Memories Archipelago

My best buddy in Thailand

2012-01-20T12:15:00.001+08:00

I just received news this morning that P' Aey was hospitalized due to 'narrow blood vessels' and after further clarifications and even giving him a call, I guess he must have gotten a stroke as he cannot speak clearly.

This comes as a shock to me as we are not so far apart in terms of age and also serve as another wake up call for me as we are not so far off in terms of lifestyle too..

I hope he can recover soon while I reconsider my 'quit drinking' new year resolution.

Happy New Year to all my friends!

2011-12-31T15:23:00.001+08:00

Happy Deepavali !

2011-10-26T12:16:00.001+08:00

Photosource: Link
Wishing All Hindu Friends and family Happy Deepavali with blessings of...

Lakshmi: Divine Energy
Vishnu: Happiness
Kubera: Wealth
Indra: Opulence
Gajendra: Carries the wealth
Deepavali ki Shubhkamnayein
(दीपावली की शुभकामनाएं)

October is the time for Oktoberfest..

2011-10-24T02:05:00.001+08:00

Oktoberfest is a 16–18 day beer festival held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, running from late September to the first weekend in October.
Only beer which is brewed within the city limits of Munich is allowed to be served in this festival. Upon passing this criterion, a beer is designated Oktoberfest Beer. Oktoberfest Beer is a registered Trademark by the Club of Munich Brewers.
Well..I attended an 'Oktoberfest' in Singapore yesterday with 2 friends..

One of my main disappointment is that the beer comes in wussy plastic cups of suppossedly 330 & 500ml capacity instead of the Maß (a 1 liter mug) at the actual Oktoberfest..

My opinion that beer served in plastic cups is such a turn-off and rob this particular Oktoberfest of its festive spirits. I see it as another excuse to get it's patrons drunk..Luckily, none of my friends end up as "Bierleichen" (Beer Corpses).
Don't you think that it really feels different drinking beer from a proper mug as compared to a plastic cup? Look at the picture below..it's supposed to be that kind of mugs.

I did not touch a single drop of beer at all yesterday.

Who will clean up these areas???

2011-10-12T18:15:00.001+08:00

I was walking around Aljunied GRC this afternoon and came across a dirty location seemingly not swept for a period of time and weeds were growing out of the cracks in between the bricks on the ground...

I was about to call up Aljunied-Hougang Town Council when I realized that this may be one of the 26 locations taken away from the Town Council in the recent saga..

Well then, I duno who to call now..who is in charge of cleaning up all these places??

The Truth about $ Money: Money as a Debt

2011-09-30T12:52:00.001+08:00

I was reading Alvinology (blog) and came across these two video clips that gives a clear explanation of what is going on in the world of money right now. It helps me to understand that the situation in Singapore may be applicable in terms of rising prices(because of the need for more debts the people have to undertake to keep the economy going strong) and taxation.
The video clips (by Paul Grignon) are in 2 parts and I took some time to go thru it. I hope you have the time and patience to go thru them too if you wish to understand more about Money$$$!
Part 1:

Part 2:

Paddling in the Cityscape

2011-09-11T15:46:00.001+08:00

I attended the event "Paddling in the Cityscape" this morning. I had just recovered from a round of muscle aches and wonder if I will get another round in the coming days. I have not paddled this hard since more than a decade ago and I definitely must admit I must be getting on in age. I am particularly impressed with the fact that they have arranged for an ambulance with 2 medics on standby for the event(I only have a pic of one of them here).

The reason why I signed up for this event is partly because it is a good opportunity for me to see the city from a different angle..usually I am on the shore looking into the water, today I was in the water looking at the shore! It was also good exercise for me..something was wrong with my canoe(or was it just me?)..it kept going zig-zag and there was no way I could make it go straight such that it'll be more energy efficient for me..

Why I am hapering over this fact is because I was a Sea-Pro' canoeist before and I am totally ashamed for my canoe behaving like that of a beginner. I dare not to tell anyone there I ever learnt how to paddle before. Of course, as expected, I was the last few to come back(I should be glad that I could make it back!).

Anyway, I chucked all my belongings in a waterproof bag and do not have much pictures to show. I was told I could go find Kallang CC YEC Facebook page to see the photos when they are uploaded.

What I have are some photos before the commercement of the paddling which is the Kallang CC YEC Biannual GM 2011 which is graced by the GOH Grassroots Adviser Mr Edwin Tong,who is also the MP for M-K GRC. He thanked the outgoing YEC and pledged full support for the incoming YEC(which I think more or less are the same few people).

I did not know that the YEC election is part of the event and it was quite interesting for me to witness the whole process altough the election was a walkover. Before that, I was wondering why the YEC were already wearing the YEC shirts before the election..the walkover was the reason. They took the PAYM pledge to be sworn into duty.

See the full gallery on Posterous

The Aljunied GRC Medallion

2011-08-23T02:16:00.001+08:00

This piece of 1Oz 999 fine silver Aljunied GRC medallion you see in this picture is one of a very limited 300 pieces specially made to celebrate The Workers' Party's victory in the GRC on 7th May 2011 General Election. Every piece have a unique certification number and is definitely an item that guests who attend 7th Month dinner functions in Aljunied GRC would look out for...those that were able to invite the opposition MPs of course!

It is not available for sale, therefore, you cannot buy it from any retailers. It is instead, given as a gift to the organizers of the 7th Month dinner functions that the opposition Aljunied GRC MPs attends,for them to auction off. All the proceeds from the auction goes to the organizers.

This particular piece that I had with me in the picture above was auctioned off earlier this evening for $13,800.00 .

This is a new record for this item..the highest bid so far. I wonder if it has got anything to do with the ongoing issue in Aljunied GRC (See Link :Media Release on Use of Public Sites in Aljunied GRC).

I am really glad and appreciative of the fact that there are many people on the ground who are supportive of WP, despite the current unlevel ground situation.

Wishing all citizens, residents and friends of Singapore a very Happy National Day 2011!

2011-08-09T16:37:00.003+08:00

The 46th Birthday of Singapore and many MPs took this opportunity to wish their residents a very happy national day with their very big (duno whose's budget!) budget! In fact, I strongly believe that their budget is bigger and bigger each year in accordance with the size of their billboards.

In fact, the billboards are so big to the extend that it caught the attention of Aljunied GRC MP, Mr Chen Show Mao (See Link Here)...
Well, for me..I can only afford a tiny small column in the Wan Bao & Sin Ming(8/8/2011) and the Zaobao(9/8/2011) using my own limited pocket money..

Happy 46th Birthday Singapore! Of coz, we must not forget the people who made Singapore what it is today..definitely not a single man...the pioneers of Singapore..our parents and grandparents' generation.."This generation embodies the true Singapore spirit—the determination to work hard, overcome the odds and carve out a better life for their children. They serve as an shining example for many future generations to follow."
Majulah Singapura! :)

General Election 2011 from my perspective..(Part 2)

2011-07-25T11:49:00.002+08:00

Sorry I took so long to update again..I was living out the hangover' from the GE and busy with some stuff.
Let me touch a bit on the supporters..The supporters who came to our rallies were wonder and creative people..

They came and bring along with them all sorts of display to show their message..I don't know about you, but I know exactly what they were pointing at :)

Here comes our big boss looking tired from a multitude of campaigning activities.

See the full gallery on Posterous

...and look at these two buddies of mine...do you think they look more tired than our boss? :P

You must have saw the flower garlands hanging on our candidates' necks..they were all from WP supporters. However, supporters cannot hang them directly on the candidates and after consultation with the rally site Police, we decided that our volunteers will help the supporters do so. Due to the lack of time, everything must be properly organized while the candidates were speaking on stage..

See the full gallery on Posterous

The flowers were quickly presented in less than 2 minutes..

When the candidates were talking on stage, any info updates are done the traditional way..

One observation I made during this GE campaign was that my perception that our young do not have any interest in politics could be wrong. During our walk about in Moulmein-Kallang, a group of Primary School kids went up to discuss national issues with Uncle George at his preambulating vehicle and also waited all the way till our candidates return from their walks. Well..not all kids got the opportunity to learn about the General Elections in this way!

See the full gallery on Posterous

Read part1 here: http://tttansg.blogspot.com/2011/06/general-election-2011-from-my.html

General Election 2011 from my perspective..(Part 1)

2011-06-17T03:51:00.002+08:00

I haven't updated my blog for almost a month..most people(for example, my Boss Kelvin Fong) would think that after GE 2011, I should be very free..I would have thought so too..but I was really so wrong. In fact, I became more busy than during the GE campaign.
Before I joined WP, I was actively involved in GE as a spectator. This was the 1st time I was so fully involved that i've no opportunity to go check out other opposition's rallies altough I would very much love to..in fact, I even have to give a few WP rallies a miss!
Allow me to bring you thru' the whole process of what I went thru' from right before the GE 2011. When the boundaries were announced,I could start to feel the changes in the pace of things..In fact, in the earlier part of March 2011, suddenly discovered a new back drop at Workers' Party HQ.
Then the pace for walks increased, especially in the locations that WP may possibly contest in..I was happily helping out a Bro who had 'booked' me to help him out for his campaign..

One fine day, I was summoned to a secret location in Singapore and given my appointment and introduced to my new team..since I am staying in Moulmein-Kallang GRC, I was appointed as the Principal Election Agent of the team!

These are my 4 candidates for Moulmein-Kallang GRC..As the PEA, I am attached to the team leader of the M-K team, Mr Rahizan.

We started visited homes at such a pace that would put any real estate agent to shame..(ermm...BTW,I am a real estate agent :P)..

As a matter of fact, I walked so much until i had 2 pairs of jeans ended up like this..

We do not know when the queue for rally site actually began at Cantonment Police Complex(seems to me that the aunties queing for PAP knows), but this GE 2011, with a stroke of luck, WP got the 1st position in the queue!

I got to multi-tasked a few roles and got to experience as much as I can imagine what goes on in a political party during the GE campaign. I was also the proposer for my M-K candidates!

On Nomination Day, I walked with my candidates into our Nomination Centre at SCGS. I was surprised that the few of us walked into a group of media people that outnumbered our team!

After the Nomination was confirmed, I went with the candidates to speak to our supporters present and on national TV.. This was what I saw..

The WP umbrellas was one of the items brainstormed by Alfred & myself as a youth wing project that did not really get the full scale approval of the CEC, however, thanks to Swee Bee, it got to see the day light of Nomination Day and it helped to shield a number of Singaporeans(be it WP or PAP) from the unforgiving sun. This umbrella immediately became a sold-out item at every rally such that we have to keep ordering from the factory in batches. I almost could not even get my hand on a single piece of umbrella myself if not for a twist of fate(or I should say luck)..I am happy that the umbrella managed to help whoever that is holding them.
I got to see how press interviews can be held in a kopitiam(coffee shop)..

I got to rent and set up/ do up the 'preambulating vehicle'..

..got to see what the supporters/ sponsors gave..

We are really grateful to the supporters who turned up suddenly out of no-where and left as suddenly as the finished their job, like this uncle below. He was using a changkul to sharpen the flag poles for the hard Hougang field.

My Facebook Profile picture was changed to this..

Happy Vesak Day (韦塞节)

2011-05-17T10:34:00.001+08:00

Dear family, friends and readers,

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy Vesak Day !

Final Day of Campaigning (WP Moulmein-Kallang GRC)

2011-05-05T18:07:00.000+08:00

With the blink of an eye..
Today is the last day of campaigning for General Election 2011. Our Moulmein-Kallang GRC team have been walking the ground non-stop since this new GRC was drawn up barely 2 months ago.

The response we gotten from the ground was wonderful and we even got a resident who presented our candidates with flower garlands today! It was indeed a very good encouragement to the team of members and volunteers such that they did not want to have lunch until we have achieved the objectives we set out for the day.

To all the residents of Moulmein-Kallang GRC, thank you very much for the support you have shown to us. We have tried our very best to reach out to you during the short duration that we have since the formation of this new GRC. We hope you can give us your support come polling day. To the rest of Singapore, think of the future that you and your children would like to have..would you like to have the best representation in a 1st World Parliament?

You are our best secret weapon..

3rd Rally site for The Workers' Party in GE 2011

2011-04-30T01:33:00.000+08:00

This is a very exciting General Election and I am actively involved as the Principal Election Agent for Moulmein-Kallang GRC team from The Workers' Party. One of the most interesting thing in my mind is how we managed to be 1st in the Queue for Rally Sites this year..the 1st time in History and now i finally understand the reason(s) behind it.

Our 1st rally was at the open field beside Blk 837 in Hougang. The 2nd was at Serangoon Stadium.

After attending these 2 sessions, I have a conclusion in mind: There is a difference between this election and all those before..besides the number of seats contested that is. I noticed that this year, the Police blocked up a good number of car parks preventing visitors from ~~attending the rally~~ parking nearby. The roadside kerbs have cones placed along them to prevent roadside parking unlike last election.

*all photos from theonlinecitizen Facebook*

Anyway, our 3rd rally tomorrow 30th April 2011 is at Bedok Stadium from 7pm. Please try not to drive so as to avoid the disappointment of not being able to find parking, stuck in traffic jams etc..etc.
Thank you Singaporeans for the great support you have shown us so far! See you later!

