From The Straits Times :
March 13, 2005
Extra-marital affairs: Will you get fired?
S'pore firms likely to take action; but singles are mostly in the clear
By Joyce Hooi and Sharlene Tan
AN OFFICE romance may earn you a nudge and a wink but an extra-marital affair with a colleague will very likely get you the boot in Singapore.
Nearly 20 companies told The Sunday Times that while they have no issues with, and even welcome, consensual relationships between single employees, many consider affairs to be dangerous liaisons which can cost a worker his job.
That was the line former Boeing chief executive Harry Stonecipher, 68, crossed early this month when he was fired for having an extra-marital affair with Ms Debra Peabody, 48, a Boeing vice-president who did not report directly to him.
Mr Stonecipher is married with two children and two grandchildren, while Ms Peabody is single.
Like Boeing, Canon Singapore does not tolerate infidelity.
The digital imaging firm, which has about 750 employees, has a number of ways of dealing with extra-marital affairs among workers, though such a need has never arisen. These range from counselling to outright termination, if the relationship becomes a full-blown scandal.
A company spokesman said: 'While we do not have a written policy, we strongly discourage affairs between couples where one or both of them are already married.
'If it affects working relationships and the morale of other staff members, we will intervene. We do not tolerate any sort of behaviour that could embarrass the company.'
Ms Carol Ho, a consultant for recruitment consultancy Michael Page International, said some companies go even further - they forbid employees from dating.
This is ostensibly done to prevent a sharing of sensitive information across departments, she said.
Other companies The Sunday Times spoke to said they are open to workplace relationships - unless conflicts of interest threaten workplace morale, or a cheating employee's spouse complains.
Telco M1 said that it respects employees' relationships, but these 'should not interfere with their official duties, have any adverse impact on their respective areas of work or create a professional conflict of interest'.
Other companies such as Sentosa Leisure Group, Marina Mandarin, and KFC and Pizza Hut, take a similar stance.
A Public Service Division spokesman said the civil service avoids 'posting married couples to a unit where one partner is subordinate to the other'.
Although most companies take a dim view of illicit affairs, a handful adopt a totally hands-off approach.
A spokesman for a local company said: 'We do not have a moral code, but we have an ethical one. We are not a church. Who are we to tell people how to live their personal lives?'
He added: 'We do not interfere in our employee's personal lives as long as what they do does not affect their performance or the business. We leave it very much to the integrity of the employees to separate their personal lives from their business lives.'
Other people The Sunday Times spoke to said that even if a company had rules about extra-marital affairs in the workplace, they can be hard to enforce.
A former dealer with a bank revealed that he once had a two-year relationship with a female colleague from a different department. He said the company did not take any action, nor did colleagues bring it up.
'It's not like we were behaving inappropriately in the office and from what I know there's no written policy about office relationships. It's very human to fall in love, one shouldn't be penalised for that,' he said.
This reminded me of the situation of one of my friend whose relationship with his gf in JC was discovered by the school administration and they started to exert all sorts of pressure on them to break up. I can understand all the arguments about conflict of interests, work productivity blah blah. But still I can't help but feel that relationships in the workplace should not really be frowned upon (extra marital affairs is quite something else and I don't think I have a firm opinion on that). As the last line paragraph, it is very human to fall in love. If your boss (who controls your bread and butter) clamps down and nips your romance in the bud, it is a sad workplace indeed. After all, we spend a significant portion of our time working and the chances of liking someone in our work place is much higher than say love at first sight across the dance floor in Zouk. If we are going to clamp down on work place romances, then we really should not be surprised at the low birth rates etc. Singapore is also burdened by the NS system, which makes it hard for romances from school to continue through to adulthood. That basically leaves university life and workplace as the main areas to find a life partner (well at least without the help of SDU). If workplace romance threatens your rice bowl, then I guess if you come out of university life single, then perhaps what the MCDS guy said during DPPS in July is true: "You are basically screwed".
From The Straits Times:
March 13, 2005
Have game, will travel
But remember to buy your Premiership tickets early or you may end up punching yourself
By Chan Yi Shen
THE English Premiership's blend of fire and flair has been winning football fans all over the world. Not least the young generation brought up on Big League soccer. More and more Singaporeans are leaving home with their favourite English team's jersey in their travelling bags.
While VisitBritain does not have the exact number of Singaporeans visiting England to watch the Premier League, the tourism board's South-east Asia manager Alex Mawer reveals that football is a major reason why the country attracts around 90,000 Singaporeans yearly.
Arsenal fan Elvin Chong was among those who made his long-awaited trip to Highbury last May.
The plan was to watch his Gunners take on Leicester in their final home game of the season.
The significance of the match was not lost on the 26-year-old fresh graduate.
The clash was a historic occasion for the Gunners, who were hoping to end the entire season undefeated.
As it turned out, they succeeded with a 2-1 win.
But he did not get to watch history unfold before his eyes as he failed to secure tickets for the game.
So how does one avoid the disappointment that Chong felt when he was locked out?
Obviously, early planning is a must - or you may end up punching yourself for not getting the tickets earlier, paying an exorbitant price on the black market or having smoke blown into your eyes in a dingy pub while drowning your sorrows.
Fortunately for Chong, all's well that ends well.
After graduating from Nanyang Technological University in December, he embarked on another football trip.
This time, his 10-day trip included five Premier League matches, a Champions League match and a League Championship (last season's previous English First Division) match.
The highlight of his itinerary? The London derby between Arsenal and Chelsea on Dec 12.
Unlike before, planning for the big trip started as far back as September.
He said: 'I knew there was no chance of getting a ticket for that game through the club website, so I went for the hospitality package instead.'
At a hefty £250 (S$780), it came with a talk by Arsenal legend Charlie George, buffet lunch, souvenirs and post-game tea.
Said Chong, a fan since the age of 10: 'Somehow, I don't feel like a real Arsenal fan without watching a real competitive game.
'It's that special buzz that comes with being at the stadium itself.
'To avoid disappointment, plan early. The night matches on weekdays are not as popular, so it's easier to get tickets. Still, you have to apply at least a month earlier.'
Or pay the Premium packages price, such as match ball sponsorship, which can cost as much as £1,000 per person for a single match. A normal ticket costs between £25 and £50.
In all, Chong spent close to $6,000 for his entire trip.
He is among thousands of Singaporeans flying halfway round the world just to catch a glimpse of their Premiership heroes in the flesh.
Last year alone, at least 80 Liverpool fans made their way to Anfield.
Many of them made arrangements through the official Liverpool fan club in Singapore.
Said club secretary James Lim, who travels to Anfield yearly: 'Because of our close affiliation with Liverpool, our members get special benefits, such as visits to the museum, the Melwood training ground, the academy and also attend reserve matches.'
These privileges are part of the travel package which the club offers.
Company director Seet Puay Seng, his wife Mary and son Gabriel were among the 18 Reds fans who made the trip for the club's Southampton and Chelsea fixtures earlier this season.
'Everything was taken care of,' he said. 'We didn't have to worry about anything. It was just talking, watching and living football.
'We were seated right in front. I even shook hands with the manager Rafael Benitez and got his autograph.'
For Manchester United fan Dennis Foo, first-class treatment at Old Trafford comes free.
The nightlife entrepreneur, who owns Devil's Bar here - part of the Manchester United franchise - is invited to the Theatre of Dreams every year for one of the biggest matches of the season - Manchester United versus Arsenal.
He even gets to sit in the directors' box and receives the full VIP treatment.
In 2002, he was seated behind David Beckham in the box, something that got his wife Jenny excited even though she was not a football fan.
He also managed to get up close and personal with both managers, Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger.
And he found that the Arsenal manager Wenger was not the sourpuss the media made him out to be.
'We had a conversation and he struck me as a friendly and soft-spoken man. Quite humble as well,' he revealed.
Last September, Chelsea fan Colin Pereira spent two weeks in London with his wife Susan.
Among other things, they visited Big Ben and the London Eye, shopped at Harrods and enjoyed theatre at The West End.
But Pereira's priority was to visit Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea.
'My wife is not a big football fan,' he said. 'But for me, that was the icing on the cake.'
Everton fan Damon Wee proved that no one needs to break the bank to watch their dream team.
Air tickets aside, he spent less than £200 on his three-day visit to Liverpool two years ago to catch the Toffees play Leeds.
He did that by staying at a hostel which charged £40 for three days, and roughing it out.
'I've no regrets,' he said. 'It's all about fulfilling a life-long dream.'
From The Straits Times:
March 13, 2005
Destination Premiership
How to get tickets?
The Premier League clubs themselves, through booking hotline, online or postage application. But demand is high and it is near impossible to obtain big-game tickets unless one is a club member.
Official supporters' clubs in Singapore. Many fan clubs are able to help secure tickets and some, such as Liverpool and Chelsea, actually offer tour packages. You have to join the clubs first, of course.
Online ticket companies, such as ticketmaster ( www.ticketmaster.co.uk ), offer tickets for sale but mainly for smaller matches.
Tour agencies, like Diners World Travel and Tradewinds, do organise tour packages but they are subject to availability of match tickets. Tips for your EPL trip
The most important thing is tickets. So plan early. Big games are usually sold out months ahead.
If you are willing to pay more, buying tickets on the black market is fine. But do check if they're genuine and where the seats are. Sitting among rival supporters will really restrict your enjoyment.
On the same note, do not wear club jersey unless you already know where your seats are.
Stadium tours are not conducted on match days, so plan and book in advance if you want one.
Beware women fans. The English tend to be more passionate than Singaporeans and it can get pretty rowdy at times, especially near the pitch and behind the goal.
Learn the club songs and sing along. English fans are generally more receptive if you join in their songs and chants.
Check train schedules. Navigating London's tube and England's rail system is not as simple as taking the MRT. If in doubt, just ask.
Budget travellers can consider accommodation near university campuses, where food is generally less expensive than the city centres.
Try to avoid the Christmas period. There are reduced services for trains and buses, and many shops are closed.
Cold weather. Be prepared for freezing conditions, especially in the North during winter.
Watch your belongings.
I only have one complaint in the article: WHY AM I NOT FEATURED INSIDE???????
Hahahahaha, ok lah just joking. These dudes who fly halfway round the globe just to catch a 90 min football game have to be pretty hard core. Some of the advice given are also pretty sensible, but some perspective is needed.
For example the line that the Everton guy proved that no one needs to break the bank requires some qualification. Everton tickets are easily available over ticketmaster and so getting tickets for normal matches (definitely not against Liverpool) is pretty easy. It is definitely not THAT easy for Man United or Arsenal tickets. Paying over the odds is often necessary if you don't have contacts.
Secondly, staying at youth hostel does not equal roughing it out. It all depends on your luck really. 15 pounds can get you a fairly decent youth hostel bed which I don't consider to be roughing it out.
Roughing it out = sleeping on your ground sheet with your field pack on, on top of a hill in Pasir Laba, but not daring to fall totally asleep in anticipation of a turnout.
As for the wearing jersey part. Its all common sense really. If you are going to Old Trafford to watch United then what the hell is wrong with wearing a jersey? Of course the touts are going to sell tickets to you which are with the home fans simply because they are more available. Who is going to sell you an AWAY ticket? Duh.
As for the English fans being rowdy part, perhaps I am a violent person myself but matches these days are generally docile. (Rememeber I am only talking about Man United matches) The crowd is generally quite all right unless you really suey to sit beside those true hooligans, which are small in proportion. But you do have to endure the swearing and the loud voices behind you. If a person behind you sings loudly and passionately, I suggest you enjoy it, for they are rare. If you don't enjoy that, I suggest you go and watch an orchestra concert instead. Football is meant to be noisy, not like a fucking library.
I guess it does help and adds to your enjoyment if you know the songs and sing along. But to get truly accepted by the locals, it is even more important not to make stupid comments. And by that I mean when Ruud misses a chance, saying "Ruud is fucking useless, he should be sold" is a sure sign that you are a muppet. If United loses, complaining that Fergie should get sacked is an invitation to have weird glances cast in your direction.
Bah enough grumbling for now, still sore that they never ask me for my comments :P Anyway does anybody still have the email that I sent when I went to Cardiff for the League Cup final with Liverpool? Can forward it back to me? I want to preserve it as a memory.....
Sunday, March 13, 2005
Saturday, March 12, 2005
Email stories 7
A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead. He remembered dying, and that the dog had been dead for years.
He wondered where the road was leading them. After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight. When he was standing before it, he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother of pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold.
He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side. When he was close enough, he called out, "Excuse me, where are we?"
"This is Heaven, sir," the man answered.
"Wow! Would you happen to have some water?" the man asked.
"Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up." The man gestured, and the gate began to open.
"Can my friend," gesturing toward his dog, "come in, too?" the traveler asked.
"I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets." The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going.
After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road which led through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book. "Excuse me!" he called to the reader. "Do you have any water?"
"Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there". The man pointed to a place that couldn't be seen from outside the gate. "Come on in."
"How about my friend here?" the traveler gestured to the dog. "There should be a bowl by the pump." They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it. The traveler filled the bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog. When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree waiting for them."What do you call this place?" the traveler asked.
"This is Heaven," was the answer.
"Well, that's confusing," the traveler said. "The man down the road said that was Heaven, too."
"Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That's Hell.
"Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?"
"No. I can see how you might think so, but we're just happy that they screen out the folks who'll leave their best friends behind."
He wondered where the road was leading them. After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight. When he was standing before it, he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother of pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold.
He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side. When he was close enough, he called out, "Excuse me, where are we?"
"This is Heaven, sir," the man answered.
"Wow! Would you happen to have some water?" the man asked.
"Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up." The man gestured, and the gate began to open.
"Can my friend," gesturing toward his dog, "come in, too?" the traveler asked.
"I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets." The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going.
After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road which led through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book. "Excuse me!" he called to the reader. "Do you have any water?"
"Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there". The man pointed to a place that couldn't be seen from outside the gate. "Come on in."
"How about my friend here?" the traveler gestured to the dog. "There should be a bowl by the pump." They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it. The traveler filled the bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog. When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree waiting for them."What do you call this place?" the traveler asked.
"This is Heaven," was the answer.
"Well, that's confusing," the traveler said. "The man down the road said that was Heaven, too."
"Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That's Hell.
"Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?"
"No. I can see how you might think so, but we're just happy that they screen out the folks who'll leave their best friends behind."
Mindless ramblings
Sometimes some people need to get a grip on reality. Having airy fairy ideas and not being realistic is the path to disappointment, if not destruction. If you are so good, private companies will still want you after you finish 6 years of your bond. If you are not good, there is no way that they will sign a contract with you to further your studies, much less pay you out of your bond.
If you want to earn big money, you have to endure long, irregular working hours, stress or unreasonable working environments. No two ways about it. If you are lazy, can't take hardship and stress, then you will be paid peanuts. Having a ai pin ai qi ai dua ni attitude only works in wet markets.
If this is what a significant proportion of the "brightest" students in Singapore think, then perhaps I really should start to get worried for Singapore.
