Branding of Banks

Singaporeans are super savers. We have always been known as a country with the highest saving rates. From the POSB account that our parents open for us when we are born to the CPF account that we monthly contribute after we get our first job, there are other supplementary savings we may build up as we move into different phases in lives.

Hence, many Singaporeans are not unfamiliar to the banks. From the big 3 local banks to the offshore banks, we are spoilt for choices regardless of whether we are saving, investing, borrowing, or mortgaging. With increased competition from the offshore banks, our local banks are also gearing up in response.

I have always been watching closely the various promotions introduced by the local banks out of both curiosity and hope of reaping benefits as end-consumer. I have recently been rather attracted by the series of advertising campaigns that OCBC has implemented.

From my recollection, OCBC has not utilized the television advertisements as frequently. It has used more of print media – in newspaper. Currently, it has expanded to the use of more personal touch, turning its bank branches more into a mini showroom of different themes. This removes the daunting aura associated with the professionalism emphasized by various banks. In addition, the little touches that the banks put in place also warm the consumers’ hearts.

I was impressed when I saw several benches placed along the queue to the counters providing rest to the tired legs while customers wait along the queues. So far, I have only seen OCBC branches but not other banks. Such little thoughts go a long way as it helps alleviate the frustration associated with long queue at the banks. Along the queues, colourful brochures are placed for consumers to be informed of the latest promotions / programs. This is a very effective way of promoting their latest products. Most consumers prefer to buy-in to a new investment idea themselves rather than being ‘pushed’ by the bank.

The thoughtfulness of the bank can also be seen in the extended operating hours that it introduces in selected branches. Previously, many of the working adults will need to apply leave to run errands at the bank especially for those who need to work on Saturday or for those who wish to avoid the bank crowd during peak hours like lunch hour or Saturday. With the extended operating hour on weekdays and even Sundays, we can get our things done without having to waste our leave.

Depending on the ‘flavour’ of the month, the OCBC banks has also decorated or introduced different gimmicks. For instance, when it first introduces its mighty savers programs for the children, it has set up popcorn counters and given out free popcorn to customers. Magicians also graced the branch and entertained the young customers. Recently, it has targeted the ladies. On International Women’s Day, pink roses were given out to ladies. Ladies’ nights are introduced on every Wednesday with express queue at selected counters solely devoted to ladies. For those queues, pink carpets lined the floor to the counter. Cocktails are also served to ladies customers.

Such small gestures show the thoughtfulness branded by the banks. After all, we have to visit the banks often and often for important milestones in our lives, eg when we are getting our first house, when we get our first pay check, etc. Hence, a long-lasting relationship with the customers will go a long way.

Singaporeans are Getting Ruder?

Recently, I noticed Singaporeans seemed to getting more and more inconsiderate, such that going out becomes almost like a battle regardless of whether it is a working or non-working day. Many times I have witnessed inconsiderate acts on the road. This morning, another accident added to my list of inconsiderate acts.

A van was parked on a one-car street along the entrance to a housing estate carpark. The driver was absent from the van. Hence, for cars behind this van waiting to get into the car park, they had to wait. When my mum honked for the driver, the driver reluctantly came to fetch his vehicle. However, he came back without explicitly expressing his displeasure and signalling to my mum that she could have overtaken his van and illegally used the outcoming way to enter the carpark.

For one, he was not the only user of the road. If he needed to offload his goods, he could have gone into the carpark instead of illegally parking at the entrance of the carpark. Secondly, instead of being apologetic for his inconsiderate and illegal act, he made it seem as though we were the inconsiderate ones. If he wished to endanger himself and his vehicle by parking illegally, he could go ahead. He should not expect everyone else to endanger our lives as well by condoning his dangerous acts.

If we have to be constantly battling such rude acts , it is hard to remain courteous and calm. Soon, we will evolve into rude and impatient beings in order to survive such ordeals. I wonder how this will adversely affect the homeland we live in.

Look Up... ... Surprise

When we walk, we often look straight or look down. We do not usually look up while we are walking. Looking up when you are walking can be dangerous as you can miss any stumbling block in your path and trip.


As I was on the escalator up from the basement to the Borders Book Store at Wheelock Place, I was attracted by the bright light filtering down and looked up. I was suddenly blinded by the light and the intricacies of the metal frame of the roof. I might not be an architectural enthusiast. Yet, at that moment, I was filled with respect and admiration for this architect.



To think I have missed something beautiful for such a long time and for so many times that I pass by the place.

Palate Disappointment

Singaporeans are exposed to different kinds of food each day - Western or Asian, fried or steam, liquid or dry, good or bad. Other than shopping, eating is almost like another National Hobby.

If you switch on the TV, the more popular programs in Singapore can be categorised in three main themes - travel, shopping and food. We have different kinds of food programs - programs associated with gourmet writers, eg Makansutra Raw, programs introducing stalls with long queues, programs introducing eateries along certain bus routes and even programs on good food on campus. Of course, we are not forgetting the more conventional food programs which centre around certain types of food or certain areas of eating places each episode.

Inevitably, our tongues have been pampered with the myriad selection. Just as we feel heavenly after a satisfying good meal. The reverse is also true, especially when we expect to perk ourselves up with good food.

I was in Novena on a weekend evening and was looking for my dinner destination. After walking around, I decided to eat at a Thai restaurant. After having so much good Thai food for the past 2 weeks, my expectations had been raised. This was especially when I had never been disappointed by Thai food before. To our disappointment, the food was purely spicy without accompanying aroma from the spices used. For the fried rice with dried shrimps and chicken, the rice was too bland and the chicken too sweet. For the Phad Thai, it was too sweet but only generous in the rice noodle. For the seafood stir fried rice noodle, it was too spicy which overwhelmed any sweetness from the seafood. In addition, the meal was not cheap which led to double disappointment.

Strangely, after eating such disappointing food, it sort of set a disappointing tone for the remaining evening. I felt fustrated and slighted peeved at being treated to such insincere cuisine. Just as good food cheers us up, bad food casts a cloud.

Long Awaited Square 2

There was alot of publicity of the place when it first opened. Since it was only a few MRT stations away, my sister and I had talked about going to Square 2 for a long time.

Finally, we were there. The tenant mix was indeed unique from other shopping centres. It reminded me faintly of Far East's Level One or Clarke Quay's Central with quaint little boutiques distributed in a maze-like layout. The shops could not be totally seen from the centre of the mall as many could be hidden behind the other shops. The walking space between these shops was narrow.

The fourth level was entirely level devoted to Korean merchandise and F & B for Korean fans - with 2 Korean restaurants and a Korean minimart selling Korean snacks and sundries. On the last level, there was the familiar NTUC Fairprice anchoring half of the level. The rest of the shops were mainly made up of DVD shops and food-related shops such as Mmmm which sold marinated meats.

Unfortunately, the shops closed around 8pm which made the place rather quiet after 8. It was indeed a pity and again reinforced the phenomenon of a lack of night life in Singapore.

To all the Ladies, Let's Celebrate Life

Happy International Women's Day to all Ladies!

Let us continue to celebrate life with continued enthusiasm, positivism, confidence and beauty.

Shoe Shopping

The musketeers have not gone shopping for ages. The theme of the day was shoes. We practically tried from shoe boutique to boutique.

To our disappointment, none of us bought anything at the end of the day. Yet, sometimes the fun of things was not in the outcome but in the process, especially a process where exercise (restricted to only walking from shop to shop and bending down to pick up the shoes) was minimal and laughter (from the faux pas selections) was maximum.

The fun from shopping lied more in the company, especially when all of us knew what each other would like. We could also be open in our judgment towards the choices one another made. No formalities or niceties reserved. I welcomed such frank opinions. It would be better to embarrassed myself in front of the Musketeer with my often auntie-ish-selection than to make a wrong purchase and embarrass myself time and again in front of strangers.

Shopping, catching-up with friends and lots of laugher are the best ingredients for a recipe of a good evening to unwind.

Musketeers' Gathering at Shokudo Pasta

The Musketeers have not met since Christmas last year. Somehow or rather, due to work and other social commitments, we have not been able to find a common time to meet. We are really lapsing in our initial promise to meet monthly.

Nonetheless, since we are not able to meet as frequently, we should all the more treasure the time that we can meet. For this meeting, we have decided to find a cosy dining place to while our time away over delicious meal. Well, since work has slowed down a little recently, I have decided to search for new places for our get-together.

From my shortlist, we decide to head for Shokudo Pasta at Citylink. It is a newly opened Fusion (Japanese & Western) eatery. The reviews online are above average. According to Ah Peng, there is usually a queue outside the restaurant. I believe Singaporean's taste buds are pretty sharp. If there is crowd and good review, the food cannot be too inedible. The best litmus test is still one's taste bud.

