Constantly Changing, Changing Constantly.

The Edge - Is Singapore’s economic boom really all good news?

2011-01-20T11:26:00.001+08:00

$alary not catching up...

Productivity not up to scratch...

Seems to say: LL. Suck thumb. 自己保重。

My advice? Plan well, and be water, my friend...

Is Singapore’s economic boom really all good news?
Tuesday, 11 January 2011

WRITTEN BY MANU BHASKARAN
TUESDAY, 11 JANUARY 2011 17:43

SINGAPORE ENDED THE year on a high note, with its economy expanding 12.5% in 4Q2010 and by a sizzling 14.7% for all of 2010. There is certainly much to celebrate in this. The economy was not just bouncing back from a recession in 2009 — output, exports and employment have all comfortably exceeded pre-crisis levels and moved on to even greater heights. New growth drivers have emerged — whole new industries such as alternative fuels and the integrated resorts have added a new vitality to our economy. Moreover, the signs for the coming 12 months look fairly good in that many new and large manufacturing plants are starting operations this year, while the integrated resorts will continue to expand. With the regional economies such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand also revving up, our regional hub services will also do well. All this should give Singapore a buffer against possible weakness in the large developed economies.

Not surprisingly, the media and investors have become very optimistic. While there are good reasons to celebrate, it is also wise to examine some of the less exciting dimensions of our economy so that we do not get carried away and forget our vulnerabilities.

Is the economy growing too fast?
A key policy challenge is that the economy’s rapid expansion is straining resource utilisation. The labour market, in particular, is very tight. With the resident unemployment rate falling to 3.1% in 3Q2010, we are in practical terms near full employment. Given the long-term need to reduce dependence on foreign workers, the government has — quite rightly — reduced the number of foreign workers allowed into Singapore: This means that the usual vent for labour-market pressures is not available. So, we will see strong growth in wages, which is nice to have but only up to a point. If wages rise too fast, the cost of living in Singapore will also rise very rapidly and competitiveness could be hurt.

In fact, our estimate of the overall level of resource utilisation — the output gap, or the gap between what the economy can produce and the demands made on it — is flashing a warning sign that inflation will surge. If the economy grows by about 5% in 2011 as seems likely, then resource utilisation will certainly reach difficult levels. This means that wages, rentals and all kinds of input costs are bound to rise strongly this year, causing inflation to accelerate. This will add fuel to the fire already raging as private transport costs are driven up by higher COE prices and supply problems cause global food prices to rise. Don’t forget that the ultimate reason COE prices are rising is that high growth has caused severe congestion, forcing the authorities to limit further growth in the car population more rigorously.

The longer-term challenge for Singapore is how to bring about structural changes that will improve productivity growth while also accelerating the growth of consumer spending. Credit: Bloomberg

Composition of growth has worrying characteristics
One striking feature of recent economic growth has been how private consumption expenditure (PCE) has consistently lagged the growth of GDP. For the first three quarters of 2010. GDP grew close to 16% while PCE rose about 6%. Since consumption spending is a better measure of the economic welfare of our people than GDP, this is worrying. In recent years, PCE growth has generally been slower than GDP growth, except in periods of lacklustre economic growth or during recessions. What is also interesting about 2010 is that PCE growth has been slow despite the fact that unemployment has fallen to very low levels and consumer confidence (as measured by Nielsen’s Consumer Confidence Index for 3Q2010) is near record highs.

The reason for this apparent anomaly is that real incomes of the employed have not really kept pace with GDP growth, highlighting another less desirable characteristic in Singapore’s growth performance. According to the 2010 Workforce Report, median monthly incomes rose just 1% in real terms in 2010, when the economy grew 14.7%.

Another feature of recent growth has been that companies are not investing as vigorously as before. For the first three quarters of 2010, investment grew by around 5%, hardly a good bounce from the 3.3% contraction in 2009. If PCE and investment — both adding up to domestic demand — are lagging, the upshot is that our economy has become much more reliant on external demand than ever before, not a very healthy development when the external environment is so fraught with uncertainty.