Attending a full month celebration of a newborn baby..

2011-04-16T23:14:00.001+08:00

I have been busy with Workers' Party activities in the run up to the coming General Election.
Last weekend, in between WP activities, I attended a full month celebration of a baby boy. This is one of the rare occasions that I would shameless ask to attend someone else's party..

Well..it's like this..His dad is one of my close friend in the army and he had just passed away recently before the birth of his son. I am very concern about the situation and had wanted to see him when I knew that he was born. In the end, I decided that his full month celebration would be a more appropriate time for the visit.

I went to City Square Mall near my place to shop for a gift. The surprise I got was how I reacted when I first saw the gift that I chosen in the end and how I overcame it and added something to it..(see slideshow below)

This is the 1st time in my life I asked to attend a baby's full month celebration. There was this close friend who gave me the concept of "What's the point??The baby is not going to remember who you are nor what you did for him anyway!"..well, people got the right to think and do(or not do) what they prefer.

Just by virtue of the fact that his daddy is a buddy of mine in the army, I just want to show my concern in my own way..whether the baby know anything is not an issue to me at all. I am just a bit disappointed with how materialistic this world have become..

I wish for the baby to grow up strong, smart and healthy just like his daddy!

What the Qingming Festival (清明节) means to me: Paying respects to my ancestors!

2011-04-01T14:45:00.004+08:00

The below is a famous poem by Du Mu(杜牧):
清明时节雨纷纷
路上行人欲断魂
借问酒家何处有
牧童遥指杏花村
It describes the weather(rainy) during this period of the year and makes me wana have a few drinks :P~
Qingming Festival is a time for Chinese to pay respects to their ancestors.The only ancestors that I've met and known are my grandparents. Anything above that, the most I remembered was a photo of my great grand-parents. Ancestor worship do not have a significant meaning for me except for the fact that this is a Chinese tradition and I am a Chinese. Well..not exactly..I guess that is what the younger generation may feel,not me.
I still miss my Grandparents..very very much! My parents used to whack me up pretty badly when I was a kid and my grandparents were always my protection. I can see the same situation today in my family..suddenly my parents became very lenient with their grand children! I wonder if my child and nieces will see Qingming Festival the way I do when my parents move on, because I am the only one amongst all my siblings who still attend to the festival year after year.
Every year, when I arrive at the graveyard, I have to try to remember which blk and plot number..they all look similar in the distance.

Once my Grandpa/ Grandma was located, we immediately set up our offerings and decorate the grave.

It is also a time of gathering for the rest of my family..

I have a bit of time to myself this year to reflect on my involvement in the Qingming Festival over the years and what it means to me. I have decided to just write a post about this so as to encourage younger generations of Chinese to treasure this tradition that may soon be dying out. ..very soon, we will see more and more untended grave like the picture below:

That was not the worst one I saw,but I just want to show some respect here..
Will you be participating in the Qingming Festival to honour your ancestors this year?

My escape from nicotine addiction!

2011-03-29T10:30:00.002+08:00

Today marks the end of the 3rd week since I stubbed out my last cigarette. Every last trace of nicotine is gone from my body.
I had been a smoker for the past 19 years..Now I ask myself how could I allow this to go on for 19 years!?
I had tried to quit many times in the last 2 decades unsuccessfully. Even my friends around me were skeptical each time they hear me trying to quit smoking again.
It really wasn't easy for me..that is until somebody introduced me to the 'Easy Way' method. I bought the book online and it was delivered to me 4 days later. I started reading the book..and as I go along I get more excited. By the time before I was halfway thru' i wanted so much to stop smoking already! However, the book recommended that we carry on smoking until I finish reading it!
Anyway, I finished reading the book within 3 days and already stopped smoking(8th March 2011) when I was about 3/4 thru the book because my cigarette ran out and I did not want to buy anymore. I was smoking a pack of Marlboro Red a day before I quitted.
Since my successful & effortless escape from poisonous nicotine, I have been trying to get my smoking friends to stop. Most of them gave me some excuses that I read in the pages of the book..such as: they 'enjoy' smoking..it helps them relieve stress..they are social smoker,dun smoke that many sticks a day..Shisha is not as harmful as cigarettes(???). The book will tell you why all these are not true.
Addiction to nicotine have made my friends very insecure. I am now reaching out online to help smokers who wish to quit smoking do so easily, effortlessly,painlessly..just like how the book had helped me. It made me understand how nicotine addiction works on your mindset and allow me a much higher chance of success than any other methods I have tried in the past 2 decades!
I do not get any commission from selling books..here is the link: http://opentrolley.com.sg/book_detail.aspx?ean=9781402771637
I hope that all smokers who are trapped by nicotine can have access to this wonderful method and wish them success. If you wish to share your success stories,please feel free to contact me :)

Singaporeans all across the country may finally get to vote in the upcoming General Elections!

2011-03-06T10:30:00.003+08:00

This is really getting more exciting..
For the 1st time in a long, long time, the upcoming General Elections may see the alternative parties in Singapore contesting in all wards according to this news report by Channel Newsasia. This will present almost every Singaporean with at least a choice instead of the usual walkovers we saw in the past elections!
However, there is one point to ponder: Without the help of civil servants, well-connected sponsors, grassroots like your friendly neighbourhood RCs and the almighty People's Association (unlike the incumbent govt) and volunteers, the opposition is likely to have very limited resources.
I would like to therefore extend an invitation to all fellow Singaporeans reading my post to volunteer whatever help you can possibly offer by signing up. The Workers' Party is looking for volunteers for roles as polling agents & counting agents or somebody to help us spread the message. Please click on the icon below to register. Thank you! :)

The Electoral Division for Singapore's 2011 General Election is ready! Full throttle ahead for all political parties!

2011-02-25T14:43:00.002+08:00

The Elections is coming! Most Singaporeans participate by voting on polling day. Do you want to go behind the scene to the frontline of where the action is? Do you wish to see 1st hand how the votes are casted or tellied? Would anybody like to participate in this once-every-5-years event(click on the link)?? Come do your part for Singapore!

Source: Channelnewsasia.com
The Electoral Division of Singapore voters in the upcoming General Election can be checked from Friday.
The Elections Department says the Registers of Electors for the 27 electoral divisions are now open for inspections.
The Register which has been compiled and certified, can be checked at the Elections Department along Prinsep Street and any designated Inspection Centres which are among 105 Community Centres/Clubs.
Singaporeans may also check their names in the Registers via the Elections Department website www.elections.gov.sg through the e-Services option.
The Registers and electoral maps are also available for sale through the Elections Department to political parties and aspiring candidates for the next General E

lection.

♡ Happy Valentines' Day! ♡

2011-02-14T11:09:00.002+08:00

I do not really celebrate Valentines' Day as I feel that it is just another over-commercialised, over-hyped event,especially in Singapore.
I will not be surprised to observe that the price of flowers may jump to 3-5 times their normal pricing today in Singapore(hey..why this level of inflation sounds so much like that of the public housing situation too? ).
Anyway,this is the date on the calendar and I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my readers,friends & family a very 'Happy Valentines' Day'! Don't forget/be afraid to tell whoever you love this: ♡♡♡ I Love you!!! ♡♡♡

Goodbye to my dear friend, a brother in arms,long time comrade.. a great loss to the Commando Family..

2011-02-08T19:51:00.002+08:00

One of the 1st thing I came across this morning when I browsed through my Facebook pages..Somebody posted in our closed group account that a fellow commando have left us. As I was still not fully awake and could not understand the impact of the word "left us"..I just replied by asking him who is Andrew Tan & what happened?
He replied with a FB link and I clicked on it and realised he was referring to my comrade from 81mm, better known to me as Lip Chee! I could not believe it and tried calling Lip Chee on his mobile..His family answered, confirmed that he had passed away. Before I could ask any further,the family member have to attend to something else.
My world came crashing down..I was in shock,disbelieve and only wish to wipe the tears off my eyes. I am not exactly a soft guy, but I really cannot help feeling emotional when someone close to have to "leave" just like that..

We just had our 14th 81mm High Trajectory Platoon Reunion Dinner a few days back(photo above)..I cannot accept that, that was our last good bye..I thought that we still will have reunion dinner year after year after year just like before..
I sent out smses to my 'band of brothers' and a few of them called me back immediately. Our reactions were all similar.

As of this point in time,none of us know exactly what happened to our healthy, young, energetic buddy who expressed happiness at being ready to be a father soon..How could he 'leave' suddenly like this? We are suppossed to meet up again this coming Saturday! So many questions,no answer yet. As a new father myself, I feel very depressed about this. The least I can do now is to spread the word and make sure that the whole group is informed.
I posted 2 photos of the old days below for memory's sake..All brothers who can make it to say the last goodbye(the wake), it is at a pavilion between Blk 27A & 27B Jalan Membina till this Friday.

Above: In an ice cream bar in our camp in Kanchanaburi, Thailand.
Above: After our last mission as NSF in Kanchanaburi, Thailand.

Wishing all my friends,agents, co-broke agents, clients, family and contacts a very Happy Year of the Rabbit!

2011-02-02T16:54:00.004+08:00

The year of the Tiger was a pretty good one for me, especially when I have a little 'tigeress' addition to my family. I hope your year had been a good one too. Now let us look forward for a better year ahead..and welcome the year of the Rabbit together! Huat ah!!!

Is the newspaper that I am reading skewed in a certain way??

2011-02-01T11:24:00.002+08:00

This habit of mine began since my secondary school days when I was encouraged by my teacher to read The Straits Times everyday. I used to believe that if it is on the prints, then it must be real!
Over the years, I have grown up and begin to really learn to understand how the world could possibly work..I began to ask myself questions on what I had read instead of taking it in wholesale. One of the more memorable read(from ST) I could remember off hand was a certain Minister saying "Public Housing is affordable to those who are eligible ". When we talk about public housing, who should the eligible ones be? What is the point going round and round trying to explain his own version of affordability when people on the ground finds it hard to service their monthly installments?
I have also read recently(also from ST) that the arrears cases in HDB loans had dropped.I know elections must be coming! I wonder how this statistic was manipulated arrived at. Did all the arrear cases suddenly strike 4D or Toto or were they forced to sell their HDB flats?

Today,as I picked up the ST, the 1st half of the page tells me that election is getting nearer and possibly in the 2nd quarter already have 3 articles that immediately caught my attention. Let me highlight the largest piece(in terms of the space it took up on the page): "SINGAPORE created 112,500 jobs last year, with less than half nearly half of them going to Singaporeans....". My guess is that the reporter for this article must be very happy with his year-end bonus.
Next. Annual public transport fare increase revision postponed. PTC chairman Gerard Ee said the deferment was done because election is around that time "with the interest of voters commuters in mind"...Commuters.."will experience at most one time jiatlat jiatlat round of fare increase adjustments for this year ". This whole issue seems very concerted and carefully stage:"Asked what they thought of the deferment, both operators said they have no quarrel with it".
The last piece I am commenting on is the most humble ST report I had read so far.."Most S'poreans satisfied".."more than 90 per cent of Singaporeans are confident in the Govt's..." 90% sia..They should list instead S'poreans overwhelmingly happy! I am very confident that if their survey result is accurate, if they were to call for an election right now or in the next quarter, maybe about 90% S'poreans will vote for the incumbent Govt..what should I call it? 60-something percent is a resounding mandate..can somebody suggest to me how to label the mandate for 90-something percent please? :)
My apologies for so many cancellations in my post ah..my English probably not as positive as trained reporters'. Pai seh pai seh..

1st time in my 11 years as an agent that I closed a deal on top of watermelons in a supermarket!!!

2011-01-29T18:59:00.002+08:00

I just concluded another case last night and rushed the Letter of Intent from co-broke agent to my landlord while she was shopping in a supermarket. Without a proper surface to sign her name, I suggested she place the LOI on top of the watermelons to sign it..
Only after that did I realize that I had actually just closed a deal on watermelons for the 1st time in my career! Special thanks to my landlord for suggesting me to take this photo :) I am unlikely to forget this incident.

Office for Rent(loft unit) 764 sqft with attached washroom for less than $3K !

2011-01-29T18:48:00.003+08:00

My 1st time trying out posterous..here goes..

Right outside town(no need to pay ERP).

Security access secure the staff and keeps out door-to-door salesman.

Pantry area near the entrance.

Loft unit with main office below and training/meeting area at the next level.

Attached washroom in the unit.

Training/Meeting area on the 2nd level.

4 desks set-up at main office area.

Contact me if you or your client(s) is interested! :)

Happy New Year 2011 to you!

2011-01-01T12:56:00.001+08:00

Hi everybody,
I would like to take this opportunity to wish all visitors of my blog a very healthy and awesome year ahead!

Happy New Year 2011!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T12:06:00.000+08:00

It has been a really great and wonderful year! As we celebrate this joyous day, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my family, friends, colleagues and readers a very Merry Christmas! Cheers!!!

Comparing a lifetime with a candle..