Guys go through a lot of sacrifices in NS (another story for another day). You were sleeping soundly at 530am in the morning while males your age woke up for 5BX. Defence is necessary for Singapore and I accept it. What makes me fume is that some people don't appreciate it and simply knock down our sacrifices by saying that we should not get a higher starting pay. Perhaps we really need a WW3 to wake up some people.
I used to argue with my GP teacher that a bond is merely a contract and if people wish to break a bond, they should be allowed to do so. I think I no longer have such a selfish attitude. When you sign the contract, you should have a view towards completing the contract. After all that is the purpose of that piece of paper. If you are already trying to find ways and means to get out even before starting to honour that piece of paper which you put your name on, what is your name worth in future? I will try my best to be a good teacher in future. If I am not, it still isn't too late for me to get out after a few years. At least I will know I have tried my best but it wasn't to be and it is best that I do not screw any more students. But not before I have given it my best shot.
Ha! I sound like I am sitting on a moral high horse. Maybe I should just admit that I have a serious lack of ambition. Weak, no fighting spirit.
-----------------------------------------------
How can I trust anything that you or your company tell me if you told me on Thursday that the part had arrived and you will start repairs ASAP and then on Friday tell me that the part had not arrived and the estimated arrival date is Friday? I don't want to be a bastard, but you lot don't seem to be helping yourselves.....
But what can I do?
I want my girl back.....
I feel like a twat for complaining when my friend has an infinitely bigger problem than me. I guess it is true that I am a greedy person.
I should get myself off that moral high horse.
If you want to earn big money, you have to endure long, irregular working hours, stress or unreasonable working environments. No two ways about it. If you are lazy, can't take hardship and stress, then you will be paid peanuts. Having a ai pin ai qi ai dua ni attitude only works in wet markets.
If this is what a significant proportion of the "brightest" students in Singapore think, then perhaps I really should start to get worried for Singapore.
Guys go through a lot of sacrifices in NS (another story for another day). You were sleeping soundly at 530am in the morning while males your age woke up for 5BX. Defence is necessary for Singapore and I accept it. What makes me fume is that some people don't appreciate it and simply knock down our sacrifices by saying that we should not get a higher starting pay. Perhaps we really need a WW3 to wake up some people.
I used to argue with my GP teacher that a bond is merely a contract and if people wish to break a bond, they should be allowed to do so. I think I no longer have such a selfish attitude. When you sign the contract, you should have a view towards completing the contract. After all that is the purpose of that piece of paper. If you are already trying to find ways and means to get out even before starting to honour that piece of paper which you put your name on, what is your name worth in future? I will try my best to be a good teacher in future. If I am not, it still isn't too late for me to get out after a few years. At least I will know I have tried my best but it wasn't to be and it is best that I do not screw any more students. But not before I have given it my best shot.
Ha! I sound like I am sitting on a moral high horse. Maybe I should just admit that I have a serious lack of ambition. Weak, no fighting spirit.
-----------------------------------------------
How can I trust anything that you or your company tell me if you told me on Thursday that the part had arrived and you will start repairs ASAP and then on Friday tell me that the part had not arrived and the estimated arrival date is Friday? I don't want to be a bastard, but you lot don't seem to be helping yourselves.....
But what can I do?
I want my girl back.....
I feel like a twat for complaining when my friend has an infinitely bigger problem than me. I guess it is true that I am a greedy person.
I should get myself off that moral high horse.
Friday, March 11, 2005
You can take the boy out of VS...
but you can't take the VS out of the boy :D
Victoria School
which secondary school (singapore) should you be in?
brought to you by Quizilla
Whack...VS power!
Yeah, back from Milan. Had loads of good food and superb chocolate gelato. But very disappointed with the match itself. Yet another entry to remind myself of what to talk about when I get my laptop back.
Victoria School
which secondary school (singapore) should you be in?
brought to you by Quizilla
Whack...VS power!
Yeah, back from Milan. Had loads of good food and superb chocolate gelato. But very disappointed with the match itself. Yet another entry to remind myself of what to talk about when I get my laptop back.
Monday, March 07, 2005
Milan
Off to Milan for 3 days, to San Siro to see United get raped by Milan. Make no mistake about it, United will lose to Milan and Chelsea will win the league. I hate being Aristotle.
So I have left 3 new email posts to keep you all occupied and enlightened in the meantime. The one about carrot, coffee and egg is probably one of the best mass mails I had ever received...
It's a wonder how things can change in 1 month. Things that seemed so important to you 1 month ago may seem so insignificant now. That's right, after proclaiming how excited I was at going to San Siro (and listing an European away as one of the to do things in 2005), it seems almost anti-climatic now.
Man United isn't and will never be the most important thing to me.
So I have left 3 new email posts to keep you all occupied and enlightened in the meantime. The one about carrot, coffee and egg is probably one of the best mass mails I had ever received...
It's a wonder how things can change in 1 month. Things that seemed so important to you 1 month ago may seem so insignificant now. That's right, after proclaiming how excited I was at going to San Siro (and listing an European away as one of the to do things in 2005), it seems almost anti-climatic now.
Man United isn't and will never be the most important thing to me.
Email stories 6
Sent 29th Dec 2001:
Subject :
+*+*+ Worth Reading.... +*+*+
A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six pack of Root beer and he started his journey.
When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman. She was sitting in the park, just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry, so he offered her a Twinkie.
She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him. Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a root beer. Again, she smiled at him. The boy was delighted!
They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word. As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave. Before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old woman, and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever.
When the boy opened the door to his own house, a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?"
He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? She's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"
Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, "Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?" She replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God." However, before her son responded, she added, "You know, he's much younger than I expected."
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally!
Subject :
+*+*+ Worth Reading.... +*+*+
A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six pack of Root beer and he started his journey.
When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman. She was sitting in the park, just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry, so he offered her a Twinkie.
She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him. Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a root beer. Again, she smiled at him. The boy was delighted!
They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word. As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave. Before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old woman, and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever.
When the boy opened the door to his own house, a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?"
He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? She's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"
Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, "Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?" She replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God." However, before her son responded, she added, "You know, he's much younger than I expected."
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally!
Email stories 5
Sent 31 Mar 2001:
ADVERSITY
A daughter complained to her father about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.
Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In one he placed carrots, in the second he placed eggs, and the last he placed ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a word.
The daughter sucked her teeth and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. In about twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them a bowl. Then he ladled the coffee out and placed it in a mug.
Turning to her he asked. "Darling, what do you see."
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.
He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. She smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.
She humbly asked. "What does it mean Father?"
He explained that each of them had faced the same adversity, boiling water, but each reacted differently.
The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. But after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.
The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.
The ground coffee beans were unique however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.
"Which are you," he asked his daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?
*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*
How about you my friend? Are you the carrot that seems hard, but with pain and adversity do you wilt and become soft and lose your strength?
Are you the egg, which starts off with a malleable heart? Were you a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a divorce, or a layoff have you become hardened and stiff. Your shell looks the same, but are you bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and heart?
Or are you like the coffee bean? The bean changes the hot water, the thing that is bringing the pain, to its peak flavor when it reaches 212 degrees Fahrenheit. When the water gets the hottest, it just tastes better.
If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and make things better around you. How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?
I think I am a cross between the carrot and egg. Both undesirable. What a weakling I am.
ADVERSITY
A daughter complained to her father about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.
Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In one he placed carrots, in the second he placed eggs, and the last he placed ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a word.
The daughter sucked her teeth and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. In about twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them a bowl. Then he ladled the coffee out and placed it in a mug.
Turning to her he asked. "Darling, what do you see."
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.
He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. She smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.
She humbly asked. "What does it mean Father?"
He explained that each of them had faced the same adversity, boiling water, but each reacted differently.
The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. But after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.
The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.
The ground coffee beans were unique however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.
"Which are you," he asked his daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?
*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*
How about you my friend? Are you the carrot that seems hard, but with pain and adversity do you wilt and become soft and lose your strength?
Are you the egg, which starts off with a malleable heart? Were you a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a divorce, or a layoff have you become hardened and stiff. Your shell looks the same, but are you bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and heart?
Or are you like the coffee bean? The bean changes the hot water, the thing that is bringing the pain, to its peak flavor when it reaches 212 degrees Fahrenheit. When the water gets the hottest, it just tastes better.
If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and make things better around you. How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?
I think I am a cross between the carrot and egg. Both undesirable. What a weakling I am.
Email stories 4
Sent 26th Jan 2001:
Subject: Fw: Love your mum
When you were 1 year old, she fed you and bathed you. You thanked her by crying all night long.
When you were 2 years old, she taught you to walk. You thanked her by running away when she called.
When you were 3 years old, she made all your meals with love. You thanked her by tossing your plate on the floor.
When you were 4 years old, she gave you some crayons You thanked her by coloring the dining room table.
When you were 5 years old, she dressed you for the holidays. You thanked her by plopping into the nearest pile of mud
When you were 6 years old, she walked you to school. You thanked her by screaming, "I'M NOT GOING!"
When you were 7 years old, she bought you a baseball. You thanked her by throwing it through the next-door-neighbor's window.
When you were 8 years old, she handed you an ice cream. You thanked her by dripping it all over your lap.
When you were 9 years old, she paid for piano lessons. You thanked her by never even bothering to practice.
When you were 10 years old she drove you all day, from soccer to one birthday party after another. You thanked her by jumping out of the car and never looking back.
When you were 11 years old, she took you and your friends to the movies. You thanked her by asking to sit in a different row.
When you were 12 years old, she told you not to watch certain TV shows. You thanked her by waiting until she left the house.
Those Teenage Years
When you were 13, she suggested a haircut that was becoming. You thanked her by telling her she had no taste.
When you were 14, she paid for a month away at summer camp. You thanked her by forgetting to write a single letter.
When you were 15, she came home from work, looking for a hug. You thanked her by having your bedroom door locked.
When you were 16, she taught you how to drive her car. You thanked her by taking it every chance you could.
When you were 17, she was expecting an important call. You thanked her by being on the phone all night.
When you were 18, she cried at your high school graduation. You thanked her by staying out partying until dawn.
Growing Old and Gray
When you were 19, she paid for your college tuition, drove you to campus,carried your bags. You thanked her by saying good-bye outside the dorm so you wouldn't be embarrassed in front of your friends.
When you were 20, she asked whether you were seeing anyone. You thanked her by saying, "It's none of your business."
When you were 21, she suggested certain careers for your future. You thanked her by saying, "I don't want to be like you."
When you were 22, she hugged you at your college graduation. You thanked her by asking whether she could pay for a trip to Europe.
When you were 23, she gave you furniture for your first apartment. You thanked her by telling your friends it was ugly.
When you were 24, she met your fiance and asked about your plans for the future. You thanked her by glaring and growling, "Muuhh-ther,please!"
When you were 25, she helped to pay for your wedding, and she cried and told you how deeply she loved you. You thanked her by moving halfway across the country.
When you were 30, she called with some advice on the baby. You thanked her by telling her, "Things are different now."
When you were 40, she called to remind you of a relative's birthday. You thanked her by saying you were "really busy right now."
When you were 50, she fell ill and needed you to take care of her. You thanked her by reading about the burden parents become to their children.
And then, one day, she quietly died. And everything you never did came crashing down like thunder.
SHE IS YOUR HEART. LOVE HER MORE THAN YOU LOVE YOURSELF. LIFE IS MEANINGLESS WITHOUT HER...
Subject: Fw: Love your mum
When you were 1 year old, she fed you and bathed you. You thanked her by crying all night long.
When you were 2 years old, she taught you to walk. You thanked her by running away when she called.
When you were 3 years old, she made all your meals with love. You thanked her by tossing your plate on the floor.
When you were 4 years old, she gave you some crayons You thanked her by coloring the dining room table.
When you were 5 years old, she dressed you for the holidays. You thanked her by plopping into the nearest pile of mud
When you were 6 years old, she walked you to school. You thanked her by screaming, "I'M NOT GOING!"
When you were 7 years old, she bought you a baseball. You thanked her by throwing it through the next-door-neighbor's window.
When you were 8 years old, she handed you an ice cream. You thanked her by dripping it all over your lap.
When you were 9 years old, she paid for piano lessons. You thanked her by never even bothering to practice.
When you were 10 years old she drove you all day, from soccer to one birthday party after another. You thanked her by jumping out of the car and never looking back.
When you were 11 years old, she took you and your friends to the movies. You thanked her by asking to sit in a different row.
When you were 12 years old, she told you not to watch certain TV shows. You thanked her by waiting until she left the house.
Those Teenage Years
When you were 13, she suggested a haircut that was becoming. You thanked her by telling her she had no taste.
When you were 14, she paid for a month away at summer camp. You thanked her by forgetting to write a single letter.
When you were 15, she came home from work, looking for a hug. You thanked her by having your bedroom door locked.
When you were 16, she taught you how to drive her car. You thanked her by taking it every chance you could.
When you were 17, she was expecting an important call. You thanked her by being on the phone all night.
When you were 18, she cried at your high school graduation. You thanked her by staying out partying until dawn.
Growing Old and Gray
When you were 19, she paid for your college tuition, drove you to campus,carried your bags. You thanked her by saying good-bye outside the dorm so you wouldn't be embarrassed in front of your friends.
When you were 20, she asked whether you were seeing anyone. You thanked her by saying, "It's none of your business."
When you were 21, she suggested certain careers for your future. You thanked her by saying, "I don't want to be like you."
When you were 22, she hugged you at your college graduation. You thanked her by asking whether she could pay for a trip to Europe.
When you were 23, she gave you furniture for your first apartment. You thanked her by telling your friends it was ugly.
When you were 24, she met your fiance and asked about your plans for the future. You thanked her by glaring and growling, "Muuhh-ther,please!"
When you were 25, she helped to pay for your wedding, and she cried and told you how deeply she loved you. You thanked her by moving halfway across the country.
When you were 30, she called with some advice on the baby. You thanked her by telling her, "Things are different now."
When you were 40, she called to remind you of a relative's birthday. You thanked her by saying you were "really busy right now."
When you were 50, she fell ill and needed you to take care of her. You thanked her by reading about the burden parents become to their children.
And then, one day, she quietly died. And everything you never did came crashing down like thunder.
SHE IS YOUR HEART. LOVE HER MORE THAN YOU LOVE YOURSELF. LIFE IS MEANINGLESS WITHOUT HER...
Saturday, March 05, 2005
Email stories 3
Ever get that fucked up feeling during sales or shopping? You go into one shop, see something you fancy and really feel like buying. But then you pull out at the last minute. Why not look around more? There might be a better shirt, a more suitable shirt, or a cheaper shirt in the next few stores? Don't think so suey right, so fast will have people buy finish.
And so off you go to the next store. No, nothing catches your eye like the previous shirt. The next sotre again. Also nothing. At the end of the day, after walking down the whole of Orchard Road or Oxford Street, you realise the first shirt is still the best. And so you troop off hurriedly back to the first shop.
But alas, its gone. Either they don't have that design or colour, or there is no size anymore. Whatever, your chance to own the shirt had gone. And you are left kicking your feet in disgust. If only you had not been so fickle. If only you had been a bit more decisive in what you want. But no, the chance had already gone.
