energy?

2010-11-11T03:25:00.000-08:00

What do you do for energy and inspiration? I usually turn to sports but because I've been pretty sick of late (caught a bad-ass cold), I need to stay away from working out so I was thinking through what gives both energy & inspiration. Here's a list.

Reading a good book while sipping pipping hot tea

Taking a walk at Macritchie Reservoir

Cleaning my work table

Organizing my week

Watching hilarious videos

Creating content or product (like a short story, a handmade candle, org an event etc)

Hmmm, what gives you energy and inspiration?

Rants and Dripping Nose

2010-11-08T09:23:00.000-08:00

Since Tuesday, it's been hell for me because my fever wouldn't go away like an annoying fly buzzing around your lunch. Just keeps pestering me. As my body temperature goes up, my sense of humor goes down. The week is spent sleeping or stoning in front of TV. I've probably seen 48 movies and 108 TV shows along with 345 music videos.

I know I could have spend my time more fruitfully. Truth is, I'm so fucking stoned that all I am capable of was to stare into space. Bryan was patient at first and I capitalized on it with my incessant whinings of the suffering and pain I was going through. So his tolerance level dropped and he started ignoring my whinings. Our communications are all good and sorted now as he thoroughly empathized my pain once he caught my flu bug. How? Sometimes a picture explains better than words. Look above.

You've got to understand that I don't watch much TV so this week has been fascinating. Then I saw The Amazing Race and this pair of Chinese father-and-son team caught my eye because they were so nice and respectful to each other. I could imagine wanting to kill my father over a million times if I were to participate in any forms of competitive sports with him. So I googled this team and turned out that the pleasant Chinese boy is a YouTube sensation under the name of KevJumba. I was just wondering the amazing possibilities that have opened up to the kids these days. So I googled for other famous YouTube personalities so that I could waste another 20 hours of my life away watching their videos and I found Shane Dawson, Nigahiga and Peter Chao... and I realized they are all of the same generation. The barely 20s. The Fresh Meat Generation. Look I'm just 6 years older but these kids are probably more tech-savvy than I am. Afterall, my first phone was Nokia 3310 and theirs is probably an iPhone 3.

My point is, kids now have much more numerous oppportunities to be "big". There's a lot in the world to leverage on, so much to look forward to, even for ourselves. Making a living being a blogger would not be possible, if not for the internet. The doors have opened up for so many people who have bit more talent, creativity and knack for fun. Wow, I feel so much optimism writing this that I feel like holding a pair of hands and twirling someone around the room. But that wouldn't do. My nose is still dripping, sonofabeep.

Business

2010-10-25T08:15:00.000-07:00

Bryan and I might have just figured out a way to optimize our time and resources in running Spotables and we were testing it out in the last few weeks. Bryan is very good with details and a very patient person, so he's our full time sales, customer service & production person. As for me, I'm not bad with spreadsheets (I've my whole life plan written in spreadsheets most times) and I've some trade marketing experience, my focus is on marketing and the business process. There's just 48 hours between us in a day and so far, this has working pretty well.

Business has picked up after we've run it for 10 months. It's amazing we've come to this day since Iron Bra and Who Shot Bob days...both of which have met their silent deaths. We've got a lot of returning customers and good word of mouth, so we're pretty packed on a daily basis.

That's why I'm still hoping to hire someone who could help us with the customer service role. If you know of anyone who'd like to work on a part time basis, who would have an interest in customer service, sales or marketing, do drop me an email at hallokittylo (at) gmail (dot) com.

Bryan's Birthday

2010-10-02T10:57:00.000-07:00

I booked a Deluxe Room at Piccolo Hotel in Kuala Lumpur for Bryan's birthday. Either we were really lucky or their service is superb, but they gave us the Executive Suite instead and it's just so lovely. The room is really huge and the king size bed was so sleep inducing. We spent our days eating street food, chilling in our big room, watching movie or singing KTV. On our last day, we spent it at the Berjaya Times Square theme park. I think I'm getting older for I'm not really good with thrill rides now. I used to be super enthusiastic but now it just makes me want to throw up like crazy.

Today is Bryan's official birthday. We spent the early noon having dim sum with his family. Then we went to Ronny's cafe opening. It's called Tree-D, located at 7 Boon Tat Street near Amoy (opposite Bee Heong Restaurant). If you like bubble tea, go give it a try. I tried the jasmine green tea with honey today. It's as good as Koi's with loads of honey.

After an hour or so playing Nintendo Wii at Cineleisure, we had dinner at Brauhaus at Novena Square for German food and beer. It's beginning to be one of our favourite hunts. The owner, Michael, used to aimlessly travel around the world because he didn't know what to do with his life. He worked at a German restaurant in Japan in his younger days and picked up culinary skills, as well as experiences in running a dining place. Since he has travelled all around the world, he had made many friends. So he started importing all manners of beer to Singapore and he's the first guy to bring in Erdinger to our country. It's interesting how our lives lead us to where we are. Anyways, the food is great and the company is awesome. All in all, it was a great night celebrating Bryan turning older, and hopefully wiser.

Sunday and Birthdays

2010-09-26T02:00:00.000-07:00

It's my perfect Sunday. Got up late, had a coffee and was enjoying my book. Then I enjoyed a late lunch with my mom and now we're hanging out at the library. We'll probably spent a couple of hours here browing a bit, then maybe go for steamboat dinner.

Next week, Bryan and I would be taking a trip to somewhere. It's my surprise holiday planned for him (he's turning older) so he doesn't know where we are going, although most of my friends do. We'll be away for 3 days. I'm very excited about it because for the first time, he doesn't know where we are going, staying or doing.

Speaking of birthday, we were celebrating Leanne's birthday last night. Bryan and I put together a cute "Love Box" for her. There's a jar of soy wax candle made by me, a bar of dark chocolate and a tiny bottle of Moscato. She's supposed to spend a nice, romantic night with Shaun with the contents in the Love Box. I was thinking it makes a great idea for Christmas Gifts as well, since it's only 3 months time.

Random Things

2010-09-20T23:52:00.000-07:00

I've picked up running in the evenings again. It's my baby steps towards running longer distances. The 21 km run is just a couple months away. I haven't been working out as much as I'd like to so I'm getting bit nervous about completing the whole thing.

Then, there's been Lindy's wedding. Her dresses were so beautiful and she looks so happy throughout the night. Congratulations Lindy & Melvin! Unfortunately, I don't have much pictures to post of her, but I've got a bunch of cam-whore pictures with Elf and Guanda. Not much point posting huh.

Rainy days make me think about my life. Today, I just typed out a list of my dreams, hopes and aspirations and the tiny baby steps to get there. There's 4 more years that will turn me 30. There's 52 weeks in a year and I've just wasted 1 week. There's 208 weeks more to go before hitting 30. There's so many things I have promised myself but haven't get down to doing. Somehow, I feel a sense of urgency today...

Choices In Life

2010-09-10T02:48:00.000-07:00

I was reading a book by Jack Canfield last night over a glass of wine (he's the guy who delivered the Chicken Soup series), he says your present state of bank account, your health, your social life, your position at work etc are nothing more than the physical manifestaion of your previous thinking. Would you agree with this statement? I think it's more or less true, to most of us here, who are given options in our lives. I reckon this statement may not apply well to a child who is born into a severe state of poverty, robbed of choices right from the start. Since it's so easy to choose for ourselves, why do we always like to corner ourselves into a situation? I like it when Canfield asked these 4 questions that nudges us into conscious living.

1) If we were meeting 3 years from today, what has to have happened during that three-year period for you to feel happy about your progress?

2) What was the biggest dangers you'll have to face and deal with in order to achieve that progress?

3) What are the biggest opportunities that you have that you would need to focus on and capture to achieve those things?

4) What strengths will you need to reinforce and maximiz, and what skills and resources will you need to develop that you don't currently have in order to capture those opportunities?

I Love Mom

2010-08-30T09:46:00.000-07:00

Of late, I've been spending a lot of time with my mommy because I see her only every 3 months. I used to take things like having my laundry done or my dinner prepared for granted. When she's not in town and I'd want a simple conversation with her, I need to call her at a time she's available to talk. It was hard at first but I'm getting used to her not being around sometimes. The reason she's been flying back to Hong Kong so much is because my Grandma had a stroke in recent years. It left half of her body paralysed, hence she needs constant care and attention. My mom's been flying back to spend lots of time with her.

So nowadays, I'm on the lookout to rent a place in Hong Kong, so I could stay over for a couple of months as well. This is what flexi hours is about, isn't it? If I could spend more time with my family, why not? Housing in Hong Kong is way too small and I am convinced I can't get work done as long as I live with my gramps. Personal space is not in the dictionary in Hong Kong. If you know of any place that offers reasonable rental rates, do let me know!

Weekend

2010-08-29T09:12:00.000-07:00

{image of Sid Vicious}

Hello how has your weekend been? Time really passes by so quickly. I spent my weekend visiting flea markets and got some preloved dresses and a preloved jacket. I also tried a Strawberry Agent from once upon a milkshake at last. So yummy but a (really) tiny little cup will take $3.60 from your pocket. Today, I spent a lot of time catching up on TV. Bryan rented Ip Man 2 for us to watch in the afternoon. It's time for a fabulous week ahead!