2010-10-09T02:38:00.001+08:00

With the recent occurrences of the passing away of a few high profile personalities, I could not help but had on some occasions compare the similarity between a lifetime with the burning of a candle. Candles come in all kinds of shapes, length, sizes..some even scented.

It reflects the qualities of the candles. Candles burn under different types of conditions..windy, calm, some protected in lamps etc..the different environments that the candles burn in..but one thing for sure,the flame will burn out one day..
All living things will have their lifetime end one day, you can be the Prime Minister's mother, you can be a Minister of State, you can be a Member of Parliament, you can live to be more than 100 years old..but we all still have to face this fact.

All over the world, new lives are created while many also ended at the same time. It has been like that since the beginning of time. When we were younger, the people who were passing away around us used to be our grandparents..as we grow older,the people who are passing away move towards our parents' generation. Before we know it, it's going to be our friends or ourselves ultimately going to face the end of our lives.

My uncle passed away recently alone at home and it was until hours later when we got the fireman,together with the Police to break into his flat before we discovered the fact. He was 61 years old and I did not expect he will no longer be around at this age.

My uncle was a smoker and drinker just like me..in fact,he was the only one in the family who had these habits. He was just a simple,straight forward 'candle' with not much of a formal education and handicapped in one arm since he was young.

When I went to school, had a very restricted amount of pocket money from my parents and it was this uncle who would supply me with a 4 figure amount of pocket money..I never felt poor as a student. When he passed away with only twenty-something dollars in his bank account, can you imagine how really awful I felt..? The real legacy that he left behind for us cannot simply be measured in dollars and cents.

One of the last conversations he had with me was when we were smoking at the birthday party of my nieces. He told me in Teochew that smoking is not good for health at all..don't smoke lah..I did not expect that to be our last real conversation.

When he did not appear at the market as usual,my family got worried and asked me to go up to his place to take a look. I knocked on the door and called out to him, but there were no response. I thought he must have gone out somewhere..what I did not know at that point in time..he was already dead in his kitchen..

The one thing that I am very sure..this uncle of mine, when his candle was burning bright, he lighted up the lives of all members in my extended family..especially that of his many nephews and nieces.
Is your candle lighting up the lives of other candles around you?

Singapore 2010- Youth Olympic Games

2010-08-18T11:39:00.000+08:00

Since before the beginning of the YOG here in Singapore, it has been lambasted from many aspects: For example, exceeding it's original SGD$100+million budget to almost SGD$400 million, YOG lanes, disappointed opinions on its opening ceremony & concert, poor ticket sales, ill treatment of volunteers, sub-standard food, sub-standard construction, "arranged" supporters from MOE & Mindef, and even possibly mass food poisoning !

All the above are gathered from various non-mainstream media online for obvious reasons. My guess is that it is so prolific online because these angles presented are not appropriately covered by the main stream.

All these criticisms aside, yes, our inaugural Singapore 2010 YOG may not be anywhere near perfect. My questions here for those who had criticized aspects related to this event, especially fellow Singaporeans: Why not we put the criticisms aside and give our support in one way or another while it is ongoing? We can do the critics later, but for now, let's go support Singapore's effort in the 1st YOG in this world, buy a ticket, watch an event, cheer the athletes, whatever!

The above picture shows the tickets belonging to myself and a few fellow activists from the Workers' Party Youth Wing for a YOG event later today. We are going to give our support as Singaporeans.

Singapore or Thailand?

2010-08-11T12:50:00.000+08:00

This is a very testing time of my life when I have to make a seemingly easy, but actually quite tough
decision of where my offspring should be born. I think I should have about 2 more months to make the decision before it is not safe for my wife to fly. I posted a link in my Facebook for my friends to
comment and help me out in my weighing process.

I am in this situation not because of wanting anything to do with dual citizenship nor anything to do
with my wife not being able to secure PR in Singapore(subsidies for child birth). For the benefit of people in similar situation(s),procedure for registering your minor born overseas can be found here.

Altough my wife can understand simple English, but she is unable to understand about 70% of what my Gynae told her. On my side,altough I understand what the doctor says,but I am not the one giving birth...So far,my spoken Thai language is not too bad, but I will be unable to translate vocab like "Pelvic floor exercise", for example, into what my wife can understand.

The other reason is the one month confinement period after giving birth. Space constraint(for mum,child& nanny), suitable candidates for confinement nannies(preferably can speak Thai & do Thai style confinement cooking & household chores).

Should I take the easy way out and just put my wife through the whole process where so many others have done it before,with or without complications/problems..or should i seek if there are other alternatives which is much more difficult on me(imagine all the flying around,looking for a place to stay for a while in Thailand,confinement nannies, transport to & fro hospitals, the headache of having to register my child born overseas at ICA etc..etc..)

Of course,if i wish to stop thinking about this, I will take the easy way out..but if you are my wife,what would you prefer?

Allow me to share with you a video clip from the recent Singapore National Day celebrations- [HD] Kit Chan - Home (National Day Parade - August 9, 2010)
My personal preference of course..but i got 2 months to think it thru..

Travel to "Teochew Land", Shantou(汕头), China Part 6

2010-07-20T18:29:00.000+08:00

We finally came to the highlight of the Shantou trip - Visiting my relatives. I have never seen these relatives before this trip, but they are the siblings of my grandfather and their offspring are supposed to be my cousins etc..etc..

My father's cousin met up with us(and together with the grandchildren) and Shiya(my neice) got a bicycle ride..i think it's her 1st!

When I visited my grandfather's old house,the walls seemed like its falling apart. The part that I think is most intact is the well section..a very old well..

Guess who had the most fun for this leg of the journey...?

I think it must definitely be my niece Shiya!
For Travel to Shantou series, see also: Part 5 , Part 4 , Part 3 , Part 2 , Part 1 .

Travel to "Teochew Land", Shantou(汕头), China Part 5

2010-06-23T18:17:00.000+08:00

My sincere apologies for taking my time in my blog updates. I was away on another holiday.
I will try my best to finish wrapping up my Shantou trip ASAP. In this update, I will talk about this place I visited. It was the residence of a very rich Shantou family in the past and now,it is a protected tourist's destination. This family got the same surname as me..

It has a very super big courtyard and you can see it the moment you step thru' the entrance..

There are so many buildings annexes on this property that one can easily get lost in it.
I was quite surprised to find a well in an alley in the compound as I always had the idea that wells should be located in some 'ulu'(distant,quiet corner) backyard where some ill-treated maid would jump in to commit suicide in some of the old Chinese movies I saw when I was young..

I think I am too fat to even squeeze thru the well's opening..let alone be a rickshaw man..

Let me show you a few more photos I took of this place..

Oh yes..they got this very big water feature in a section of this property. I think it is equals to at least the size of 3 Olympic-sized swimming pool..

Altough the buildings are more than 100 years old and may not appeal very much to 'youngster' like me..but I can imagine the glorious past this family must have had..

For Travel to Shantou series, see also: Part 4 , Part 3 , Part 2 , Part 1 .

Travel to "Teochew Land", Shantou(汕头), China Part 4

2010-05-27T09:15:00.000+08:00

One of the most famous foods from my Teochew motherland: Fried Oyster Omelette!
It is also one of my favourite food.
According to our tour guide, this is one of the most famous restaurant over there...

Despite the fact that we just had a full lunch, we simply cannot give this a miss..

For approximately the price 6 SGD, there were more oysters than eggs! I hope to have the chance to go back to eat it again because I am missing it already as I am writing this blog post.

The next 'famous' thingy around here I am going to mention is this fruit named Fo Shou(佛手)..
I got to see the real life plant with fruits on it!

What people here do is they will keep the fruit till it turns black in colour, and many more years after. It is supposed to get better at curing certain ailments the longer u keep it. Of course, the older it gets, the more expensive it is.

The next 'famous' thing over here that I am going to touch on..the Lionhead Goose(狮头鹅) and its liver. This is one of the biggest species of goose known and it originates right here in Shantou. I did not managed to get one on photo,but u can take a look at the size of its eggs..

Travel to "Teochew Land", Shantou(汕头), China Part 3

2010-05-25T23:15:00.000+08:00

While travelling in China, sometimes it is inevitable that your tour guide will bring you to tea appreciation sessions and usually,at these places,the prices are about 5 times that of what a local would pay. Even at 5 times more, it is not that expensive at all..if you do not have much time to shop around comparing prices of tea,you can buy a bit here and there to try at these tea sessions.

The difference I notice here in Shantou as compared to the Northern parts of China lays in that they don't really use teapots here, but just a larger tea cup to hold the tea leaves and distributing the tea into smaller cups. I have since mastered the art of using the big tea cup from this trip.

They have such big containers for tea leaves..I call the big ones tea drum..

During our journey, our tour bus suffered a burst tyre on the expressway, but with a bit of good luck, our driver was able to very quickly find a tyre shop at the next exit to change the tyre.

Well..I did try to use the opportunity to act as if i was part of the action..

As we carried on the journey shortly after,I was really surprised to see many wind turbines( a form of renewable energy generators) along ranges of mountains that stretches as far as my eyes could see..Impressive! The impact hit me like how the grand opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics did!

I cannot help but feel like China had already overtaken Singapore in terms of new technology and its implementation. To think that here in Singapore,we still have not move on from talks of getting a nuclear reactor generator..feels more like taking a step backwards.

Can young S'poreans afford public housing in S'pore today?

2010-05-01T10:55:00.000+08:00

Can young S'poreans afford public housing in S'pore today?

Happy Labour Day 2010- attached song- Heaven by Olivia Ong

2010-05-01T03:28:00.000+08:00

Wishing all a very happy Labour Day..!

Travel to "Teochew Land", Shantou(汕头), China Part 2

2010-04-30T15:32:00.001+08:00

Time really flies..today is the last day of this month and I almost missed to keep to my target of putting minimum one blog a month.

Let me try to catch up from where I left off.

In Shantou, there are many temples. In fact, about 70-80% of our places of interests are temples.
The below pic is an example...

You have to read the name of the temple yourself as I cannot read the 3rd word..(it's like Dragon' Spring..something).

The special' thing about this temple is right at the entrance.Many people treat it as a wishing well..me too, I threw in some RMB. However, according to our tour guide, there is a belief for folks around there..If you wana have baby..especially baby boy..you must go and touch the boys' backsides...!!

I was a bit skeptical..but thanks to my niece Shiya, I managed to join in the fun! We shall find out if the belief here is really true in time to come ;)

The other temple that we went too..its special too. They do not just use incense sticks and candles, they also use firecrackers here! I have never seen so much firecrackers altogether at the same time!

In fact, they do have a proper designated firing point for you to set off the firecrackers. Safe!

Thats all for temple for now. I will try to finish up the whole of my Shantou trip over the next few days..please bear with me..

Travel to "Teochew Land", Shantou(汕头), China

2010-03-28T14:28:00.006+08:00

I am a Teochew just like my parents and grandparents, but all my life, I did not manage to visit my grandpa's homeland until early this month. It is made more easy with Jetstar Asia opening up a new direct flight from Singapore to Shantou Airport.

In fact, it was so easy that even my little toddler niece, Shiya, managed to tag along with her grandparents on this trip!

Our travel agent was very mindful that after the flight,we should be very hungry. Therefore, its very nice of them to get us straight to a traditional Teochew Restaurant(yes,that is the name of the restaurant after translation) for lunch 1st thing we got out of the airport.

It was a very simple meal of porridge with braised goose meat, preserved vegetables, salted eggs and oyster omelette. I was very hungry and rushing to devour my food, so not much pictures on food in this travel to share here.

The destination after lunch was to go walk about in a garden..I will call it the 'Rock Garden' for easy reference..

Of course, my main purpose of this trip is not really to walk in parks nor go to temples..but some how, there seemed to be a lot of such places of interest on our iternary. I will very roughly go through these places if possible.

All these gardens look more or less the same to me..

Anyway, we did take a stroll along the riverside..the weather is pretty cool..

The following few pictures are from some of the scenes I saw during the trip..see if there are any that may be of interest to you.

I shall take a break here while I upload the rest of the photos. Do look out for part 2 and 3 of this series.

Of Blue Label & Free Ang Pow packets.

2010-02-11T10:05:00.003+08:00

Chinese New Year is just round the corner..its just 2 more days to reach the Year of the Tiger!

Every year around this period before Chinese New Year, its always a very exciting period for me. The only differences this year boils down to 2 things:

This year, I am giving Ang Pow(red packets) instead of receiving it.
This year, I am on a training course till the eve of CNY with exams immediately after!

This means that this normally busy period is extremely busy for me as I am not left with much time for my own.

Being the 1st year that I will have to give out Ang Pow, I pay particular attention to Ang Pow packets this year. Every year around this time, banks and many retailers hand out free Ang Pow packets to their customers. I used to pass most of the Ang Pow packets to my friends and relatives as I don't really use much of it. This year,I retained most of them.