A final reason for concern lies in our productivity performance. While labour productivity growth accelerated to a healthy rate of about 12%, with especially strong performance in manufacturing and construction, this does not make up for several previous years of desultory performance. Without strong productivity, our competitiveness will be hurt and it will not be possible for wages to rise much.

Do we have the policy tools to address these issues?
If Singapore had the right policy tools to deal with the above problems, there would be little cause for anxiety. Some of the issues raised above, however, are structural in nature and cannot be overcome easily:

The immediate challenge is rising inflation. Fortunately, the Monetary Authority of Singapore had pro-actively tightened monetary policy through a faster rate of appreciation of the Singapore dollar. This will help contain inflation to some extent. However, this monetary tightening needs time to take effect. For 2011, given the multiple challenges on the inflation front — tight labour markets, rising COE prices and global food inflation — inflation will rise first before it slows. Small businesses, in particular, may have little choice but to prepare themselves for higher costs.

The longer-term challenge is how to bring about structural changes that will improve productivity growth while also accelerating the growth of consumer spending. This column has previously highlighted how the wage share of GDP is unusually low in Singapore compared with other developed economies. With a low wage share, it is not surprising that consumer spending also has a low share in GDP.

The reason for this apparently unequal distribution of income is deeply embedded in the structure of our economy and is not something that short-term policy measures can change. Take the manufacturing sector, for instance. In the five years just before the global crisis, each worker on average was paid about 30% of the total value-added that he or she produced in the sector, much lower than the 37% he or she received in 1999. As production has become more capital-intensive, naturally, the returns to capital have risen faster than the returns to workers. The skewed distribution of income and the low share of PCE in GDP are due to this capital-intensive pattern of growth. To achieve a more balanced economy, we need to complement the capital-intensive strategy with one that is more skillintensive, which would then allow Singapore workers and small businesses to earn a much higher share of the economy and thereby spend more as well. The Economic Strategies Committee had outlined new approaches to further this goal, but it will take time to achieve a better balance.

Conclusion
Therefore, in the near term, while we can gradually bring inflation under control, there is not much we can do to improve the role of domestic demand in the economy. This means our greater vulnerability to the vagaries of external demand is something Singaporeans have to learn to cope with. So long as the regional economies remain strong, Singapore will be fine.

They never learn. Who pays for new carpark?

2010-08-02T13:22:00.003+08:00

Just saw that overnight parking at HDB car parks will go up by 100%.

$4 to park overnight.

Reason? Too many cars utilizing it, fighting with season parking users.

I personally do not think this will work.

Why can't they learn?

This reminds me of ERP.
Too many cars? Build ERP gantries.
Still too many cars? Build more ERP gantries.
Still too many cars? Build more ERP gantries. Increase charges.

Too many cars using HDB car parks?
Increase parking fee.

*shakes head*

Few days ago, HDB announced they are gonna spend a cool $66 million to build more carparks! Woohoo! And so you thought...

Who's paying for it? It has to come from somewhere.. don't be surprised to see your season parking rate going up up up.... woohoo....

*shakes head*

Update: Someone just reminded me that the toll charges at the causeway went down. Who's gona pay for it? Woohoo..

So long already?!

2010-03-09T10:53:00.000+08:00

You mean it's been months since I last blogged?

Wah... Wedding.. new job.. new place.. so new.. let's hope I have time to blog again.. hehe..

iPhone ringtone for free?

2009-10-22T14:31:00.001+08:00

Update on 24th april 2010: This program is gone. Maker probably didnt get enough donation to keep it going.. Try getting from other generic software sites.
= = =
Yes you heard it right, I said iPhone ringtone for free. Ya, how free? Trial version of ringtone making software?

Nah.. totally free.. except your MP3. Oh, i don't care if you paid for them or not.. haha..

Introducing... iRinger! Download at their website and you're ready to go!

Import, drag the sound wave to select which 30 secs segment you desire, optional fade in and out, export to itunes, sync... oh yeah!

Men's Ideal Remote

2009-10-21T22:11:00.001+08:00

Yes, I want one!

Malaysia Boleh

2009-10-11T21:53:00.009+08:00

1Malaysia.. Malaysia Boleh..