Do not let the opportunity of a lifetime slip away. It may never come back, just like that last shirt which is going out of season.
Continuing the email stories series. Don't think this one is very coherent, but some paragraphs are really nice. Sent on 14 Mar 2001:
Subject : tHe 50rrOw Of LoV3
It's not that i dun love you... but i juz dun haVe the courage to do so. You are so near but yet so far...WHenevEr i sEE you, i am sCAred to tAlk to you or to evEn saY a simple "hi"...It's not that i dun want to, bUt dun dARE to...
It's huRt to loVe suMoNe anD n0t to be l0vEd in reTuRn. BuT wAd is moRe paInFuL is to loVe suMoNe anD nEvEr fiNd É c0uRaGe to leT tHe peRs0n noE.
When i've experienced a day of hell, your presence lights up my day. You gave me the strength, and the will to live on. You showed me the way to keep my faith strong. You are the motivation for everything i do, becos i know, i do it for you...
Many people ask me why am i wasting my time, cos loving you will not come to any end. I know that my love for you won't be paid through. No matter what i do, you cAN't be moved. And so I thought for a night, seeking for the answer, only to realise that it is a waste of time. Cos I have no reason to love you, it's juz a feeling my heart turns to...the more i try to ferget u, the more i think of you...
Hundreds of questions filled my mind...
Will i still love you if you had somebody else?
Will i still love you if you wun return my love?
Will i still love you in spite of all the pain?
WIll i still love you if you were not meant to be mine?
I admit that i was heartbrokened when i knew u liked someone else...i tried giving up on u and told myself that u weren't worth me...
What's the point of loving you when u wun even love me back? It's only one-sided...and it brings nothing to me... only pain and misery...
I fought against my miNd, wanting to tell myself that the answers are "no"...unfORtuNAtelY i am weak, as my love for you is even stronger than i thought.
All these are challenges in the game of love...true love comes when one doesn't give up despite of all the obstacles.
"If you love someone, let them go. If they return to you, it was meant to be. If they don't, their love was never yours to begin with..." What you can only do is to love her more, and be content that she will remain in your heart forever~!
I know that have no right to tell u tt i love you, to show you that i care, to cry for you, to miss you, or even to love u...becos u were never once mine... But, I juz wanna tell you that my love for you is like a river...cos it flows forever and never diE...
It takes a minute to have a crush on someone, an hour to like someone and a day to love someone. but it takes a lifetime to forget someone...
if i had the letter "hrt" i can add "ea" to get a "heart" or a "u" to get a "hurt" i would choose a "u" to get a "hurt" den a "heart" with out U
what is love? love is giving until it hurts, & hurts until you feel like giving up, but you do not give up because you love...
Time will take us apart that's true But I will always be there for you You're in my heart and you'll be in my dreams No matter how many miles between I promise you that I won't forget The day we kissed of the day we met The sky may fall and the stars may too But I will still, I will still love you
And so off you go to the next store. No, nothing catches your eye like the previous shirt. The next sotre again. Also nothing. At the end of the day, after walking down the whole of Orchard Road or Oxford Street, you realise the first shirt is still the best. And so you troop off hurriedly back to the first shop.
But alas, its gone. Either they don't have that design or colour, or there is no size anymore. Whatever, your chance to own the shirt had gone. And you are left kicking your feet in disgust. If only you had not been so fickle. If only you had been a bit more decisive in what you want. But no, the chance had already gone.
Do not let the opportunity of a lifetime slip away. It may never come back, just like that last shirt which is going out of season.
Continuing the email stories series. Don't think this one is very coherent, but some paragraphs are really nice. Sent on 14 Mar 2001:
Subject : tHe 50rrOw Of LoV3
It's not that i dun love you... but i juz dun haVe the courage to do so. You are so near but yet so far...WHenevEr i sEE you, i am sCAred to tAlk to you or to evEn saY a simple "hi"...It's not that i dun want to, bUt dun dARE to...
It's huRt to loVe suMoNe anD n0t to be l0vEd in reTuRn. BuT wAd is moRe paInFuL is to loVe suMoNe anD nEvEr fiNd É c0uRaGe to leT tHe peRs0n noE.
When i've experienced a day of hell, your presence lights up my day. You gave me the strength, and the will to live on. You showed me the way to keep my faith strong. You are the motivation for everything i do, becos i know, i do it for you...
Many people ask me why am i wasting my time, cos loving you will not come to any end. I know that my love for you won't be paid through. No matter what i do, you cAN't be moved. And so I thought for a night, seeking for the answer, only to realise that it is a waste of time. Cos I have no reason to love you, it's juz a feeling my heart turns to...the more i try to ferget u, the more i think of you...
Hundreds of questions filled my mind...
Will i still love you if you had somebody else?
Will i still love you if you wun return my love?
Will i still love you in spite of all the pain?
WIll i still love you if you were not meant to be mine?
I admit that i was heartbrokened when i knew u liked someone else...i tried giving up on u and told myself that u weren't worth me...
What's the point of loving you when u wun even love me back? It's only one-sided...and it brings nothing to me... only pain and misery...
I fought against my miNd, wanting to tell myself that the answers are "no"...unfORtuNAtelY i am weak, as my love for you is even stronger than i thought.
All these are challenges in the game of love...true love comes when one doesn't give up despite of all the obstacles.
"If you love someone, let them go. If they return to you, it was meant to be. If they don't, their love was never yours to begin with..." What you can only do is to love her more, and be content that she will remain in your heart forever~!
I know that have no right to tell u tt i love you, to show you that i care, to cry for you, to miss you, or even to love u...becos u were never once mine... But, I juz wanna tell you that my love for you is like a river...cos it flows forever and never diE...
It takes a minute to have a crush on someone, an hour to like someone and a day to love someone. but it takes a lifetime to forget someone...
if i had the letter "hrt" i can add "ea" to get a "heart" or a "u" to get a "hurt" i would choose a "u" to get a "hurt" den a "heart" with out U
what is love? love is giving until it hurts, & hurts until you feel like giving up, but you do not give up because you love...
Time will take us apart that's true But I will always be there for you You're in my heart and you'll be in my dreams No matter how many miles between I promise you that I won't forget The day we kissed of the day we met The sky may fall and the stars may too But I will still, I will still love you
Friday, March 04, 2005
Email stories 2
Before I let you all read the story, just wanna say sometimes it really pays to persevere. I was beginning to feel dumb by logging onto MSN literally every waking minute despite not having my lap top but today it finally paid off. Luckily I decided to log on for that 5 min before I was supposed to go to school and managed to do a good deed :D
Anyway here goes the story. Received 6th Mar 2001:
Subject :
I Wish I Did...
10th grade
**********
As I sat there in english class, I stared at the girl next to me. She was my so called 'best friend'. I stared at her long, silky hair, and wished she was mine. But she didn't notice me like that, and I knew it.
After class, she walked up to me and asked me for the notes she had missed the day before. handed them to her. She said 'thanks' and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I want to tell her, I want her to know that I don't want to be just friends, I love her but I'm just too shy, and I dont know why.
11th grade
**********
The phone rang. On the other end, it was her. She was in tears, mumbling on and on about how her love had broke her heart. She asked me to come over because she didn't want to be alone, so I did.
As I sat next to her on the sofa, I stared at her soft eyes, wishing she was mine.
After 2 hours, one Drew Barrymore movie, and three bags of chips, she decided to go to sleep. She looked at me, said 'thanks' and gave me a kiss on the cheak. I want to tell her, I want her to know that I don't want to be just friends, I love her but I'm just too shy, and I dont know why.
Senior year
***********
The day before prom she walked to my locker. "My date is sick" she said,"hes not gonna go" well, I didn't have a date, and in 7th grade, we made a promise that if neither of us had dates, we would go together-just as 'best friends'. So we did.Prom night, after everything was over, I was standing at her front door step.I stared at her as she she smiled at me and stared at me with her crystal eyes. I want her to be mine, but she doesn't think of me like that, and I know it.
Then she said- "I had the best time, thanks!" and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I want to tell her, I want her to know that I dont want to be just friends, I love her but I'm just too shy, and I don't know why.
A day passed, then a week, then a month. Before I could blink, it was graduation day. I watched as her perfect body floated like an angle up on stage to get her diploma. I wanted her to be mine-but she didn't notice me like that, and I knew it. Before everyone went home, she came to me in her smock and hat, and cried as i hugged her. Then she lifted her head from my shoulder and said- 'you're my best friend, thanks' and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I want to tell her, I want her to know that I don't want to be just friends, I love her but I'm just too shy, and I don't know why.
Now I sit in the pews of the church. That girl is getting married. That girl is getting married now. I watched her say 'i do' and drive off to her new life, married to another man. I wanted her to be mine, but she didn't see me like that, and I knew it. But before she drove away, she came to me and said 'you came!'. She said 'thanks' and kissed me on the cheek. I want to tell her, I want her to know that I dont want to be just friends, I love her but I'm just too shy, and I don't know why.
Years passed, I looked down at the coffin of a girl who used to be my 'best friend'.
At the service, they read a diary entry she had wrote in her high school years. This is what it read: "I stare at him wishing he was mine; but he doesn't notice me like that, and I know it. I want to tell him, I want him to know that I don't want to be just friends, I love him but I'm just too shy, and I don't know why. I wish he would tell me he loved me!
'I wish I did too...' I thought to my self, and I cried.
Do yourself a favor, tell her/him you love them. They won't be there forever.
------------------------------------------------------
Sometimes I wonder along the way where did all these emails disappear to. Is it because all of us had grown older and the impact of such stories are not that strong anymore? Is it because we are busier nwo and we don't bother to forward such things anymore? In my JC days I used to receive at least 2 such emails per week. Now all I get are junk mails and emails telling to to sign up for this website for free sms, update my birthday particulars or to update my address. I know you all mean well, but the last thing I want is to have my details online and exposed to some idiots. I already received a funny msg from a guy on sms.ac So yeah, please don't add me to such websites. Anything just email me or add me to your MSN. I am nearly always online (at least before I go to Tekong anyway). So yeah back to main topic, if got such emails forward to me lah, I am a sucker for such tragic/sweet emails :P
Anyway here goes the story. Received 6th Mar 2001:
Subject :
I Wish I Did...
10th grade
**********
As I sat there in english class, I stared at the girl next to me. She was my so called 'best friend'. I stared at her long, silky hair, and wished she was mine. But she didn't notice me like that, and I knew it.
After class, she walked up to me and asked me for the notes she had missed the day before. handed them to her. She said 'thanks' and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I want to tell her, I want her to know that I don't want to be just friends, I love her but I'm just too shy, and I dont know why.
11th grade
**********
The phone rang. On the other end, it was her. She was in tears, mumbling on and on about how her love had broke her heart. She asked me to come over because she didn't want to be alone, so I did.
As I sat next to her on the sofa, I stared at her soft eyes, wishing she was mine.
After 2 hours, one Drew Barrymore movie, and three bags of chips, she decided to go to sleep. She looked at me, said 'thanks' and gave me a kiss on the cheak. I want to tell her, I want her to know that I don't want to be just friends, I love her but I'm just too shy, and I dont know why.
Senior year
***********
The day before prom she walked to my locker. "My date is sick" she said,"hes not gonna go" well, I didn't have a date, and in 7th grade, we made a promise that if neither of us had dates, we would go together-just as 'best friends'. So we did.Prom night, after everything was over, I was standing at her front door step.I stared at her as she she smiled at me and stared at me with her crystal eyes. I want her to be mine, but she doesn't think of me like that, and I know it.
Then she said- "I had the best time, thanks!" and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I want to tell her, I want her to know that I dont want to be just friends, I love her but I'm just too shy, and I don't know why.
A day passed, then a week, then a month. Before I could blink, it was graduation day. I watched as her perfect body floated like an angle up on stage to get her diploma. I wanted her to be mine-but she didn't notice me like that, and I knew it. Before everyone went home, she came to me in her smock and hat, and cried as i hugged her. Then she lifted her head from my shoulder and said- 'you're my best friend, thanks' and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I want to tell her, I want her to know that I don't want to be just friends, I love her but I'm just too shy, and I don't know why.
Now I sit in the pews of the church. That girl is getting married. That girl is getting married now. I watched her say 'i do' and drive off to her new life, married to another man. I wanted her to be mine, but she didn't see me like that, and I knew it. But before she drove away, she came to me and said 'you came!'. She said 'thanks' and kissed me on the cheek. I want to tell her, I want her to know that I dont want to be just friends, I love her but I'm just too shy, and I don't know why.
Years passed, I looked down at the coffin of a girl who used to be my 'best friend'.
At the service, they read a diary entry she had wrote in her high school years. This is what it read: "I stare at him wishing he was mine; but he doesn't notice me like that, and I know it. I want to tell him, I want him to know that I don't want to be just friends, I love him but I'm just too shy, and I don't know why. I wish he would tell me he loved me!
'I wish I did too...' I thought to my self, and I cried.
Do yourself a favor, tell her/him you love them. They won't be there forever.
------------------------------------------------------
Sometimes I wonder along the way where did all these emails disappear to. Is it because all of us had grown older and the impact of such stories are not that strong anymore? Is it because we are busier nwo and we don't bother to forward such things anymore? In my JC days I used to receive at least 2 such emails per week. Now all I get are junk mails and emails telling to to sign up for this website for free sms, update my birthday particulars or to update my address. I know you all mean well, but the last thing I want is to have my details online and exposed to some idiots. I already received a funny msg from a guy on sms.ac So yeah, please don't add me to such websites. Anything just email me or add me to your MSN. I am nearly always online (at least before I go to Tekong anyway). So yeah back to main topic, if got such emails forward to me lah, I am a sucker for such tragic/sweet emails :P
So its true!
From The Straits Times:
March 3, 2005
Dating site's weakest link exposed
Security flaw on SDU website allows access to members' accounts and personal details
By Chan Chi-Loong
OVER 30,000 members of the Social Development Unit (SDU) have been locked out of the matchmaker's website, after a computer security flaw was uncovered.
This flaw on SDU's website, which has been up since 2001, allows members to access other members' accounts in addition to their own, and leaves their personal details open to exposure.
The member login portion of the site was taken down for maintenance on Tuesday night after The Straits Times alerted the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), which oversees the SDU, to the problem.
If uncorrected, the flaw allows users to see other members' personal details like name, age, salary, telephone numbers and e-mail address.
The accounts are thus wide open to hacking and impersonation, but as of today, there has been no case reported.
An SDU spokesman said the 'possible breach of security' was being investigated, and online services would remain suspended until further notice.
Security on the site would be enhanced and members would be informed of the new login procedure when service resumed, the spokesman added, apologising for the inconvenience.
The alarm was first raised by SDU member Glen Tay, 26, on Monday. Mr Tay wrote to The Straits Times, saying he had keyed in the wrong user ID - a string of six-digit numbers - instead of the one given to him, by accidentally transposing the last digit.
Without realising that the ID he had typed in was wrong, he keyed in his default password and unwittingly stumbled into another person's account. To his alarm, he also discovered he could change the details as he liked.