Ms Chan and I order the soupy pasta while Ah Peng choose the wafu sauce pasta. Personally, I have tried Waraku Pasta which also offers Japanese pasta. Therefore, this time, the menu does not attract as much excitement as the first time I have seen Japanese pasta selection. Moreover, my fettucine in soup is quite difficult to eat with both fork and spoon. How I wish I have a pair of chopsticks to prevent the splashing of the soup when the slightly mashy fettucine falls apart from the fork.

Although the main course has not truly satisfied me, the ice-cream makes up for it. Perhaps I have a sweet tooth, I like all the flavours of the ice-cream which we order - macha (green tea), gome (black sesame) and yuzu (grapefuit). I am big on sorbet, especially after a heavy meal. The sweet sour ice always helps to lighten the palate after the richness of salt or spices. Needless to say, my favourite is the yuzu sorbet.

The musketeers want to make our gathering a food expedition. Perhaps the next time round, we can go and patron other eateries which are among my shortlist. *Wink*

Second Visit to Carousel at Royal Plaza @ Scotts

The first visit was for the farewell lunch of a colleague last year. This second visit was for our quarterly lunch with our boss. The last experience was fantastic especially the cold cut session.

This time round we made the reservation slightly late so we could not secure a single table to sit everyone. Hence, we were split into 3 tables.

We were again wowed by the sashimi and the cold cut session. The mussels, crayfish, prawns and scallops whetted our appetite. The freshly cut salmon, tuna and yellowtail fish made our mouths watered. Their succulence exploded in our mouths. We could not stop heaping our plates with more and more of the sashimi and cold cuts.

The cooked food session consisted of both Western and Asian delights. For seafood lovers, there was the Asian black pepper stir-fried prawn or the Western cream-based mussels. For soup selection, there was the Western crab cream soup or the Asian herbal mutton clear soup. My favourite was the Thai-styled steamed black grouper.

To the ladies, there must still be space in your stomachs for the dessert section – from ice-cream to pies to chocolate fondue to the exotic fruits. We are simply spoilt for choices. Admiring the colourful spread of various desserts is enough to cause a sugar rush. Sigh, how I wish I have unlimited space in our stomach.

Again, I overate and felt full the entire afternoon and decided to skip dinner.

Sticky Rice

Good things come together. I have not had Thai cuisines for a long time. Within the span of one week, I had the fortune of having my fill of Thai cuisines twice.



Sticky Rice has been in operations for about a year since the opening of AMK Hub. Although it is within walking distance from my home, I have not had the chance to eat at this restaurant. This Saturday, we decided to wait no more.


Eating food I like often gives me a sense of bliss. I shall say no more and let the pictures tell the rest of the story.


We start off with Thai fish cake,


next is Tom Yam soup

followed by stir-fried Kai Lan

then stuffed chicken wings




and finally red ruby.






My calories scale is certainly off-balance.

Doing Stupid Things Again

We were chatting during lunch.

One of us suddenly commented that she had no music sense, so she could not sing very well.

Another added that she was the same. She further elaborated that she could not dance very well too.

The third colleague asked if that meant that she would move her left arm with her left leg and her right arm with her right leg.

The second colleague replied that even moving left arm with left leg and right arm with right was not an easy task. She had tried that the night before on her way home. She was very bored, so when she noticed that there was no one behind her, she tried to walk in that manner. To her amusement, it was harder to coordinate walking that way than the usual alternate swing of the limbs, ie left arm with right leg and right arm with left leg.

We burst out laughing and agreed wholeheartedly that she was indeed very bored.

Well, the same night, I tried walking with my right arm swinging with my right leg forward and my left arm with my left leg. Despite concentrated and deliberate efforts, I could not achieve it in more than one cycle. It was truly more difficult than to do it with the alternate limbs. I nearly wanted to burst out laughing at my efforts but had to stifle it for fear of causing stunned stares from anyone who happened to see me.

Well, I was indeed very bored as well.

Hey, maybe you should also try it when you are bored.

Leap Year

A gift given to us once every 4 years - an extra day.


How have you spent this extra day?


For me, I have spent the entire evening alone. Yes! ME Time for myself. I have eaten my favourite noodles while admiring the breathtaking CBD view of Singapore. Singapore's night scene is definitely comparable to the Bund at Shanghai or Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong, don't you think?





You? Was it also a special and memorable one?

Lunch at Delifrance

I haven't been to Delifrance for a pretty long time. Although I have heard of their new menu, I have never had the chance to try it. Today, the few of us decided to try out their food during lunch.

All, except one of us, ordered pasta. We then ordered a Caesar's salad to share. The strange thing was we found no egg at all in the Caesar's salad when we were all under the impression that there should be eff in Caesar's salad. Four or us ordered Pâtes Forestière (lingune with chicken and mushroom), one of us ordered Pâtes Bolognaise (lingune with beef bolognaise and mushroom) and the last one ordered seafood chowder. Again, it was another meal which was damaging to our stomach and calories balance.

Nevertheless, there was sense of satisfaction and bliss after such a hearty meal.

Farewell Lunch with Thai Cuisine

One of the executives was resigning, so we decided to give her a treat at the nearby Thai restaurant.


I have not had Thai food for a long time. I always favour Asian cuisines more - Japanese, Indonesian, Chinese, Malay, Thai. My mouth starts to water just by the mention of these food. There were 8 of us and we ordered many well-known Thai specialties - pineapple rice, stuffed chicken wings, Thai fish cakes, barbecued squids, green beef curry, Tom Yam soup, fish maw soup and even red ruby.


There were simply too much food and we could not finish all of them. Moreover, the richness of the Thai food with its lavish use of coconut milk does not sit well on a full stomach. In the end, a couple of us actually skip dinner. Ok, I did not skip exactly. I had peanut soup with dumplings for dinner as it was not meant to be too filling.

Taking Things Slow…

Deadlines after deadlines. Multitasking is the new culture. 24-hour days are never enough. With so much to do and see, we need to spend our time more and more efficiently. We need to walk faster, talk faster, type faster and eat faster. It is a race to see who can get more things done within a minute.

Yet, this race with speed may work against us sometimes. When you talk too fast, it means that the listener may not be able to completely understand you. When you walk too fast, it means that you never notice anyone or anything along the way. The journey becomes plain dull. When you type too fast, our carpal tunnels may suffer. When you eat too fast, it is bad for digestion and we may not fully appreciate the efforts in the preparation of the food.

There is this TV program on Saturday morning on Channel 5 where the host will visit grandmothers from different countries each week. These grandmothers will share their lives stories as well as the traditional food of the family. In the last episode, the grandmother was formerly from Singapore. She was brought up in a traditional family where her father instilled strict discipline at home. She was trained to chew her food slowly. Her father would make her take a mouthful of the food and chew. She would then start lining cutleries along the table. Only upon reaching the other edge of the long table could she swallow her food. To her father, eating and chewing slowly was an essential dining etiquette.

Similarly, the benefits of chewing our food slowly before swallowing are emphasized in So Simple 2. At Brown Field farm in Japan, all the helpers are encouraged to chew their food slowly. This is believed to better release the energy from the food and to create overall wellness for our bodies.

In yoga lessons, one of the most important techniques to pick up is also breathing. There are all sorts of breathing methods – abdominal breathing, cleansing breathing, rhythmic breathing and slow breathing. One of the observations is that many young working adults have ignored their breathing when they are too caught up in work stress. Forget breathing is a prevalent trademark among the workers. Such disruptive breathing has dire effects on our health. Hence, yoga re-teaches us on breathing, especially slow breathing. Slow breathing is supposed to calm our minds and bodies.

It may be difficult to reverse our lifestyles to a slow pace. Moreover, such a reversal may have adverse impact on our economy. However, we should try to spare a few minutes a day or even an hour a day to do things slower. It is to rebalance our mind, our soul and our bodies.

Cumulation of Work-Stress

After the stress I have undergone for the past 2 months, it has finally resulted in flu outbreak. Actually, the flu virus might have already been 'hibernating' in my body for weeks. I have always tried to prevent the symptoms from reaching full-blown by swallowing Vitamin C pills.

Finally, the virus cannot be contained anymore and I have to be confined to my bed for the day.

I have not realised I was so tired until I slept the entire day away.

Travelling Alone

As one grows older, one's social circle seems to be shrinking, especially for singles like me. Much as I hate to say, but it is inevitable that you will start to grow apart from married and attached friends. Being married, they need to devote more time to their family to adapt to the new family life. The remaining time has to be spent with their parents and in-laws. While attached friends may need to spend time with their better halfs or in preparation of the impending wedding.