There is this very supportive UOB bank staff that gave me 18(180 pieces) stacks of Ang Pow packets. Hong Leong Finance gave me 4 stacks. Cold Storage gave me 2 stacks. I have yet to find time to collect from other banks and retailers,but hope to do so if possible. With so many Ang Pow packets..maybe I should be financially savvy to just put a $2 note in each of the Ang Pow :P~

At this same period, I managed to acquire 3 bottles of Johnnie Walker Blue Label for consumption during the CNY season. My main concern is whether I have time to enjoy it because of the upcoming exam..

Time, has become a very important component of my life..I wish I can have more of it.

Behind the scences of Singapore Airshow 2010

2010-01-27T13:34:00.011+08:00

I recently had an opportunity to go behind the scene of the upcoming Singapore Airshow 2010 and would like to share some photos here.

In order to get to the venue,you'll have to drive into a private road: Aviation Park Road. This is the 1st private road that I know of in Singapore and I wonder how any private entity can own a road this long..

Of course,when I was at the venue itself, there were nothing much for me to see yet as the contractors were still in the process of setting up and building the various show booths.

Although I did not managed to see any aircrafts yet, I got to see a jet engine being delivered in its protective casing..

...and also some local Singaporean(ST Engineering) invention/production that arrived early..

I was hoping to see the planes instead... :(

Helping hands for Victorian Azri

2010-01-26T17:30:00.000+08:00

Helping hands for Victorian Azri

Wishing all my Friends "Happy New Year 2010!"

2009-12-31T11:54:00.004+08:00

As we live this last day of the year,

hopefully smiling from ear to ear.

Be it a year of tears or fears,

be it a year of happy cheers.

We've come to the last day of the year.

Seems like just a blink of eyes,

we talked about polar cap of melting ice.

See how time always flies,

just like the sea level will come to rise.

We've come to the last day of the year.

Good bye 2009, Welcome 2010!

This will be my special prayer,

to everyone of my visitor here.

May you be blessed with health & wealth,

may joy be around you & the ones you love.

Peace to the World of human race,

God save the Polar Bears too!

Please let the World be fill with Hope,

let there be nothing we cannot cope.

Happy New Year 2010!

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Wishing all my Friends a very joyous Christmas 2009!

2009-12-24T12:42:00.003+08:00

Dear friends and visitors to my blog,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who helped me make this a good year. Merry Christmas to you and your family! Cheers!

Remember..if you drink, don't drive! ;)

Mr Chiam See Tong celebrates 25 years as Member of Parliament

2009-12-13T16:40:00.015+08:00

Yesterday evening, I attended a dinner to celebrate Mr Chiam's 25 years as an MP for Potong Pasir. My whole extended family lived in the squatters of Potong Pasir more than 30yrs ago and I had very vague memories of the zinc-roofed house with a large square well in front of it. We had moved out to Ang Mo Kio and I believe when I was about 9 years old, that was about the time Mr Chiam 1st became the Member of Parliament for Potong Pasir(and for 6 consecutive elections).

Workers' Party had at least a table for the event,but I went with my family members. I was there early and by the time I entered the function's location at 7.30pm,most of the more than 1000 seats at dinner tables were filled up.

There were the traditional Lion & Dragon dancers and also Malay dancers awaiting patiently for Mr Chiam's arrival. Initially there was a false alarm and everyone behind stood up to try to get a glimpse of Mr Chiam when they thought he had arrived.
As the minutes trickled past 8pm, my sense of anticipation grew and I could not sit still at my table anymore. Instead, I decided to go join the crowd that had formed up at the cul-de-sac to welcome the MP. Every vehicle that drove past was subjected to the full scrutiny of the crowd who were expecting to see a Volkswagen Beetle. The surprise for me came when I was told Mr Chiam was walking over. I can see a group approaching from about 300 metres from where I was standing and I just ran forward..

I was feeling a few mixed emotions when I saw the above scene:

Unlike other MPs who usually turn up at functions late in their posh cars,this MP made me feel like its worth the wait.

Unlike the moment when I saw him won the Potong Pasir seat when I was about 9 yrs old, now at 74 years of age, Mr Chiam looks older than his age..the 25 years on my dinner ticket is not just a mere number.

Unlike other MPs who may need to surround themselves grassroots people in case of kerosene attack(s), all Mr Chiam requires is his wife to hold his hand and walk the way with him..I also feel at that moment that should there be any crazy fellow approaching with kerosene,he'll have to talk to my fists 1st..

I felt like part of a paparazzi team when I squeezed the shutter amongst the many other photographers..but I made very sure that he got ample space to walk freely while I took the photos.

As Mr Chiam approached the cul-de-sac,the crowd of awaiting residents rushed forward to give him a warm welcome. This was also the moment the Lions & Dragon and dancers roared to live under the furious beats of drums. The whole situation just reminded me of a rally on the night before the last election day where his supporters followed him all the way from the rally to Potong Pasir Town Council chanting his name.

Since most of the guests are residents of Potong Pasir, you can feel how much love and respect the residents have for their MP for the past 25 years.

When he gave a 10 minute speech on the stage, what I was most impressed with was that he started thanking everybody,including the cooks in the kitchen preparing food for all the guests..For what he said,I went behind to the kitchen to snap a photo. Mr Chiam may be physically weaker and unable to express himself as fluently like when he was younger, but the residents and supporters who have seen the legacy he had built are willing to strain their ears to listen closer to him when he speaks.
The next highlight for the evening was when Mr Chiam invited the rest of the opposition leaders present amongst his guests on stage for a toast.
The celebration, besides the events I had described was in co-operated with a concert where Mr Chiam sang a segment of the song "Rong Shu Xia" to the applause of many present.

At one point in time, two younger friends of mine came by my table and commented that the programmes are quite boring.. I pondered for a while wondering why I did not feel the same? Am I really growing older than I think I had?

To me,the concert was just a backdrop. The subject of celebration was Mr Chiam and the past 25 years with him in my Singaporean life has been an exciting roller coaster of passionate, fiery display of concern for the political well-being of Singaporeans.

To those who were bored during the celebration, it's just a night out of the past 25 years..enjoy the moment.

To those who commented that Mr Chiam could not speak properly..I hope you don't grow old or suffer a stroke while you are at it.

To Mr Chiam, thank you for your selfless contribution to our nation for the past 25 years and thank you for still trying your best. I wish you the best of health and will power to carry on the fight!

Moon Watching

2009-11-04T01:35:00.004+08:00

I have to send my aunty to the airport for her very early morning flight . Setting off at 4.30am,I was on my way back home by 5am. Along the way,I cannot help but keep looking at the moon.

I was totally mesmerized by the moon. There were no clouds in the sky and the moon on this 16th day of the lunar month was as bright as it could be. I was almost unable to keep my eyes on the road and I decided to get home as soon as possible to look at the moon before the sun takes over.

As soon as I was home,I quickly grabbed my camera and a glass of brandy..took a few pictures and enjoy my moon watching with sips of brandy. Looking at the moon bring back many flashes of memories..

Getting Married...(Wedding Dinner?)

2009-10-31T03:58:00.005+08:00

About 5 months earlier, I made the decision to want to settle down and start a family with the girl that I love. My wedding date is set on 30th November 2009 and I thought I got all the time in the world to prepare for it.

Altough I had planned for a simple wedding, now with barely a month left,I seem to be running short of time. I have already more or less got the wedding album ready, finalized the wedding dinner location, got our wedding bands, contacted florist for all the flowers I need, getting to a photographer for the actual day..sounds like I am almost ready?

Maybe I should mention what needs to be done instead..

The guest list for the wedding dinner is quite difficult for me..I cannot just invite all the people I know. I want it to be a small simple event..in fact,a wedding dinner was not even on my plan originally. How did this idea took its roots on my wedding plan..? I think I probably can attribute it to a long-standing Chinese tradition to have a dinner to celebrate a wedding..hmm..why not just say its my mum's wish?

I started looking out for the smallest location I can find to hold a wedding dinner for my relatives and a few friends. After trying out a number of places..I thought I finally found the perfect location that can house the maximum of 15 tables..Peach Garden@ Novena Gardens. My mum violently objected to my proposal. Reason: no stage(for 15 tables)! Gosh..why do we need to have a stage for a wedding dinner?? Why can't I just sit and eat like everybody else?

The search is on again and I contact a friend of mine from the army whose father operate a restaurant: Beng Hiang Restaurant. I arranged for my family to go try it out during one of our dinners. The food is delicious, they can accommodate the small number of tables I requested and it's got a stage! Guess what? My mum complained that parking is inconvenient,have to walk through construction sites etc..etc..

I almost wanted to give up the idea(or rather my mother's idea) of holding a wedding dinner when one afternoon,while I was driving, this place suddenly popped up in my mind. It was a place that I frequented with my family since I was young, but stopped going in recent years since my grandparents passed away. I immediately told my friend beside me that we need to take a detour to go check out this place. This place is the same age as me,I already feel a certain affinity to it even before I reach it.

I arrived when they were having an afternoon break,but the captain wast there to answer my queries. I knew immediately that this is the location I want and should my mum reject my choice again, the dinner will be off my wedding plan. The only catch is that I need to get a minimum of 20 tables..well..my wedding plan just grew bigger :P

Anyway,allow me to be secretive about the location of this place until all my guest have receive their invitation cards..I promise I'll write about it later.

Let me move on to my guest list...and why its not so easy..

10 tables were assigned to my mum for all the relatives. So I need to plan for only 10 tables.. and I do so table by table..and it includes some of my collegues from Propnex, some senior agents from my ex-company McDowell Realty Network, Primary School friends, Secondary School friends, Junior College friends, Army friends, fellow Workers' Party members and also some friends whom we used to hang out a lot together.

It is very touching for me to have some of them replying my sms almost immediately with their address asking me not to forget to send them the invitation..etc etc..

Some replied asking me who I am because a few phone upgrades,they no longer had my number on their phones,but I called them back immediately and glad they recognize my voice still.

Some called back saying they cannot attend because they are getting married near my date(it is not auspicious for Chinese to attend weddings within say 3 months of their wedding date), or they are on overseas assignment.

Of course,there are some who have yet to reply. When I look at my list again,some tables are full,but some barely half filled and I don't intend to combine tables. .

Looks like I'll have to wait a few more days before I send out the invitation cards..

In the meantime, I'll have to look into the preparation of the Thailand side(my wife is a Thai)..and the furnitures, and the air-tickets,and the translator,and the upcoming visa application,alcohol purchase and 101 other things.

Special thanks to all my friends who offered their help..but a lot of the things that I require,I got to oversee them personally.

Yeah..I manage to keep up at least a blog update this month :)

F1 Singapore Night Race 25th-27th Sep 2009

2009-09-30T16:56:00.003+08:00

My apologies for taking so much time to update my blog. I had wanted to strive to update my blog at least once a month and guess what? Today is the last day of the month..and updating my blog is not on my 'to-do' list!

If its not on my 'to-do' list and I do it,i'll consider it as 'fire-fighting'. Anyway,I have been busy being in direct participation in the recent F1 events and I would like to share with my readers what I saw behind the scenes. This,I believe even people who paid $5k for the sky suites tickets may not even get to see ;)

1st,the Pit Straight,one of the best locations especially if you want to look at the teams in the pit lanes. Being straight would also means the highest speeds is likely to be here(so is the start & end of the race)..one bad thing though..they were really so fast till you almost cannot see the cars when they zoom right past you. Here's a view of the Pit Straight from the Corporate suites.

Night view of the Pit Straight from the Sky Terrace..

Since this a night race,a lot of lighting are employed to illuminate the tracks..much more than last year. This is to ensure that its brighter to the video cameras(which is different to the human eye) covering the events for the world audiences. The following view is from Pit Entrance Grandstand.

In fact,the lights are so bright that they seemed to illuminate the whole town too..

One of the best places to watch the race from in hot weather Singapore is from the air-conditioned Club or Sky suites.From here,you have the option to go out thru a glass door onto the private outdoor grandstand should you wish to...

...if not,you can still enjoy your free-flow wines and champagne inside..you cannot bring any glasses out of the glass door for safety reasons..

Anyway,the original cost for a sky suite ticket was sgd$7500,but nearer the event,they did dropped the price to $5000. This makes the corporate suites very restricted in access due to the free-flow F&B.

The most restricted areas in this event is actually across the track on the opposite side: - The Paddock area.In this area, authorized people are issued a paddock pass and they will not care who you are,they will only recognize the pass. Security is especially tight in this area as the racing teams and their cars are located in the pits here.

The Paddock building at night..

Right beside the Paddock building behind the race offices,I came across 2 interesting areas. I always thought that they must have a gasoline station to supply fuel for the race cars,but I could not be more wrong. All these cars use very special fuel which is some what different from what our ordinary cars uses. They come in "200kg" steel oil drums and are stored inside air-conditioned containers..these rows of containers make up the Fuel Store.

Can anyone make a guess which is my favourite team?? :)

Next to the Fuel Store is this area known as the Gas Compound. Each team have their cylinders of gas ready.Nitrogen,Helium,Hydrogen..can you guess what they are used for?

When I heard that the cars arrived,I was so excited as I have never seen them for real so up close before..so I made a trip to the pits..