Said Mr Tay, who works in a bank: 'I am not trained in IT and my IT skills are definitely basic.
Had I been a conman or hacker, this information could have easily led to fraud.'
When The Straits Times tried a sample of different six-digit strings, we managed to get into more than 10 different accounts to which we had no right to access - in the space of half an hour.
What made it so easy?
SDU sends the same default password to all users. If a member does not change the password, the default can be used by anyone to access that member's account.
The login user IDs are sequential six-digit numbers, so it is easy to accidentally key in the wrong user ID by transposing a digit.
Every university graduate in Singapore is given a free two-year SDU membership upon graduation unless he or she opts out. Not all graduates access the website and change their passwords, so their personal information is available on the site to anyone who knows the SDU's default password.
A security consultant for Ernst and Young, Mr Gerry Chng, 33, said: 'This is very insecure. Most organisations will at least generate random passwords for new users.'
Terming it a case of 'poor security management', he said login IDs should also be randomly generated. Some SDU members The Straits Times spoke to were appalled at the lax security.
'I'm angry that my private information is not protected,' said Mr Winston Ng, 25, a writer.
Mr Tay summed it up best: 'It is kind of disappointing that such a thing can happen to the SDU website. After all, it is not some obscure site but a well-known one with many members.'
So what Zhenhong said IS true (see above bold and enlarged paragraph)! Big Brother is watching, better start chasing girls....
March 3, 2005
Dating site's weakest link exposed
Security flaw on SDU website allows access to members' accounts and personal details
By Chan Chi-Loong
OVER 30,000 members of the Social Development Unit (SDU) have been locked out of the matchmaker's website, after a computer security flaw was uncovered.
This flaw on SDU's website, which has been up since 2001, allows members to access other members' accounts in addition to their own, and leaves their personal details open to exposure.
The member login portion of the site was taken down for maintenance on Tuesday night after The Straits Times alerted the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), which oversees the SDU, to the problem.
If uncorrected, the flaw allows users to see other members' personal details like name, age, salary, telephone numbers and e-mail address.
The accounts are thus wide open to hacking and impersonation, but as of today, there has been no case reported.
An SDU spokesman said the 'possible breach of security' was being investigated, and online services would remain suspended until further notice.
Security on the site would be enhanced and members would be informed of the new login procedure when service resumed, the spokesman added, apologising for the inconvenience.
The alarm was first raised by SDU member Glen Tay, 26, on Monday. Mr Tay wrote to The Straits Times, saying he had keyed in the wrong user ID - a string of six-digit numbers - instead of the one given to him, by accidentally transposing the last digit.
Without realising that the ID he had typed in was wrong, he keyed in his default password and unwittingly stumbled into another person's account. To his alarm, he also discovered he could change the details as he liked.
Said Mr Tay, who works in a bank: 'I am not trained in IT and my IT skills are definitely basic.
Had I been a conman or hacker, this information could have easily led to fraud.'
When The Straits Times tried a sample of different six-digit strings, we managed to get into more than 10 different accounts to which we had no right to access - in the space of half an hour.
What made it so easy?
SDU sends the same default password to all users. If a member does not change the password, the default can be used by anyone to access that member's account.
The login user IDs are sequential six-digit numbers, so it is easy to accidentally key in the wrong user ID by transposing a digit.
Every university graduate in Singapore is given a free two-year SDU membership upon graduation unless he or she opts out. Not all graduates access the website and change their passwords, so their personal information is available on the site to anyone who knows the SDU's default password.
A security consultant for Ernst and Young, Mr Gerry Chng, 33, said: 'This is very insecure. Most organisations will at least generate random passwords for new users.'
Terming it a case of 'poor security management', he said login IDs should also be randomly generated. Some SDU members The Straits Times spoke to were appalled at the lax security.
'I'm angry that my private information is not protected,' said Mr Winston Ng, 25, a writer.
Mr Tay summed it up best: 'It is kind of disappointing that such a thing can happen to the SDU website. After all, it is not some obscure site but a well-known one with many members.'
So what Zhenhong said IS true (see above bold and enlarged paragraph)! Big Brother is watching, better start chasing girls....
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Email stories 1
I should not be so negative in my blog. Anyway just want to share some emails which I have kept for a damn bloody long time in my Hotmail inbox. Even though I always run out of space, I still refuse to delete them. Here's the first in the series. Sent by Say Heng on 6th Mar 2001:
Subject :
A TOUCHING STORY
There was once this guy who is very much in love with his girl. This romantic guy folded 1,000 pieces of papercranes as a gift to his girl.
Although, at that time he was just a small fry in his company, his future doesn't seemed too bright, they were very happy together. Until one day, his girl told him she was going to Paris and will never come back. She also told him that she cannot visualise any future for the both of them, so let's go their own ways there and then ...
Heartbroken, the guy agreed. But when he regain his confidence, he worked hard day and night, slogging his body and mind just to make something out of himself. Finally with all these hardwork and the help of friends, this guy had set up his own company ...
One rainy day, while this guy was driving, he saw an elderly couple sharing an umbrella the rain walking to some destination. Even with the umbrella, they were still drenched. It didn't take him long to realise those were his girl's parents.
With a heart in getting back at them, he drived slowly beside the couple, wanting them to spot him in is luxury sedan. He wanted them to know that he wasn't the same anymore, he had his own company, car, condo, etc. He made it!
Before the guy can realise, the couple was walking towards a cemetary and he got out of his car and followed... and he saw his girl, a photograph of her smiling sweetly as ever at him from her tombstone... and he saw his papercranes beside her... Find time to realize that there is one person who mean so much to you, for you might wake up one morning losing that person who you thought meant nothing to you.
Her parents saw him. He ask them why had this happened. They explained, she did not leave for France at all. She was ill with cancer. She had believed that he will make it someday, but she did not want to be his obstacle... therefore she had choosed to leave him...
Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to,doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have She had wanted her parents to put his papercranes beside her, because, if the day comes when fate brings him to her again... he can take some of those back with him ...
Once you have loved, you will always love. For what's in your mind may escape but what's in your heart will remain forever.The guy just wept...
The worst way to miss someone is to be sitting right beside them but knowing you can't have them
I can't help but to agree with the last line. Cliched but true.
Subject :
A TOUCHING STORY
There was once this guy who is very much in love with his girl. This romantic guy folded 1,000 pieces of papercranes as a gift to his girl.
Although, at that time he was just a small fry in his company, his future doesn't seemed too bright, they were very happy together. Until one day, his girl told him she was going to Paris and will never come back. She also told him that she cannot visualise any future for the both of them, so let's go their own ways there and then ...
Heartbroken, the guy agreed. But when he regain his confidence, he worked hard day and night, slogging his body and mind just to make something out of himself. Finally with all these hardwork and the help of friends, this guy had set up his own company ...
One rainy day, while this guy was driving, he saw an elderly couple sharing an umbrella the rain walking to some destination. Even with the umbrella, they were still drenched. It didn't take him long to realise those were his girl's parents.
With a heart in getting back at them, he drived slowly beside the couple, wanting them to spot him in is luxury sedan. He wanted them to know that he wasn't the same anymore, he had his own company, car, condo, etc. He made it!
Before the guy can realise, the couple was walking towards a cemetary and he got out of his car and followed... and he saw his girl, a photograph of her smiling sweetly as ever at him from her tombstone... and he saw his papercranes beside her... Find time to realize that there is one person who mean so much to you, for you might wake up one morning losing that person who you thought meant nothing to you.
Her parents saw him. He ask them why had this happened. They explained, she did not leave for France at all. She was ill with cancer. She had believed that he will make it someday, but she did not want to be his obstacle... therefore she had choosed to leave him...
Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to,doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have She had wanted her parents to put his papercranes beside her, because, if the day comes when fate brings him to her again... he can take some of those back with him ...
Once you have loved, you will always love. For what's in your mind may escape but what's in your heart will remain forever.The guy just wept...
The worst way to miss someone is to be sitting right beside them but knowing you can't have them
I can't help but to agree with the last line. Cliched but true.
I knew it, I just knew nothing good was going to come out of having to register for STI. See what I mean about nice, small little companies morphing into giant annoying conglomerates?
From The Straits Times :
March 2, 2005
ST subscribers to get cheaper online rates
STRAITS TIMES subscribers to the print edition of the newspaper will get a 50-per-cent discount off the subscription rates of The Straits Times Interactive (STI) when the website becomes a subscription service on March 20.
The move, which was in response to reader feedback, means that print subscribers will need to pay only S$36 for a six-month subscription (S$6 a month), instead of S$72.
And those who take up a 12-month subscription rate will pay S$60 (S$5 a month), instead of S$120.
The full rates of $72 and $120 will apply to those who want online-only subscriptions.
The website, at will start accepting online subscriptions on March 11. Those who sign up for subscriptions between that date and March 19 will be given free access from March 20 till their subscriptions kick in on April 1.
This newspaper announced last Friday that it would levy access fees for its 10-year-old website.
I hope nobody subscribes to it and its 10 year old website can close down for all I care.
From The Straits Times :
March 2, 2005
ST subscribers to get cheaper online rates
STRAITS TIMES subscribers to the print edition of the newspaper will get a 50-per-cent discount off the subscription rates of The Straits Times Interactive (STI) when the website becomes a subscription service on March 20.
The move, which was in response to reader feedback, means that print subscribers will need to pay only S$36 for a six-month subscription (S$6 a month), instead of S$72.
And those who take up a 12-month subscription rate will pay S$60 (S$5 a month), instead of S$120.
The full rates of $72 and $120 will apply to those who want online-only subscriptions.
The website, at will start accepting online subscriptions on March 11. Those who sign up for subscriptions between that date and March 19 will be given free access from March 20 till their subscriptions kick in on April 1.
This newspaper announced last Friday that it would levy access fees for its 10-year-old website.
I hope nobody subscribes to it and its 10 year old website can close down for all I care.
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
I hate myself
I hate being an Aristotle. I can predict with uncanny accuracy what bad things are going to happen to me. And so it has proved once again. Don't ask me what or why.
et alor? C'est la vie...
et alor? C'est la vie...
Monday, February 28, 2005
Trying not to complain...
*Breathe in*
-pause-
*Breathe out*
I will try not to complain, so instead its Straits Times articles time:
From The Straits Times:
Feb 27, 2005
Marry him, Fann
No longer a spring chicken at 34, is it 'time' Fann Wong marries Christopher Lee? Or does such an attitude demean women?
Sumiko Tan
YOU have noticed that I haven't been dwelling on the topics of love, marriage and relationships of late, it's deliberate.
When I started writing this Sunday column in 1994, hardly a few months went by when I didn't lament my singlehood. Musing on past, present and future romances was a constant theme.
But it's one thing to be hung up on love when you're in your eligible 20s and still-available 30s, and another when you've hit 40.
When you're 40 and still unmarried, it's unbecoming to be seen as pining for romance. In fact, it's desperate and pathetic.
Like it or not, the search for love and marriage is regarded as a privilege of the young.
While 40 isn't exactly 'old', it certainly can't be considered young, and pity a single woman of that age bemoaning her marital status in public.
The reason I'm revisiting the issue is Fann Wong.
Last week, the Life! section of The Straits Times carried a report speculating on how she and her alleged boyfriend, fellow TV artiste Christopher Lee, are getting married at last.
Both are 34.
One of the actress' fans was quoted as saying: 'At her age, it's also time she got married.'
It's a sentiment I share.
In the larger scheme of things, 34 isn't old (especially if you are, like me, 41). But when it comes to marriage, it's getting there.
If she loves Christopher, Fann should marry him, I think. And quickly.
A colleague was indignant when she heard this.
'How can you say something like that?' she asked.
I suppose views like mine do reinforce stereotypes about women.
Stereotypes such as how women - even beautiful, talented and rich ones like Fann - have sell-by dates, and if they miss the boat, will be left on the shelf, pardon the mixed metaphors.
Stereotypes like how women lose their attractiveness when they grow older.
Stereotypes like how women desire to be attractive to men.
Stereotypes like how, without a romantic partner, a woman's life isn't complete.
I'm going to get flak for saying this, but, guess what? I believe there is truth to all those stereotypes.
Women do have sell-by dates.
Women are physically less attractive as they age.
Women do want to appeal to men.
And having a man in one's life is better than none.
WHEN the HBO sitcom Sex And The City was launched in 1998, I, like so many other single, independent women in cities around the world, was charmed.
How we loved the antics of Carrie and gang as they flitted from one romance to another, loving and leaving men and giving them as good as they got.
The characters spoke for us liberated women on the cusp of the 21st century. We could take on men on our terms.
But the magic for me wore thin after a few seasons.
The older the characters grew (and the actresses too, visibly), the more their lives appeared more strained than swinging.
It's acceptable when you're in your early 30s to work a room full of men, showing off your cleavage. But when you're approaching 40 and still doing this, something must be wrong in your life.
Besides, much as the characters were depicted as gutsy and independent, what they were all chasing in the end was the man of their dreams.
They wanted a relationship or marriage, to be with a man and be looked after by him.
The sitcom drew to a neat close last year with all the characters happily partnered.
In real life, of course, this doesn't always happen. Many swinging single women don't have a happily ever after.
My theory is that 35 is the make-or-break age of a woman in the marriage market.
Miss it - either through lack of choice or because you are too busy or fussy to commit - and it will take extraordinary luck or hard work for you to claw back into the market and get hitched.
This is because 35 is also, alas, that age when one's looks start heading south (just check out those forehead lines that seemingly appear overnight).
And no matter how men and women will say otherwise, in the game of courtship, youthful looks always fare better than craggy ones. It's just a fact of life.
BEING still-single at 40 is a strange experience.
On the one hand, there's that part where your heart can still skip a beat when you meet someone dishy. On the other, you realise that you must finally start behaving with at least some adult decorum. It's just so sad to still be squealing over a 'cute guy'.
Complicating the matter is how, most times, you actually find yourself just not that interested anymore.
Dating is boring and meaningless, and a stress-free, asexual lifestyle with your dog and TV actually sounds inviting, especially when you come home pooped from work.
Yet, when you see happily married couples and their children around you, you feel a twinge of What If.
So, if I were 34 again and in Fann's shoes, what would I do?
Marry before I hit 35 or it'll be 'too late'? Or luxuriate a while more in singlehood, shelf-life be damned?
All things considered, I'd choose marriage.
If you are so lucky as to ever discover The One, don't let him slip away.
Because, as someone who has been there, but hadn't done that, you wouldn't want to wake up at 40 and regret it.