Recently, I am experiencing slight burnt-out from the hectic budget exercise and long for a escapade to a foreign land where the different sights and sounds will offer a haven for recharging. Yet, when I turn around to see who, among my friends, can accompany me for this vacation, there seems to very few people I can approach. For the few I approach, they are currently either not planning on any vacation or are planning vacation to destinations which I am not keen. Hence, the notion of travelling alone starts to take root in my mind.

Driven by a sudden sense of adventures, I am almost certain that I will be able to achieve alone. However, when I articulate this plan to both family and friends, many start to dissuade me. The initial excitement soon turns to infuriation for their lack of support. When the emotion cools down, I have to admit their concerns are touching and not unfounded. Indeed, travelling alone in a foreign land can be lonely and even dangerous.

Putting the vacation plans aside, the sense of loss associated with my shrinking circle of friends still leads to a cloud of gloom that cannot be waved off. Indeed, for some of my closest friends, I have not seen them after their marriage or even for months. Nowadays, meeting with these young couples or parents are difficult. I need to find a slot among their schedules of visiting parents, in-laws, household chores and other friends. I am not sure if it is transitional or it is a permanent difference drawn from the different experiences, but the topics of our conversation seem to run on parallel and mutually exclusive planes. I cannot offer any advice or inputs to the issues that they face; while the problems I encounter seem too work-related.

Despite the bleak prospect of finding anyone to go on a vacation with me for the next couple of months, I still hope I can find companions to go on vacations with. After all, a vacation with friends add more excitement and happiness to the trip when there is someone to share the beautiful scene with.

Sharing of Responses

Some of my colleagues from another department started this sharing of response form where there are some personal questions and we were supposed to send and share with one another. As usual, being really caught up with my work, I was one of the last to respond and many of them had expected that. How did I know this? One of the questions in the response form was "Who do you think will be the least likely to respond?"

Here is the response form. Maybe you can send me yours so that you give me a chance to know you better.


1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM ALOT?

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?

15. RED OR PINK?

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU?

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?

22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?

27. HAIR COLOR?

28. EYE COLOR?

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?

30. FAVORITE FOOD?

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?

35. HUGS OR KISSES?

36. FAVORITE DESSERT?

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T. V. LAST NIGHT?

42. FAVORITE SOUND?

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?

47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?

48. WHAT TIME IS IT NOW?

Final Rush for the Presentation Pack

It is the final weekend before the start of the Group CEO's budget moderation exercise. Once, this moderation exercise is completed, the budget exercise is more or less drawing to a close. We will be able to start preparing for the next phase - monthly phasing of the yearly budget and start of the new year's product costing.

Although I have been relieved of having to prepare any presentation pack, I was still the one who had been collating all the information and analysis up to the CEO (Singapore)'s moderation session. Hence, it is inevitable that I need to chip in for the last mile. Despite all the information we have gathered, there are still missing pieces or data which we have not thoroughly checked previously. This last minute scramble was to tidy up and rationalise through the numbers.

I spent the whole of Saturday and Sunday afternoon in front of my PC and on the phone running through the various simulations with my boss. Needless to say, my office phone 'died' after one-hour of talk-time even after I had fully charged the day before in anticipation of the busy weekend. Blur me. I did not realise the phone had 'died' and continued to hold it for some time, thinking that my boss seemed to take a long time to think. I was not the only blur one. In fact, my boss carried on talking even after my phone had died, not knowing that she was talking to herself. In the end, we had to continue our 'discussion' over MSN.

The next day, I had to rely on my personal phone to finish up the last bit. Again, my battery nearly went flat after 40 minutes of talk-time. Hmmm, 3G phone seemed to consume alot of battery during talk-time.

During my incidents, my ear was scorched red from the heat generated from the phone. Although I had been tempted to place my phone on speaker for both times round, I decided against it eventually to prevent creating noise pollution to my neighbours.

Finally, it was over FOR THE MOMENT and we sent out the pack in time.

P.S. It was only for the moment because there was another mad rush the following Monday when we were back in office as I had to bring my CFO through the numbers as my boss was still at home recuperating from her ankle injury. Poor boss, for the past few weeks, she had to constantly work at home to review all our budget materials.

Annual Lo Hei Lunch with Colleagues

We settled on going for our Lo Hei lunch on the 7th day of the lunar new year before the start of the budget moderations. This year we had it at Crystal Jade in Paragon. Frankly, the dishes are similar to what I have eaten on Reunion Dinner since I had my Reunion Dinner at Crystal Jade as well.


It was a very expensive lunch. Fortunately, it was a once-a-year splurge and all in the good company of my fellow colleagues.

So Simple

I have recommended So Simple in its first season. I strongly recommend you to watch it again as its second season is currently being aired on every Tuesday, 9.30 pm on Channel U.

This time round, the theme has expanded from D-I-Y in Singapore to D-I-Y practises overseas. Currently, it revolves around some of the D-I-Y gurus in Taiwan which include a group of people who set up a mosaic workshop in the Taiwan's famous Cheng Ping Book Store and Ah Yuan soap.

I have decided to add in the link to the blog of So Simple in my blog. Hopefully, you will enjoy the show and the blog as well as I do.

Halo Effect

Perhaps seeing what Nanfeng Jin enjoyed as the successor to the Huangpu Enterprise in Romantic Princess, you may wonder why he would want to abandon what he had in pursuit of beng a nonentity. His vision may sound silly. His determination and actions even more baffling. Yet, I think he is being extremely brave.

Since young, he has been groomed to be the successor. He has always lived under the expectations that one day he would hold the helm of the Huangpu Enterprise. His capability hinged on only what he had achieved for Huangpu Enterprise. As he was associated with Huangpu Enterprise, things became more smooth sailing for him. The halo effect of Huangpu Enterprise was so pervasive that he lost himself. He was no long sure if without the help of Huangpu Enterprise would he be able to survive.

Why go through a more difficult path when there was a smooth journey awaiting him?

I can perfectly empathise with such thinking.

Sometimes, when you are blessed with many opportunities, there are equally many expectations to live up to. such expectations can be extremely pressurizing and stressful. Being in such a prominent positions mean that he must watch his performances at all times. Without the predetermined expectations, you will be able to enjoy the work more instead of constantly watching over your backs and critically self-evaluate.

Of course, the next dilemma that you will be grappling with if you are in Nanfeng Jin's position is whether you will be able to succeed elsewhere when you are stripped off your privilege position. Being successful in one place may not mean that you will be able to survive elsewhere. Being young and idealistic, you will want to prove your worth without all the privileges.

Fortunately, he has managed to prove himself when he managed to secure a contract for his company. Without the help of Huangpu Enterprise, he was still able to prove himself. :-)

Romantic Princess in Poverty...

It was slightly amusing when I watched several scenes in Romantic Princess which depicted Xiao Mai in poverty or when Xiao Mai and Nanfeng Jin escaped from Huangpu family to be independent. Maybe Taiwan's lifestyle was different from Singapore's. Being raised up in a family where we did not enjoy so much financial liberty (euphemism for plain simple poor), I found some of the details in the story not quite reflective of someone short of money.

Xiao Mai was initially a poor student who had to part-time to earn her school fees, yet her fingers were perfectly groomed with French manicures. Well, in Singapore, indulging in manicures are expensive who are mostly done by Tai Tais. If one is a poor student who needs to work part time and do housework, it is very wasteful to do manicures as the colour will chip after 2 days of washing plates. Moreover, it is luxury which will normally be foregone when you are faced with limited financial resources. Even if you attempt to D-I-Y, it takes time off other activities such as doing part-time, catch-up on homework or rest.

When Xiao Mai and Jin left Huangpu family and stayed in a small rented flat together, Xiao Mai was responsible for taking care of the house. She cooked dinner daily and waited for Jin to come home. Despite being cash-strapped, Xiao Mai could afford many dishes on the dining table daily. Firstly, to cook for 2 people, one would normally not cook so many dishes as food would likely go to waste.

Did I read too much into a simple show? Or maybe the lifestyle in Taiwan is indeed different from Singapore's?

Romantic Princess (公主小妹）

My primary activity during the Chinese New Year was to watch Romantic Princess over Youtube. I finished the entire series over the 3 days, excluding the first day which I have dedicated to visiting.

Xiao Mai was the long-lost daughter of Huangpu Xiong - the weathiest man in Asia. This started her adventure of getting used to her new and elevated status and her quibbles with Nanfeng Jin - the named successor of Huangpu Enterprise. From the initial quarrels, they developed affection for each other.