And then.......

http://www.malaysiakini.com/

Interesting.......

Barcode Day!

2009-10-07T19:06:00.001+08:00

This is so nice... Google commemorates Barcode invention day!! Very clean interface.. maybe Google should just change their logo to barcode.. haha..

iPhone 3GS after 5 days

2009-10-06T22:24:00.005+08:00

I'm almost a convert.. iPhone convert to be exact. Minus the synchronizing pain and keyboard pain... it's almost perfect. I've discovered many goods and bads of them, but the goods have made me a quite satisfied iPhoner..

I didn't buy this phone but i "traded" with my girlfriend. I owe her one.. but.. i think it's worth it..

Ok, I shall share some tips I discovered throughout the last few days of fiddling with Alex. Yes, you didn't see wrongly, I call him Alex.

1st, what's iPhone without a data plan to play with?! I'm still on M1, but I added the data bundle to basic plan. For less then 20 bucks, I get 1GB of data per month. I didn't know that data plan add-ons these days are pretty affordable. Starhub and M1 both have 1GB data plan add-ons for under $20! Wee..... And the good thing is, they allow you to track your usage on their website. Of course, you can view the usage on the the phone, but please take note that you have to add both upload and download data size, or else if you're not on 1 GB plan... beware!! ;)

2ndly, battery life. Sad to say, good to know - battery life isn't so good. Turn off wi-fi and bluetooth when you dont need it. Yes I hear the moan and groan... so many steps to turn it on or off. Well.. up to you then.. As for notifications (Settings > Notifications), turn off those you don't need. It consumes power to push these notifications to you. Ummm.. what else?.. Ah.. of course you should lower the screen brightness.. There's one thing I didn't understand. One website says turn off your EQ in iPod. I use "Treble Booster", and I'm not gonna sacrifice my sound quality for battery power...

3rdly, calendar! Wonderful.. I love it so much. Google and iPhone are the best buddies on earth man... I have 3 calendars on iPhone calendar and they are getting along well... I manually sync MS Exchange calendar, over-the-air sync 2 google cals through CalDav. Microsoft, Google and Apple... is it a party or what?! Ok, so what's CalDav? Why can't I subscribe to iCal? Sure you can, but I just learned that no write is allowed, only read. Correct me if I'm wrong. And so, i added 2 accounts. Adding primary calendar was smooth-going.. but not the secondary cal. No worries.. Robert to the rescue.. Don't bother typing in the long URL, email yourself, cut and paste. Oh ya, setting up email is a breeze when you access it through iPhone's "Mail", and not browser. For my MS exchange, i use iTunes... taadaa.. 3 cals on iPhone! All on the same interface.. cool cool

4th, synchronizing is a pain in the a**. Uh, not exactly.. it's rather the NEED to sync is a pain.. No more using my phone as a harddisk, copying and pasting as I wish.. At least I haven't figured out how.. So i need to be careful with iTunes and how I configure the sync settings.. Or else.. poof.. there goes your mp3s.. or photos.. I had an incident, but it's only a photo which I already have on my computer... well well.. we learn from mistake don't we? And the country-specific store is also not so friendly. The podcasts I subscribe to only caters to US market, so I have 2 choices, register as SG user or US user. Duh.. haha.. Of course you need to figure out how to "partially" register as US user. Here comes another problem: I can't sync my apps if I use US store on my computer because my apps were downloaded using the phone with a local account. If only I have a US credit card. In order to sync my apps, i need to authorize my iTunes using the local account. All these can be avoided if you avoid synchronizing your apps of course.. haha.. All in all... you'll get the hang of it, or be hanged!! Here's one apps that may be helpfu if you take SBS buses a lot. It didnt work very well for non-SBS, and some SBS.. but you can see how long more the next bus arrives, search for specific bus number, view the route.. and don't worry it comes with "nearby" to detect the nearby bus stops..