Thanks For Coming

2010-08-25T10:50:00.000-07:00

Hello there Beautiful. Thanks for coming. Smoochie.

Arm Tattoo

2010-08-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

I've always wanted a tattoo. I don't know why. I've talked about it since I was in secondary school. It's something I never really stopped talking about. My mom has this rule that as long as I am living under her roof, I am not allowed to have any thing permanent on my body. She went ballistic for an entire month when I got my navel pierced. I respect her rules so I never tried anything again.

This is the kind of tattoo I've always wanted. I want it on the underside of my arms in calligraphy, of the name of a person very special to me.

This, is what I'd do, the first thing I've my own flat.

Where's The Mick Jagger Of Today?

2010-08-19T09:36:00.000-07:00

It all started out as a conversation about bad music in the 2000s. I mean, in 70s, we've seen the launch of The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith and Sex Pistols. In the 80s, Michael Jackson, U2, and Beastie Boys grace our charts. 90s was the era of pop songs. We've seen the start (and death) of careers from the Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys and N'Sync in the late 90s. It's okay. I was in the I-heart-boybands-phase myself once. There're some good songs amongst the bubble pops. Still remember Brian McKnight? But in the 90s, don't forget, we've Alanis Morrissette, Silverchair, Green Day, Blink 182, and Goo Goo Dolls as well...

Who grace our charts in 2000s onwards? I really can't think of anyone spectacular. The only spectacular bands I can think think of is Muse and Mystery Jets. On the downside, Mystery Jets is not even mainstream. Out of boredom and the lack of good songs on the radio, I revisited music from 70s.

My, this is how my tiny obsession with the young Mick Jagger started. He's the got the swagger and the looks. Tell me, where's the Mick Jagger of today? Where are the good bands that blow you away?

Hanes T-Shirt Printing in Singapore

2010-08-19T02:19:00.000-07:00

This is what I've been raving about. 3D print in velvet texture on Hanes tee. Excited! More information over here.

Review Of My Week With No Planning

2010-08-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

I'm really glad Bryan and I signed up for salsa classes. It's nice to be doing something different together weekly. I don't get to dance with Bryan much because we rotate partners every few minutes. In a way, I am glad because Bryan goes crazy when he's too into it and I end up laughing too much.

Now here's my review of my week spent without daily goals. It's wonderful. Having weekly goals and not planning for the day works better for me. Of course, I'd need a skeleton of the day at the back of my head. However, if something crops up, it doesn't make me go crazy because it's not within my control.

I ended up doing stuff whenever I feel inspired. There has been two nights (consecutively) that I slept at 6am because I was preparing for our product launch. I ended up waking at 1pm the following day. Normally, I feel annoyed by my lack of discipline to wake up in the morning. But knowing I've done good work in the morning before, I just simply get up, have brunch and coffee, and feel inspired to start the day. I believe I've accomplished more than living life with great discipline.

One of the things I noticed is I have stopped labeling things when I don't plan for the day. "This is time for work, and this is time for friends. Now this is my rest time". No more. Life is much more wonderful without the labels. Everything I do are intertwined because it's all part of my life. By now, I've experimented enough to know this is right for me, for this time being. So, I'm going to stick to it. Every single hour is mine. It doesn't matter what time I sleep or eat. Of course, when the rest of the world works between 9am to 6pm, it makes more sense to make phone calls or send emails within those hours. It's not entirely free rein because you need to live with the rest of the world. But working in bouts of inspiration is really awesome.

Well, it's 2:06am. I'm inspired to take a shower and read a book. Tomorrow I know I've yoga and some catching up to day. I can't wait for the day to start.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Hanes T-Shirts In Singapore

2010-08-12T13:38:00.000-07:00

It's 4:38am and it's a long, sleepless night. I'm not sure why though. Perhaps I drank a cup of milk tea too late into the night. Or perhaps I've had such a long day that I'm too tired to snooze. So I tweaked and edited our website. Must say, I'm proud of how it looks.

I've a really good announcement to make. We are carrying the American Hanes line of t-shirts. This is an awesome addition to our products. Hanes is a reliable brand with awesome material and flattering cut. The best thing is, we carry the Ladies Cut. That means, now girls can opt for t-shirts slightly tapered at the waist, instead of camp t-shirt cuts.

This also means enterprising Singaporeans who want to build their own t-shirt labels have a much wider range of products to work with.

I just created a new product with the Hanes tee. I imprinted our logo on the t-shirt, but it has a 3D effect. The wordings "pop out" from the tee with a velvet touch. Very cool stuff because it has a very expensive look to it. I'm very much in love with our new technology.

The Threesome Package

2010-08-12T00:52:00.000-07:00

You like threesome?

I like.

3 Tees for $59.90.
3 Unique Designs (A4 size) on 3 Tees.
All 3 Tees will be posted directly to your home after 3 working days.

Want to join us in one? Details posted in Singapore T-Shirt Studio.

My Week Without Goals

2010-08-06T07:27:00.000-07:00

I believe in goal setting. At the same time, I believe in feeling inspired at the moment and going all out to be in the moment. I've always been experimenting with various ways of living my life and finding my optimal performance lifestyle. This is what I have been doing - I set up monthly goals. I break it up into weekly projects and goals. Then, I break it up into daily tasks to fulfill the weekly goals, that will align itself into the overall picture. Although I've been dedicated in completing at least 80% of what I set out to do weekly, it I'm going to forstill doesn't feel good. Hence, I am going to forfeit the habit of planning for the day. It's too stringent. I feel claustrophobic and developed an insatiable urge to rebel against my own schedule, which doesn't make a single sense.

So next week, I'm going to experiment on creating weekly goals and then living the week unplanned. I think the wave of inspiration can get me to try more and better stuff. We will see how it goes!

Learning

2010-08-03T23:11:00.001-07:00

Besides being firm on myself to keep time (I even track the number of times I've been punctual or late this month, and I'm proud to say I'm sharp on the dot 4 out of 5 times), I'm building the habit to keep learning. Every night, I learn Spanish through books and audio tapes. I'm not eager to pass any language tests, I just want to speak Spanish. Why Spanish? I don't know. It's just a random language I picked. Perhaps I was watching Spanglish, the movie, hence I chose it because I like the way it sounds.

I've also signed up for Basic Salsa classes, so I'll be dancing away every Friday night. Life is so much fun and so wonderful when we keep trying new things and new ways of living eh?

Family Dinner

2010-08-03T02:06:00.000-07:00

I took my parents to my favourite hunts on Monday. There's this really bloody cheap Italian Restaurant at Novotel. Squid ink pasta for $6 ish, 5 pieces of escargot for less than $4, baked rice for $6 ish... With 4 mains and 2 sides, we spent only $53. Dorian, their bestselling baked rice is worth ordering. Let's go there for class gatherings! Later on, we had a bottle of wine and some cakes at Wine Connection again. Sweeeeeet! Nice way to start the week.

How To Deal With A Date Who Is Late

2010-07-31T07:55:00.000-07:00

I have a bad habit of grumbling about Bryan being late. Then again, Bryan being late is a bad habit, in my perspective. As for me, I'm not very good with being punctual either but I try. This month, my resolution is to eliminate this bad habit altogether. I've started setting goals for myself to achieve for the remaining year. One of the key goals is to be on time at all costs. I'm very firm with myself now. It's a matter of respecting other person's time just as you'd expect him to respect yours. I've been pretty sucessful so far in being early and it makes me feel good.

Leave the house when you're supposed to. End the conversation with the friend you ran into on the street so you can be on time for your appointment. It sounds so simple but for someone who has the habit of being compulsively late... it's more difficult than that. The inertia to move requires more effort. But because I'm trying to eliminate this bad habit, I was expecting Bryan to be on time so I won't spend too much idle time alone waiting. This also implies that I'm imposing my beliefs or values on him. For selfish reasons, I also don't like to 'waste time' hanging about waiting, hence I'd like him to be as punctual.

One afternoon, I was thinking that shouldn't you treat your partner better than your best friend? If you're meeting a girlfriend and she's late, how would you react? The last thing you'd do is to give a black face and throw tantrum at her, isn't it? Then, if our partner is our lover and best friend, why do we give them the worst possible reaction? They deserve better than that!

So we had a date at Clark Quay last night. We haven't decided on a dinner venue but we know we'd be going for drinks and dessert, just as we always do when we're in the area. Bryan was late. I was amazingly punctual. Instead of throwing tantrums or lamenting (as I would do), I sweetly thanked him for buying me dinner for my half hour waiting. I didn't choose the cheapest place either. I figured, whenever I'm super late for my dinners with the girlfriends, I'd offer to buy them dinner as a form of apology. The same expectation can be applied to your partner, isn't it? This works much better. Sends the message across strong and clear, yet save the quarrel and you get a lovely dinner date.

Thanks for the Eel Don, sugar!