It is a simple plot with a good looking cast and a fairy tale. Yet, there are few lessons that are worth mulling over.

1) Not only those who are related by blood are families. Some who are not related by blood can be your closest kins while those who are related by blood may be strangers.
This is what Xiao Mai said to her grandfather in fury when her grandfather sent her adopted parents to Brazil to prevent them for meeting her.

2) Success from your own efforts is the sweetest. After putting in your best efforts, even if you never make it big in life, at least you have put in your best.
When Xiao Mai asked Nanfeng Jin what his dreams were, he confessed that he wished to escape from Huangpu family to see if he would ever be able to stand on his own.

3) When a person is submerged in extreme materialism, his values will become distorted.
This was the central theme of the entire series. Despite Nanfeng Jin being immersed in a wealthy family since young, his personality has not been affected by extreme wealth and success from a tender age. Similarly, even when Xiao Mai became the heiress to Huangpu family, she has not become materialistic or arrogant.

Start of the Rat Year

Last year, I have spent the first day of CNY in Bangkok. Somehow, once you miss the first day of CNY, it seem as you have not celebrated the welcoming of the lunar new year properly.

This year it is back to Singapore. As usual, the first day of the new year is devoted to visiting all my relatives. My paternal uncles and aunties have the practice of everyone going to one another’s house before we can call it a day. To be fair to everyone, we will need to visit all the houses so that no one is left out.

Hmm, after a while, it gets abit tiring and confusing as I may not be able to recall whose house I am at. Anyway, I have grown past the age where I get excited over the food and ang paos. In fact, I worry about the calories that I will pile on and the indigestion I will suffer. I am sheepish about still collecting ang paos at this age. Somehow the day ended up as if I am following the motion.

The visiting ends around 9 pm in the night. By then, I am deadbeat. Visiting during CNY is certainly more exhausting than an 8-hour shift in the office. How is the first day of your new year?

New Year's Eve & Reunion Dinner

I thought it would be a R & R day at work. Who knows I was still sweating and rushing out the presentation pack for budget. To make matters worse, I was suddenly called into a meeting with CEO at the eleventh hour and totally unprepared. Needless to say, I was also not quite dressed properly - in dress-down clothes. Fortunately, my CFO was too busy talking through the budget to notice me.

I was only off work at 2 pm. I rushed home for a quick lunch and nap. Then it was time to do my last minute preparation for CNY before the reunion dinner. I also had to iron my clothes for visiting the next day. Since I was ironing, I decided to iron all the other work clothes which were washed for not ironed. It took me about more than an hour to finish ironing. Soon, it was time to go out for reunion dinner.

Dinner was at Crystal Jade. There were 7 dishes.

Lo Hei Yu Sang (raw fish and colourful vegetable salad)

This dish is 'made-in-Singapore' where it is Singaporeans tradition to consume this during CNY after tossing in the ingredients. This signifies 'scooping up' of great prosperity and ushering in the good fortune. The golden crackers bring gold and money to all places. The raw fish slices symbolise abundant supplies. The honey creates sweetness and happiness. The pepper adds spice to our lives.

Fish Maw with Shark's fins

Shark's fins are one of the most expensive delicacies among the Chinese. Together with Abalone and Sea Cucumber, they form the 'heavenly kings of the Chinese new year goodies. The fish maw looks like a bag soaking in the soup. This dish symbolises bags of safety and fortune.

Roast-meat Combination

In the past, the people are poorer. Meat and seafood can only be seen on the dining table during festive seasons. To see the 3 roast meat of chicken, duck and pork (char siew), it symbolises the wealth of the family and the importance of the occasions.

Oysters

Oysters, in Chinese, sound like "good" in Chinese. Everyone wants to begin the new year on the right note with all the well-wishes. Hence, eating oysters will mean that we are receiving all the goodies in our lives in the new year. Similarly, oysters look like bags to hold all our treasures.

Glutionous Rice

Rice is a staple in Chinese families. The stickiness of glutionous rice symbolises the stickiness of the human relationships and the bonding of the families.

Sauteed Prawns with Celery

Celery, in Chinese, is pronounced in the same way as hardwork in Chinese. Hence, eating celeries will mean that we continue to work hard to pursue our careers, our studies and maintaining our home. Chinese believes that hardwork is critical for achieving greater success and wealth. Prawns, in Cantonese read as "Ha", which in Chinese and other languages often associate with laughter and happiness.

Red Bean Dumpling with Lotus

Dumpling is often consumed during the last day of CNY and during the winter solstice. Dumpling symbolises reunion. Red bean's sweetness complements the slightly blend glutinous dumpling. The sweetness of red bean will bring sweetness to the family while the red colour is THE auspicious colour of CNY.

What did you have for your reunion dinner? Did you also eat all the typical CNY food which all have 'hidden' and well-intentioned meanings?

Fireworks at Marina Bay

I have seen fireworks close-by in Hong Kong, but never in Singapore. Finally, I get to see the fireworks in Singapore skies. It was the opening ceremony of the Ang Pao at Singapore River. I chanced upon it when Ah Peng and I were going home after our dinner. Too bad, the fireworks were too low for us to see more of it.

Oblivion to Smell

Do you find that our nose can get used to certain smells so that we can cease to find the smell stimulating or revolting? We may even cease to detect the smell. This is especially so when the smell is on us or on people close to us.

It is hard to smell the acidity of our perspiration, but it is easy to smell others. After using the perfume for some time, we often think that the fragrance has reduced in intensity, but our friends can still detect it when they are near us. Maybe this is the way nature works. The sense of smell is nature's way of equipping us with another 'tool' both for protection and bonding. Sometimes, we may not hear or see something, but an 'unfriendly' smell can warn us of imminent danger. On the other hand, we like to smell good for our friends and family and we like to hang out with people whose smells appeal to us.

There are certain jobs which are closing associated with smell, both good and bad. If our nose do not get used to the smell after a while, the job can be too unbearable. For instance, someone working in a food factory may cease to notice the intensity of the smell after a while. A fishmonger will need to tolerate the fishy smell in order to enjoy his job. If our nose always function at high alert for all smells, it may be difficult to attract people to these industries.

Oblivion to smells may not be as good in certain situations. For instance, oblivion to smell may mean that we cannot enjoy the healing aspects of aromatherapy. Oblivion to smell may result in less platable and appetising cuisines. Oblivion to smells may cause certain embarrassment - we may not detect the dank smell associated with un-thoroughly dried clothes.

If you see me the next time, do let me know if you smell undried clothes on me before I embarrass myself further by standing close to too many people. If you enjoy the whiff of perfume on me, please let me know so that I know that my perfume has not evaporated leaving only water in the bottle. Being a thin-skinned person, I would also appreciate it if you could let me know subtly and discreetly. It's a pact. *Grin*

Jingen and Sirui, It’s a Pleasure Meeting You.

Jingen is slightly older than Sirui by about a month. Having seen their photos, I was honoured to say this was the first time I met the two ladies in person.

Jingen is chubbier with her round cheeks and dark hair. Sirui has bigger and brighter eyes which follow everyone’s movement. I have never seen a few-months’-old baby so up close and personal. From the small fingers to the burps, they were simply adorable.

I might be great at admiring them, but I had little confidence of being able to handle them. When Mingshan generously asked if I wanted to hold Sirui, I reluctantly declined. I was afraid I would mishandle Sirui. I had not carried a baby before. I did not know where to place my hands, how to hold her firm and how to ensure that she was comfortable in my carry. Being a blur and clumsy person, I dared not undertake this responsibility of carrying a baby yet. I was quite happy simply looking at Sirui and cooing and wowing over her every little action. Period. To hold her, maybe after I observed more on how other people carry babies before I try.

Jingen was crying sadly – pre-napping tantrum when I first reached. Then, it was her nap. After her nap, it was time for her ‘tea-break’. After food, it was time for her burps. She was very busy throughout our visit for us to have much time to interact with her.

Hopefully, the next time we meet, we will have more interaction. So long, my ladies. Till we meet again.

Travelling Beyond the Familiar Routes

Despite NEL being in operation for many years, I have not really explored the NEL. I have only taken NEL to go to VivoCity and Chinatown. The places I am at ease with are often the central and the west – where I used to stay and studied. Hence, when Nat invited us to her house, it was a great opportunity (gives me a purpose) to travel beyond the familiar areas.

I have always equated Boon Keng to industrial area – some of the most well-known manufacturing companies in Singapore are situated here. I have never realized it is also a residential estate.

Taking NEL reminds me of the MRT when it first starts. It is filled but not overcrowded. The passengers at least have enough leg room while standing. Strangely, without the claustrophobic feeling, the train journey is a much pleasant and seemingly shorter one.