5th, import photos using Picasa.. How? Just connect your iPhone via USB to your computer (I'm running windows XP.. so what?!).. Close the pop-up after it detects the device, then you open Picasa and click on import.. there you go! Havent tried other image programs, but picasa from google, is iphone's good friend, and mine too ;)

6th.. Apple Protect.. protect protect.. i hope it'll pay off.. this is another year of warranty.. I hope it'll pay off when the battery becomes cranky in future.. Or the top button stop working.. it's very hard to press it.. needs too much strength.. yes I'm weak.. hehe

7th... this is new!! I just configured it and tested it.. it works!! Max MMS size can be set by you so that you don't send 1MB photo as MMS to your friends.. not nice to your friend and you if your purpose is just to share something on the small screen.. agree?? Think it's by byte.. I entered 400000... and the photo i sent was 256KB after I transferred it to computer to view.. resolution? 1024 by 768 I think.. If i'm gonna do photo blogging.. this may come in handy.. now I need to figure out how to resize for email... oh ya.. in case you're M1 or Starhub.. here's how to setup MMS.. scroll down.. forget about the IPCC thingie.. start from "For Starhub users, key in the following settings:"

8th.... Huat ah!! Nothing I can think of now.. will update in future once i feel like it... for now.. I come.. I see.. I use.. iPhoned... ;)

Nanotech Could Make Humans Immortal By 2040, Futurist Says - CIO.com - Business Technology Leadership

2009-10-01T23:24:00.001+08:00

Nanotech Could Make Humans Immortal By 2040, Futurist Says - CIO.com - Business Technology Leadership

Posted using ShareThis

Another kind of Getai

2009-09-04T01:13:00.006+08:00

Another kind of Getai to sing.. praises of themselves..

How about the "Stop at 2" posters that led to our problems now?

Once again patting their own back.

Alway our fault and the weak global economy if something goes wrong.

Definitely their efforts and wonderful policies if something good happens.

*yawns..*

========================================

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1002727/1/.html

Singapore celebrates 50 years of self-governance in poster exhibition

By Cheryl Lim, Channel News Asia | Posted: 03 September 2009 2203 hrs

SINGAPORE : From encouraging birth rates to saving water - there has been a poster for every public message. And now Singaporeans can relive some of the more memorable campaigns at a new exhibition. The exhibition, organised by the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA), charts the Singapore story using the country's most memorable public campaign posters, bringing visitors on a visual journey through the last 50 years of self-governance. The posters are divided into four different sections: introduction, public health, water and security. Visitors have until October 15 to catch the exhibition at the National Library. - CNA /ls

The bizarre behaviours of Singaporeans

2009-08-19T23:59:00.001+08:00

http://mysingaporenews.blogspot.com/2009/08/bizarre-behaviour-of-singaporeans.html

This is so true.. You must read it!!

Bruce Lee's lightning fast

2009-08-11T00:31:00.002+08:00

Oh ya, the real action starts after 2minutes when they go into details all his moves executed in less than 2 seconds.. impressive...

Wanted: IT Business Visionaries

2009-08-07T00:07:00.003+08:00

"It's no longer enough for IT administrators to know their way around the data center. The true measure of success is the ability to view the company as a whole and wield technology to strategic business advantage." Read More

We've always knew this, but seriously, how many of such people can we find? I mean fresh grads at least.

The business grads thinks that the Info Syst Mgmt course-mates are the one who can fix the projector when it doesn't work. You think they really understand IT in business? Or rather, the business needs that drive IT innovation? All the creativity is driven by business needs but the biz-mates think that we only punch away on our keyboards the whole day to do programming, or fix the projector when we share a seminar room.

And back in Info Syst building, you find some people who freak out when they realize they have to do programming! Ok, so the world is fair after all... plus our school isn't really for producing IT-oriented geeks, but as the SIS website puts it, "The BSc (IS Management) Programme is shaped by industry and academic leaders who understand the forces of global change and the essential skills needed to leverage Information Technology in business settings"

Well well... it's true that we need people who can think IT in business-sense.. it's happening.. slowly but surely... :)

Durex Advertisement of the Year!

2009-08-03T16:10:00.001+08:00

M6 - Opus Sectrum

2009-07-28T14:08:00.003+08:00

Just a song I'd like to quickly share here... A very touching song by M6... featured on Armin van Buuren's ASOT #90 released this week...