Body Combat

2010-07-27T02:34:00.000-07:00

Body Combat class was "as easy as taking a dump" (as I told Fiona) a few weeks ago. My inactiveness for a couple of weeks make it hard as shit today. Punch punch, kick kick, now do a flying kick! I almost died. For the first time, I couldn't catch up with the rest of the class. It's a very good indicator that I need to start working out if I want to run 21km in 2 hr 30 min. I haven't got a training program for myself. I know I'm not going to stick to it, so I'll just keep it at the back of my head everytime I'm working out.

So I had lunch and I had a cup of coffee alone, while I jotted down some ideas. It's been a really good day so far. I was testing and working till 10:30pm but it's all very satisfying. I hope you've been having an awesome week so far!

Swimming Against Current

2010-07-26T09:49:00.000-07:00

What a hectic day. I budgeted 3.5 hours to create 5 new products. In the end, it took me 4 whole hours to make 3 products, out of which, only 1 works! I feel like I am swimming against currents today. Good thing Bryan popped by my place. We had dinner with my family and had a few rounds of Monopoly Deal, which I am really addicted to at this moment. It's simple nights like these that keep me sane and happy. It's moments like these I love looking forward to.

Krabi Part C, Travel Expenses

2010-07-24T22:15:00.000-07:00

Summing Up Krabi

We visited Krabi during the low-season for 6 nights in July. This is our expense breakdown, which might help to plan your future trips. This is also a great reminder to myself for budgeting future trips.

For the 2 of us, transportation from Phuket to Krabi cost 792B ($34).

Our 3 Swensen's indulgences cost 445B ($19).

The 3 days worth of tours cost 5,400B ($232) for both of us.

Food for 6 nights between us (meals including snacks, supper and drinks) is 2,824B ($121). We bought a bottle of wine, quite a few cocktails, lots of beer and lots of vitagens. We ate at good western restaurants a couple of times but we also have tons of street hawker meals. It work out to be only $10 per pax a day.

1 thai massages and 2 oil massages for each of us, which means 6 massages in total, work out to be 1,730B ($74).

Last Day - To Phuket

On our last day in Krabi, we took a van that cost us 300B ($13) each that brings us from Ao Nang Cliff Resort to Karon Princess Resort in Phuket. We book this van with Jirawan as well. The van was hot and stuffy. Try not to sit at the back row, it will kill you. Aim for the first row if you are fast enough. It was scheduled to arrive at our hotel at 3pm. However, we reached only at 5pm because the driver stopped thrice. First, they emptied all passengers somewhere in a coffeeshop and reshuffled them into different vans. That took 45 minutes. Then, few hours into the journey, our driver emptied all his passengers out so he could read his newspaper in an office. One girl got annoyed and bugged him to leave. The last time, our driver stopped at Patong Beach for his pizza, his lunch. Bryan and I were the only passengers left. I was really annoyed but I forgave him after he bribed me with some pizza.

We reached Karon Princess Hotel at around 5pm. Don't stay there, there are many nicer hotels nearby that are potentially just as cheap. Our first room had a huge army of ants and my luggage got infested with ants at some point. We wanted to change the room but the receptionist offered to fumigate our room. We told her we'd die of suffocation ourselves. She reprimanded us for opening the windows to let the ants in. They changed our room in the end, but we were really put off by the hotel. We paid $40 net for one night there, booked via AsiaRooms. Well, we'll make it a point not to stay there again.

We spent 2+ hours boogie-boarding at Karon Beach, which is right outside the hotel. The beach stand right outside our hotel was really nice. The guy offered us deck chairs for 100B ($4.30) but loan us the boogie-boards for free. The waves were fierce but it was really fun. At night, we spent 200B ($8.60) to Patong Beach and clubbed at Hollywood Patong. It was Ladies Night and the club was giving t-shirts and beach slippers to all ladies. The cab fare from Karon Beach to Patong Beach was supposed to be 300B. The transfer from our hotel to the Phuket Airport was meant to be 800B. But we bargained for 2 trips together, so we end up paying 200B for trip to Patong, and 700B ($30) for airport transfers.

So, that's my one week in Krabi-Phuket! Bryan and I are already talking about our next trip!

See Krabi Part B, Cycling In Ao Nang, Booking Of Tours and Pool

See Krabi Part A - Traveling To Krabi From Phuket Airport

Krabi Part B, Cycling In Ao Nang, Booking Of Tours and Pool

2010-07-24T21:33:00.000-07:00

On day two, we spent a good part of morning taking turns to reply e-mails for our business and lazing about by the pool. We were feeling adventurous so we rented bicycles at 150B ($6.40) each. We cycled around Ao Nang and past the area meant for tourists, to their local market. It's nothing like Chatukchat but it's more like a wet market, with some street food, clothes and shoes. You see mainly locals, not tourists. We have to race the bike through heavy rain when returning to the hotel. The bike ride back was extremely muddy and wet but oddly pleasant.

At night, we booked our tours with Jirawan. It's better to research and know where you want to go, then book everything with the same guy so you could bargain for a better price. There's only that handful of service providers but there are lots of tour agents out there, so it doesn't matter who you booked it with. The agents are just the middleman and their rates are negotiable. Jirawan is a really nice lady who sits at Ao Nang Visitor Centre at 225 Moo 2 Aonang. It's right opposite the beach.

I kinda went crazy booking various tours because I was afraid of being bored. We've 6 full days at Ao Nang. I want to do as much as I could in my stay there. I think going on 2 to 3 tours are just the right amount at Krabi. Ao Nang and our hotel are beautiful and there's much to be explored. We still wish that we've more days at Krabi.

Our kayaking excursion to Bor Thor, their national park rich in archaelogy, cost 900B ($38) per pax. It's our favourite trip amongst the 3 tours we booked, because there's a lot to see and it's pretty exciting kayaking through extremely dark and narrow caves where the bats reside. The guides are extremely nice and take very good care of you, if you book with Krabi Nature Group(service provider, not the agent). Later on, the guides took us to a very cold stream. Very clear water, lots of fishes but super refreshing cold water. It's quite fun splashing about. The tour ends around 5pm.

We booked the 4-Islands Tour that comes with snorkeling and travel by speedboat for 700B ($30) per pax. It's cheaper if you go by the longtail boat but if you're mildly sea sick or rushing for time, then just go for the speedboat. We went past the overrated Chicken Island. We literally walked from one island to another thanks to the low tide. We also snorkeled when it was pouring heavily. It was pretty fun, but the trip didn't leave much of an impression. However, the service of the guide is really, really good and we can't stop raving about how well they take care of you. Book with "Koh Phi Phi Tours" with your agent. They really are the best. Snorkeling at Krabi is not as awesome, but to be fair, there was a storm coming when we went out to sea. The whole trip ends around 2.30pm to 3pm. We've got much time left to hit the beach for drinks.

We initially booked the Hong Island Tour by speedboat for 900B ($38.60) per pax. But later we cancelled and change to a Jungle Tour (visit to Hot Springs, Emerald Pool, Tiger Cave and Elephant Trekking) for 1,100B ($47) per pax. We thought we are always doing the same thing when we take vacations (go out to the sea, snorkel...), so we wanted to try something different. This Jungle tour is meant for older crowd. Less adventures, lots of car rides but more comfortable. This time, the guide is not as good. She doesn't give a shit about the passengers but unfortunately, I don't remember the company she belongs to. The Hot Spring and Emerald Pool are fun to visit, but we didn't like the elephant trekking much. It was very touristy, and the elephant guides kept trying to sell us ivory accessories. They also made the baby elephant shove a basket in your face for money donation. The Tiger Cave is rather forgettable but it could be due to the fact we've seen such awesome caves during the kayak trip. This tour ends around 5pm or so.

That's 3 days worth of tours for you, 1 tour for a day. That cost 2,700B ($116) per pax in total. We will want to try the kayaking at Hong Island when we visit Krabi again.

Our most highly recommended tour to go to is the kayaking trip at Bor Thor. It's one of the best things we've done for our vacations!

Krabi Part A - Traveling To Krabi From Phuket Airport

2010-07-24T20:56:00.000-07:00

This has been one of the best trips we've taken. For one thing, Krabi is so darn beautiful. There're lots of good restaurants catering to vacationers but it's not as touristy as Koh Phi Phi or Phuket. Another thing, huge cliffs and trees are everywhere. The buskers at Ao Nang are not as hardcore. Ao Nang is not a huge place (say, 2 long streets worth of shops, massages and eateries) so it's cosy as well. We bumped into new friends on the streets whom we've met on tours or at our hotel. We love talking to Jiwaran, a lady who booked our tours at the Visitor's Centre so we have a chat with her every night after dinner.

During low-season, things are cheap. We went from 14-21 July 2010. Our Jetstar tickets to Phuket cost $44 net per pax, return trips. Initially, we wanted to just hang out at Phuket. Then Bryan found out that Krabi is just 3-4 hours away. Since we were at Koh Phi Phi and Phuket last year, we thought we might as well try a new destination.

We stayed at Ao Nang Cliff Beach Resort for 6 nights, booked via PYOTravel. There was a "stay 2 nights and get 1 night free" promo so we paid $66 net per night. The hotel is awesome. We love our room and the pool. It's smacked at McDonald's, 7-11 and Swensen's so we've a sundae almost every night.