When I got there, my excitement was a bit dampened because the race cars are not unpacked yet :P

Anyway, the F1 night races in Singapore has been so far so good. The Singapore GP learned a lot from their maiden event last year and made improvements to this year's race.

I am very sure that the patrons to Singapore Night Race enjoyed themselves very much. Next year's F1 in Singapore could be the last time they will be using the Marina Bay Street circuit..I would like to invite you to come and soak up the atmosphere to get the full experience.
I am very glad to have the opportunity this year to go behind the scenes for the event; It makes me understand more how everything came together to make up this international event rather than just sit at home or at the grandstand to watch the race.

Happy Birthday Singapore!

2009-08-09T01:43:00.001+08:00

T T Tan wishes Singapore and all its residents a Happy 44th National Day!

The run-up to Singapore's 44th Birthday.

2009-08-07T11:39:00.003+08:00

Every 9th August is a significant date for my homeland..this little red dot on the map celebrates its 'birthday' on this date since 1965.

Visitors and residents alike will be able to feel this vibe in the air come August where a lot of households would hang the National Flag of Singapore on their public housing flats.

On top of the hanging of flags, you may have noticed that on the streets there are banners of different colour,shape and sizes to mark this yearly event. I still remember that when I was just a kid, this was how I 1st got to see the Singapore Emblem- the Coat of Arms.

The National Emblem was on almost all the banners hanging from lamp posts and also on the tiny triangular flags of various colours.

In recent years however(and I could not remember when it all started),probably due to the advance of technology and bigger and bigger budgets, the banners and even billboards put out to celebrate Singapore's National Day have all evolved to a point such that I would not be surprised if foriegn visitor should walk up to me and ask me if Singapore is going through General Election at this time!

Let's take a look at some of the banners/billboards you may see on the street this year..

We begin with the following banner I saw on a street near Kallang MRT: Dr Lee Boon Yang from Jalan Besar GRC,with little children from probably different races. Not a single word about Singapore,just focus on Jalan Besar GRC.

The banner I saw kind of makes me curious about what other banners I'll get to see, and especially in opposition wards too. The next estate I happen to visit: Potong Pasir (under MP Chiam See Tong)

The banner above has four adults and one child and no Mr Chiam See Tong on it. But the word 'Singapura' is on it..Then something else caught my attention. At the most central location in this little town, I saw this banner by Mr Sitoh Yih Pin:

hmm..or is it really by him?

Anyway, I thought that was all about banners I could see in Potong Pasir. However,as I was getting out,I managed to chance upon Mr Chiam's banner 'hidden' under a tree.He wishes all his residents a Happy 44th National Day.I was wondering why they do not place the MP's banner in the more central location..

After I seen the above,i was growing more curious and I head straight for Hougang.I entered Hougang from the swimming pool side and came across the billboard by Aljunied GRC(it sounds so much like election yah? :)
BTW,why is this blk 5XX in Hougang under "Bedok Reservoir Punggol"?

The MPs for Aljunied GRC with a lot of children(why do they prefer to place their photos besides children rather than ordinary adults?). Luckily,the bill board do state "Happy 44th National Day". I guess that is a form of wishing the resident bah'..

Right across the street,under opposition MP Mr Low Thia Kiang,this was exactly the kind of decoration i saw for National Day when I was a kid..no MP picture with many kids..My questions here are whether Hougang SMC has a tight budget(who pays for this kind of stuff anyway??) and wonder why Mr Low is not 'publicizing' himself like other MPs?

Banner of children(again) with no photo of Mr Low on it.

I went around the estate trying to find at least a banner with his face on it..but there just wasn't any.I did come across something interesting instead:

On the banner,also a Mr Low(but not the MP),wishes all residents a happy 44th National Day. If I do not know of Mr Low Thia Kiang, I may have thought that Mr Eric Low is the MP for Hougang instead!

Of course,I am sure many would be curious how PM's bill board may look like..

I wonder how AMK GRC can combine together with Yio Chu Kang SMC for such greetings..? Are they going to merge soon?Why not combine Aljunied GRC with Hougang SMC too? why not combine all estates in Singapore and make it a super big bill board?

Business trip to Shunde/Foshan, Guangzhou, China.

2009-07-04T15:33:00.002+08:00

It is unusual for me to wake up early when I go on trips. Due to the long day ahead and the fact that we are taking the public transport to Foshan(佛山)in Guangzhou today, I woke earlier than usual.

1st,we take a public bus..

I noticed that every time the bus pulls into the last station,there will be cleaners cleaning up the exterior of the bus. Therefore even the air is more polluted,the bus still look cleaner as compared to Singapore..I wonder how often are our SBS buses given a wash..
The interior of the bus is clean and quite comfortable. No matter how far your destination,as long as you are on this route,you pay 2RMB..This is what I call "public" transport..

The bus interchange is at the famous Guangzhou Railway Station..I have never seen so many people walking about all together at the same time before I came here!

We had to take the inter-province' bus at the Provincial Bus Station nearby..

and arrived at Foshan Bus station..

and switched to take a taxi to get to Shunde..

In Shunde district is this approximately 10km(no,I did not type wrongly) stretch selling furniture..the Shunde Furniture Wholesale Market.

It looks something like this..many of them 3 to 5 times the size of Ikea Tampines stretching as far as the eye could see..

In fact, the interior of the furniture super-mall looks very posh and it was really out of my world to know that they are all selling furniture.

..and they classify each section by using the word "World"..not an over statement to me..

After ordering our furniture and confirming the delivery arrangements, we decided to make our way back using a different form of public transport: The Subway!

The thing that impresses me about the subway train service here is the free umbrella rental service. Riders who need an umbrella can rent it by placing a 20RMB deposit and can return it at any subway stations..seems like both bus and subway service is at least a notch above Singapore's "world class" transportation system..(note in the photo below inside the office the Chinese Characters "Service from the Heart"..can someone please teach SMRT these 4 words please?)

Anyway, this trip was finally concluded when all our orders were received and loaded into our waiting container at Nantian to ship back to Singapore..

Business trip to Haizhu, Guangzhou, China.

2009-06-06T14:56:00.004+08:00

I have got some China friends here in Singapore. One of them wanted to open another branch for his eatery and wanted to go back to China to buy everything there as it is 5 times cheaper than if were to buy it in Singapore. All my China friends go back to buy due to this reason.

Out of curiousity,I decided to go with him to Guangzhou and we got the '2 to go' offer from Singapore Airlines to fly direct to Baiyun International Airport(白云机场).

I was seriously not expecting the airport to be pretty modern,in fact, there were upgrading works going on when I was there.

We very quickly got to our hotel,just beside the Nan Tian(南天)Wholesale Market. The hotel is the only tall building in the vicinity named Guang Xuan Hotel(广轩大厦).
This is how my room looks like..

There is basically nothing much around there..Only the wholesale market..

And its really huge! Everything in China seems huge nowadays..

And from early morning to about 6pm..its always a hive of activities. People come from all parts of China and the world to buy China made products here.

Of course,our interest for this trip is in kitchen equipment and we spent a total of about 5 days shopping in this place.(i mean ladies..can you imagine guys shopping non-stop for 5 days??)

After Nan Tian, we also have to order furniture from another prefecture Foshan(佛山).

We decided to take the public transport so that we can compare if Singapore's public transport is really world class like what the operators have claimed.I shall share my report on the next posting.

A night of simple entertainment..

2009-05-10T11:35:00.002+08:00

It was the eve of Vesak Day and I have been informed by friends in the drinking circle to 'fall-in' for a night of drinking at Good Cheers Pub.

Under normal circumstances,I would be very happy to oblige.. but I was still recovering from my illness and my body was loaded with a few kinds of medication, so I painfully declined the invitation.

Thus, my Friday evening started with a movie "the Ramen Girl"..it kind of tickled my funny bone such that my friend Alfred thought I was crazy. Straight after the movie, there was a very strong urge for me to eat ramen(you know,the other time alfred & myself saw a stingray swam past the screen,we had a strong urge to eat BBQ stingray too..and we did!), so me & my friend visited a Japanese Restaurant off Upp Thomson Road..Have not visited this place for a very long time, apparently, we over-ordered because we barely made it to 'last order'(..the group that came in after us was send back hungry..) and the irony was that we could not finish our 'ramen'.

After the 10pm dinner,we racked our brains thinking of any location(s) that we could go next without touching any alcohol. Seems to me like there are actually very limited night life in Singapore except drinking places. To cut it short, we ended up in Arab Street vicinity with the intention to smoke the shisha', carefully chose a Reis Turkish Cafe and was seated on a carpet inside.

Along came a 6yr old boy by the name Javier, still in his kindergarten uniform,sat himself down beside me and suggested playing a card came. Boy..his card game' is super boring & meaningless, but Alfred & myself took turns to entertain him while he kept telling us what is going to happen next in the movie on show(think he watched them many times over).My main concern was why Javier was hanging at a place like this since his schooling hours and why he was not tucked in bed yet(he sat with us till we left at almost 3am)? We later learned that his mum is the owner/operator/partner(something like that) of the cafe.

Javier is like a mascot of Reis Turkish Cafe, everybody seems to know him.When I saw Javier, I insisted Alfred to use his phone to snap a picture of Javier with me. He is a very nice kid, well behaved and well mannered..this some how brings out the 'fatherly nature' in me. It makes me feel like its about time for me to be a father! :P Well..I am still a few steps away..must find someone that I can marry 1st.

Maybe I should just make a trip down today to try the Turkish food..but hopefully i'll see Javier again.

Happy Vesak Day !

2009-05-09T03:53:00.001+08:00

T T Tan wishes all Buddhists a Happy Vesak Day!

Bangkok- Friends (will you believe in friendship for life?)

2009-05-06T12:06:00.004+08:00

People come and go in and out of your lives.

Well, I am certainly not referring to just any strangers because they always come & go anyway.

Does the word 'friend' mean anything to you? Are they just someone you approved to be added to your friend list on Facebook or friendster? What do you really look for in a friendship or rather I should say,who do you really consider your friends to be?

I'll leave you all to answer the questions yourself. For myself, a friend is somebody who had shared a certain part of my life experience with me in good faith,no matter how small that part may be. I may not be able to remember all my friends' name or everything about them,but it is the mutual attitude & respect towards each other that counts instead. They can be a familiar face at work, a neighbour you bump into, a drinking regular at a pub, a hawker at a stall you patronize regularly,a business partner or even someone you hate..the list goes on.

Since I had arrived in Bangkok by train, I definitely will take this opportunity to keep in contact with my friends there. Now that I try to recall,I have known them for years (how time flies) despite not having the opportunities to meet up too often.

P'Ja & Pui told me they are waiting at the MacDonald's at Siam Paragon..we got to learn from this meet-up that there are more than 1 MacDonald's in Siam Paragon because we were at different Mac and could not find each other. Luckily nowadays got mobile phones :P

We made appointment to do a tour of 7 temples in the old district with the rest of the gang..most of them are former school mates from Thammasat. I was very impressed that they took efforts to organize a trip like this to stay in touch so many years from school..Makes me feel like calling a class gathering too.

Another group of friends who have been my long time drinking buddies(our friendship started with a Singapore vs Thailand drinking competition on board a barge on a dam years back) and the meet up for this trip was at their company's Christmas/New Year event.

Just when i thought the party has ended(because we already drank quite some),Nong 'A asked me to abandon Aey and join her gang for disco.We squeezed into a cab and head to Ratchada 4. Got a surprise when we got of the cab and i turned around and counted 7 ladies..I was really shocked the taxi could allow 8 passengers in his cab..up til today,I am still scratching my head wondering how it could be possible..

I felt like i was a Guest of Honour attending their "Girls nite out" becoz they refused violently to let me pay for the bottle of whisky..I have confidence that our friendship will not end even if the drinking stops :) Cheers!

Next up is a group of pretty rude,but very humorous friends..P'Ti & P Aey..They are like my big brothers,always taking care of me,helping me..and they are super good drinkers! Only now I just heard P'Ti has been banned from drinking by his wife because of his poor health..I did not know that the last session we had could be the last 'drinking' session..

I believe in fate and destiny..how u got to know your friends among the billions of people in the world.
I take reference from my Bangkok friends here because these are the groups that even if I have not met them for a long time,when you meet up again,you can know that there is no distance between you.

How many of such friends can you count in your lifetime?
How many friends had you promised to stay in touch with over teary goodbyes when u left primary,secondary,college,army,reservist or even your last job? ..will you remember this friend when you bump into him/her on the streets or you try to look the other way because you cannot remember the name?
A true friend is willing to accept the imperfections you have because if he/she cannot,you may not be friends anymore. People come and go, its part of life.

So can friendships really be for life?

When you lose contact with your friends for whatever reasons, if you remember the happy days together..if you remember what good that he/she done for you..if you hold no grudges and come to terms with the concept of forgiving, friendship can really last forever in your heart for the duration of your life.

Even if there is really no God or heaven or hell and you know you will never get to see your friends again on your dying bed, you will still have good memories of good friends you made in your lifetime.

Today is not Friendship Day..its a normal day just like any other you may find on you calendar,but i'll pay a tribute to all my friends wherever you may be..Thank your participation in my life(in part or in full). Thank you for the friendship!