When I step out of the train station, it is amazing to see that the entrance of the station is framed by 2 blocks of flats. Most of the train stations in the north-south and east-west lines are never this close to a block of flats, partly because the train stations in the those lines are normally situated at the town centre and are above grounds. The underground train allows the residents in the area the accessibility without the noise inconvenience.

Having always stayed near a main road, I have forgotten the tranquility of the places away from the roads. Time spent in such places seem to slow down. It takes some time for me to get used to.

Singapore has always been known to a small place. Yet, for someone who has lived in Singapore for twenty odd years, I regret to confess there are still many corners in Singapore where I have not been to.

Chinese New Year's Preparation

5050, KW and I met for lunch again. It has been weeks since we last had lunch together. We have to meet before 5050 departs for Hong Kong for his CNY.

As CNY is just around the corner, the topic of the day is of course CNY related. From the celebrations overseas (Hong Kong and Malaysia) to the type of food and the preparation, we have loads to talk about.

This is also the year I feel I am most ill-prepared. I feel so lazy that I even bypass my usual spring cleaning. I still run through my things to throw away the unwanted, but I do not wipe and clean. Somehow, I just feel lethargic and cannot be bothered. Moreover, very few people hardly notice the dust inside the drawers. Cleaning them is often a way of making yourself feel good instead of to meet the scrutiny of your guests.

In terms of food, I have cut down on replenishment as well since year-in-year-out, most of the food goes to the dustbin at the end of the 15 days celebration. To promote environmentally friendly, we should not waste food, so I have just bought the minimal new year goodies.

Next week, CNY will be here. Have you completed your preparation?

Keep It Up

We either make ourselves miserable or strong. The amount of work is the same.

- Carlos Castaneda


I have spent the last few weeks wallowing in self-pity and misery over the amount of data I needed to consolidate, the late hours I put in and the types of mistakes I had to tolerate and rectified. I realised such fustration and self-pity were more tiring than I expected. If I had kept my anger at myself and others in check and channelled more energy to resolving the issues, I would have spotted the mistakes and inadequacies earlier to prevent the build-up of further fustration.

Indeed, even if I temporarily forget my emotions, I would probably need to invest as much time working on the assignment. However, I would probably be able to learn more, including learning how to be stronger.

Hence, I must learn to keep my positive spirits up and face the challenges heads-on instead of wasting time sulking in a corner and be miserable.

Lull Period

The past 3 weeks were slightly nightmarish. From the second week of January, all the different departments had to submit their staff cost details to me for consolidation. This is the first year such role is undertaken by Finance. Previously, it was done by HR.

Putting aside that this was an extremely manual process where information resided in various departments and systems, the ‘lack-of-sincerity’ submissions exacerbated the consolidation. As the submission included both Finance (cost and revenue) and HR (headcounts) information, we have stated upfront that it should be a joint submission from Finance and HR. By joint submission, we did not expect separate inputs put together. By joint submission, we would expect combined efforts to put together and review the submission.

All the problems started because everyone was late in their submission. I only had a week to put together all the submissions to roll up a total Group’s view. This itself was already a tedious process as I had to do an excel consolidation of the information. Before this information could be consolidated, I had to check for any errors in submission. If the errors were in the numbers as I did not participate in each department’s budget moderation exercise. Yet, I managed to spot many errors because the errors made were simply blatantly staring in my face. These errors reflect the sloppy efforts of the preparers – total numbers across different sheets in the same file do not tie and some of the numbers within the same sheet do not add up. Once I made known the errors to the preparers, I even had to face tirade from them for ‘designing’ such a complicated spreadsheet. Then, some of the errors resurfaced even in their second or third submissions. Such to-and-fro-ing resulted in time wasted.

Needless to say, I could not roll-up the information during normal office hours and had to burn midnight and weekend oil to get the presentation pack on time for meeting with CEO and CFO.

The nightmare continued when my boss wanted more analysis. I acknowledged that her concerns and questions were valid and useful. However, being thoroughly exhausted by the whole consolidation process, I did not have time to ‘understand’ the numbers. My whole time was devoted to ensuring the numbers consolidated accurately. Hence, I felt more defeated and demoralized. At that moment of folly, I bleakly thought my boss was adding oil to fire. There were more than once when I felt like giving up and dreaded going to work to face the incessant errors in the staff cost numbers.

It was only this week when at least their second submissions did not contain so many apparent errors that I have managed to ‘enjoy’ the process more and try to analyse and understand the numbers. This is the part I like about my job.

When I was consolidating the numbers, I only felt like a number cruncher who was rolling up numbers. I am not exactly the most meticulous person in the world. When there is time constraints and high volume of numbers to consolidate, I tend to make mistakes. Being relatively new to this, I cannot even do a high-level sanity check to determine if the numbers look reasonable. Such intensive excel linking and summation also puts me off to the extent that the notion of moving on crosses my mind.

Yes, you are right. I am lousy. It is unbelievable that I get defeated by such a small set-back. Ah Peng reminded me that we cannot love all parts of our job, regardless of which job. There bound to be some aspects which we may not enjoy as much. If we take a run every time we encounter such situations then we will forever be on the move.

On hindsight and talking more openly to my boss, I tried to be more positive about this whole incident. Reflecting on what had happened, I believed I should learn from this experience.
Perhaps I should not be so harsh to myself and my boss. I knew I had tried my best. It was not as if I was doing nothing. Since this was the first attempt for such a large-scale consolidation, I should be happy with my own effort instead of only focusing on my failures.
If I were more positive and composed, I could have resolved things more effectively instead of unnerving everyone.
Although my boss spoke to me more critically in the last 3 weeks than she had for the last one year, I believed it was also because she was stressed by the whole exercise. I was partly responsible for dragging her into this ‘tornado’. My big-big-big boss ‘volunteered’ me to assist her in this exercise. Being my boss, she had stepped in to guide me and supported me. If she had not asked me to do so much, clearance with my big-big-big boss would not have been so smooth and we would have ended up doing more within a shorter period of time.

Now that I had understood some of the different requirement, I believed that I would be better prepared if I had to undertake this task again. It was not as daunting or even revolting as I first thought. Although this exercise has not come to an end, I hope I can bear in mind some of the lessons learnt and continue to improve this exercise for everyone.

Lastly, I am not an angel. I felt guilty of the bad vibes and pitfalls that I have committed over this exercise, but I hope I will not repeat them again. Sharing some of the advices that my boss has told me, some of the lull periods in work can still create learning opportunities. These learning may not necessarily be technical skills, but they could be other skills or even learning about the people you work with. Such learning will definitely be useful in making you work better in your next job.

Public Transport Enhancements

There was a series of enhancements proposed on both MRT and buses recently to encourage the use of public transport and reduce traffic congestion. The vision shared was one that would improve comfort and efficiency of the public transport, such as increasing frequency of train and bus services, create a wider train network, remapping of the bus network, etc. To the daily commuters, this is GREAT news!

The tenets of MRT network are still not as widespread as other countries, like Hong Kong and Taiwan. Many areas in Singapore are not available by train or even buses. Some of these places are even great tourist attractions, such as the Zoo and Changi Beach.

The greater density of the estates along the north-south and east-west lines also creates over-crowdedness on the MRT servicing these places. Many shun from taking public transport because of the difficulty of boarding the train during both peak and non-peak hours. Personally, I have tried taking the trains even on Sunday and Saturday morning. Many train cabins are packed to the brim.

For the buses, waiting time is often a put-off. The long and irregular waiting makes travelling by buses an unpopular option. Moreover, many buses go through a very long-winded routes to cover as many areas as possible for one bus service. Despite the short distance between two destinations, you can spend an incredulous long travelling time because of the detours.

Some of the enhancements proposed by MOT recently are very welcoming news indeed. Increasing frequencies to prevent overcrowdedness mean that we can get to our places in a more reliable time-frame, without having to spend long time waiting or not able to board onto the bus or train because of overcrowdedness. Travelling by bus and train will also be more comfortable as greater frequency will mean that we will not be packed like sardines in the bus or train.

Greater network for both buses and trains will also mean that private cars will not have an edge for being able to reach the more outskirt places in Singapore. In future, places like Marine Parade and Tuas will not be as 'ulu'. The overlap of trains mean we can also waste less time in detouring to get to the exchanges to 'transfer' lines.

Security for the above ground stations will be enhanced to prevent train disruption. This feature is already available in Hong Kong (the Lantau Island line). I am glad that Singapore has brought this in.