Upon arrival, we took a cab from Phuket Airport to Wan Mai bus-stop, a deserted shabby looking bus stop, so we could take the local bus from Phuket to Krabi Town. We paid 146B ($6.30) per pax for a 2.5 hour ride. We dropped at the Krabi Bus Terminal, hopped onto a taxi that cost 300B ($13) for 2 of us that will take us to our hotel. I was eager to get going so I convinced Bryan not to bother checking on competitors' rates. Although on hindsight, we could have gotten a much better rate. Hmmmm.

It was about 3pm by the time we've washed up. So we just blew 400B ($17) between the 2 of us for Thai Massage. There was a DVD player in our room so we bought some DVD for 100B ($4.30) each. We ate a sundae and have a pizza and some cocktails (lots of 1 for 1 cocktail promotion during low-season). In just day one, we spent 24313B ($105) between the two of us, with the bulk going into transportation.

I'll write more tomorrow onwards and give an expense breakdown, if you ever would like to visit Krabi. It's really a beautiful place and it's not expensive during low-season as well. Till then, I hope you have had a good weekend!

Mid-Year Planning

2010-07-24T02:58:00.000-07:00

After a one-week trip, I am feeling a little lost and still in the holiday mood. So today, I invested majority of my time planning for next year. It's not just for business but for my personal growth as well. There are just too many things I want to try and I can't not plan. I have written things I want to accomplish before this year ends. I also have a list of things to accomplish by 2011, but I broke it down into smaller projects so I can track it in a quarterly fashion. Planning is not complete and it's taking a lot more time than I expected. I'm planning today because I'm not ready for 'real work' anyways. One of the key things I want to do is to start saving in my personal savings account. I have been prowling money out from my savings for our business, now it's time to put it back. I am focusing on that because I'd very much like to rent my own place when I turn 29. At least, move out before I hit 30. I love living with my parents but it's a really nice thought having your own place and doing all manners of nonsense in it. And isn't it nice to have your very own toilet?!

Another key thing I want to accomplish is to complete 21km in 2.5 hours this year, and I intend to pursue the whole 42km next year. I have completed the 10km, so now it's for greater distances. For now, I'll hit town for the library and some dinner. Need to slowly ease myself back to earth!

Hello Again

2010-07-22T06:24:00.000-07:00

We just got back from our week stay at Krabi, Thailand. I'm absolutely knackered but the trip really gave me tons of new energy and things to look forward to. I'll tell you more about it tomorrow!

Hello.

2010-07-13T06:36:00.000-07:00

I'm away for a week and returning next Wednesday. Till then, have an awesome week!

How To Get Your T-Shirts Cheap, Fast And Good

2010-07-11T03:45:00.001-07:00

Here's a guide on how to get your t-shirts cheap, fast and good.

Are We Fast, Good Or Cheap?

2010-07-10T22:06:00.000-07:00

I'm mad excited because next week, we're taking one-week break. I'm especially so looking forward to it because I've to fucking reply emails till 4am for this week. No, no I'm not a tycoon anytime soon. It's just that people who need our services are always needing it urgently. So yea, as a good t-shirt & gifts service provider, we give our customers happy ending by fulfilling your urgent needs.

You know the famous project triangle - do you want to be cheap, good or fast? You won't have resources to focus on all 3 so you must choose 2. It's not possible to optimize all 3 so 1 will always suffer. I can't decide what we are since it varies projects from projects, depending on needs. Overall, I believe we're like fast and good. In comparison to competition, we're considerably cheap since we operate online.

We never really sat down to talk about mission & vision. I learnt that talk is cheap and based on my observation of corporations in my previous work environments, most people spend more time talking than doing. I might have spent more time talking than doing in my first couple months of entrepreneurship. Talk is cheap, doing reaps results. But as we're closing in to half-year old of our business (yes, it's only half year old), I do think we take care of our customers very well. We're proactive in chasing them to get down to work so that they can meet the deadline for their project, which is very important especially for events. Sometimes, they are so caught up with their own event that we try our best to be part of their team in managing the logistics. We even go down for their project meetings to be kept in the loop. One thing I'm really proud of us is that we're not a faceless corporations. There's some personality injected to our day-to-day runnings. So what's our unique selling proposition? I really don't know yet but we deliver and we're quite fun to work with.

Read 27b/6

2010-07-07T10:26:00.000-07:00

Are you skiving at work now?

Pssssssst, this is really one of the best blogs I've ever read. My faves are the first two links.

Hey, How's Life?

2010-07-07T09:54:00.000-07:00

Someone asked me how's life today. Must say, life is good.

We've been damn busy because of high volumes of referrals of late. Things have picked up and results are showing. We fumbled a little with our first order early this year, so we sat down and made proper processes when it comes to servicing customers. We must have set some processes right and we still need to tweak and improve on others. We've learnt to reject customers now when we think that we can't deliver. It's better to overdeliver as opposed to overpromising but underdelivering. It's really not easy work. Nothing drops from the sky and we went through quite a bit of hardship. But all in all, we're happy for what we've achieved so far.

And that calls for some sort of celebration. I love celebrating all manners of stuff. So B and I are heading for a one-week break next week.

Despite my bout of flu and crappy period cramps, my days have been enjoyable. I got to meet up with quite a fair bit of friends lately. I had coffee with Lian. Dinner with Ju-En & Nerine. And of course, dinner with Fiona, Bernard, Daniel and gang. I'm meeting friends from work on Friday. I like time with friends and being able to see them, so that's quite nice.

And I also went for some girly pampering with my mom. It was the first time we went to do a manicure together. We did it at Polished Diva at Bugis Street. You've got to try it because besides your manicure/pedicure service, they offer a nice hot proper drink (I had honey but you can opt for fruit juice too) and get that...a movie at your seat. I saw He's Just Not That Into You. My mom watched Marley & Me. It was a weekday afternoon so there wasn't anyone else. We got to see the whole movie while our nails dry. It's really quite a good deal.

Work wise, I work at all manners of hours. Some nights I sleep at 4am and wake up in the afternoon. Some days I get up early and skip the coffee routine but go straight to my desk. But I don't really care as long as I get stuff done so I've stopped beating myself up for not being able to get up in the mornings already.

This weekend, I'm going to the zoo. Life's been good. There're tons of things happening. Some faster than I can handle. Some much slower that I like it to be. But yea, I really enjoy my days a lot more now.

If You Were A Wink, I'd Be A Nod

2010-07-01T10:12:00.000-07:00

I can't stop listening to this song.

The Hoop Is Addictive

2010-06-28T01:20:00.000-07:00

I got a weighted hula hoop from Toys R Us over the weekend. Technically, it was a pressie from B's mommy ;) I just found out that I am quite a natural with the hoop. It's oddly addictive and I love toying with it at every chance I have. I can spin it without dropping for 10 minutes (my best record of now). I just found out that it's awesome for toning the abs. It's really fun to just hoop a bit every few hours of so from sitting too long. I did it while watching TV just now too. Someday, I can do the Hawaiian hula for you like a pro pro.

My New Toy

2010-06-28T01:06:00.000-07:00

This is my new toy. And no, it's not 4G. It's the 16 GB, 3GS (I don't know what the hell a 3GS is). I'm not much of a techie so I never make the first move on any new technology. I like to wait for all my friends to lay their hands on something new (I was on Facebook & Friendster much later than most people. I was using Nokia 3310 much longer than most people. I am happy using the same laptop for 7 years...). That way, I could easily get help and demonstrations 'cos I suck at reading instructions. It also help to wait a year for prices to drop when it comes to techie toys. As of now, I've joined the masses and got myself an iPhone. It was an awesome deal at a M1 roadshow because I paid $148 (after $100 discount for new telco contract) for the phone but received vouchers ($50 Takashimaya vouchers, massage voucher worth $38...) and registration waiver ($37) that are worth over hundred bucks. I'm very happy with the purchase and so excited!!!

CSI

2010-06-26T02:55:00.000-07:00

Please click to enlarge.

{from comixed}

TGIF

2010-06-25T00:19:00.000-07:00

Fridays are the kind of days I take it slow, because I work on Saturdays. I spent the morning developing products (not very happy with them, but i'll improve on it tonight), had a quick lunch and now my job of the day is to plan a one-week vacation for July. I feel the need to get away and chill...and my last holiday was in April. What's your weekend plans?

My Day

2010-06-23T21:15:00.000-07:00

Nothing much has been happening in my life. Though I want to share that ever since I've started doing 6 things per day, I feel that I am a lot more focused, accomplished much more and spend more time with friends, family and B. Still, surprises occur here and there, but it's no biggie. If I can't "tick and check" my goals of the day, it gets rolled over to tomorrow. Most times, I could check 5 out of 6. There's only one bad Tuesday that I did 1 out of 6.

If you're self-employed, this helps a lot. I've 4 main goals for the year. I've set 3 main goals per week. Every night, I plan how my day should go. I put the task list next to my bed so that I can see it once I wake up. I always wake up feeling very excited and eager to start my day. So yea, like I said I've been experimenting various ways of managing my life and I feel that this is working pretty well for me.