All along I knew women had a tougher lot in life, and I guess this merely serves to confirm it. A man at 35 is still very eligible, but a woman who is single at 35 is quite jialat already. That is if you subscribe to the view that marriage is the most important thing in life. I am not sure about you all, but I do. Of course there are other important things like taking care of your parents and your friends etc, but I do think that companionship is the MOST important thing. The last thing you want is to be working till late at 45, bring home a big pile of homework to mark, and then realise you are facing 4 walls alone. Got to cook for yourself, wash your own clothes etc (not that companion is equal to maid but you get the drift...). And what about the 'friends' argument? I have always been one to believe that the older you get, the more responsibilities you have, and thus the less time you have to spend with your friends. I mean, who has time to go kopitiam to watch football when you ahve to queue up outside Ai Tong Pri School to get your kid into Pri 1? You get the idea... So all you VS dudes out there, if you fly my aeroplane because of girl, I won't mind. I will understand ;)
From The Straits Times:
Feb 27, 2005
Failure No. 2: Haw Par Villa
Too gross, too hot - to succeed
HAW Par Villa was garish grottoes and frightening friezes of gods, spirits and animals from Chinese mythology. Entry to the park - built by two brothers in 1937 - was free but it slowly fell into disrepair, so the Government took it over in 1988.
Given its reputation for the macabre, investors believed that a jazzed-up version would attract regional tourists, especially superstitious middle-aged Chinese folk who may have had, in their youth, seen the original.
A joint venture undertook a $80 million remodelling and when it reopened in October 1990, the old 1.9 hectares had grown to 9.5 hectares while its static sculptures had been brought to life with electronic gadgetry. A boat ride down steep slides, as well as high-tech indoor theatres to tell Chinese folklore, were also added.
For the one-price ticket - $16 for adults and $10 for kids - everything past the gate was at your disposal. Its novelty value drew in 1.2 million visitors the first year, and a tiny profit - before interest charges. But the second year saw $1.8 million in losses and, every year afterwards, it bled. In 2001, it closed.
What went wrong?
First, the new park dissed its target group. Designed by a Disney offshoot who assumed it would attract American tourists, says NTU's Prof David Leong, Chinese stories were told through Western eyes, so Chinese-speaking visitors found the old spirit gone. The Creation of the World slide show, for instance, was presented in English.
It was not until 1995 that the operator would use Chinese to describe the exhibits and in its theatres, while stilt walkers and modern pop dancers gave way to opera artistes from China.
Secondly, it dissed you once you paid at the gate. It had too much concrete and too few shelters - like Tang Dynasty City - which made it too hot on sunny days. Yet people had to queue in the hot sun for 40 minutes to take the Ride into the Dragon's Belly, for example, because there were only two boats at any one time despite a capacity for four. Although only one person was needed to man each boat, the operator cut its workforce to curb rising wage costs, thinking that since it was a one-price ticket, long queues wouldn't directly impact upon revenues.
Thirdly, it dissed tour agents, who were not paid any commissions. Prof Peggy Teo of NUS found in her survey that only a quarter of tour agents promoted Haw Par Villa.
Finally, it dissed people with a phobia about death, which is most people. It also turned off potential customers offended by its assault on the senses with a profusion of sex and gore themes. In its Ten Courts of Hell, for example, 'wandering spirits' - actors lying in the tunnel who rose to waylay guests - sent many visitors scurrying away, screaming in terror.
Where it wasn't ghoulish, it was distasteful, like the tableau extolling filial piety, where a legendary Tang Dynasty woman suckled her toothless mother-in-law while her infant starved.
So the place created not warm memories but grossed out or ghoulish ones.
In March 1997, entrance fees were slashed, but a third of its attractions were closed too and staffing reduced from 400 to 20. Things were battered and tawdry. It was too little, too late.
From 750,000 visitors in 1995, attendance dropped to 130,000 in 2001 and the operator threw in the towel.
Hmm I not sure whether you all went there when you were young before, I did and I was absolutely terrified by all the punishments dished out in the 18th level of Hell. What absolutely freaked me out was that you would be forced to hug a red hot pillar if you had sex with a woman (or at least I though so then) and I was like wtf! Am I supposed to be a monk then? Needless to say it had a very big impact on me, for better or for worse... Today there was one letter to the forum which argued that Haw Par Villa helped to promote Chinese culture etc. I think I can agree with both views. Haw Par Villa does help to promote Chinese culture which was the original aim of the 2 brothers who built it. But as a theme park, it did commit the error of being too gross and scary. Think Disneyland rides and compare it to THAT ride in Haw Par Villa and you get what I mean.
------------------------------------------------------
No I haven't got my laptop back, but still blogged coz there are just too many things to say. But without my laptop I can't talk about a lot of stuff. The list:
-pause-
*Breathe out*
I will try not to complain, so instead its Straits Times articles time:
From The Straits Times:
Feb 27, 2005
Marry him, Fann
No longer a spring chicken at 34, is it 'time' Fann Wong marries Christopher Lee? Or does such an attitude demean women?
Sumiko Tan
YOU have noticed that I haven't been dwelling on the topics of love, marriage and relationships of late, it's deliberate.
When I started writing this Sunday column in 1994, hardly a few months went by when I didn't lament my singlehood. Musing on past, present and future romances was a constant theme.
But it's one thing to be hung up on love when you're in your eligible 20s and still-available 30s, and another when you've hit 40.
When you're 40 and still unmarried, it's unbecoming to be seen as pining for romance. In fact, it's desperate and pathetic.
Like it or not, the search for love and marriage is regarded as a privilege of the young.
While 40 isn't exactly 'old', it certainly can't be considered young, and pity a single woman of that age bemoaning her marital status in public.
The reason I'm revisiting the issue is Fann Wong.
Last week, the Life! section of The Straits Times carried a report speculating on how she and her alleged boyfriend, fellow TV artiste Christopher Lee, are getting married at last.
Both are 34.
One of the actress' fans was quoted as saying: 'At her age, it's also time she got married.'
It's a sentiment I share.
In the larger scheme of things, 34 isn't old (especially if you are, like me, 41). But when it comes to marriage, it's getting there.
If she loves Christopher, Fann should marry him, I think. And quickly.
A colleague was indignant when she heard this.
'How can you say something like that?' she asked.
I suppose views like mine do reinforce stereotypes about women.
Stereotypes such as how women - even beautiful, talented and rich ones like Fann - have sell-by dates, and if they miss the boat, will be left on the shelf, pardon the mixed metaphors.
Stereotypes like how women lose their attractiveness when they grow older.
Stereotypes like how women desire to be attractive to men.
Stereotypes like how, without a romantic partner, a woman's life isn't complete.
I'm going to get flak for saying this, but, guess what? I believe there is truth to all those stereotypes.
Women do have sell-by dates.
Women are physically less attractive as they age.
Women do want to appeal to men.
And having a man in one's life is better than none.
WHEN the HBO sitcom Sex And The City was launched in 1998, I, like so many other single, independent women in cities around the world, was charmed.
How we loved the antics of Carrie and gang as they flitted from one romance to another, loving and leaving men and giving them as good as they got.
The characters spoke for us liberated women on the cusp of the 21st century. We could take on men on our terms.
But the magic for me wore thin after a few seasons.
The older the characters grew (and the actresses too, visibly), the more their lives appeared more strained than swinging.
It's acceptable when you're in your early 30s to work a room full of men, showing off your cleavage. But when you're approaching 40 and still doing this, something must be wrong in your life.
Besides, much as the characters were depicted as gutsy and independent, what they were all chasing in the end was the man of their dreams.
They wanted a relationship or marriage, to be with a man and be looked after by him.
The sitcom drew to a neat close last year with all the characters happily partnered.
In real life, of course, this doesn't always happen. Many swinging single women don't have a happily ever after.
My theory is that 35 is the make-or-break age of a woman in the marriage market.
Miss it - either through lack of choice or because you are too busy or fussy to commit - and it will take extraordinary luck or hard work for you to claw back into the market and get hitched.
This is because 35 is also, alas, that age when one's looks start heading south (just check out those forehead lines that seemingly appear overnight).
And no matter how men and women will say otherwise, in the game of courtship, youthful looks always fare better than craggy ones. It's just a fact of life.
BEING still-single at 40 is a strange experience.
On the one hand, there's that part where your heart can still skip a beat when you meet someone dishy. On the other, you realise that you must finally start behaving with at least some adult decorum. It's just so sad to still be squealing over a 'cute guy'.
Complicating the matter is how, most times, you actually find yourself just not that interested anymore.
Dating is boring and meaningless, and a stress-free, asexual lifestyle with your dog and TV actually sounds inviting, especially when you come home pooped from work.
Yet, when you see happily married couples and their children around you, you feel a twinge of What If.
So, if I were 34 again and in Fann's shoes, what would I do?
Marry before I hit 35 or it'll be 'too late'? Or luxuriate a while more in singlehood, shelf-life be damned?
All things considered, I'd choose marriage.
If you are so lucky as to ever discover The One, don't let him slip away.
Because, as someone who has been there, but hadn't done that, you wouldn't want to wake up at 40 and regret it.
All along I knew women had a tougher lot in life, and I guess this merely serves to confirm it. A man at 35 is still very eligible, but a woman who is single at 35 is quite jialat already. That is if you subscribe to the view that marriage is the most important thing in life. I am not sure about you all, but I do. Of course there are other important things like taking care of your parents and your friends etc, but I do think that companionship is the MOST important thing. The last thing you want is to be working till late at 45, bring home a big pile of homework to mark, and then realise you are facing 4 walls alone. Got to cook for yourself, wash your own clothes etc (not that companion is equal to maid but you get the drift...). And what about the 'friends' argument? I have always been one to believe that the older you get, the more responsibilities you have, and thus the less time you have to spend with your friends. I mean, who has time to go kopitiam to watch football when you ahve to queue up outside Ai Tong Pri School to get your kid into Pri 1? You get the idea... So all you VS dudes out there, if you fly my aeroplane because of girl, I won't mind. I will understand ;)
From The Straits Times:
Feb 27, 2005
Failure No. 2: Haw Par Villa
Too gross, too hot - to succeed
HAW Par Villa was garish grottoes and frightening friezes of gods, spirits and animals from Chinese mythology. Entry to the park - built by two brothers in 1937 - was free but it slowly fell into disrepair, so the Government took it over in 1988.
Given its reputation for the macabre, investors believed that a jazzed-up version would attract regional tourists, especially superstitious middle-aged Chinese folk who may have had, in their youth, seen the original.
A joint venture undertook a $80 million remodelling and when it reopened in October 1990, the old 1.9 hectares had grown to 9.5 hectares while its static sculptures had been brought to life with electronic gadgetry. A boat ride down steep slides, as well as high-tech indoor theatres to tell Chinese folklore, were also added.
For the one-price ticket - $16 for adults and $10 for kids - everything past the gate was at your disposal. Its novelty value drew in 1.2 million visitors the first year, and a tiny profit - before interest charges. But the second year saw $1.8 million in losses and, every year afterwards, it bled. In 2001, it closed.
What went wrong?
First, the new park dissed its target group. Designed by a Disney offshoot who assumed it would attract American tourists, says NTU's Prof David Leong, Chinese stories were told through Western eyes, so Chinese-speaking visitors found the old spirit gone. The Creation of the World slide show, for instance, was presented in English.
It was not until 1995 that the operator would use Chinese to describe the exhibits and in its theatres, while stilt walkers and modern pop dancers gave way to opera artistes from China.
Secondly, it dissed you once you paid at the gate. It had too much concrete and too few shelters - like Tang Dynasty City - which made it too hot on sunny days. Yet people had to queue in the hot sun for 40 minutes to take the Ride into the Dragon's Belly, for example, because there were only two boats at any one time despite a capacity for four. Although only one person was needed to man each boat, the operator cut its workforce to curb rising wage costs, thinking that since it was a one-price ticket, long queues wouldn't directly impact upon revenues.
Thirdly, it dissed tour agents, who were not paid any commissions. Prof Peggy Teo of NUS found in her survey that only a quarter of tour agents promoted Haw Par Villa.
Finally, it dissed people with a phobia about death, which is most people. It also turned off potential customers offended by its assault on the senses with a profusion of sex and gore themes. In its Ten Courts of Hell, for example, 'wandering spirits' - actors lying in the tunnel who rose to waylay guests - sent many visitors scurrying away, screaming in terror.
Where it wasn't ghoulish, it was distasteful, like the tableau extolling filial piety, where a legendary Tang Dynasty woman suckled her toothless mother-in-law while her infant starved.
So the place created not warm memories but grossed out or ghoulish ones.
In March 1997, entrance fees were slashed, but a third of its attractions were closed too and staffing reduced from 400 to 20. Things were battered and tawdry. It was too little, too late.
From 750,000 visitors in 1995, attendance dropped to 130,000 in 2001 and the operator threw in the towel.
Hmm I not sure whether you all went there when you were young before, I did and I was absolutely terrified by all the punishments dished out in the 18th level of Hell. What absolutely freaked me out was that you would be forced to hug a red hot pillar if you had sex with a woman (or at least I though so then) and I was like wtf! Am I supposed to be a monk then? Needless to say it had a very big impact on me, for better or for worse... Today there was one letter to the forum which argued that Haw Par Villa helped to promote Chinese culture etc. I think I can agree with both views. Haw Par Villa does help to promote Chinese culture which was the original aim of the 2 brothers who built it. But as a theme park, it did commit the error of being too gross and scary. Think Disneyland rides and compare it to THAT ride in Haw Par Villa and you get what I mean.
------------------------------------------------------
No I haven't got my laptop back, but still blogged coz there are just too many things to say. But without my laptop I can't talk about a lot of stuff. The list:
- Anti-Glazer protest before Milan game
- Rooney in the Portsmouth game
- How I came within 5 cm of getting Ruud's autograph, only to fail :(
Anyway fuck doodleboard. Converted to a premium service onl website. FUCK YOU. This is how McDonalds and Nike came about. They started out as small friendly family enterprises and got popular before slowly turning into giant unfeeling conglomerates. Fuck.
Friday, February 25, 2005
The End
I rally don't know what to say. A whole lot of complaints inside me. Even the last glimmer of hope had been taken away from me.
Todat is supposed to be the 4th working day. And so I called IBM again. And no, nothing has been done yet. I asked the person to phone up the service centre to ask them what is happening. He instead put in a request for them to call me. And how long will it take? "Usually within 24 hours". I am willing to bet all my money in my bank account that come 3 pm tomorow, I won't get a single call from them. And the person said the 4 working days is just a "best endeavour".
SO FUCKING WHAT??? If you can't solve the problem within 4 working days shouldn't you at least inspect what is the problem and call and give a definite time frame which the person can expect to give his machine back? I am left grabbing the hope that I will be able to hear about the problem within 4 days, but left 4 days, right 4 days and I still haven't heard anything. What hope can I cling onto that I will hear anything AT ALLLLLLL?????? I tried to be optimistic, I tried to be hopeful, but day after day after day just brings disappointment. What reasons do I have to cheer up and be optimistic? Short of trying to go to Brentford and bash into the service centre, I really don't know what else I can do.
It is in times like these that i really detest the fact that I am not rich. if I am rich, i can just go to Tottenham Court Road and buy another laptop. End of story. No whining. No camping in cluster. I can listen to all my songs, sort out all my photos, key in my expenditures into Excel, read Stratis Times online without having to log on every single time. But no, I can't do that. Money is not everything, but it is the single most important thing. Maybe I should just fucking rob a bank.