However, there is another feature in Hong Kong train stations which I thought Singapore should seriously consider. To prevent overcrowdedness in the central cabins, there are train crew stationed outside the doors of the central cabins. They will direct the crowd to the tail end cabin doors before the train arrives. No one is allowed to stand outside the central cabin doors. When the train arrives, they will allow the commuters who are rushing towards the departing trains in, so that we will not encounter a situation when last-minute crowd cannot board a train because the central cabins are full and they do not have time to move to the tail-end train cabins. This will also ensure more efficient use of the train service because the train can carry more people instead since the commuters will be equally spread in all cabins unlike the emptier cabins at the tail-end for Singapore's service.

For the ladies commuters, we were often concerned about personal safety in a packed cabin. In Taiwan, there are cabins devoted solely to female passengers especially in the evening and at night. This is especially reassuring to female travellers .

In Taiwan, structured and single-filed queues outside the cabin doors are mandated. This ensures that entire width of the doors could quickly allow the outgoing passengers to quickly file out while the incoming passengers can also go in quickly there after. In Singapore, one of the most annoying situations is that the boarding and alighting process is often a bottle-neck with everyone trying to squeeze in and out at the same time.

Do you often encounter the situations of missing your stations when you cannot hear the announcements of what is the next station? In Hong Kong, such situations are reduced as when the train is approaching a station, the map with all the stations will light up that station. These maps are situated above each door and at other various spots in the cabin.

Maybe I am asking too much, but I think such good measures adopted by other countries should be implemented to further improve the efficiency, comfort and safety of the public transport. Moreover, such measures should cost us an arm or a leg to implement.

Nostalgic Bubble Tea

Bubble Tea was the rage during my secondary school days. One of the 'luxuries' we enjoyed was to order the kaleidoscopic bubble teas, chew the bubbles and talk about the moon, the sun and everything under the skies in our favourite bubble tea shop along Orchard Road (nearest to school). We spent numerous afternoons in this manner. When the shop closed down to make way for the now Food Republic, we felt lost and sad.

About 5 years ago, bubble tea resurfaced as the 'fad' of the year (which was followed by rotiboy, and the now doughnuts), we suddenly saw many mini outlets sprouting all over the island including the heartlands. Many queued in front of the stalls on a hot afternoon to enjoy the sweet drinks.

Now, it is hard to find bubble teas, unless you go to Taiwan.

I never notice one in Ang Mo Kio until recently when I met a friend there. The shop brings back memories with its Chinese pop, chatter of the patrons and the bright decor. The carbon copied menu with a pencil to select your orders is all too familiar. The sweet cooling tea serve in a glass where the colour of the tea is apparent to all brings a smile to the patron. It is almost like we are back to the nineties.

I have outgrown bubble teas. They no long taste as 'heavenly' as they use to. Yet, the ambience is still welcoming and the memories freshly etched in my mind. I miss those halcyon days when all stresses and unhappiness can be quickly swept away by an afternoon idling in a bubble tea shop.

You? Have you spent some of your best times in a bubble tea shop?

Porridge Buffet

We have been working hard for the past 1 month, so it was time to reward ourselves. Someone suggested going for porridge buffet at Hotel Grand Court. Porridge sounded healthy for a bunch of accountants who have been burning mid-night oil and satisfied some of our essential needs for rice (so that we can feel full).

We were slightly disappointed with the spread because there was not much variety. Although the pickles and the soy-sauced tofu and tau pok whetted our appetite, we still felt that it was not as value-for-money as we thought. Many of the dishes were simple fare. The topping-up of finished dishes were not as prompt. The fried fish was slightly too oily for my liking while the curry-marinated fried chicken wings seemed abit 'out-of-sync' with porridge.

I have heard that there was a better porridge buffet at Tiong Bharu. Hmm...perhaps I can give it a try some other time.

Time for Observing

I felt abit fustrated when I did not manage to get My Paper for my 'transit read' in the morning. It was ages since I did not have any paper with me on the way to work.

Although it was a short 15 minutes, it was an extremely restless 15 minutes because my hands suddenly felt empty and my line of sight moved constantly, not knowing where to focus. It was tough even looking at the floor because I could not see the floor with the crowd.

I decided to engage in one of my favourite past-times - observing people. I have not done so for a long time since I chose to spend my weekends at home to recuperate from the hectic week. Was this a blessing in disguise? Observing different people can be therapeutic. Somehow it reduces the solidarity that we feel when we are stressed.

So my 15 minutes did not turn up to be as free as I thought I would be.

Coffee Prince No 1

En Can was a tomboyish girl who disguised herself as a boy to work in Coffee Prince No 1 – a café which only hired male crew. She needed the job badly as she was the sole breadwinner of the family and she was in debt. From the initial conflicts, the entire crew grew close. From the initial quarrels with her boss, they later fell in love with each other with the boss questioning his own sexual tendency before En Can made known her gender to him.

I had not managed to catch many episodes when it was broadcast on TV because this happened to my peak period. Thus, I was not home usually at that time – still slogging in office. I had to catch up on some of the episodes over Youtube during weekends when I was not working.

The more I followed En Can in her quarrels with Han Jie, the more light-hearted and distressed I became. It has been ages since there is a series that can light up my day. If you are a regular visitor of my blog, you will most likely be able to name the series which I name so fondly. Among them, Princess Hours and the Hua Yang Shao Nan Shao Nu are two of them.

Watching En Can, we get inspired for her positive outlook of her life and her openness towards her friends. Being true to her feelings endear many to her. Many around her are influenced by her. Both Han Jie and Han Xing are drawn to her because of her cheerfulness and her sincerity. Han Jie, on the other hand, appears to be frivolous and temperamental. Yet, when he sets his heart on something, he is determined to do his best. His perseverance in improving the sales of the Coffee Prince No 1 and his protectiveness towards En Can enhances his charm.

Looking at the sweetness of their relationship somehow makes one fleetingly want to fall in love. The ‘stupid’ things that they do draw smiles on your face. The devotion and compromises that they make for one another wrench your heart. It gives hope that romance is truly still alive in this world.

Aside from romantic love, family love is also being featured. Han Jie’s caring for his grandma and En Can’s responsibility towards her mother and sister also remind us the importance of family commitment. Despite quarrels and differences, at the end of the day, we must also learn to forgive, forget and compromise.

Watching Coffee Prince No 1 has taken away many of the work worries and create great relaxation for the stresses I endure over the week. Too bad, the series is coming to an end. I think I will miss it miserably.

Yoga – Better Appreciation

When I first enrolled in yoga lessons, I entered the classroom with trepidation and unease. I can almost rank myself as an idiot when it comes to any sports. Moreover, when it comes to flexibility, I will definitely flunk big-time. A lot of apprehension floats through my mind – what if I hurt myself or what if I become the laughingstock of my class.

Fortunately, the coach shares a lot of his own experiences and encouragement during the lessons. The apprehension gradually recedes and replaces by enjoyment. I start to fear not able to achieve certain poses but rather focus more on improving myself at my own pace. This is the beginning of my appreciation of yoga practices. I begin to look forward to attending classes.

I enjoy myself so that I sign up for the classes again after the first series end. I am not progressing to the intermediate but rather continuing with elementary. I guess I better improve more on my elementary before trying to attain more difficult poses. Moreover, going to the class weekly will instill more discipline for regular practices than if I were to do it on my own at home.

Indeed, on those times when we have to stop classes for public holidays, I never practice except to do the chant pose. I do chant pose more to ease digestion after a heavy meal while I watch the television. Furthermore, if I never do any other exercise, yoga is at least a form of exercise. According to my coach, if you do sun salutation or kneeling sun salutation consecutively for about 20 sets, it is as good as running 10 kilometers. It may sound incredulous. However, if you try the sun salutation, I am sure you will believe him. Usually, doing it slowly in a series of 3 sets (2 sets of left-leg once and right-leg once), I will be perspiring profusely and panting rapidly as if I have been on the treadmill for 15 minutes.

In the first lesson of the second series, I become more confident as I am more aware of the different poses. This is also when I can focus on perfecting each pose and synchronizing with the breathing to achieve the exercising of the different muscles. In the first series of the class, I was more often preoccupied with following the coach for each pose than to really think through and enjoy the stretches. Hence, it is not surprising that at the end of the first lesson, I find myself aching all over from the stretching of the muscles that we normally hardly notice, especially my triceps because of the kneeling sun salutation. The aches are more widespread than the first series of lessons.

Yet, I think my improvement in flexibility is still at a baby step stage until I have the time to practice more frequently. Nevertheless, I look forward to my Saturday morning workout and stretch even though it remains the minimum that I practise for the time being.

Giving Up or Trying Your Luck?