I'm Ready For Zwei Ohr Kücken

2010-06-21T03:51:00.000-07:00

Fiona just announced that it's been 2 months since we've hit the gym. Truth is, I've been running a lot outside and Fiona has been working a lot. So yesterday, we took the Nike mantra and just do it, hit the machines, had our coffee & lunch and caught Sex & The City 2. We actually squealed before the movie began. The thing about SATC is tht there's minimal plot, repetitive love-affairs but there's always this good feeling to it when you are watching it. Maybe it's the jokes, clothes and girlfriends that bring the warmth. Whichever's the case, I'm a fan.

Speaking of good movies, Shuhui shared with me Zwei Ohr Kücken, a movie her company has imported from Germany. So I bugged Bianca, (born and bred in Germany, and right now busy rooting for her country in this WC fever). She said the movie is freaking awesome and it's bloody popular in Germany. Wah, I can't wait. Plus, I find the movie's theme song Secrets by OneRepublic is oddly addictive too. You can see bits of trailer in the music video below.

Days of Our Beach

2010-06-20T20:38:00.000-07:00

Monday's daydream: I want more days on the beach!

Hey Ho

2010-06-18T04:20:00.000-07:00

I've been busy coordinating, planning, sourcing, making. Something's brewing but can't say too much until everything's tested, tried and confirmed. Wow it's Friday already. Life's been moving very fast these days. But my days have been very good. A lot of energy, hope and dreams put into it. That's how we should live life eh?

My Blog

2010-06-16T10:04:00.000-07:00

{cartoon from The New Yorker by PC Vey}

Damn it, this cartoon is about me.

Cold Afternoons

2010-06-16T01:04:00.000-07:00

Rainy cold afternoons! I feel like having a bowl of marshmallow and a cup of hot chocolate, curled up somewhere with a good book.

Guess what? I've made a fricking awesome product with my own pair of hands last night. Now I need to perfect it, then show it to the world!

I Have 6 Things To Do Everyday

2010-06-14T07:08:00.000-07:00

Hallo, I have 6 days to do everyday. 6 things that are important to my life. That can include buying a list of grocery, running for 60 minutes, a coffee with friend that won't last for more than 2-hours, sending 3 quotations, making 10 sales pitches, or a customer appointment. I know, I put a time limit to our meetings. But I need it to govern my life. You see, you can say things like "I can't do that long lunch. Have meeting with boss later." I can't say that but I've that important quotation to send or my laundry to do. So I say, "Hey, I need to go in 2 hours" and pray that I won't have to explain myself. It can sound really silly when I turned down a friend because I want to hit the gym. Most people have allocated time to work in their lives. I need to allocate it myself. Like I said, I've been experimenting with different ways of living my life and I find this really good. 6 is just nice. Put it at 3, I tend to slack. Before I know it, I've spent an hour on Facebook and have to knock myself on the head for doing it.

The Lady At The Hawker

2010-06-07T12:11:00.000-07:00

There was a really old lady cleaning our table when we finished our lunch at the Zion Road Hawker Centre. We thanked her and she smiled politely, shuffled her feet and continued cleaning other tables. She seeems more diligent than her colleagues, much more polite too. And much older with much whiter hair. When we were done with our meal, we bought a cup of ice-cold sugar cane for her. She beamed at us and thanked us, sipped her drinks and shuffled her feet to the dirty tables.

I felt a pang of sadness. I couldn't imagine my grandma doing this. I imagined what kind of life she has lived. At the same time, I felt lighter. I'd have never done this sort of thing when I was stuck in the 9-6 corporate job. I never buy random stranger something, out of nowhere. I was rather shy when I gave her a cold drink to ease her hot day. It's not that I've become a much better person now. It's just that I'm less self-absorbed, less self-centered. I've started opening my eyes to the world around me. Instead of spending my "free" moments talking about work, school grades, projects, career advancements or buying new clothes (in simple terms, it's about me, me and me), I merely took an interest in the world around me. It opened my eyes. There're many people in the world I'd love to serve and benefit. I'm grateful for time to slow down and take my time to look around.

Why I Don't Read The Newspapers

2010-06-04T18:50:00.000-07:00

I don't read the newspapers and I'm not that in-touch with current affairs. That said, I do kind of know what's happening around the world, thanks to my bad habit of reading other people's newspaper on the train. My parents have the habit of spending at least 2 hours a day reading the papers over coffee. Over the years, I questioned if my few good reasons as to why I don't share the same passion are actually excuses made up for my laziness. After much rationalizing, I do believe they are good reasons. Here's why:

1. It's damn boring. News are not boring by nature as they are...news. But the way it's reported on the newspaper is written in facts. Reading facts is a boring task to me. That said, I do scan headlines on The New York Times because it's free, and it's more pleasant to read than The Straits Times. I used to subscribe to Newsweek, but I'm so used to instantaneous RSS feeds that I find news reported weekly are not exactly news.

2. It doesn't value add to my life. Before you hurl verbal abuses at me, do hear out why I think that way. News on its own doesn't value add to anyone's life unless you think about what you've read. If you're just absorbing the facts like a sponge without questioning the information, then reading the news is a pretty mindless task. One ear in, one ear out. In the first place, reading the newspaper is already a boring task to me so I've difficulty focusing on the content. Hence, I have difficulty thinking about what I've read as I'm close to drooling and dozing. I spend at least 3-4 hours reading a day without fail, even when I had a 9-6 job. I read during all my fringe time, like when I commute, before I sleep and over breakfast. But I make it a point to read content that will potentially improve a skill or to spur growth (not to my height but to my thinking). At least, read content that might change the way you see the world. To put the point across, if I don't see myself thinking about the content, then I don't see a point in reading it.

3. There's no entertainment value. So if I can't grow from reading the newspaper due to the way I function and the way its being written, then I'd be reading them for entertainment's sake. In that case, I'd rather watch The Simpsons. If the entertainment value is for knowing to hold a conversation with friends, then here's my take - over the years, I find out that scanning the headlines on the train normally does its job. More importantly, people are always more than happy to tell you what they know, so I just hear about the phenomenal happenings from around the world from them. Then if I find what I hear are interesting, I'll do a Google search to read more extensively.

4. That said, times have changed. My mom always says reading the newspaper keeps you educated about what's happening around the world. I disagree. As much as I believe we should never, ever be ignorant, the world is changing. There're a lot more information, a lot more thought-leaders out there and I refuse to spend 14 hours a week playing catch up. If I want to know extensively about the industry I am in, I always do a Google search and read up. If I want to know what's happening to my neighbourhood, I Google search to read relevant articles. Yes, you should keep abreast with what's happening especially if your job or business calls for it, and most of them do anyway, but I still think Google search helps filter a lot of unwanted information that are screaming for your attention.

5. What a depressing world. I ever play this game with myself before. I wanted to know the positive-negative ratio to the news reported. So I randomly picked up 3 articles and counted the number of negative words and the number of positive words per article. I don't remember the exact ratio (you can try it yourself), but it's not surprising that it's more skewed to negativity. Floods, murder, poverty, abandoned children, kidnapped children, theft...What's the point of spending 14 hours a week reading about them, then lament about the crazy, mad world we're living in, instead of taking action and doing something about them? And tons and tons of people are just exactly like that. They just complain about the fucked up things in the world because it's so easy to sit back, read about them and shake your head. If you go to The Hunger Site everyday to click, a cup of food is donated to a hungry child by sponsors (assuming you don't wish to donate cash but want to contribute in some ways). Then spending 14 hours a week to tell your friends about the hunger site will get a lot more children fed. That said, I'm guilty as charged as I'd rather spend 14 hours a week watching The Simpsons on Fox TV. My point is minimally, don't sit back and lament about the depressing world. Bring some joy to the lives of people around you by humoring yourself, or take some action for the things in the world that depresses you.

6. There are other sources such as Fortune magazine, The Economist, Slate etc that can keep you abreast with on-goings but written in a manner that's actually very fun to read. At least, to me.

Are they excuses or good legitimate reasons? I don't know. It's my take and it's the way I function. Life has been working out well for me so far. If you strongly disagree, I'm always happy to have you challenge my views and maybe you could change the way I see things.

p/s I wrote this because I saw many people holding newspapers on the train last night. Then I started wondering about their lives, my life and the lives of people that are published on the papers.

Running Photos

2010-06-02T00:11:00.000-07:00

Complete seriousness! Unflattering running photos that I'd like to share, but unwilling to pay for hi-res versions of it. I'm really looking forward to half marathon at year-end. Who knows, I might pursue my biathlon dreams next year!

What Religion You Should Follow

2010-05-31T23:24:00.000-07:00

Click to enlarge flowchart that determines the religion you show follow.