And Roy Carroll did nothing to cheer me up at all. Fucking snowing in Manchester and freezing cold. Uncomfortable coach rides to and fro, to see a silly 1-0 defeat. Fuck Roy Carroll.
This will be my last ever post. This blog has brought nothing but bad luck. I think you all are sick and tired of me complaining all the time. I am pissed off at myself for having nothing positive to say at all. So its goodbye forever.
Fuck IBM, fuck Indians, fuck DHL, fuck Carroll, fuck 9am tutorials, fuck MOE, fuck no money.
Todat is supposed to be the 4th working day. And so I called IBM again. And no, nothing has been done yet. I asked the person to phone up the service centre to ask them what is happening. He instead put in a request for them to call me. And how long will it take? "Usually within 24 hours". I am willing to bet all my money in my bank account that come 3 pm tomorow, I won't get a single call from them. And the person said the 4 working days is just a "best endeavour".
SO FUCKING WHAT??? If you can't solve the problem within 4 working days shouldn't you at least inspect what is the problem and call and give a definite time frame which the person can expect to give his machine back? I am left grabbing the hope that I will be able to hear about the problem within 4 days, but left 4 days, right 4 days and I still haven't heard anything. What hope can I cling onto that I will hear anything AT ALLLLLLL?????? I tried to be optimistic, I tried to be hopeful, but day after day after day just brings disappointment. What reasons do I have to cheer up and be optimistic? Short of trying to go to Brentford and bash into the service centre, I really don't know what else I can do.
It is in times like these that i really detest the fact that I am not rich. if I am rich, i can just go to Tottenham Court Road and buy another laptop. End of story. No whining. No camping in cluster. I can listen to all my songs, sort out all my photos, key in my expenditures into Excel, read Stratis Times online without having to log on every single time. But no, I can't do that. Money is not everything, but it is the single most important thing. Maybe I should just fucking rob a bank.
And Roy Carroll did nothing to cheer me up at all. Fucking snowing in Manchester and freezing cold. Uncomfortable coach rides to and fro, to see a silly 1-0 defeat. Fuck Roy Carroll.
This will be my last ever post. This blog has brought nothing but bad luck. I think you all are sick and tired of me complaining all the time. I am pissed off at myself for having nothing positive to say at all. So its goodbye forever.
Fuck IBM, fuck Indians, fuck DHL, fuck Carroll, fuck 9am tutorials, fuck MOE, fuck no money.
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Bayern 3-1 Arsenal
-2 degree Celsius temperature, away from home, against a traditionally hard to beat team, you would want your players to be real men out there and dig in. No matter where I look at the Arsenal team today, there wasn't a single player out there who I would want standing beside me in a dark alley facing a group of yobs. The only one was Sol Campbell and he was missing. Flamini looks like one but he is still young. The rest of the Arsenal team were just falling down, jumping away from challenges and basically looking like they were in need of a hot cup of Milo in Singapore and not playing football in the snow.
To prove my point? Anybody noticed how many Arsenal players wore gloves during the match? Every single one of the outfield players bar Gael Clichy wore gloves. Fucking sissies. In contrast, when I look at Man United, I can see real men everywhere. Rio, Heinze and Gary Neville in defence, Keane in midfield, and Rooney in attack. Those are real men whom you can count on to dig in when the going gets tough. In fact, you can bet your life that Keane and Gary will be wearing short sleeves tomorrow even in the snowy weather.
Arsenal at their best play really sweet free flowing, fast paced, accurate attacking football. But they still haven't learnt how to graft, and that will remain their Achilles Heel as long as Wenger doesn't take a long hard look at himself.
To prove my point? Anybody noticed how many Arsenal players wore gloves during the match? Every single one of the outfield players bar Gael Clichy wore gloves. Fucking sissies. In contrast, when I look at Man United, I can see real men everywhere. Rio, Heinze and Gary Neville in defence, Keane in midfield, and Rooney in attack. Those are real men whom you can count on to dig in when the going gets tough. In fact, you can bet your life that Keane and Gary will be wearing short sleeves tomorrow even in the snowy weather.
Arsenal at their best play really sweet free flowing, fast paced, accurate attacking football. But they still haven't learnt how to graft, and that will remain their Achilles Heel as long as Wenger doesn't take a long hard look at himself.
Stratford --> Brentford = Longest distance in the world
Yet another day, yet another call to IBM, yet another negative response.
Ang moh accent: Yeah, I remember now, I spoke to you yesterday isn't it?
Me: Yup
Ang moh accent: Let me just check it for you. *pause* It's still at our depot, sorry I meant service centre at the moment. It's still waiting to be picked up by an engineer.
-HELLO?!?! Didn't you say somebody was already looking at it yesterday?!?!?!?! WTF?-
Ang moh accent: It's in our service centre in Brentford
Do you guys know what this means? It means that DHL actually took THREE working days to transport my laptop from Stratford in east London to Brentford in west London. Dont believe me?
To see where Stratford is, click here
To see where Brentford is, click here (if you click the arrow on the right side you will see Stratford eventually)
*Can we have a big round of applause please for DHL?*
I mean seriously wtf? Why did the stupid Indian (yes its another argument AGAINST outsourcing) tell me to bring it to Stratford in the east when all DHL does is to take THREE BLOODY WORKING DAYS (remember my emotions don't fucking switch off during Sat and Sun and so that's FIVE DAYS in total) to transport it across London to Brentford in the west? I can go up to Manchester and back again IN ONE FUCKING DAY.
BECAUSE INDIANS LIVING HALFWAY AROUND THE GLOBE DON'T FUCKING KNOW THAT THE SERVICE CENTRE IS IN BRENTFORD AND THEIR SUGGESTIONS ARE WASTING PRECIOUS TIME!
I can just imagine my T23 shivering in the cold, snowy weather in Brentford, separated from its loving master and its warm home in John Dodgson House, and crying out for its master to take him home.
Ang moh accent: If you don't hear from us by Tuesday...oh wait today IS Tuesday, sorry I meant if you do not hear from us by Thursday, give us a ring and we will chase it for you.
-Thanks, so the 4 working days wait actually starts from the day it lands in Brentford, which wasn't told to me by the stupid Indian accent-
Ang moh accent: (after I had asked him)After the 4 days and it had been repaired, it will normally take about 1 working day before we deliver it to you.
Great, which basically means I am looking at Friday, or more realistically next Monday or Tuesday before I get my laptop back - IF they do look at it before Thursday.
By that time, either I had killed someone, or I had killed myself in frustration. But before that, let's all pray that the DHL workers all have their laptops or computers break down and let them see the effect of their inefficient actions.
Ang moh accent: Yeah, I remember now, I spoke to you yesterday isn't it?
Me: Yup
Ang moh accent: Let me just check it for you. *pause* It's still at our depot, sorry I meant service centre at the moment. It's still waiting to be picked up by an engineer.
-HELLO?!?! Didn't you say somebody was already looking at it yesterday?!?!?!?! WTF?-
Ang moh accent: It's in our service centre in Brentford
Do you guys know what this means? It means that DHL actually took THREE working days to transport my laptop from Stratford in east London to Brentford in west London. Dont believe me?
To see where Stratford is, click here
To see where Brentford is, click here (if you click the arrow on the right side you will see Stratford eventually)
*Can we have a big round of applause please for DHL?*
I mean seriously wtf? Why did the stupid Indian (yes its another argument AGAINST outsourcing) tell me to bring it to Stratford in the east when all DHL does is to take THREE BLOODY WORKING DAYS (remember my emotions don't fucking switch off during Sat and Sun and so that's FIVE DAYS in total) to transport it across London to Brentford in the west? I can go up to Manchester and back again IN ONE FUCKING DAY.
BECAUSE INDIANS LIVING HALFWAY AROUND THE GLOBE DON'T FUCKING KNOW THAT THE SERVICE CENTRE IS IN BRENTFORD AND THEIR SUGGESTIONS ARE WASTING PRECIOUS TIME!
I can just imagine my T23 shivering in the cold, snowy weather in Brentford, separated from its loving master and its warm home in John Dodgson House, and crying out for its master to take him home.
Ang moh accent: If you don't hear from us by Tuesday...oh wait today IS Tuesday, sorry I meant if you do not hear from us by Thursday, give us a ring and we will chase it for you.
-Thanks, so the 4 working days wait actually starts from the day it lands in Brentford, which wasn't told to me by the stupid Indian accent-
Ang moh accent: (after I had asked him)After the 4 days and it had been repaired, it will normally take about 1 working day before we deliver it to you.
Great, which basically means I am looking at Friday, or more realistically next Monday or Tuesday before I get my laptop back - IF they do look at it before Thursday.
By that time, either I had killed someone, or I had killed myself in frustration. But before that, let's all pray that the DHL workers all have their laptops or computers break down and let them see the effect of their inefficient actions.
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Patience Shihua....patience...
Good evening viewers, welcome to TBC's (TosH Broadcasting Corporation) daily update on the war to rescue Emperess IBM T23.
Latest reports from our correspondents in IBM's service centre indicate that valuable ammunition (i.e box containing IBM Thinkpad T23) had only arrived at the frontline today, a whopping FOUR working days after they had been despatched to the military base at Stratford. General Ang-moh-accent could do nothing but apologise for the cock up by DHL SAME DAY (name of the service...like yes...same day arrive), the military's OUTSOURCED transport division. He promised to speed up the despatching of the ammunition to frontline soldiers (ie technicians) so that they can fight the battle for Emperor TosH, whose health had been deteriorating daily since his Emperess IBM T23 had been abducted by mysterious enemy forces. In fact, as we were having radio correspondence, he claims some soldiers are already starting to make advances into enemy ground (i.e looking at my laptop).
-----------------------
Yes, fuck. After days of hair pulling and frustration, I STILL have to wait. No idea whatsoever whether its covered by warranty or not. Hopefully what the guy said is true, that it wouldn't take long to repair it :( *pray* At least its with IBM now I guess. However, something tells me that DHL won't be my courier service of choice especially if a service called DHL SAME DAY takes FOUR days to deliver something.
Its snowing in London (though most of the time I am stuck in the basement cluster room and not able to see it...). At first I was pretty negative about the snow (esp considering the last time it snowed in UK I missed my Bolton game entirely). But soon I realised that this is quite possibly the last time ever that I will see snow. I began to have nice little fantasies about strolling through white fluffy stuff, making snowman and having snow fights.... Until I saw that the snow melted immediately upon touching the floor and there was not enough snow to even cover the road, let alone make a snow man. *sigh*
Anyway my Masters' application letter is finally in, my tutor finally got down to writing it this morning after seeing my email. Even profesors procrastinate too!!
Latest reports from our correspondents in IBM's service centre indicate that valuable ammunition (i.e box containing IBM Thinkpad T23) had only arrived at the frontline today, a whopping FOUR working days after they had been despatched to the military base at Stratford. General Ang-moh-accent could do nothing but apologise for the cock up by DHL SAME DAY (name of the service...like yes...same day arrive), the military's OUTSOURCED transport division. He promised to speed up the despatching of the ammunition to frontline soldiers (ie technicians) so that they can fight the battle for Emperor TosH, whose health had been deteriorating daily since his Emperess IBM T23 had been abducted by mysterious enemy forces. In fact, as we were having radio correspondence, he claims some soldiers are already starting to make advances into enemy ground (i.e looking at my laptop).
-----------------------
Yes, fuck. After days of hair pulling and frustration, I STILL have to wait. No idea whatsoever whether its covered by warranty or not. Hopefully what the guy said is true, that it wouldn't take long to repair it :( *pray* At least its with IBM now I guess. However, something tells me that DHL won't be my courier service of choice especially if a service called DHL SAME DAY takes FOUR days to deliver something.
Its snowing in London (though most of the time I am stuck in the basement cluster room and not able to see it...). At first I was pretty negative about the snow (esp considering the last time it snowed in UK I missed my Bolton game entirely). But soon I realised that this is quite possibly the last time ever that I will see snow. I began to have nice little fantasies about strolling through white fluffy stuff, making snowman and having snow fights.... Until I saw that the snow melted immediately upon touching the floor and there was not enough snow to even cover the road, let alone make a snow man. *sigh*
Anyway my Masters' application letter is finally in, my tutor finally got down to writing it this morning after seeing my email. Even profesors procrastinate too!!
Monday, February 21, 2005
Newcastle 1 Chelsea 0
Wah lan...what a match... first time I see a team as suey as Chelsea. Mourinho put on 3 subs at halftime to change the game as Chelsea were 1-0 down and within 5 mins of the restart Wayne Bridge had to go ff injured and Chelsea were left with 10 men. Cudicini then got sent off for bringing Ameobi down and Glen Johnson had to go into goal as no more substitutes can be brought on. You really wonder if Souness had put some 'gong tao' on the pitch...
A lot of people might be gloating at Chelsea but personally I feel rather disappointed. I want United to win the league but I want them to win it with Chelsea having their full complement of players available. If not it leaves the jibye feeling of Chelsea having lost it only because they had a lot of players injured. I want them to have no excuses whatsoever. In any case, it also denies us the chance to see if Chelsea can stop the Barcelona juggernaut and vice versa. So perhaps perversely, I want the injured Chelsea players to recover quickly so that United can beat them.
Having said that, I still think Chelsea will win the league. The fucking weak team still dominated against Newcastle until Shearer crocked Bridge....
On a different note, my neighbour is a fucking bastard. He blasted his bhangra music at 445am and woke lim bei up. Chao Jibye... I knocked on the wall and still he didn't stop. I went to knock on his door and he didn't even dare to open his door. Fucking coward. It was only until 6 plus am before I could drift off back to sleep again. Fucking waste of his father's orgasm.
You know what? Fuck the stand up speak up campaign. British Indians DESERVE to be racially abused and killed. I am not mincing my words. ALL OF THEM DESERVE TO DIE.
A lot of people might be gloating at Chelsea but personally I feel rather disappointed. I want United to win the league but I want them to win it with Chelsea having their full complement of players available. If not it leaves the jibye feeling of Chelsea having lost it only because they had a lot of players injured. I want them to have no excuses whatsoever. In any case, it also denies us the chance to see if Chelsea can stop the Barcelona juggernaut and vice versa. So perhaps perversely, I want the injured Chelsea players to recover quickly so that United can beat them.
Having said that, I still think Chelsea will win the league. The fucking weak team still dominated against Newcastle until Shearer crocked Bridge....
On a different note, my neighbour is a fucking bastard. He blasted his bhangra music at 445am and woke lim bei up. Chao Jibye... I knocked on the wall and still he didn't stop. I went to knock on his door and he didn't even dare to open his door. Fucking coward. It was only until 6 plus am before I could drift off back to sleep again. Fucking waste of his father's orgasm.
You know what? Fuck the stand up speak up campaign. British Indians DESERVE to be racially abused and killed. I am not mincing my words. ALL OF THEM DESERVE TO DIE.
Sunday, February 20, 2005
Terribly upset
Straits Times surfing in the cluster room...xian...
From The Straits Times:
Forget V Day, how about E Day?