I am not advocating gambling here. I am never one who has the luck of windfall, so I hardly even buy 4D or Toto. Anyway, on those rare occasions when I try my luck, all I can say is I contribute towards the charities that Singapore Pools sponsor.

Recently, a principal was featured in the news for encouraging students to drop certain subjects and opt for education in ITE instead. This drew uproar from some parents. Actually, teachers gave advice about dropping subjects was not unheard of even during my school days. In fact, there were rumours that certain schools or teachers would encourage students to drop subjects to concentrate on fewer subjects. Some were well-intentioned with fear of students overstressing themselves while others had the bigger goal of maintaining a healthy passing rate of the school.

Disregarding the intention behind such advice, do you think it is appropriate for teachers to encourage students dropping subjects? Personally, I am caught in a dilemma. I think for students who have been working hard and still have difficulty catching up, dropping subject which they are not as good in may allow them more time to focus and do well in the remaining subjects. It is better than if they spend time studying for so many subjects that they end up having mediocre subjects for all. After all, entry into tertiary institutions only requires 3 subjects from A Levels.

On the other hand, there are late developers who may spend time in other activities. These students may be able to catch up eventually and be able to do well. Dropping subjects prematurely stump their potential and will demoralize them.

Then what should the educators do? It is not easy to judge when the students are overstretched or that their lackluster performance is temporarily. Well, I believe giving such advices may still be necessary but decisions should lie in the hands of the students. They will know themselves best. In addition, making their own decisions means that they own the decisions and will work towards the desired outcome of their decisions. At age 17 and 18, it is time that they learn to take responsibilities for themselves. Don’t you think so?

SMS - A Way of Life

Singapore is one of the countries with the highest number of SMSes sent and received. SMS has taken over email and phonecall as THE mode of communication among many people. I, for one, am a strong advocate of SMS. It represents a quick and non-intrusive way of communication.

SMS has always been slammed as one of the primary 'suspects' of contributing to a deteriorating language standard. In fact, many youngsters have gradually unable to distinguish SMS language from its formal counterpart. Many have thought "thru" is the official spelling for "through" where we see more and more "thru" being used in emails and even policy papers.

Despite some of the adverse 'side-effects' of SMS, we can no longer stop its rapid progress to become THE most popular mode of communication among Singaporeans, especially the younger generation.

SMS adds to the 'spice' of life where I can out-right complain about something that irks us without the culprits ever knowing I am talking about them, unlike a phone call which will broadcast my complaints to the whole wide world unless my friend and I have established a cryptic code. The excitement of talking bad of the person in front of the person provides immediate gratification without hurting relationships.

SMS has also become one of the key activities for killing time. While I am en-route home or waiting in the queue, I will 'talk' about the trivialities of the day. Yet, some 'conversations' can be carried out at the convenience and leisure of both parties' time. Conversations need not require two parties to commit the same time and interval. I do not have to face rejections that the person whom I want to talk to at the moment cannot talk to me in return. We can still carry out a conversation, albeit a lengthier one with slower responses. Similarly, I do not need to dish out rejections to my friends if they call me during meetings as well. (My meetings can happen from 7 pm to 10 pm).

SMS can also be non-intrusive for getting quick answers and solutions from colleagues, especially when they or I am in meeting and need to validate something urgently. I can continue with my presentation while firing a quick SMS to my colleagues and then immediately answer management on their queries.

SMS is also a convenient way of saying something which we may lack the courage to say face-to-face. Perhaps it is a sign of cowardice, but it can be awkward to say it point-blank to another person.

SMS, with its emoticons, can also be a more interesting way of communicating, especially for tone-deaf person like me. It is difficult to discern if a person is joking, angry, or serious through their voices solely. It is also difficult to convey my feelings when I can be monotonously loud and brusque over the phone. Emoticons help to ease any tension and prevent any misunderstanding from my toneless voice.

Yet, sometimes I can suffer from SMS fatigue, where suddenly I abandon all wishes to reply any SMS and wish to be uncontactable for a while, uncontactable even from SMS. Shhh... please respect my hermit behaviour during those times. *Do not disturb*

Finer Things in Life

When I asked CY why she would want to buy a car when she lived in a central location which was only 15 min from office by train, she told me it was because she wanted to go home in the comfort of her car after a long day. She added that it could be due to age, since she could currently afford herself with the finer things in life to pamper herself. Avoid having to squeeze with and be overwhelmed by the sweat of the train crowd, she bought a car even though it now took her 30 min to reach home.

Do you notice? As we age, we often thought of indulging ourselves in luxuries more. How often we thought of eating in a nicer ambience restaurant instead of getting ourselves drenched in the oily smell of the hawker centre? How often we welcome the thought of travelling by a full-fledged commercial flight instead of taking a budget air, especially for long-hauled travels? How often do we try to catch a movie on weekend instead of rushing to the cinema after work on a weekday to save $2?

Perhaps this is why many associate less adaptability with the more matured folks. The older we become, the more easily we succumb to the greater comforts in life. Although such indulgences may be correlated to greater financial independence, it is not solely due to this. Finer things need not be more expensive things. Pardon me for citing examples above where the finer things seem to be the more expensive things. Finer things can also refer to a less mundane aspect of life.

When we are younger, our needs are more basic. We progress up the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as we age. We start to want greater intrinsic well-being – such as leisure time cultivating our hobbies, smelling the roses on our way home, etc. We want to be able to take time to finish the morning papers before stepping out to work. We want to be able to take a long shower / bath after a hard day at work. We become less tolerant of an uncomfortable seat in the cinema or having to start our day without proper breakfast. We shy from places where there is not aircon (unless it is the park) or where the crowd gets too pushy. We want more quality out of life.

Such is hard with problems and long working hours. There is constant pressure both from rising inflation and the lagging salary increments. Where possible, such simple pleasures help to keep us sane. We should treat ourselves better. After working so hard, if we still deny ourselves of the finer things in life, it defeats the purpose of working hard. Don’t you think so?

Language - Efficiency or Emotional?

I came across this interesting article from My Paper about Singaporeans being multi-lingual instead of bi-lingual and her personal experiences with respect to speaking English and Mandarin. Her views struck a cord and I wanted to shout " Yes! Yes! This is how I feel" as I read each para.

Her first statement of how Singaporeans should consider themselves multi-lingual instead of bilingual already caught my attention. By her definition, bilinguists referred to individuals who could effectively speak 2 languages at all times and who could translate between the 2 languages. Most Singaporeans often were not competent in the latter. Hence, we should consider ourselves multilinguist instead. Indeed, if you asked me to translate balance sheet, income statement, cost of capital to Chinese, I would probably need the help of the English-Chinese dictionary.

She further commented that we spoke English more for efficiency but fell back on Mandarin due to the emotional ties. To write an email or to send an SMS, English was the primary choice. However, we often watched Chinese TV programs and listened to Chinese pop.

Indeed, although I did not speak impeccable English, I would still use English for professional reasons. Yet, sometimes to establish a sense (I hoped it was not a false sense) of camaraderie, I would engage my colleagues in Mandarin or even Hokkien. It was as if we were immediately on the same side, in the same boat and fought the same battle when we discussed our problems in Chinese. Carrying out an entire conversation in English sounded too distant and often reserved for talking to external parties or management.

What about you? Do you engage in a 'rojak' languages at work, with friends and at home? Perhaps, such rojak use of langauges have already become a signature of Singapore culture.

New Version of My Paper

For regular readers of My Paper, you would know that there is a going to be a revamped version which will be a bilingual paper.


My Paper has positioned itself as a trendier free paper than Today with its more heartland features and easier to read write-up (lower fog index). In fact, it reminds me of the Friday Weekly which is THE weekly Chinese paper to read if you want to improve Chinese. Friday Weekly then was a paper which targeted the students with the topics discussed closer to the hearts of the youngsters. It also contained little "dictionaries" to explain the meanings of the more difficult Chinese words and phrases in English. The same function can also be found in My Paper.


I like My Paper not only because it is an easy and entertaining read, it is also succint in the reporting of international and latest news.

I) For people who are on the go, time spent in commuting to work can be better utilised by keeping updated about the latest political developments in US (Hillary and Obama) or our hospitalisation subsidy (mean income test).

II) Simultaneously, we are also more cognisant of the latest heartland issues which we may be oblivious to, for eg the passionate taxi driver who always send emails to the town councils whenever certain public infrastructures break down.

III) The weekly editorials from freelance writers also provide different perspectives to those working abroad, for eg the intern reporter who is in Taiwan, the writer who observes more of Hong Kong than the hustle and bustle and the writer who often travels to Cambodia.

IV) Special tips on travel, skin care and even food provides useful grooming and social alternatives.

V) To have a better EQ at work, Ms Shenton is our saviour.