{from How to Save The World}

adidas Sundown 2010

2010-05-30T21:20:00.000-07:00

I've been asked a couple of times why do I even pay money to run on the road. Well, since lots of people are doing it so perhaps there's something different about it. Hence, I won't reject the idea until I've experienced it for myself. The adidas Sundown is the first run event I've participated. Despite the boo-hoos of the 2-hours wait for the shuttle bus, the intrinsic reward is massive. Here's why:

The oopsy distance covered. I wanted to take a personal best timing for 10 km, so I could gauge my time for 21 km at the end of the year. But I missed the U-Turn and ran 15 km by mistake. If I could run 15 km, 21 km doesn't seem so daunting anymore. It was very much a blessing in disguise actually!
The first 2 km seems the longest. The rest of the distance seems to pass very quickly. Perhaps this is the same for everything in life. The first steps are always the hardest and longest. Just get past that.
New relationships formed on the road. At 9km, I couldn't see the finishing line and that's where I realized something is amissed. I ran into another girl who signed up for 10 km but made the same mistake as I did. Instead of walking back, Wendy and I decided to run extra 5 km to finish the race together. She shared with me about the races she participated in and gave me a congratulatory hug upon completion. I probably wouldn't have talk to her if we were not making the same boo-boo.
Focus. I was determined to take a timing, hence it's the first time I put in so much focus during running. What focus? Oh well...my legs were talking to me the whole time. They were asking me to sit and rest, or walk a bit longer. They persuaded me to stop. I have to ignore them.
Know where you stand. At 9 km, my timing was 1 hour 08 minutes. At 15 km, my timing was 1 hour 51 minutes. I think I am capable of clocking 1 hour 15 minutes for 10 km and I'm very happy with that.
Supper is super sweet. Fiona and I were so hungry that we went for supper. Eating feels so good at that point.

Did I like it? Yes. Will I do it again? Yes, I've signed up for half marathon for the end of the year already.

OMY.SG Interview

2010-05-28T09:14:00.000-07:00

Bryan and I were interviewed by omy.sg when we attended a wine appreciation night at Velvet. If you're interested in watching, just click here.

How's your long weekend? I ran for an hour with Alex (because we got lost). Then the lot of us (Bernard, Alex and Fiona) hung out at Serangoon Garden. Today, I played beach frisbee with Bryan's family. I'm looking forward to tomorrow because it's my first 10km run. I hope you've a good weekend too!

{image from weheartit}

Great Sayings

2010-05-26T23:51:00.000-07:00

As we close in for the weekend, I'd like to share some stuff that resonates well with me -

What I believe is that, by proper effort, we make the future almost anything we want to make it. - Charles F. Ketterling

Destiny is not a matter of chance; it's a matter of choice. - William Jennings Bryan

To accomplish great things, we must not only act but also dream, not only plan but also believe. - Anatole France

Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right. - Henry Ford

It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness. - Charles H. Spurgeon

{image from weheartit}

O' Wedding Days!

2010-05-26T00:48:00.000-07:00

My girlfriend Yali started O' Wedding Days! for her own indulgent planning of her wedding. Last I heard, her boyfriend has not even proposed to her yet. Nonetheless, the blog is so pretty and romantic! If you're planning your wedding, or you're a hopeless romantic, it's the place for you!

{image from O'Wedding Days!}

The Worst Feeling In The World

2010-05-24T09:58:00.000-07:00

I just had a random thought - what's the worst feeling in the world? Emptiness, rejection, failure, hunger, hangover, scared or (fill in the blank)?

I can't decide the worst feeling in the world for myself. Definately not rejection because my skin is at least 10 inches thick. Hangover is pretty scary because I thought I was going to die but it's still not worst on my list. Failure...not really my worst too because I'm pretty good at being a cheerleader to myself. And my skin is so thick so I seldom feel like I've failed anyways. Top of my list would be hunger and emptiness. I hate going on an empty stomach and it depresses me because eating is almost like a sacred ritual. Must savour food slowly, must respect food, must enjoy the moment of eating and be hypnotized by the wonderful plate of hot food in front of me.

Emptiness sucks too because sometimes you feel so hollow that you don't know what you're living for. Empty is different from being lonely or wanting to be alone. I think somedays, you just feel melancholic. That's not empty. It's a passing phase of being alone. Empty is like, you don't know what you're living for and that's scary. Thank God I've never felt that in my life. I'm too scared to be near that border. I've met some people whom I try to shun away from because they are scarily empty. Being with them sucks the energy out of me sometimes. There's so much to love, so much to learn in life. So, I choose emptiness as the suckiest feeling in the world. Life must be really hard.

What's your pick?

13.1 Miles

2010-05-24T00:49:00.000-07:00

Guess what? I've signed up for Standard Chartered's Half Marathon. Sign up by 4 June and you get the cheapest rates. My goal is to just complete it and I'm very excited.

{image from weheartit}

Weekend

2010-05-22T23:21:00.000-07:00

Had a pseudo wine-buffet on Friday night and I drank till I almost threw up. They were gorgeous wines, I tell you. Greek wine, Spanish wine, French wine...not that I am able to tell the difference at some tipsy point in time. Hell, not that I am able to tell when I am sober anyway. But the night was fabulous. I just wish more friends were with us so we can do stupid stuff together.

Spent Saturday nursing my battered self. I can't deny I'm getting older. I can't do late nights as well. Spent the day watching Style Network, E! Entertainment and Fox. Very mindless stuff, along with cups of peppermint tea, that suit me just fine. In the early evening, B and I took a walk at Botanic Garden, settled my cravings for beef ball noodles and took a walk in town. Spent a good hour books browsing at Borders. Well, today's a Sunday. It marks the end of the weekend before Monday hit us. I'm going to the gym to wake up my muscles, collect my race pack for SunDown run and having dinner with B and his family. What can I say? Do things but don't overdo things. It's the sort of weekends I crave for.

Toilet Nation

2010-05-20T00:29:00.001-07:00

Keep Building

2010-05-19T22:33:00.000-07:00

Last night's city run was meant to be 8km. I may not be a good runner, but I seldom stop. Last night, I couldn't take it and walked a few times. It's really that true. You must put in the consistent effort to yield results. Stop running, stop training for consecutive few weeks, you must push harder. Maintain the effort but make it consistent, it's effortless. Like the dancer who looks so graceful and her movements look so effortless, are all habits of the body built after years and years of training. Quite like sales isn't it? Keep building and selling daily to a few people, you may not see anything immediately but you're building something, getting your name out. You're building a good habit of making those calls. You're building a skill to pitch better and faster. They may not require your service of yet, but keep building it up.

{photo from weheartit}

Lessons From The Apprentice

2010-05-18T02:56:00.000-07:00

I've browsing channels and found The Apprentice (UK) on BBC Knowledge. I thought it was another time wasting effort of entertainment but I gave it a try. Not bad really. I must say I took something away from one hour's worth of time.

Lesson #1: Check your pricing. It was a girls versus boys challenge to bid for a laundry job at a hotel. The girls priced each item (think bedsheets and pillow cases) at 4.99 pounds per sheet. Plucked the number out from the bloody air. That worked out to a quotation of 4,999 pounds in total. The boys called competitors and checked the market rate. They quoted a few hundred pounds. Boys got the job. The hotel executive looked at the girls incredulously.

Lesson #2: Don't overcomplicate your service. The girls offered a 24-hour hotline to the hotel as part of top-class service. Like who the hell would call in to the laundry service provider at 3am to check on status of pressing? Think before you offer "value-adding" frills. You might think it's quality service but your customer might have doubts about your intelligence.

Lesson #3: Always have a scapegoat. Although I felt that the project manager should be fired due to poor delegation and management of team, she found a scapegoat and claimed that the goat was the cause of project failure. It's not a new move but I've never actually witnessed the whole process of scapegoating. Project manager was reprimanded but the key is, she wasn't fired.

Latter Over Ladder

2010-05-16T23:09:00.000-07:00

1.) Having your own business is much more work than having a job. You're everything rolled into one. 2.) As an executive role, you're a part of a company. Essentially, you're big and spoilt. Your own business is tiny and nobody cares. There's a lot of pride to swallow. How do you make people care? 3.) Having flexible time is only sweet when there's income rolling in. 4.) Having capital (ie. money) and resources (ie. skills, time, network) creates barriers to entry. When you've none, you can fight it out in an extremely competitive market. He who is most creative wins. But you might lack the stamina to run the long race. Hence, how do you raise your capital or resources?

It's not fun, it's not glamarous. That said, if I were to choose between climbing the corporate ladder or run a tiny business, I'll choose latter over ladder. As much as I love working in the office and thrive in the cut-throat environment, I see the latter as a rite of passage. Something I must go through at least once in my life or I'll regret it. I want to say, at least I tried to own something. At least I've given it my effort and time. At least I've worked my brain juice out. At least I've stepped out of my own comfort zone. At least these are words I always say to keep us going.

Tea Bath

2010-05-15T02:57:00.001-07:00

Such a clever idea from Donkey Products. Is it available in Singapore??!

Morning Walk

2010-05-14T23:30:00.000-07:00

B and I woke up at 7am, went to East Coast Park to take part in a Charity Walk. It's only 3km, but the heat and morning took a toll on us. Uncles and aunties were walking much faster than us. To be fair, we were strolling more than walking. Had a short, short run until I couldn't take the heat. I'm getting worried because SunDown is in 2 weeks time. Although it's just short 10km, the only work- out I've had in last 3 weeks is one Body Combat Class, that make you punch and kick for a good hour. Did much work to my arms and torso but not much kick on the legs. It's time to be dedicated to running! For now, I am craving for a nice hot cup of coffee... Have a good weekend!