Of Trains and Stations

2009-04-20T03:07:00.003+08:00

The train is often my least frequent mode of transport back home in Singapore(unless you are referring to the subway) and I do enjoy my time on a train. Time on a train is about the journey,it is not as fast as flying, it is noisy, and sometimes,the loo stinks..We could have flown back to Bangkok via Vientiane,but I planned for this train journey and got my friend in Bangkok to purchase the 1st class sleeper tickets way before the actual journey as they are usually sold out.

Hanging around the train station for half a day is really pointless,that I did not plan in advance.However,we observe some things that we normally would not think of..the train is a good cargo transporter judging by the amount of goods unloaded at this out of the way station.

My most distant memories of my 1st train ride were with my parents when i was still a kid.The journey must be to Malaysia..I mean where else can you 'train' to from Singapore?I think back then,the train must have looked like the below picture..non-air-con cabin.

One of my favourite part of the train..they always have a canteen' area where they serve food and drinks.I can barely remember eating an egg back then on the journey with my parents while watching the vegetation and the villages zoom you by.
Nice memories..but since now,since its about the journey,I am glad we were very comfortable in our sleeper cabin.

pardon my socks..I think my sister has got nicer ones.. :P

Nongkhai to Bangkok by train.

2009-04-13T00:39:00.003+08:00

After a good night's rest..I was woken up by the sounds of drum beats and trumpets. The music came from a building a few blocks away,I assumed it must be a school band.

As I made my way down to scout around for a breakfast place,I noticed traffic was stopped at the small lanes and the music is drawing nearer..

It was actually some kind of celebration for a bank down the road and the band marched all the way across the town.
I decided to focus on the breakfast I mentioned earlier and came across what I deemed to be a suitable menu for breakfast that day: The Danish Baker.

This kind of reminds me of the Scandinavian Bakery the day before,only that this place is not as cool in weather and here,they offer 2 warm buns!

I also added to my order a chicken pie,since I have not had one for a long while.When the Chicken Pie came up after my 1st set..never did i expect it to be a set too! I thought it would just be a pie.

I took the brown gravy and poured it onto the pie.

The pie was pretty good..but maybe i was too full to really enjoy it.
12pm was the time to check out of our guest house,but our train schedule was at 6.30pm,and with our big bags and boxes of the the famous Vietnamese food,we decided to go super early to the train station and wait till our train is ready to move.

There were not many people there when we arrived..its like we have the whole station to ourselves..With so much time to wait out,we just go around taking pictures..

I did came across a staff napping on the stuffy cabin in the hot sun..

Thinking back..we must have been very bored spending so much time in waiting..

Crossing into Nongkhai, Thailand.

2009-04-02T00:01:00.003+08:00

After crossing the border into Thai soil across the Friendship Bridge,my feeling back then was like finally returning to familiar grounds again.

Despite the tattered flag in the above photo,we were really glad to see it again. It signifies our completion of one part of the journey and coming back to a familiar part,altough none of us have ever been to Nongkhai before.

Of course,just like any parts of our journey before this on the trip,we did not manage to book any hotel here and thus,our 1st task in this border town is to look for a place to put up for the night.

Simple,clean air-con room with TV at only 400 baht a night..this place is known as Huan-Lai Apartment.

We only managed to find this place with the help of some very helpful tuk-tuk drivers that picked us up from the bus station. The tuk-tuks here are not like those from Bangkok,instead,they more influenced by the Laos type. Here's a photo of how it looks like..

After putting down our stuff at Huan Lai,we started to go around exploring the surrounding areas. A short walking distance away(about 8 minutes)there is a very huge market where you can find anything from clothing,toys,food and all other necessities.

Right beside this market,if you can find any pathways along the rows of shops or walk through any of the food shops that open up at the other side,you will actually come to a seemingly newly built walkway along the length of the river that overlook the other bank belonging to Laos.
We managed to take a rest right after the sun had set and soon,its time for dinner plans. Our plan back then was..we had no plans. We got a tuk-tuk(since they are so helpful and friendly) and asked him to bring us to the most famous restaurant in Nongkhai.We even asked for him to send us back after that because this restaurant is outside of the town.The price for the ride was 100 baht per trip,but there were really no regrets!
The food was really wonderful!I guess all of us enjoy Thai dishes more..
The 1st to come on the table..Tom Yum Gung..hot,spicy and full of ingredients..its better than what we had in Bangkok.

Then along came "Braised duck with mushroom"..

..and also our usual fried egg with minced pork(I still think this dish in Laos may taste better)..

Last but not least,deep fried shrimp cake..crispy on the outside,juicy and soft on the inside..the photo actually cannot do justice to this dish..

Everything about the dinner was right..the location,the cool weather,the hot food.I really wish to have dinner there again.

Travel to Vientaine, Laos PDR part 2

2009-03-18T21:08:00.002+08:00

Dear all,

never did I imagine that when I broke off from my last post, it would actually be a more than one month break. I travelled to Guangzhou and had to clear a lot of backlog at work when I got back.

Now,to very quickly carry on..after the stupa That Luang visit, we moved on to the Patuxai as the sun was setting. 1st thing that caught my eye was a fountain right in front of the monument. It was actually a gift from the Chinese Government to Laos PDR. It makes me wonder if the Singapore Government have ever presented such a gift to their friends..

The tiny park surrounding the Patuxai also gave me the impression that people in Laos treasure their time to exercise more than people in Thailand.

To be honest with you,i personally feel that there is nothing really much to see over this part,maybe because the monument is already past closing time and we could not go up to see the surrounding view. However,since we travelled all the way here,a photo to prove it is indeed a must.

After that,we took a stroll around Vientiane city to look for our dinner. Just to show u a snap shot of how it looks like..

It looks just like any other town in Thailand,but not so much like Bangkok.
We managed to settle for a stall by the river overlooking the other side- Thailand..
There are 2 sections to this stall,one part with tables and chairs..the normal way to have dinner..this did not appeal to me very much..

We choose to sit on the floor by the low table and lay ourselves comfortably on the cushions.

The next morning, we have to make preparations to cross over to Thailand. We arrived at the bus station and it was a very crowded place.Still fascinated with the sandwich sellers on the streets..because over in Singapore,its a much more expensive version known as Subway'.

We have to quickly get the bus tickets..

It still proved to be a very long wait for the bus..

We managed to talk to some tuk tuk drivers who wanted to send us across the Thai-Laos Friendship Bridge for about 40 baht each..Its so different from last night a tuk tuk driver show us a price list of 95000 kips for the same journey! And I thought they did not try to anyhow charge us since they have a price list. Luckily we did not take up his offer.
The bus tickets only cost us 55 baht each..its much cheaper..Altough the tuk tuk is even cheaper,we still chose the bus because we do not know where the tuk tuk is going to drop us.

We managed to get to the border without any hiccups.Time to say good bye to Laos PDR!

Travel to Vientiane, Laos PDR (Part 1)

2009-02-08T01:17:00.005+08:00

After a short flight,

we finally arrived at Wattay International Airport, Vientiane, the capital of Laos.

Welcome to Vientiane !

Of course,as usual,we did not managed to book a hotel in advance,so at the taxi counter,we were at a loss what to say when asked about our destination. I recalled a hotel name and got us right into the heart of the city,unfortunately,it was fully taken up for the evening.

The best solution out of this was simply to ask the reception if they have any other places nearby that they could recommend? The staff was really helpful and we managed to find it in the next street after 2 corners.

After dumping our bags in the room,we rushed out to explore the city for food. We were really famished and this place is bigger than Luang Prabang and its our 1st time in this unfamiliar place.

After walking about 20 mins in the relatively warmer weather(about 26-28 degrees celcius),we came across a western/oriental/indian fusion kind of restaurant and the name is East meets West.

I ordered curry chicken rice to see if the curry is any different from Singapore.

It is not as spicy,but the aroma is more intense and I really cleaned up my plate.
As for my sister,she got herself a plate of Pasta..I think it tasted great too..and when you are hungry,everything seems to taste very good :)

Looks delicious isn't it?

My Thai friend got his fried rice with pork..

My Singapore friend ordered rice noodles with pork. At first I was wondering what that was on the menu,but when it arrived,I realised that was what I would call 'bee hoon' in Singapore.

Now, my dear readers..Which one do you think is the most delicious of them all? :)

After the wonderful lunch, we decided to visit 2 places of attractions on that day itself altough it is already close to 4pm (It means we do not have much time left for the day!)

The 2 locations are the famous That Luang Stupa and the Patuxai' and we definitely did not have the time to walk there.As we were walking on the street towards the direction that we wanted to go,we saw a row of tuk tuks..the local 3 wheel motorised transport and they wasted no time to get us in. In fact,they actually have with them a price list with colour photos..however,we still thought it was pretty steep because initially they tried charging us per pax per destination.

After a bit of negotiation and showmanship on our part,we managed to lower the price because the 2 destinations are actually quite near to each other. Spend money to save time or spend time to save money? We did not have much time then.

We arrived at the That' Luang Stupa 1st..They were constructing a major road right in front of the entrance,so we have to walk a bit.

The entrance to the stupa seems to be surrounded by a man made park and its quite uplifting to the spirits to see kids play on the carpet grass fields. They have nothing much to play with..no swings or merry-go-round..only friends. How I miss my friends..

Anyway,the entrance was as far as we got to..the place was already closed for the day. I noticed the entrance fees here seems so much cheaper than Luang Prabang..even for foreigners!

This place was built in 1566AD..but I really do not know how long ago was that!
Read the history from the following photo if you got good eyesight :)

I think the golden stupa reflecting rays of the setting sun looks beautiful..Allow me to break today's post here with the next picture :)

Travel to Luang Prabang, Laos PDR (Part 10)

2009-01-31T21:40:00.003+08:00

Good gracious..Luang Prabang in 10 parts and not finished yet? Maybe I should not go into too much details or I'll never be able to finish and move on within the year :P

This episode, let me bring you to one of the most temple in Luang Prabang, so because it is perched on top of a hill(300 over steps up) that overlook the whole city.

The view that you get when you arrive to the top is pretty breath taking..partly because of the climb.I do not think it is worth the 20,000 kip entrance fee..but can you imagine going thousands of miles to reach that place and not pay it a visit? If I don't, I must be crazy.

On my way up,I came across two pots of flowers and the flower pot stands. Generous gifts from the USA during the Vietnam war era.

Besides the view,I climbed all the way up to see this.....

and this.....sun set!

It was really not easy for me to take that shot because there were a lot of tourist cramming to take the same shots and most of them were taller than me! See below:

The next morning,I woke up very early at about 6am for a must see event that I had missed out for the past 2 days. Really wonder how I managed to wake so early..
This ceremony is known locally as 'Tak Bak',the giving of alms to monks and it happens every morning because what the monks can eat are given by the local community. Monks make their rounds and have to be back at their temple by 8am and they are not supposed to eat after noon.

What attracts me is the feeling that the culture and the community bonding here is much stronger than in Thailand. I really hope they can preserve this beautiful tradition and not let progress weaken it.

After the rounds,I woke my sister and my friend and readied them for breakfast. Sticking to our rule of not eating at the same place,we discovered our best breakfast on this last morning in Luang Prabang.

This whole place practically looked like a farang town,so of course we must try the authentic farang breakfast!

I was so excited when I happen to stand on the door step of Scandinavian Bakery..I ever read about it on a forum,so I told my sister,"Let's do this breakfast here!"

I cannot use words in my vocabulary to explain my satisfaction. My only regret was: Why din I discover this place earlier?? If I did,would I have had breakfast there everyday then?

All kinds of bread that you would expect to find in a real bakery..

Add on some fresh vegetables from the river bank nearby..

And my favourite ham omelet..the eggs in Luang Prabang simply taste different!

With a bit of spare time left before heading for the airport,I went alone revisit the river that I could not bear to part with..

But confirm last day always got something special. No,this special arrangement was not by me..It was by God,who created everything and make it so beautiful for His sons to enjoy..He gave me music and songs to go with the scenery..

This guy was just sitting at the next table strumming his guitar and singing English,Thai & Laotian songs..His voice was normal,but in the environment,its one of the most touching tunes I have heard for the whole trip!

We chatted a little and he was quite surprised that a Singaporean can speak Thai and find his way around in Luang Prabang. Hey Singaporeans and all global citizens..dun always go Bangkok shopping only,you can also drop by Luang Prabang while it is still holding its present charms!

With a very heavy heart,I handed my boarding pass for my next destination to the officer at the airport. Hopefully I can revisit the place one day and still be mesmerized by the city's charms.

Vientiane...Here I come!

Happy Lunar New Year+Luang Prabang Architecure

2009-01-26T00:23:00.006+08:00

Its just past midnight and I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my readers a very healthy and wealthy Lunar New Year.

Normally at this time, every year in the past more than a decade,I would be at Kwang Meng Mountain' templein Bishan to pray and subsequently to the Kwan Im temple at Waterloo St. I still remember how it all started when I first obtained my driving license in 1997,I drove my Dad's lorry around filled with my friends.