I used to yearn for Valentine's Day and grand romantic gestures. Now, I treasure the little things in Every Day that convey love
Tee Hun Ching
I WAS 18 when I was treated to my first 'proper' Valentine's Day date. You know, the sort that comes with the obligatory car pick-up, the standard floral bouquet and a dinner reservation at a softly-lit restaurant in town.
The stuff that young girls' dream dates are made of, basically.
I forget what I wore or the name of the now-defunct eatery. But I can still recall how the tables, each sporting a flickering candle and a stalk of red rose, were packed so tightly together that we could literally rub shoulders with the couples to our left and right.
We hardly spoke, for fear that our neighbours would snigger at our private jokes.
The food, presumably churned out with assembly line efficiency to feed the amorous throngs, was cold.
And when the bill came, my NSman date blanched, but swiftly handed over two $50 bills.
'Isn't the set dinner here $20 each?' we whispered, shocked, as his hard-earned pay disappeared with the waiter. The night that started out pregnant with promise fizzled out quickly.
That was my first reality check on the giant commercial conspiracy otherwise known as Valentine's Day, when all things that help to fan the flames of love burn a larger-than-usual hole in your pocket.
That was also the last time I welcomed bouquets and dinner invitations for Feb 14.
It wasn't just the sheer waste of money that pained me. It was also the realisation that the day would never live up to its promise.
By expecting to be swept off your feet on this day of orchestrated love, you would already have eliminated a vital ingredient for romance - spontaneity.
When I was younger, I thought love, or what slippery grasp I had of the concept, was best expressed in grand, showy gestures that told the whole world how desirable I was.
In secondary school, I fantasised about getting V Day song dedications on the radio from secret admirers.
In junior college, I would scan a two-page affair crammed with love messages that the student council culled from love-sick peers, half-hoping to see one dedicated to me.
I imagined my friends teasing me about it as I squirmed outwardly but cheered inwardly - a mental picture that never translated into reality.
The candlelight dinner was as close to a Valentine's Day ego trip as I ever got.
After that fell flat, I sniffed at the crass money-spinner disguised as a rose-covered love fest and began to value intangibles like creativity instead.
An artistic ex left me wordless with a classy black scrapbook he made that showcased evidence of our time together: ticket stubs of the first movie we caught together, a paper napkin speckled with his half-baked love poems scribbled playfully as we killed time in a fast food outlet.
I found it touching that events I dismissed as mundane mattered enough for him to preserve memories of them, simply because I was a part of those moments.
Till today, this remains the best Valentine's Day surprise I ever had.
Now, married and much older, I subscribe to the slogan of the Romancing Singapore campaign first launched in 2003. Love, I realise, really is in the little things, best exemplified in everyday life.
I smile when I see a new toothbrush sitting in the tumbler that used to hold my sad, old one with its cobalt blue bristles faded to the colour of the sky and spread out like a starburst.
If he's sensitive enough to spot such small needs, I figure he will never miss the big ones.
I luxuriate in the unspoken arrangement where I simply sit pretty and wait for my food while he navigates the sweaty crowds whenever we step into a hawker centre.
He never grumbles about how it should be my turn, for he doesn't keep count of who does more.
I'm touched when he makes an effort to dress up for outrageous theme parties thrown by my friends, even though I know he would very much prefer to curl up with a book at home.
I'm grateful when he automatically reaches out to massage the small of my back when I get home after a long day to relieve my chronic back ache.
I'm ashamed when I snap at him, accusing him of 'always doing this' after he forgets to bring in the laundry twice in a row, only to hear him say gently: 'Not always lah.'
Anyone else would have blasted my inability to count, for by what stretch of imagination could 'twice' be equated with 'always'? But he rarely loses his cool and inspires me to follow suit, although I must admit this is an uphill task for me.
I no longer scoff at Valentine's Day, for who says it always has to be celebrated in style?
To those who take their partners for granted, it is a gentle reminder that for once in 365 days, they should snap out of their selfish reverie.
To those who mark each day with their loved ones as Feb 14, this is yet another excuse to count their blessings.
Given the demands of work, the best present my husband and I can give each other these days is time - time to enjoy idle chatter, time to soak in the sea view from our apartment, time to just be alone. We plan to get home before 8pm today, share a takeout dinner in the balcony and maybe take a stroll along the beach if there's time after doing the laundry.
Nothing fanciful, but everything meaningful.
What are your plans for today?
Now if only every girl realised this...hahaha
But honestly, which girl wouldn't like flowers to be given to her? Even if she doesn't expect it, wouldn't it still give her some joy to actually receive flowers on that day? *ponders* She would know that its expensive, but the guy is still willing to buy for her (or perhaps some other gift other than flowers) and wouldn't that actually make her more happy? So conclusion? Girls who do not expect anything actually deserve flowers more than those who actually EXPECT it. At least I think so anyway...
-----------------------------
I couldn't fall asleep last night. I miss my laptop :( I really hope its at IBM already, and not wrongly delivered to some dirty guys' hands or hiding somewhere in the DHL depot :(
From The Straits Times:
Forget V Day, how about E Day?
I used to yearn for Valentine's Day and grand romantic gestures. Now, I treasure the little things in Every Day that convey love
Tee Hun Ching
I WAS 18 when I was treated to my first 'proper' Valentine's Day date. You know, the sort that comes with the obligatory car pick-up, the standard floral bouquet and a dinner reservation at a softly-lit restaurant in town.
The stuff that young girls' dream dates are made of, basically.
I forget what I wore or the name of the now-defunct eatery. But I can still recall how the tables, each sporting a flickering candle and a stalk of red rose, were packed so tightly together that we could literally rub shoulders with the couples to our left and right.
We hardly spoke, for fear that our neighbours would snigger at our private jokes.
The food, presumably churned out with assembly line efficiency to feed the amorous throngs, was cold.
And when the bill came, my NSman date blanched, but swiftly handed over two $50 bills.
'Isn't the set dinner here $20 each?' we whispered, shocked, as his hard-earned pay disappeared with the waiter. The night that started out pregnant with promise fizzled out quickly.
That was my first reality check on the giant commercial conspiracy otherwise known as Valentine's Day, when all things that help to fan the flames of love burn a larger-than-usual hole in your pocket.
That was also the last time I welcomed bouquets and dinner invitations for Feb 14.
It wasn't just the sheer waste of money that pained me. It was also the realisation that the day would never live up to its promise.
By expecting to be swept off your feet on this day of orchestrated love, you would already have eliminated a vital ingredient for romance - spontaneity.
When I was younger, I thought love, or what slippery grasp I had of the concept, was best expressed in grand, showy gestures that told the whole world how desirable I was.
In secondary school, I fantasised about getting V Day song dedications on the radio from secret admirers.
In junior college, I would scan a two-page affair crammed with love messages that the student council culled from love-sick peers, half-hoping to see one dedicated to me.
I imagined my friends teasing me about it as I squirmed outwardly but cheered inwardly - a mental picture that never translated into reality.
The candlelight dinner was as close to a Valentine's Day ego trip as I ever got.
After that fell flat, I sniffed at the crass money-spinner disguised as a rose-covered love fest and began to value intangibles like creativity instead.
An artistic ex left me wordless with a classy black scrapbook he made that showcased evidence of our time together: ticket stubs of the first movie we caught together, a paper napkin speckled with his half-baked love poems scribbled playfully as we killed time in a fast food outlet.
I found it touching that events I dismissed as mundane mattered enough for him to preserve memories of them, simply because I was a part of those moments.
Till today, this remains the best Valentine's Day surprise I ever had.
Now, married and much older, I subscribe to the slogan of the Romancing Singapore campaign first launched in 2003. Love, I realise, really is in the little things, best exemplified in everyday life.
I smile when I see a new toothbrush sitting in the tumbler that used to hold my sad, old one with its cobalt blue bristles faded to the colour of the sky and spread out like a starburst.
If he's sensitive enough to spot such small needs, I figure he will never miss the big ones.
I luxuriate in the unspoken arrangement where I simply sit pretty and wait for my food while he navigates the sweaty crowds whenever we step into a hawker centre.
He never grumbles about how it should be my turn, for he doesn't keep count of who does more.
I'm touched when he makes an effort to dress up for outrageous theme parties thrown by my friends, even though I know he would very much prefer to curl up with a book at home.
I'm grateful when he automatically reaches out to massage the small of my back when I get home after a long day to relieve my chronic back ache.
I'm ashamed when I snap at him, accusing him of 'always doing this' after he forgets to bring in the laundry twice in a row, only to hear him say gently: 'Not always lah.'
Anyone else would have blasted my inability to count, for by what stretch of imagination could 'twice' be equated with 'always'? But he rarely loses his cool and inspires me to follow suit, although I must admit this is an uphill task for me.
I no longer scoff at Valentine's Day, for who says it always has to be celebrated in style?
To those who take their partners for granted, it is a gentle reminder that for once in 365 days, they should snap out of their selfish reverie.
To those who mark each day with their loved ones as Feb 14, this is yet another excuse to count their blessings.
Given the demands of work, the best present my husband and I can give each other these days is time - time to enjoy idle chatter, time to soak in the sea view from our apartment, time to just be alone. We plan to get home before 8pm today, share a takeout dinner in the balcony and maybe take a stroll along the beach if there's time after doing the laundry.
Nothing fanciful, but everything meaningful.
What are your plans for today?
Now if only every girl realised this...hahaha
But honestly, which girl wouldn't like flowers to be given to her? Even if she doesn't expect it, wouldn't it still give her some joy to actually receive flowers on that day? *ponders* She would know that its expensive, but the guy is still willing to buy for her (or perhaps some other gift other than flowers) and wouldn't that actually make her more happy? So conclusion? Girls who do not expect anything actually deserve flowers more than those who actually EXPECT it. At least I think so anyway...
-----------------------------
I couldn't fall asleep last night. I miss my laptop :( I really hope its at IBM already, and not wrongly delivered to some dirty guys' hands or hiding somewhere in the DHL depot :(
Friday, February 18, 2005
Ang moh bashing
To prevent you all from suffering from depression while reading my blog (that is if you all care about me enough lah...), here's a link to amuse you all (taken from Lyndon's blog). I think the comics are quite well drawn and really funny. Who needs foreign talent?!
Oh yeah, by the way, whoever laughs at Singaporeans queuing up for Hellp Kitty deserves a tight slap. Even ang mohs also queue up for stupid black and white wrist bands, so much so that they have a quota and I can't get enough for my friends. They also recognised me when I queued up a second time. Why? Coz I am a Chinese. (note the irony here...) Would they recognise ang mohs and blacks when there are so many of them? Definitely not.
Stupid anti-racism wrist bands.
The only ones enjoying it are Nike bosses who are laughing all the way to the bank.
Oh yeah, by the way, whoever laughs at Singaporeans queuing up for Hellp Kitty deserves a tight slap. Even ang mohs also queue up for stupid black and white wrist bands, so much so that they have a quota and I can't get enough for my friends. They also recognised me when I queued up a second time. Why? Coz I am a Chinese. (note the irony here...) Would they recognise ang mohs and blacks when there are so many of them? Definitely not.
Stupid anti-racism wrist bands.
The only ones enjoying it are Nike bosses who are laughing all the way to the bank.
Safeway Savers Bread
You know what they are...
Every morning, the shelves are stacked full of them. Everyday, the old loaves are replaced by new loaves and the cycle goes on and on. They are very much dispensable and replaceable. Nobody bothers about those left on the shelves at the end of the day. They will be disposed of, no big deal. They are so common anyway.
They are also cheap too. For just 25p, you can get one loaf. Disgustingly cheap. So easily affordable, even the tramps on the streets outside Russell Square tube can afford an entire loaf if they sit for 15 minutes. No need to spend any effort at all to buy them.
However, their quality is very poor too. A slice crumbles easily. Bread crumbs get all over the table when you try to spread them. Crumbs drop out of your grasp and mouth when you start eating them. The bread sticks to your teeth as you try to chew and digest it. Too much effort needed to eat it and it's not nice. I repeat: NOT NICE.
So nobody likes Safeway Savers Bread. You only buy it if you are damn poor. As soon as you can afford it, you go for something better. Why stick with Safeway Savers Bread when you can go for Hovis or Kings Mill? After all Savers Bread is always there, they are plentiful, and they are cheap. No need to spend any effort at all. If you become poor again, can always go back to Savers Bread, it will not run away. But for now, better aim for and grab as much Hovis as you can before it runs out!
When you are rich already and are enjoying that slice of Hovis, do you think of Savers Bread? Do you care to even remember, let alone appreciate the feeling of full-ness that it once gave you? Do you remember that last time, that 25p loaf of Savers Bread at least prevented you from going hungry?
Thought not.
Nobody likes Safeway Savers Bread.
------------------------
The laptop was delivered to Stratford yesterday. With the help of streetmap.co.uk and a map. Fucking DHL even ran out of proper receipts when I delivered it there. I only had a handwritten acknowledgment slip.
I can only pray that my laptop does not get lost. But I should prepare myself for the worst.
I WANT MY IBM T23 BACK!!!!!!
Every morning, the shelves are stacked full of them. Everyday, the old loaves are replaced by new loaves and the cycle goes on and on. They are very much dispensable and replaceable. Nobody bothers about those left on the shelves at the end of the day. They will be disposed of, no big deal. They are so common anyway.
They are also cheap too. For just 25p, you can get one loaf. Disgustingly cheap. So easily affordable, even the tramps on the streets outside Russell Square tube can afford an entire loaf if they sit for 15 minutes. No need to spend any effort at all to buy them.
However, their quality is very poor too. A slice crumbles easily. Bread crumbs get all over the table when you try to spread them. Crumbs drop out of your grasp and mouth when you start eating them. The bread sticks to your teeth as you try to chew and digest it. Too much effort needed to eat it and it's not nice. I repeat: NOT NICE.
So nobody likes Safeway Savers Bread. You only buy it if you are damn poor. As soon as you can afford it, you go for something better. Why stick with Safeway Savers Bread when you can go for Hovis or Kings Mill? After all Savers Bread is always there, they are plentiful, and they are cheap. No need to spend any effort at all. If you become poor again, can always go back to Savers Bread, it will not run away. But for now, better aim for and grab as much Hovis as you can before it runs out!
When you are rich already and are enjoying that slice of Hovis, do you think of Savers Bread? Do you care to even remember, let alone appreciate the feeling of full-ness that it once gave you? Do you remember that last time, that 25p loaf of Savers Bread at least prevented you from going hungry?
Thought not.
Nobody likes Safeway Savers Bread.
------------------------
The laptop was delivered to Stratford yesterday. With the help of streetmap.co.uk and a map. Fucking DHL even ran out of proper receipts when I delivered it there. I only had a handwritten acknowledgment slip.
I can only pray that my laptop does not get lost. But I should prepare myself for the worst.
I WANT MY IBM T23 BACK!!!!!!
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
As if that wasn't enough...
You know the feeling when the whole world starts crashing in on you?
My hard disk didn't crash.