Future

2010-05-13T20:40:00.000-07:00

When people spend a great deal of tme trying to forecast the future, they fool themselves into thinking that all those forecasts represent a real level of certainty. They no longer see it as a forecast; they see it as fate. That is a prescription for failure.

- General Patton

Fabulous Twenty-Sixers

2010-05-12T19:08:00.000-07:00

My Lian celebrates her fabulous 26th year on earth today. I like being 26. I'm sure she likes it too.

Here's a list of reasons why it's so wonderful to be 26.

Still young enough to be reckless, but twenty-sixers are aware that they're being reckless
Goodbye awkward twenty-ones. Goodbye I-Just-Got-A-Job-And-I-Am-Fitting-In twenty-threes.
We twenty-sixers are comfortable in our own skin. I've grown accustom to my own body shape and height. It's not Megan Fox's but afterall, it's a 26-years relationship with yourself. You've learnt along the way to bring out the best with what you've got.
Twenty-sixers are at a flexible age to date guys age range from 21 to 36...(or maybe even higher or lower, that depends on your preferences).
Twenty-sixers know who they are. I'm disciplined, yet I'm easily lured away by anything fun. I am decisive, but yet I prefer someone else to make the decision at times. I like my space, yet I like good company. I like to talk to my friends, yet I'm not the sort who can see the same friends weekly without fail. Contradictory? A bit but at least I'm aware of it.
Twenty-sixers - time to party or time to be a mommy. We're flexible.
Twenty-sixers - time to start apartment hunting and living with your BFF/BF/the husband.
Twenty-sixers - still well-versed with MTV, but have taken a liking to channels that actually value add to our lives, like Discovery Channel
Twenty-sixers - can pose as 23 or 30s. We're flexible.
Twenty-sixers - still great skin, awesome boobs and fabulous butt. Watch out for the emerging tummy though.
Twenty-sixers - no kids yet (90% of you) so have disposable income for spa, gym, wine and dine, shoes, bags...Live like Carrie Bradshaw, enjoy it while it last. I reckon this won't last long. Soon you hit 30 and realized it's a waste of money. Ooops.
Twenty-sixers - We love our fabulous lives. Cheers!

Life Of Now

2010-05-11T03:49:00.000-07:00

When work doesn't feel like work, I lack structures in life. There's no clear defined time for me to go for a run, meet up a friend or go for a massage. It took me almost 4 months to get used to it.

Changes? I stopped looking at the clock. I just get down to doing the work because it doesn't feel like work anyway. I stopped going for my gym classes, because I don't plan to go for it "after work" because I don't fix a time to stop working.

Maybe a little structure is good. Keeps life balanced.

What Are You Drawn To?

2010-05-09T00:13:00.000-07:00

The things that we choose to read or shows that we watch are more than an interest. I think it's an extension of ourselves.

What's the similarity in the stuff that you are drawn to?

{image from weheartit}

$10 Per Grope

2010-05-08T12:31:00.000-07:00

I was told that it cost only $10 to grope a prostitute in the red light district of SIngapore

My first question was, does $10 allows you to use one hand, or both hands?

Whats a $10 grope? If you start groping but accidentally let go of your hands because you sneezed, are you allowed to grope again? Two quick squeezes in the spand of less than 5 seconds will cost $10 or $20? How much do you charge a deformed man with hands growing out of your head, such that his face will be buried in your boobies if he insist on paying for the $10-per-grope service? What if you want to grope real boobies, but she is wearing such super push up bra that you can't feel anything but sponge pads....can you demand for a refund?

It makes me wonder what's the pricing structure in place for a product as complex as that.

{image from weheartit}

Treat Decisions With Care

2010-05-06T20:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I've had lunch and coffee with Ping Ping. She's a friend of mine since Primary + Secondary school days, like Wensi is. She used to have short spikey hair and piercings all around her ears. Now, she has settled down with a family of her own. Wensi used to go through that phase of spikey hair and piercings as well. Now she has settled down with her hubby Ted with a place of their own. And just last night, I was standing in front of the mirror, wondering which parts of my body I'd like to get a tattoo on, without my mom noticing. It strikes me, at 14 or 15, we go around acting stupid together. Our thought proccesses are cohesive. At 17, you hit a new school and contact each other once in a while. You worry about fitting in or your JC crush etc. Still similar chain of thoughts but on different things. At 26, we worry about things that are world's apart.

How lives divert at some stage, and the gap between you and a friend just snowballs to something bigger. First, you guys are clones of each other in secondary school. The little gap starts off by choosing different JC. Then perhaps different university. You meet different people and do different things. The gap widens a little. You cultivate different belief systems based on environment and people you interact with. Which leads you to being attracted to different books you picked up and different shows that you watch. These things further cultivate who you are today. The gap widens by a lot more.

Which makes me wonder...are we conscious of putting ourselves in the place we are at today? What shapes the way you are today? Maybe the little decisions everyday can have that butterfly effect in your life. Treat each little decision with care. It'll land you elsewhere tomorrow.

Pet Peeve Blog

2010-05-06T07:58:00.000-07:00

I'll like to keep this space nice, clean and unpolluted. So I'll unleash my angst (cum pet peeve) of unprofessionalism here. The choice of vocabulary is also more unfiltered.

On a side note, it's funny how we create alter egos for blogs these days too. Owning different blogs represent different facets of our personalities, taste and preferences.

What Will You Do Differently?

2010-05-03T20:42:00.000-07:00

If you look back on your life and can do something differently for just one day of your life, what will you do?

I wish for a day, I've an enterprising mindset when I was in university. That paradigm shift for the day might change the course of the rest of my actions and decisions in university and I can equipped myself better for today.

You're Never Too Old To Appreciate Your Mother

2010-05-03T08:35:00.000-07:00

Have you been unappreciative and ungrateful to your mother of late?

We know Mother's Day, like Father's Day, Valentine's Day and Christmas are shams. Shops push out useless and overpriced products on these special days that they've conveniently invented for themselves way back when they start getting addicted to capitalism. Sure you know they are shams but imagine how your girlfriend would feel if she receives neither flowers nor chocolates when every other girl walking past her is holding something red, brown or something sparkling shiny that blinds your eyeballs. Like girlfriend, like mother. They are all woman. I am a woman. But I still want to feel appreciated on celebrated days. Just like your mother.

So instead of pushing out meaningless and overpriced products like other retailers, we're recommending something meaningful, personal, special and best of all, on discount.

Personalize a t-shirt for your mom with that special photo or artwork you've done for her. Plus, encrypt a private message for your mommy on the inside of the shirt (printed on the back). It'll keep her fuzzy warm with that personal touch.

2 prints on a 100% cotton t-shirt for $19.90. The usual price for 1 print goes for $22. Size ranges from Size S to XL (most women, my mother and Bryan's mother wear Size S). Shirt colors in White, Cream, Pink, Yellow and Blue.

This is available only for this week. Order by Friday, 7 May. Collection at Dover MRT station on 8 May, Saturday. Mother's Day is on 9 May, in case you still don't know. We'll mail the gift to your door, nicely wrapped, if you can place your order by Wednesday.

2010-04-30T22:48:00.000-07:00

I was watching Ruby on Style Network, a reality TV show about a severely obese adult who strives to live life to the fullest and make attempts in weight-loss. I must say I am hooked because Ruby's life is so full of sunshine and fun. Although she's fat and has lots of trouble climbing up the stairs, she tries her best and takes control of her life. I really like that because there're so many fat people out there who whine like crazy about not being able to do things on other TV shows like Discovery Home & Health Channel. I'd sit in front of the TV and go, "Damn it, just do it and stop whining." If your weight is stopping you, and it's bothering you, just lose it bit by bit. As if sitting there whining is going to remove yourself from the situation. So yea, Ruby's a beautiful example of just get your butt out there to do it. Love her.

Our Life Today

2010-04-28T19:52:00.001-07:00

Tea Time Lessons

2010-04-27T07:16:00.000-07:00

Today, although I haven't spent much time in front of my laptop doing 'real work', I considered it time well spent. I met up with two boys from my junior college for lunch. Vincent started his own web solutions company. Willie started his own film production company. That said, Willie shared with me some stories of him starting out, the stage I see myself at right now. Then you learn from your mistakes, pick yourself up and move on. He's able to give me some good advice 'cos he's got that 3 year start before me. It's very inspiring to talk to people who are more experienced than you, and care enough to share learning lessons.

Then, I had coffee with Alex who just got back from the Himalayas. He shared that while climbing the mountains for 3-weeks, he realized the importance of having a goal in mind. On days he didn't set a goal for himself, his focus was always on his tired mind and body. He'd questioned his ability on finishing off the final miles of the day. But on days with that end in mind, he'd trek more efficiently. Plus it's always doubly sweet to reach your destination. In the trip, he reflected on his goals in life and found three. I told him I know what I want from life, but I don't have any goals.