It was fun back then as we were the young ones. Now when I see my younger cousins earlier during reunion dinner, my memories shifted back to the past and I decided to blog about it. My cousin got a driving license too,but I do not think he is as adventurous as I was.

Of couse,as the years past us by, my group of friends still carry on the tradition. However,of course some of them got married,have their family and so on..and I am kind of like a Christian now..but yet miss this tradition. I would have carry on, but today,this activity may not hold much meaning for me anymore..not without my friends.

I guess life is just like that, people come and go..or stay.It is not like me to feel melachonic on Lunar New Year's eve,but I do treasure my friends.

Ok,enough of the Lunar New Year..Let me show you more of Luang Prabang:

Today I am going to touch on the aspect of Luang Prabang that amazes me very much: its architecure. If I am not wrong,the Laos Government is also having a struggle of whether to allow the buildings to go higher to cater to the demand-which at the same time will cause them to lose the UNESCO World Heritage Site status of to still keep its charms and let the demand overflow.

I was very impressed by the buildings..many of them older than me..or even older than my dad!

Personally,I think the buildings..at a maximum height of 2 storeys max fits just right to give the city its rustic charms and I hope that they will keep it this way for the future generations to enjoy.

However if one day they can no longer keep the city like it is now..I am glad I have managed to 'freeze' this era with the follow photos for our future generations to refer to.

Now that you have seen the architecure, do you think this heritage should be preserved?

Travel to Luang Prabang, Laos PDR (Part 9)

2009-01-22T02:30:00.002+08:00

The next morning, my sister was not going to wake up anytime soon and I decided to explore the city on foot with Aey. Getting sick of temples,we decided to open our eyes to other adventures..
How about going onto the uncompleted bridge? :)

Just Do It! Altough there was a guy wanting to bring us across by boat,we took the risk on the flimsy bamboo,uncompleted bridge.

We had always viewed the rows and rows of vegetable from across the river..but now I can finally touch them..It calls for a smoking celebration!

After crossing through the farm,we climbed up a very steep slope and discovered a paradise of sorts..It looked like some kind of resort under the shades of bamboo(I mean real bamboo plants) and part of it was still under construction..the bamboo huts etc..but this place is in the perfect setting,shaded and in cool weather,overlooking the other side of the bank(where we came from)..

Oh..so it is a restaurant! Name of it: Dyen Sabai..well,we were hungry..so time to order our breakfast/lunch.I order apple fruit shake, fresh vegetables,fried rice and my friend ordered his favourite fried egg with minced pork..but we were surprised the egg was below the rice.It was quite creative! See the pic below.

I went back and got my sister to the same place again..I guess she was really happy about this place too..It was already like 3pm..but guess what she ordered for her past-lunchtime' kind of lunch?

Well..life is always full of ironies..American breakfast and mango crepe'..while she is slowly taking her time to eat,my friend and myself being too full or too tired made ourselves feel at home..

On our way back,we managed to snap a few pictures of monks building the bridge and kids playing around it. Life here is simple,but they have their fun too!

Travel to Luang Prabang, Laos PDR (Part 8)

2009-01-17T01:31:00.004+08:00

We arrived back to Luang Prabang City at the onset of nightfall and walked the night market as usual. At the other end of the night market,we found some sandwich stalls. Enticed by the wide variety of ingredients,we decided to try..half a sandwich each. Its like a generic version of Subway.Ingredients includes pork floss,ham,chicken and egg strips,lots of vegetables and mayonaise.

After that,we managed to get directions from a local to a back alley. To our surprise,the back alley sells all kinds of food at a not so inflated pricing. Our particular interest is the roast chicken. They have roast fish too,but I guess roast chicken should go better with beer.

Eating it hot on a cold night should bring you long lasting memories :)
Unfortunately,our memories were eroded some what by the amount of beer we consumed in celebration of the destinations we visited earlier in the day.

We got pretty drunk..but my friend Aey managed to grab my camera and took the following shot..

Of course,the next day,he could not remember he took photo of this girl..luckily,my non-drinking sister was able to vouch for me :)
For me,I could not really remember how I could walk back to our guest house..If I did not remember wrongly,I bought some more beer at the guest house(because there were no TV!)..but I fell asleep before I could finish half of it.

Travel To Luang Prabang, Laos PDR (Part 7)

2009-01-16T18:32:00.004+08:00

After the Pak Ou Caves, Weaving Village, and temple(s) visit,we barely have time to visit our last destination: Kouang Xi Waterfalls..Together with the Bear Rescue Centre along the way.

The water is cool and is of a greenish blue tone and provided us with many photo taking opportunities as we climb all the way up to the Highest(and strongest) waterfall at the end. The mists created was so strong that it got my camera lenses wet..

Enjoy the photos:

Travel to Luang Prabang, Laos PDR (Part 6)

2009-01-15T23:21:00.004+08:00

Now we arrive at our next destination..The weaving village Bang Xanghai.

The 1st welcome we received upon arrival are rows and rows of home made Lao Whisky..hmm..i thought this is a weaving village??
The extraordinary point about these whisky is shown below..I was given a small cup to try..and then I saw what was it made of..

I decided that the whisky is not really my type(s)..so I declined to purchase and walked in..saw some chickens..

..of course against a backdrop of fine cloths that were freshly woven from silk and other materials. Of course,my sister also took the opportunity to show off her weaving skills..

but along came a native competitor... :P

We ended up buying some silver(instead of cloth) in a weaving village..were we drunk from that small tiny cup of whisky we tried earlier? Or because we met a formidable salesgirl(see her facial expression when we tried telling her we were not buying)??

Soon,its time we move on to the next destination..but that's not what I am going to talk about at the moment. I would like to point out that cars here are Left Hand Driven..

Most of the roads in Laos( I read about 70%) were unpaved..the 30% paved ones consists mainly of 2 lanes..one in each direction. I had observed that the seafarer's rule was practiced more as a rule of thumb. Look at the picture below..slow moving vehicles like the motorcycle will not move to the side to give way..they will still stubbornly in the middle of the lane and it will be the driver's prerogative to overtake. That means no one will ride/drive to the side for you to overtake..they will stick right in the middle of the lane..and you find your own opportunity to overtake at your own risk by cutting into the other lane.

We were on our way to the various famous temples in town..but I shall not touch too much on that. The next update shall be on our visit to a very beautiful waterfall..please stay tuned :)

PAYM Policy Forum Series- New Media, A Boon or Bane?

2009-01-11T20:42:00.004+08:00

I managed to take part in my 1st ever forum yesterday 10th Jan 2009 at Singapore Arts Museum.

Without knowing what such a forum is all about,I was full of anticipation before the event.

When I arrived at the registration counter, the friendly guy asked me which group I would like to participate in? New media and politics, New media, family & community or New media,ethics and responsibility? I do not know which group to choose,so I asked him to just assign me. He grouped me under Ethics and Responsibility and gave me a yellow sticker to identify myself with fellow group mates.

Next,they encouraged me to have a bite at the buffet..mee siam,spring rolls,some puff..standard stuff,but I was quited pleased with how well organised everything was.

I sat down at my table and looked through the 'goodie pack'..A set of 5 highlighters arranged in a flower shape, a water bottle..(Gosh..at 1st I thought it was plastic,but this is the more expensive metal bottle in shiny black covered in a black nylon bag!).

Three panelists introduced for this forum:

1. Mr Cheong Yip Seng, Chairman of AIMS(Advisory Council on the Impact of new Media on Society)

2. Ms Irene Ng, MP for Tampines GRC

3. Mr Poh Yang Cheng, Manager of TOUCH Cyber Wellness & Sports.

I feel that it was a very fruitful and engaging event because I participated in the discussion(s) at my table after the opening addresses by the panelists. To summarize what the panelists addresses were, they basically outlined the new media, quoted examples of Malaysia's recent shocking election results because the ruling party did not engage the voters on issues like cost of living,corruption..etc. and also how a Filipino president was overthrown because people were able to mobilise the the public using SMS.

Mr Cheong also managed to expressed his 'minor' disappointment in the government rejecting 1/3 of his council's recommendation..or like how Ms Irene Ng put it.."the government accepted 2/3 of the council's recommendation". the main point of contention seems to be the Government's stand to accept feedback from their main stream platform..REACH. The irony was that i asked around my table of 8 which includes a Malaysian,an Indonesian,some PA youths..non of us have visited or know about REACH :)

I shall input the link here for all my readers' benefit:

http://app.reach.gov.sg/reach/default.aspx

Of course, there were people who mentioned about having to input his NRIC number to leave a comment and this draws laughter across the floor. From Ms Ng's explanation, I supposed our Government's fear of the Internet is that people can hide behind the anonymity and like what my group mate Harold Fong said "get away with murder".

The various groups have intense discussions and each table finally presented their conclusions through their facilitators. The panelists then further share their views and knowledge with us and during the final Q&A session, some very interesting points and questions were brought up by the film makers present.

Ms Irene Ng was happy with the feedback she gathered and promised to bring up some of the points discussed in the next parliament sitting. She assured us that the Government is currently pouring in the resources to engage the public in the new media. Mr Cheong also advised that the new media is a neutral platform which is non-partisan and take no sides. However,he predicts that in Singapore for a long time to come will still rely heavily on the mainstream media despite all these ongoing hype..new media currently is unable to equal norr replace the mainstream media in the near future.

I enjoyed the forum very much and gained a wider perspective after the event.

Travel to Luang Prabang, Laos PDR (Part 5)

2009-01-11T16:32:00.003+08:00

I woke up pretty early the next day, before 8am.

The weather is much colder than usual and I decided to have breakfast by the riverbank again.

As usual,I have to wait...and wait for my sister :)

After breakfast, the 1st attraction we chosen was to visit Pak Ou Caves. A normal journey would be about 1 hour plus journey by boat, but as it was the dry season, we could go by land to as near as possible and cross over by boat. We arrived at a village at the crossing point.

My sister and myself were fascinated by the farm animals that we saw..chicken(and chicks),ducks, piglets..Its like we had never seen them for real and we became excited like kids again!

The fact was apparent to us that we do appreciate the simple village life and everything moves around at a slower pace. People here virtually grow their own vegetables, rear their own meat..and enjoy what mother Nature got to offer them..let me add..catch their own fish too!

These fishes were just caught from the river and they were still alive. As we descend the sandy steps of the riverbank from the village, we have arrived at the crossing point.

Time to board the sampan boat and go search for the caves..

On our way to the upper cave,a bunch of kids tried to sell us various birds and rodent for us to set free..I bought a tiny bird in a bamboo cage from this kid..

The difference about the upper cave is that its totally dark inside and you will not realise what is one the wall until my camera flash bounced off the cave walls..Luckily this is only a stone dragon.. :P

The guard dog(puppy) at the entrance of the upper cave..so cute!

Before we knew it..its time for us to depart and move on to the next attraction : Ban Xang Hai weaving village. We subsequently carry on our journey on the minivan we arrived in and took some scenic photos along the way.

Travel to Luang Prabang, Laos PDR (Part 4)

2009-01-08T19:34:00.002+08:00

The verdict for the burger: It's wonderful! Altough the patty was pretty thin,it was the most tender that I had ever tried! In fact,I broke my rule of not eating the same thing at the same place by getting another burger the next day..

Next, I moved on to the night market..from 6pm everyday, a main street is cordoned off and it becomes the night market..but different stalls sell almost the same things.

Well..almost the same except when I come across a food stall..you know,when the weather is cold,I tend to get hungry easier. I can't help but wish to find out what this stall is selling and whether if its delicious..

delicious..? Well..nothing beat a bowl of hot soupy noodles filled with lots of fresh herbs on a cold night walking along a night market!

After walking around for the evening,since its the 1st night,I paid particular attention to the "locking time" of my guest house..I must be back before 12 midnight..I reached at about 10.30pm. I do not think I can fall asleep easily..especially there was no TV in my room..

I have to find a solution to sleep easier..

The Guest House counter had beer for sale..so I got 4 bottles for myself and sat at the stone table just outside to finish it..a bit scared they will lock the door if I return late :P

:P That did helped me fall asleep..and its pretty cheap..

The next day I plan to wake about 8am and go places..seldom wake so early nowadays..wonder if I need an alarm clock..

Anyway, stay tuned for more adventure..Cheers!

Travel to Luang Prabang, Laos PDR (Part 3)

2009-01-07T20:39:00.006+08:00

Navigating around Luang Prabang was easy..we got to know

the general layout of the town and we went places..easily.

After a short while,we came across some commotion on the

stream..I looked down and saw some young monks and

villiagers carrying bamboo poles and tools..

They are actually building a bridge across to the other side

and it was 3/4 completed. Very interesting indeed.

At about 6pm,we have to return the bicycles and use our

own legs instead. Walking around is easy to as the temperature

was very cool..I simply love this kind of weather..I guess

about 18 degrees C.

Of course,against what my friend had advised, I ate

anything that I could find. There was this Hamburger

stall at the corner of a junction just opposite the

police post. They claimed that they sell the good

tasting hamburger at the cheapest price in Luang

Prabang..I mean how could I not try it??