Notwithstanding the revamped version contains more information with different stories each in the Chinese and English section, I still prefer to the pre-revamped My Paper.

1) With it being more comprehensive in all stories, the paper loses its original positioning and becomes more like Today, but with a Chinese section. Previously, it was clearly distinct from Today.

2) It is too thick and heavy to carry around and for reading while in a train cabin. This defeats its original purpose of catering to the morning crowd to read while travelling to work or school. The pages keep slipping down while I am holding it because of its weight. As I am reading it while standing in a crowded train, it is difficult to keep rearranging the paper. Hence, by the time, I reach the third page, the paper is already in a big mess.

3) With so much information, it is difficult to focus on all important stories and to finish the paper before I step into my office. This heightens fustration. Moreover, the wordy and less colourful pages (probably to cut cost from having to print more pages) are not as reader-friendly as before.


I miss the old version with very focused messages, distinct and unique features on each day of the week and myriad readers' inputs and freelance editorials. This is the first time I hope a paper has never revamped. :-(

Self-Pampering Treat

I decided to give myself a massage treat since I have a credit card promotion which will end in February. Instead of letting the promotion gone to waste again, I decided to fully utilise it. Moreover, this time round, the promotion was extended to a friend unlike the others where only the card holder is entitled for the privilege. Thus, I decided to bring my mum along because she dared not go alone for spas. This would be a good chance to introduce her to luxury of massages and to allay all her fears. It was a Swedish massage – one of the mildest in pain ‘billboard’ relative to other options such as Thai or Sports massage.

Once we have completed the particular form and declared our health conditions, we were shown to our rooms by our masseurs. This time the experience was a more pleasant because it was not as painful. In addition, the masseur was a quieter person so I could truly relax under the contemporary instrumental music in the background. Some of the masseurs might be friendly and candid about the various flaws of my body. It could prevent relaxation as I grew more self-conscious and having to maintain a friendly conversation instead of retiring to slumber. It was certainly a relief when I did not hear remarks such as there were a lot of knots of lactic acids. The only hint I got that there were still lactic acid knots around was when the masseur asked if I jogged often. I replied in the affirmative while secretly I thought once a week or less was not exactly considered often.

I was not the only one who enjoyed the experience. I was glad my mum enjoyed her ‘maiden’ massage too. I was initially worried that if it were too painful an experience for her, it would put her off massage totally. Both of us were feeling sleepy the entire day after the massage. It certainly relaxed us.

Seaside and Seafood

East Coast boosts one of the most well-known seafood belts in Singapore. Yet, it has been ages since I have been there for seafood. Normally, I will only go to the hawker centre instead. The last time I have been there for seafood was many, many years ago.

There seems to be many more new seafood restaurants which sprouted along the coast. Some of the seafood restaurants are well-known names, such as Jumbo, Long Beach and No Sign Board, which has many outlets all over Singapore. Many families stroll and take photos after their meals along the picturesque sunset sea view.

Surprisingly, the No Sign Board restaurant is not as crowded as the one in Geylang. At the Geylang outlet, queues are common unless you arrive at the restaurant early. Despite the East Coast outlet not being very crowded, the tables facing the sea outside the restaurant have all been taken up or reserved. We ask one of the assistants to open up their second floor section as it offers a better view than the first floor.

The crabs certainly live up to the expectation. The steamed fish is also good. The other dishes are average. Although it has been one of the most satisfying meals for a long time, the ‘kick’ is still missing. Usually, I get more ‘kick’ from eating the seafood at the Geylang outlet. However, the satisfaction shortfall from the food is definitely made up by the better view. (At the Geylang outlet, there is no view – only shophouses across the street and the motorvehicles zooming past the road as you eat along the roadside.)

Given another choice, I think I still prefer to satisfy my seafood craving at the Geylang outlet.

'Intoxicated' with Western Food

We have lunch time meetings quite often. When I first started, I truly enjoyed the free lunches. As time goes by, the novelty wears off and I dread the loss of that 1-hour break to catch up on work or to lunch with colleagues.

The lunch catered is often from our canteen. Although it is canteen food, it is still good food because our canteen is one of the best in town. Many from other companies around the area will come to our canteen for their lunch. Some of the stalls have even been featured in the papers. Most of the time, it would either be chicken rice or economy rice. Rarely do we get Korean or Western food.

For the past 2 days, I have 2 lunch meetings. Both lunches catered are Western food - chicken chop, so I ended up having chicken chops for 2 consecutive days. Now I am slightly put off chicken chop. At least for the next week or so, I hope I do not need to have any more chicken chops.

"To Live"

Veronika was a young talented and beautiful girl in Slovenia. Despite leading a peaceful life, she felt that her life was meaningless. At the tender age of 24, she committed suicide and was admitted to the mental hospital – Villete. She did not pass away immediately but was told that she only had a week to live because the suicide attempt had left irreparable damage to her heart.

From the initial resistance to her continual survival to the final regret of her suicide attempt, she was moved and had moved several inmates of Villete, from Zedka who suffered depression because of a heartless lover and a loving husband, to schizophrenic Eduard who could not live up to the expectations of his ambassador parents and to Mari whose suffering from panic attacks cost her her marriage and her lawyer career. Each of them thought they had finally found their haven in Villete where they could do whatever they want in their own reality without worrying about others. When they faced with the dying Veronika and her fighting for survival, they were shaken out of their make-believe serenity. Her will-power provided them the courage to face the real world again and to pursue their dreams.

Talking to Zedka, Mari and Eduard allowed Veronika to seek understanding of her feelings – such as the oppression from her parents’ love and her self-protection mechanism. With little time left and in a mental hospital, she was suddenly freed of all inhibitions to feel what she should be feeling and do what she always wanted to do. She lived for the day as she was unsure when it would be her last breathing minute or even second.

It was yet another philosophical view on life, dreams and madness where Paulo Coelho explored the paradoxical life and death, love and hatred and madness and sanity. Many often did not face up to life until they were faced with death. Only when one allowed the overflowing of hate could love fill up the void left behind. The public often distinguished the mad as those who failed to conform to the protocols. Those non-conformers, on the other hand, viewed those who betray their needs and abandoned their dreams as mad. No one could tell who was mad and who was sane.

It was indeed a heavy topic for those who wished to understand more about life from the eyes of a philosopher. The fundamental of philosophy was not the pursuit of right or wrong and fact or myth but generally the seeking of a better understanding of our environment and our experiences. This will start you thinking of our forgotten dreams, the meaning of our mundane lives and a general understanding of “To Live”. To live is not just to breathe and carry on life, but to generally live out the meaning of life and embark on your dreams without worrying about others' expectations.

Before Veronika died, she came to love herself, her dreams (of becoming a pianist) and Eduard. She escaped Villete with Eduard when she thought she had only 24 hours to live so that when she died she would die at the places where she had never visited and in the company of her lover. She escaped before the doctor who treated her had a chance to tell her that there was actually no problem with her heart and she would in fact live for a very long time. Although the doctor felt guilty about lying to her, he was glad that it had cured Veronika of her bitterness. As Veronika would think she would die any moment, every day would be a miracle to her.

First Day of the Work Year

By right, we should be roaring with energy and ready to take up new challenges. Yet, we were still floating around in holiday mood. The holidays passed too quickly.

By right, our body and mind should be rested after the holidays. Yet, we were craving for more rest. Was this sign of habitual laziness? Rationale told us we should shake off this lethargy before it started to grow like a parasite.

By right, last year's short of achieving our resolutions should have been a painful reminder to work harder this year. Yet, procrastination took over and we continued to lead a lobo and aimless life once again.

2nd Jan, there were still 364 days to the end of the year. Yet, it would never too soon to start working hard. Afterall, hard work also required the build-up of momentum.

How have you spent your first work day?

Happy 2008

It's another new year!

Are you suffering from hangover today from the partying last night? Well, it's time you nurse your headache and be prepared for the challenges of the year.

Are you busy drafting your new year resolutions and taking stock of how many unfulfilled tasks which are brought forward? Good luck for your resolutions this year!

As one grows older, the thought of partying all night on the last day of the year is not as appealing. Spending new year's eve quietly at the comfort of my own sofa or bed is more welcoming. As one grows older, the thought of sitting down and making resolutions is becoming more depressing when we seem to be constantly plagued by failures to achieve anything.

Well, let's try to spend a year based on spontaneous and flexible resolutions that get amended throughout the year. Who says resolutions must be fixed? Needs can change. Who knows, I will end up with more resolutions being met this year instead? Hey, sometimes, we need a booster to our confidence once in a while......

Let me be wilful for this year!

Happy 2008. :-)