Instead Irving and his friend think that something in my laptop must have burnt or short circuited or whatever. Which means my warranty might be fucked. I really don't know what might have spilled onto it causing it to short...I never do anything at all! But given my luck nowadays...I believe I should be mentally prepared for an Indian accented caller to say that the warranty does not cover it. And I might have to pay upwards of 600 pounds for the repairs. I am fucked.
I did buy insurance for my laptop in the beginning of the academic year when I bought insurance for my room. All is fine and well until I read the last line: I must provide proof that I OWN the laptop.
My receipt is back in Singapore!!!!
To make it worse, I think when I bought my laptop, I put my father's name on the receipt since he paid for it. It was my decision. So now the insurance company can say that the laptop is not mine. My only hope is that they accept the receipt for my repairing the LCD screen.
I am sooooo fucked.
I hereby declare myself persona non grata. Please people, if you see me on the streets, run and hide as far away as you can. I have so much bad luck that anybody within a metre of me will get it. Dont say hi, don't wave, don't do anything. Seriously I am drenched in showers of suey-ness for now. I haven't even mentioned that I got rejected for United vs FUlham tickets, exactly when I need them desperately because Leon is coming over from the US that weekend.
Just kill me.
My hard disk didn't crash.
Instead Irving and his friend think that something in my laptop must have burnt or short circuited or whatever. Which means my warranty might be fucked. I really don't know what might have spilled onto it causing it to short...I never do anything at all! But given my luck nowadays...I believe I should be mentally prepared for an Indian accented caller to say that the warranty does not cover it. And I might have to pay upwards of 600 pounds for the repairs. I am fucked.
I did buy insurance for my laptop in the beginning of the academic year when I bought insurance for my room. All is fine and well until I read the last line: I must provide proof that I OWN the laptop.
My receipt is back in Singapore!!!!
To make it worse, I think when I bought my laptop, I put my father's name on the receipt since he paid for it. It was my decision. So now the insurance company can say that the laptop is not mine. My only hope is that they accept the receipt for my repairing the LCD screen.
I am sooooo fucked.
I hereby declare myself persona non grata. Please people, if you see me on the streets, run and hide as far away as you can. I have so much bad luck that anybody within a metre of me will get it. Dont say hi, don't wave, don't do anything. Seriously I am drenched in showers of suey-ness for now. I haven't even mentioned that I got rejected for United vs FUlham tickets, exactly when I need them desperately because Leon is coming over from the US that weekend.
Just kill me.
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Unhappy Valentines' Day for TosH
Not sure how to structure this post into a coherent piece since soooo many things happened so forgive me if this piece seems a little haphazard.
Let me get the most du lan thing out of the way.
My hard disk crashed.
KAN NI NA BE CHAO JIBYE!!!!!!
My laptop is a fucking IBM!! It is not supposed to crash!! I didn't drop it. I didn't hammer it. I typed "bye bye" on MSN, went to change clothes to go out to watch Man City vs United, took a look at the screen before going out and there were funny lines across the screen. I couldn't get into Windows after rebooting.
And the world starting caving in on me as it dawned upon me that I had lost ALL my precious photos from my Europe and Japan tours, birthday and CNY celebrations, matches etc. Not to mention 6 Gb of music files as well. And when I got to the pub, I discovered BOTH Giggs and Ronaldo were not starting, Fortune and Fletcher started on the wings. It was seriously a case of WTF!!!
Heng got Richard Dunne. What a finish for the second own goal. *applause*. Even Pele would have been proud of that goal. As John remarked when the screen focused on Dunne's face: "What have I DUNNE?"
Eh come on lah, quite funny line right...laugh leh.
And so on to today, a frantic series of phone calls to IBM service centres etc. I reiterate that...
I HATE OUTSOURCING.
I can't even begin to describe my dulan ness whenever I have an urgent problem to settle and when I call, I hear an Indian accent. I have nothing against Indians (stop sniggering behind!) but I am absolutely against Indian accents. You are bloody servicing the UK market, you jolly well speak PROPER English. I mean seriously.. everybody complains about Singlish. But what is so different then about Indian accented English when people also have problems understanding what they are saying? JIbye. So much time was spent on spelling out every alphabet and reconfirming every sentence that the guy said.
And the most jibye thing of all? They have no local knowledge at all. The place where I have to leave my laptop is in bloody Stratford. Far far away in the South China Sea... The address he gave me is DHL Depot, Unit I and J, EAST CROSS CENTRE, Stratford, E15 2HN. No ROAD NAME. How the hell am I going to find a building in the whole of Stratford?!?!?!!?
Me: Do you know how to get there?
Annoying Indian accent: No.
-Silence-
No attempts at all to help find out how to get there. Because he is in INDIA, that's why!! He then suggested that I can post it to the DHL depot and then DHL will bring it to IBM. All very nice, except that I had explained to him a minute ago that I was scared that my laptop would get lost in the post. Why doesn't it register in his head? Because people in India don't fucking know ROYAL MAIL is screwed up!!!!
So people in Singapore, be glad that Singapore is small. Sometimes it is an advantage. When you bring your laptop for servicing, it is at some convenient location and they don't need to send it to ANOTHER town to repair it.
Another thing was that once I send my laptop for repair, all my data would really be goodbye. So I phoned Irving to ask him how much data recovery would cost. And the answer was prohibitive. And then the first sign of St Valentine appeared. Irving asked me to bring my laptop to him so that he can take a look at it. To cut a long story short, he saved my data.
THANK YOU IRVING!!!! LIFE SAVIOUR!!!!
Phew...my photos...my precious. TosH hereby swears to back up not only photos he haven't printed, but also ALL his photos and music when he gets his laptop back. So at least my data is safe now. But still got to make a trip to Stratford, make numerous calls to IBM, (maybe) buy a new hard disk etc. Sigh... I am dying without my laptop :(
And so I went out to look at hard disk drives along Tottenham COurt Road, Sim Lim Square of London. Being Vday, lots of people were holding bouquets along the roads, some big some small, some roses and some were other flowers. I had a glimpse at the price of some bouquets in shops and they were SO expensive!! 25 pounds for a small bouquet of flowers (no roses)!!! Wah kao... I didn't even dare to see the price of the roses.
It does make the $2.50 per stalk that my sister is selling in NUS look so much cheaper. Yupz yupz my sister is ENTREPRENEUR!! Quite impressed by her. I have never had the guts (nor the business ideas) to do a small business on my own. The fear of losing money would always prevent me from being one. So I have developed new found respect for my sister. Hope her business venture went well today.
And this leads me onto the problems of Singapore. One of my friends specially flew over from US to see his girlfriend in London. (You can do so many stunts when you are rich...=( ) And we met up for lunch and had (strictly speaking the 3 of them talked while I listened, trying hard to understand half the time) a discussion about the problems with Singapore. I really do agree with the point that Singapore/Singaporeans are too judgmental. In fact, I am extremely guilty of that. For example, when I saw a guy with a bouquet of flowers wrapped in Sainsburys' (a supermarket like NTUC in Singapore) plastic bag, I automatically conclude that he is a cheapo. (Yes I did see a guy like that, I sincerely hope that he remembers to throw the plastic bag away, if not he is going to learn an unforgettable lesson...) We judge everything based on results and not on effort. We have no room for failures. I love Singapore, but this is one area where if I had one wish for Singapore, I would wish for it to change. Let's all try not to judge people on their occupations, their salaries, their failures and also the language they speak ok?
YES THAT INCLUDES YOU FUCKING JIBYE BOYFRIEND OF MY COUSIN! JUST BECAUSE MY PARENTS DON'T KNOW ENGLISH DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN TALK BAD ABOUT THEM IN ENGLISH YOU FUCKER!
Just because my parents don't eat eel and doesn't understand English doesn't mean it is ok for you to say to your girlfriend that "Even if we don't tell them its eel they also don't know right". Going by your logic, if we don't tell Muslims and let them eat pork its ok? Go and stick your fucking marketing jibye manager up your arse. 0 PR skills still want to do marketing.
Anyway yeah, quite impressed with the thoughts and ideas of my 3 friends. Though I really feel that some of their ideas are not desirable, like affirmative action (positive discrimination to put it simply) it is not important. What is important is that they retain the enthusiasm and concern they have for the future of Singapore. As long as that continues, then it is all that Singapore can ask for really. Not like me who is contented to remain a heartlander and watch football only. I will fight for Singapore if there is war (though I will be killed almost immediately) but I am absolutely clueless in trying to see where Singapore should be heading in the future.
So I guess I would end this damn long post on this rather I-am-useless note. Just to further this useless mood a little.. I just discovered I am damn fucking suey. The shop along Regent St can just disappear into thin air when I am trying to find it. I walked to Covent Garden to see if there is another branch and couldn't find any. Just now when I looked on the Internet, I discovered that I literally WALKED PAST THE SHOP WITHOUT FINDING IT. wtf man.... When you are suey, you are really suey I tell ya...
Let me get the most du lan thing out of the way.
My hard disk crashed.
KAN NI NA BE CHAO JIBYE!!!!!!
My laptop is a fucking IBM!! It is not supposed to crash!! I didn't drop it. I didn't hammer it. I typed "bye bye" on MSN, went to change clothes to go out to watch Man City vs United, took a look at the screen before going out and there were funny lines across the screen. I couldn't get into Windows after rebooting.
And the world starting caving in on me as it dawned upon me that I had lost ALL my precious photos from my Europe and Japan tours, birthday and CNY celebrations, matches etc. Not to mention 6 Gb of music files as well. And when I got to the pub, I discovered BOTH Giggs and Ronaldo were not starting, Fortune and Fletcher started on the wings. It was seriously a case of WTF!!!
Heng got Richard Dunne. What a finish for the second own goal. *applause*. Even Pele would have been proud of that goal. As John remarked when the screen focused on Dunne's face: "What have I DUNNE?"
Eh come on lah, quite funny line right...laugh leh.
And so on to today, a frantic series of phone calls to IBM service centres etc. I reiterate that...
I HATE OUTSOURCING.
I can't even begin to describe my dulan ness whenever I have an urgent problem to settle and when I call, I hear an Indian accent. I have nothing against Indians (stop sniggering behind!) but I am absolutely against Indian accents. You are bloody servicing the UK market, you jolly well speak PROPER English. I mean seriously.. everybody complains about Singlish. But what is so different then about Indian accented English when people also have problems understanding what they are saying? JIbye. So much time was spent on spelling out every alphabet and reconfirming every sentence that the guy said.
And the most jibye thing of all? They have no local knowledge at all. The place where I have to leave my laptop is in bloody Stratford. Far far away in the South China Sea... The address he gave me is DHL Depot, Unit I and J, EAST CROSS CENTRE, Stratford, E15 2HN. No ROAD NAME. How the hell am I going to find a building in the whole of Stratford?!?!?!!?
Me: Do you know how to get there?
Annoying Indian accent: No.
-Silence-
No attempts at all to help find out how to get there. Because he is in INDIA, that's why!! He then suggested that I can post it to the DHL depot and then DHL will bring it to IBM. All very nice, except that I had explained to him a minute ago that I was scared that my laptop would get lost in the post. Why doesn't it register in his head? Because people in India don't fucking know ROYAL MAIL is screwed up!!!!
So people in Singapore, be glad that Singapore is small. Sometimes it is an advantage. When you bring your laptop for servicing, it is at some convenient location and they don't need to send it to ANOTHER town to repair it.
Another thing was that once I send my laptop for repair, all my data would really be goodbye. So I phoned Irving to ask him how much data recovery would cost. And the answer was prohibitive. And then the first sign of St Valentine appeared. Irving asked me to bring my laptop to him so that he can take a look at it. To cut a long story short, he saved my data.
THANK YOU IRVING!!!! LIFE SAVIOUR!!!!
Phew...my photos...my precious. TosH hereby swears to back up not only photos he haven't printed, but also ALL his photos and music when he gets his laptop back. So at least my data is safe now. But still got to make a trip to Stratford, make numerous calls to IBM, (maybe) buy a new hard disk etc. Sigh... I am dying without my laptop :(
And so I went out to look at hard disk drives along Tottenham COurt Road, Sim Lim Square of London. Being Vday, lots of people were holding bouquets along the roads, some big some small, some roses and some were other flowers. I had a glimpse at the price of some bouquets in shops and they were SO expensive!! 25 pounds for a small bouquet of flowers (no roses)!!! Wah kao... I didn't even dare to see the price of the roses.
It does make the $2.50 per stalk that my sister is selling in NUS look so much cheaper. Yupz yupz my sister is ENTREPRENEUR!! Quite impressed by her. I have never had the guts (nor the business ideas) to do a small business on my own. The fear of losing money would always prevent me from being one. So I have developed new found respect for my sister. Hope her business venture went well today.
And this leads me onto the problems of Singapore. One of my friends specially flew over from US to see his girlfriend in London. (You can do so many stunts when you are rich...=( ) And we met up for lunch and had (strictly speaking the 3 of them talked while I listened, trying hard to understand half the time) a discussion about the problems with Singapore. I really do agree with the point that Singapore/Singaporeans are too judgmental. In fact, I am extremely guilty of that. For example, when I saw a guy with a bouquet of flowers wrapped in Sainsburys' (a supermarket like NTUC in Singapore) plastic bag, I automatically conclude that he is a cheapo. (Yes I did see a guy like that, I sincerely hope that he remembers to throw the plastic bag away, if not he is going to learn an unforgettable lesson...) We judge everything based on results and not on effort. We have no room for failures. I love Singapore, but this is one area where if I had one wish for Singapore, I would wish for it to change. Let's all try not to judge people on their occupations, their salaries, their failures and also the language they speak ok?
YES THAT INCLUDES YOU FUCKING JIBYE BOYFRIEND OF MY COUSIN! JUST BECAUSE MY PARENTS DON'T KNOW ENGLISH DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN TALK BAD ABOUT THEM IN ENGLISH YOU FUCKER!
Just because my parents don't eat eel and doesn't understand English doesn't mean it is ok for you to say to your girlfriend that "Even if we don't tell them its eel they also don't know right". Going by your logic, if we don't tell Muslims and let them eat pork its ok? Go and stick your fucking marketing jibye manager up your arse. 0 PR skills still want to do marketing.
Anyway yeah, quite impressed with the thoughts and ideas of my 3 friends. Though I really feel that some of their ideas are not desirable, like affirmative action (positive discrimination to put it simply) it is not important. What is important is that they retain the enthusiasm and concern they have for the future of Singapore. As long as that continues, then it is all that Singapore can ask for really. Not like me who is contented to remain a heartlander and watch football only. I will fight for Singapore if there is war (though I will be killed almost immediately) but I am absolutely clueless in trying to see where Singapore should be heading in the future.
So I guess I would end this damn long post on this rather I-am-useless note. Just to further this useless mood a little.. I just discovered I am damn fucking suey. The shop along Regent St can just disappear into thin air when I am trying to find it. I walked to Covent Garden to see if there is another branch and couldn't find any. Just now when I looked on the Internet, I discovered that I literally WALKED PAST THE SHOP WITHOUT FINDING IT. wtf man.... When you are suey, you are really suey I tell ya...
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