Travel to Luang Prabang (Part 2)

2009-01-07T01:01:00.007+08:00

Let the journey continue..

1st question upon arrival at Luang Prabang Airport..How to get into town??
There is a Taxi counter just outside the airport,flat rate 300 baht for the 4 of us.
Then came the 2nd question, the driver asked "where to?"..Well,I haven really thought about that.I did try to make a reservation somewhere,but its full.

The driver was very helpful,he drove us around and waited patiently for us while we went around asking each guesthouse for the pricing. 1st one we got to was full,USD85..after much negotiation,they are willing to accept USD60..unfortunately,I was not willing to pay :P

The owner recommended us to one of her friend's place when we told her we were only willing to pay only about USD35. She directed us to go over.Silichith Guest House..We took a look at the room..giant bed..spacious room..hot shower..but no TV!

We managed to further negotiate the price to 500 baht per night. We checked in happily :)

Next,time to find something to eat..for lunch.The advice I got from my friend before I went,they found only one place with good food and they went back there everyday to eat..well..

This place that we checked into,they operate an eating place just beside the stream about 20 metres walk away. Let me explain here what is this stream..when we saw it,this 'stream' was like..wider than the Kallang River in Singapore!

When we saw the scenery..we just kept taking photos..it was quite a sight!

Well,the food was great,especially in such a cool weather..but I was determined not to eat there everyday! After lunch,we got energy to start exploring the town.

The nearest temple from my guesthouse is Wat Paphai..well,all the temple looks the same to me. Walking on,we decided to explore the town on a bicycle,so we looked around to rent one. There was this shop that required a USD50 deposit,we gave it a miss. We found one along the main street and we negotiated the price as we only had 3 hours left before they close at

6pm.

With almost brand new bicycles, our speed increases..

Stay tuned for more later.. :)

Travel to Luang Prabang, Laos PDR (Part 1)

2009-01-06T13:21:00.007+08:00

Ever heard of a place named Luang Prabang in Laos PDR(People's Democratic Republic)?

For the past 2 years, I have always wanted to visit Laos,but always procrastinated as I had always imagined it to be a more 'difficult' destination compared with Bangkok.

I know I did not want to wait anymore..by hook or by crook,even if I had to go alone,I made Luang Prabang one of my destination for my December 2008 holidays.

The arrangement was pretty challenging and I would like to thank my friends who had been there before for their advice and the forums that I did my research on before my trip.

My route of advancement was finalised as such: Fly to Bangkok, then fly to Luang Prabang,then fly down to Vientiane,then 'bus' into Nong Khai(north eastern Thailand) and 'train' down to Bangkok before flying back to Singapore.

My travelling partners for my Laos trip includes a friend from Thailand and one from Singapore plus my sister,they accepted my invitation at quite the last minute, but I guess we were all quite pleased we managed to pull everything together and we enjoyed the trip very much.

Allow me to share my trip with all of you over the next few days and please feel free to comment and ask any questions along the way. At the end of the whole series,I will put up a slideshow(special thanks to www.phlook.com for teaching me how to do that) for the series. Now sit back and enjoy the journey..while I try to be your travel guide :)

There are not many ways to get to Luang Prabang that I know of,only by air or by road..I chose to fly in. I guess the airport can only take small propeller aircrafts,I did not see any jet engine aircafts there. Today's post shall have to stop at my arrival at Luang Prabang Airport(got to go work)..I will carry on later,so please stay tuned. Thank you.

On trip to Indochina

2008-12-15T17:24:00.002+08:00

Dear all...

*Ahem* The Author(that's me :) will be away on a trip to Laos and Thailand to find interesting locations to share with all of you. I should be back on the 7th Jan 09. I would like to take this opportunity to wish everybody a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2009!

1st time i tried Dog Meat!

2008-12-14T22:51:00.004+08:00

Dear readers,

I shall share with you the struggle i went through to try my 1st attempt to eat Dog Meat yesterday..Not Hotdogs mind you..its real dog meat. I mean where do you find dog(s) meat dishes in Singapore?? I was invited by my friend,who is a chef from China.

When I told my friends I am going to try it, i got a range of mixed reactions.."be careful dogs will bite you!" I mean please,i was bitten by a small dog before..even when i did not eat Dog's Meat! Some say its very cruel..I mean u eat Chicken, Mutton, Pork not cruel right? Are these made from flour?

Despite my logic,I did hesitate a bit because I do accord a special status to dogs. In the end,after beers + whiskey+ brandy..it taste just like a mix between mutton+chicken and maybe pork too!

The soup was very good..

Civilian Food of the SAF Commandos

2008-12-12T15:40:00.007+08:00

The Changi Village Food Centre was the nearest and most convenient way for Commandos to get a share of civilian food during their nights off or book out..or we even packet them back to Hendon Camp..

I have not really eaten our favorite Nasi Lemak(genuine one okay) since I stood down from National Service 2 years ago in 2006. When I 1st joined the Commandos in 1997,one such serving of Nasi Lemak(see pic below) only cost $2. When I stood down in 2006,it was $2.50..

When I ate it yesterday, the basic Nasi Lemak cost $3..there used to be price war..some selling at $2.50, some stalls would sell at $2. I guess they had a meeting just like OPEC..just like the petroleum companies..all sell at $3! Smart people.

Lets take a look at our most ordered dessert back then..see pic below..It looks a bit different now,but I assure you its from the same store..and the price now..? $2

What I finally ate for that evening, Nasi Lemak plus an Otah..$4..and the Almond Longan $2..all these for old times sake. The only thing lacking is the company..or platoon or section or your camp mates. Where are you all old guys??

Now I am beginning to seriously wonder what kind of civilian food the Commandos at the new camp eats. What food is it that still connects them to the civilian world? Anyone got the answers for me?

D'Kranji Farm Resort and Villas!

2008-12-11T19:55:00.002+08:00

How long was it since I last stepped into a field...?

Its not that I have nothing to do,In fact I have a viewing coming up yesterday evening. I have been thinking of visiting D'Kranji for the past few days. I came across it while researching where to organise a BBQ for my team next year

Yesterday,I decided to drive to think corner of Singapore to see what has changed..

To my surprise,this is a pretty new development and they call it "Agro-tainment"..looks like there will be some activities coming up in this area..

Pls see the pictures below.

Unfortunately,the villas are too small for my group of agents,otherwise,this could be a very fresh location..

Dinner Tonight..Teppanyaki + Chicken Kaminabe!

2008-12-03T04:19:00.007+08:00

Dear friends..

Please do not think that I am using any Hokkien vulgar words if I told you I ate Kaminabe' tonight..no pun intended..its Chicken Kaminabe' :P

I was very stressed up in the afternoon today,having to rush to Woodlands to do final inspection with my buyer and also to apply for my University studies..as I was finishing up,my best buddy Alan Koh called me up to go for dinner.

Location over the phone was this mall in Hougang,"last time got NTUC club one..now still dunno have or not.."..that shd be Hougang Mall..

We did met there..but it was the wrong location..it shd be the mall at 900 series..Hougang Pt..
We got there nonetheless and true enogh,there is this Sakae Sushi outlet that has Teppanyaki and sushi at the same time..

Wonderful meal..more because of the company than the quality of the food. I was very fasinated by this dish..Chicken Kaminabe'..a stew on a piece of paper literally..but it sounds like a Hokkien word I used to fire off when i am with close friends.. see the above picture*

My friend's 30th Birthday Celebration

2008-11-30T13:36:00.003+08:00

How time flies..

It is at and around this age that we approach "mid-life"
It is at and around this age you get invited to many weddings..
..and baby showers too.

I have this very long time buddy named Alfred.
Recently,prior to his birthday,his ex broke up with him..

Anyway,I organized a celebration for him on his actual birthday and throw in a few good friends to make the "Drink,Drank & Drunk" series an overwhelming success for single and available just like us.

A picture tells a thousand words..I have always been fascinated by pictures..Recently,I discovered Phlook Beta..its my 1st time creating a slide show..Lets see how it turns up. Special thanks to the founder of Phlook for ur advice and guidance as I am not good with computer stuff :)

I would also like to thank the management & staffs of D'Dragonfly: Lily,Peggy,Nancy & Tina for doing us a favour(becoz I called quite last minute).

I also thank all friends who turned up and shared in the joy. Check out the photos below..they look very nonsensical..but its great fun!

I have stopped smoking since that night..lets hope I can be successful this time round.

Law minister says Singaporeans should welcome foreign workers

2008-11-12T12:03:00.002+08:00

I was reading Lilian Lee's blog when I came across the topic being mentioned and I would like to add on my opinion(s).

Law minister says Singaporeans should welcome foreign workers

Mr Shanmugam said....

"There are some jobs that Singaporeans won't do, and then there are some jobs that Singaporeans cannot do... We need to be welcoming our guest workers; we need to be welcoming our expatriates, all of that in pursuit of our national interest."

Is it true?

I would like to share my recent observations. I see a lot of them across various industries..

Recently,I was learning to drive a boat. When I took my theory test,I came across a group of 6 or 7 PRCs taking the same theory test in Chinese.

I asked them out of curiosity as even a lot of Singaporeans do not have this license(PPCDL) yet..I asked them why they need the license for?

They replied that they are employed by the PUB..they will be driving boats all around in our rivers and reservoirs..and i was thinking.."hey,what a fun job it must be! Why would there be no local(s) wanting to take up this job?"

I do not think that our Ministers are hiding in ivory towers..the fact that this group of people I met is being employed one way or another by the PUB..the fact that their work permits are all issued by MOM for them to work here..in fact, every time they change company,they got to submit a new application. I guess our Government knows exactly what these foreigners are working as.

I have heard about a lot of complaints about how foreigners snatch away the jobs of Singaporeans etc.etc...but I also do see it from a different angle.

How about if you are the employer? Who would you employ?

Would you pay $1000 a month for a hardworking foreign employee who works 12hrs shift(+ ever willing to learn new things) or would you pay $1400(not including CPF contributions) for an older, slower local who share the nation's favorite pass time of complaining how they cannot work more than 8-hour shifts..so old already,how can they still 'absorb' if they were to go to 'study'(upgrade their skills etc).

If you are the Boss..its not a very tough choice to make indeed because your main considerations in business would be profit oriented.

What if you are the consumer? Take for example our local malay barber shop..the kind of place I visited since young to get my haircut. They price tag is about $6-$8. Would you ever be able to imagine that nowadays, some hairdressing salons that are mostly staffed by foriegners are able to do a cut + wash + blow dry for just $7.80?

If these 2 examples above are almost side by side in the same location,which one would you patronize?

I am a real estate agent and I have foriegner agents under me. The minimum requirment for them to be an agent in Singapore is that they need to be PR. One of them was studying for his PhD,but abolished his studies midway and shine out as an outstanding agent. I am not the one paying their salary..we are all self employed and they really earn their own keep.

I welcome foriegners to Singapore. I also share the Singaporeans' concern. Based on what I share here so far, make a guess who I think could be the biggest employer in Singapore?

IF you are the biggest employer in Singapore, would you think of your own pocket 1st or the pockets of the workers on the streets?

IF you are the consumer, 2 shops side by side selling almost the same thing at different prices..would you choose to buy at the cheaper one?

The 2 IFs i just mentioned,you just need to balance it. I believe that all Civil Service and Stat Boards & government linked companies should minimise foriegn employment. I believe the talent pool of Singaporeans shd be able to fill most of the jobs,they just need to pay them better for these 'talents' to step out.

I also hope that the government can really take better care of the people..these are the people who helplessly pay them the top salaries..These are the people who are their firm supporters..these people who voted them in democratically with vast majority & resounding mandate, election after election.

Talking about salaries..petrol prices has been revised downwards twelve times this year already..anyone knows when are our Ministers going to review their salaries now that we have gone though 2 quarters of negative growth?

Finally..my 1st blog :)

2008-10-19T04:22:00.002+08:00

Ladies & Gentlemen ... *drum roll* ..

Time now 5.01am. After exploring with this thingy (blogger.com) for 4 hours in the wee morning, I have finally managed to put together what I would call a blog..

I am supposed to have a fasting blood test tomorrow morning and I cannot be doing my favorite activity(see picture to guess) on a Saturday night,thus causing me to be sleepless.

Now that I am sleepy,I dare not fall asleep because a heavy responsibility lay on my shoulders and it requires my attention and action very early in the morning(at a time when I am normally far from waking up). I will disappoint a lot of Singaporeans, residents, and members of the Workers' Party who will be selling the Hammer' if I cannot deliver my promise. That will not be the end of my day later though. Its only the beginning..

The next activity is to meet the doctor for the blood test! The next activity to follow is to attend a close friend's daughter 1st month party in Punggol, after which I will have to go to work in Sembawang. In between the above-mentioned schedule, I will need to find time to staple 1000 pieces of my name cards to the same number of fliers so that my work in Sembawang can proceed smoothly...all these under the condition of the lack of sleep. I can only hope that all these hardships that I will have to go through can get me a wonderful night of sleep tomorrow night.

The only thing I can look forward to now..I can get to eat after the blood test!