I wouldn't set my goals to be rich, because being rich doesn't make me any happier. It's good to have money, but I'm already so happy right now. I can make money with Bryan now, spend quality time with him and my family, catch up with my friends and have full control of my day. So it doesn't make sense for me to set a goal like, "I want to make a million before I turn 30".

I'd rather set a goal like, "I want to be the best person I can be, intellectually and in terms of personality, so I can be a pillar of support to people I care about". That'll make me happy. I told him one of my goals I think I'd like to have in life is to remove people from poverty conditions. But problem is, if I have that extra $1,000 to spend, there's a higher probability that I'd either give it to my parents, or I'd go for a trip. Isn't it better to fund your parents a holiday, since they've taken such good care of you in your whole life? Maybe to some, that's selfish. But I always feel that I haven't given enough to my parents. They give to me so unconditionally and if there's anyone I'd like to take care of first, that'll be my parents. That's one of the biggest tug-of-war with myself. I thought of dedicating time to impart a skill or knowledge, so the sufferings can remove themselves from poverty conditions. But to those really in need, they're starving and are looking for their next meal. No energy for skill learning at all. So what to do?

Alex said most people have their grand ideas in the showers. But few action upon it after they dry themselves. I can sit there and ponder for all I like, but I'm still not doing what I think I'd like to be doing. So since I'd like to see myself value-adding somewhere in the world, I just emailed some non-profit organizations in Singapore to see how I can start by doing a bit first. At least, that's a start. If you can't give $1 when you've $100, what makes you think you can give a thousand when you've million? I'll start small somewhere.

{image from weheartit}

Random Bits

2010-04-23T09:38:00.000-07:00

Hello! I've disappeared and now I'm back! Some random happenings here -

I'm watching Rain Man as I am typing this. It's my 4th time seeing the movie but still so good. When I was in my tween years, my parents talked about "good old movies" or "good old music" like Elton John etc. I used to roll my eyes like crazy. There are so many bad movies being made these days that I love going back to old ones. Makes me paranoid about the generation gap between me and the younger crowd. My ex-student, whom I gave tuition to, when she was 14 rolled her eyes at me when I told her how awesome Backstreet Boys is.
I just went for a snorkeling trip with a couple of friends and Bryan. Didn't get up close and personal with any turtles this time. But Bryan apparently saw a shark bigger than me, but loitering beneath me...while I was struggling to spit into my mask. Obviously I didn't see it, but I am happy I didn't. I'd probably be so scared that I might start peeing on the poor thing.
We took a package with the hotel that included ferry transfers, room, snorkel trip, 3 full meals and 1 high-tea per day. It was rad. I'd very much like to go for another trip with my friends again.
Bryan asked me this - would you rather have the time to pursue your dreams yet be poor for awhile, though you don't know how long, or would you rather be enslaved and have a good income? I thought about it carefully and still not have the answer. For now, I'll pick the first and see how it goes. How about you?
That said, I'm continuously thinking of how we can do things differently - process, product, service etc. I've never used my brain so much since graduation. I think it's really the right choice for me to go down this path. It can be hard. But dealing is part of the adventure I've always craved for.
I think it's time we make some adjustments to the business. There're some things I am not liking.
For the fun of it, I borrowed a book by Donald Trump. I have no whatsoever to be rich or think like a billionaire. But I've never read his book so I'd like to give it a try. Okay, now I am sounding defensive. Anyways, it was a complete, complete waste of time. But if you're free (make it very, very free), do borrow it and have a read. I finished it within one night. It's hilarious. I've never laughed so much reading a business book. The entire book is him talking about what a wonderful, smart, successful person he is. Every single bloody chapter revolves around that. Respect.

Alive

2010-04-11T07:34:00.001-07:00

I feel that something's missing again. Like, I need to roll the ball in a different direction. I want to get out, run about and feel alive.

So I'm taking a trip next week and have some fun in the sun, with friends and turtles.

Frisbee Wedding

2010-04-04T21:15:00.000-07:00

Such a sporty wedding, brimming with activities. Why can't Singapore weddings be like that? Why do we have a template for everything, including weddings?

{from OnceWed via A Cup Of Jo}

Life's A Beach

2010-04-02T18:54:00.000-07:00

Cycling from the beach to Resorts World was an uphill ride. But it's okay because there's ice cream, pasta, pizza (again) and 1-for-1 martinees to make up for the torture.

Timbre Baby

2010-04-02T18:47:00.000-07:00

Pizza, wings, beer, live music and a great girl with abundance of energy and life make me happy!

Why Are You Bored?

2010-04-01T09:36:00.000-07:00

All my life, I always feel that I'm short of time. There're too many things I want to do, to see and to learn. Life is too short. I'm too afraid to die because I haven't try it all yet. Don't you ever get that feeling?

That is why I really don't understand why some people can become bored with life. I've seen that in my older colleagues. I see that in middle-aged housewives. I see that in some young friends. They feel that life has little to offer to be excited about. As I grow older, I see more of that. It saddens me to the max.

I think it's a matter of choice to want to continue staying fulfilled. A housewife is not a person with no career or nothing to look forward to in life. A housewife is a choice made by a woman to value-add to her family to the best of her ability. She gives her family a lovely environment by cleaning and decluttering, and provides wonderful food by experimenting with new reciepes. She can still continue to learn, be happy and add value to society.

A white-collar worker with a stagnant job can choose to leave. You have the qualification to make choices for yourself in life. You can stay in your job, challenge yourself to do better. Outside office hours, you can learn new skills to move on to a better job. You can start your own business. Or you can take a month off to hike up mountains in Nepal to reflect on your life and to renew yourself, like my friend Alex. Anything is possible and it's always your choice. Don't die inside.

My uncle is a construction site worker in Hong Kong. Although he gets on my nerves at times, I have utmost respect for him. He picked up Microsoft Office and improved on his presentation skills outside office hours. Now he's a site manager who's using his time to do planning instead of carrying muddy pipes. That's a blue-collar worker who decides not to shortchange himself in life.

What am I driving at? Nobody should be bored in life. Of course, by choice, we can sit down, have a cup of tea and read the papers for a good few hours. But nobody should die inside at any age. Life's too short. You must keep impressing yourself. Have fun. Drink yourself silly. Meet friends. I don't think a life's focus is only on career progression, but the positive energy must always be there.

From My Heart

2010-03-29T00:18:00.000-07:00

I've spent the whole morning traveling for meetings with customers. I love meeting new people, asking about their lives. I love working on my little business. There're major, major reasons. Firstly, things are done just the way I like it. Secondly, there're no red tapes. So once upon a time, managing a project could mean sourcing for information from various departments, awaiting for answers, putting the information together to make a decision, then proceed. But in a small business, there're minimal red tapes so time is actually invested into getting things done in a short span of time. In the case there're inefficiencies, processes can be revamped on the spot for faster reaction time. Thirdly, I'm not confined to product A, B and C only. I can make create product whenever opportunities arise. Fourthly, new organizational structure can be created that deem fit our respective talents (meaning, just Bryan and myself). I'm good with talking to strangers and I've experiences in PR and trade marketing. So I'm in sales and marketing rolled into one. Sales just means getting new sales. Bryan is very detailed, organized, extremely careful and a great artistic flair. He's a Production, Customer Service and Graphic Designer guy rolled into one.

I'd have gone into another marketing role and not tried sales, if not for this small business. I think I've a personality that fits better for a sales role 'cos it's much more fun not to be deskbound. Plus I enjoy giving good service and it makes me happy. If all things go well, I really hope to continue with the business with Bryan and grow it for the rest of our lives. I think I might have found my calling.

Boys Like These

2010-03-29T00:08:00.000-07:00

I quite like boys that look like these.

Young Bryan & Jamesy

2010-03-25T10:28:00.000-07:00

Bryan's going to kill me but here's a photo of him in his younger days. Seated bottom right side next to Best Friend, James. Funny thing is, I knew James when I was about 5 or 6 years old through the Hongkie-tong clan. I found my friend when I was 18 in Junior College. Then through him, I found Bryan, my obsession in when I was 18, or 19. Then through Facebook, Bryan found me when I was 23. Here we are again in Hong Kong (bottom picture), 25 years of age, indulging in our current obsession - alcohol.

Adam Lamber's Groin

2010-03-25T10:15:00.000-07:00

...is the first place I set my eyes on. Now, that's one guy who won't settle for being ordinary. I've much respect for people like that.

Will You Have Sex On This Date?

2010-03-24T02:23:00.000-07:00

Monday Night Run

2010-03-22T10:03:00.000-07:00

Night run with Wei Kwang and Jinfu was a lot of fun. Wei Kwang's been asking me to join his Monday night runs since last year and I've been procrastinating and making loads of excuses because I'm so lazy. Today, I was feeling a little down and needed to get out, see some friends and get some adrenalin pumping, so I thought why not? We ran from our campus to Zouk, pass Clark Quay and back. I wish I've joined 'em for all the Mondays I've missed because it's such a beautiful route. We had an awesome Thai dinner at Bencoolen to end the night. I'm looking forward to Monday already :)