Fast forward to 10:55 and indulge...

Singaporean PR from M'sia or SG Citizen?

2009-07-12T16:09:00.003+08:00

Was at WayangParty.com and stumbled upon this micropoll. Casted my vote and saw the results. Well well... So, what's your choice?

身心安頓的力量

2009-07-11T01:10:00.000+08:00

http://www.businessweekly.com.tw/webarticle.php?id=35807

重溫聖嚴法師生前的一席話

聖嚴法師》身心安頓的力量

口述：聖嚴法師

二月三日，聖嚴法師辭世。二○○一年，台灣人首次面對經濟負成長，失業率創新高，對未來惶惑不安。當時本刊特別專訪聖嚴，談亂局中如何安頓心靈。當年他的智慧之語，如今讀來仍十分雋永，更具有安定的力量。

走應走的路》面對變局，首先就是不要自亂陣腳。只要觀念稍微調整一下，日子一樣可以過下去。

人生都會遇到各種困境，我在十三歲時出家，但國民黨自大陸撤退時，我卻還俗從軍，為什麼呢？因為我覺得中共信仰唯物論，在中共統治下，宗教是沒有任何空間的，如果留在大陸，我一定會被迫還俗，再也沒有接觸佛教的機會；如果暫時還俗，跟隨國民黨軍隊來台灣，我知道，有一天一定可以再回到佛教的懷抱，因此，我還俗時，心裡很踏實。在軍中遇到各種困境，我都以出家人的修持去面對它。雖然我是入世當一個軍人，但我是以出世的心態處世，在軍中我都不掩飾我是出家人，與大家相處也很融洽。我在日本留學寫博士論文時，剛好遇到日本要與台灣斷交的變局，由於中華民國的護照將得不到日本承認，當時的留學生都惶惶不安，放下學業到處打聽各種消息，小道消息越多，人心反而更慌亂。 火還沒燒到你，不要怕，燒到了，再避火還來得及！ 在混亂中，我反而安安穩穩的準備我的論文，上圖書館查資料。我的想法很簡單，等到要將我強迫遣返時，我就走人，否則我還是做我應做的事，心不亂才能做事，我就向同學說：「火還沒燒到你，不要怕，燒到了，再避火還來得及！」但是大家都聽不進去。亂了近半年，局勢明朗了，台灣同學的學業沒有任何進展，但是我的博士論文卻已完成了大半。從軍十年後，我在三十歲時退伍，再度重新出家。當時台灣的出家僧人大都替人唸經、超渡亡靈，這樣做僅能餬口，沒有未來性。因此我選擇往高雄山中去閉關修行，當時根本沒有錢買生活用品，沒有牙膏、牙刷，就用樹枝刷牙；沒有洗衣粉，就將樹枝燒成灰，一樣具有洗衣的功效；沒有吃的，就吃野菜一樣可以度日。當時的心靈反而很豐富、很安頓，我就這樣在山中修行了六年，當地人都把我當怪物，我卻過得很快樂。當物質的條件越差時，精神的層次反而可以超越環境向上提升。人不應該總是往物質方面想，只想吃好的、住好的、用好的，重要的是應該想想你生命的目標在哪裡。

現在大家人心惶惶，是因為沒有目標，一九六九年我到日本時，身上只有一張去程的機票，回程的機票在哪裡都不知道，我有信心且很安頓的原因是，我有一個學習的使命，我知道我一定能夠完成它。現代的人沒有目標，人生沒有任務，只要有一點風吹草動就挫折不安，人應該檢視自己的使命，錢多錢少不是大問題。成功可以分為三種，一是金錢上的成功，二是權勢上的成功，第三是人格的成功，前面二者皆是虛幻的，台灣企業家都很有自信，認為能賺大錢都是憑自己的能力及努力得到的，其實能夠賺錢，有三分之二是靠大環境的，三分之一才是靠自己，錢就像水一樣，如果不下雨，台灣會有水嗎？權勢更是虛幻，現在政局變動快速，有人前一天還是院長、部長，睡一覺起來就不是了，像是一場泡影，一生工於計算，但卻從來沒有算到自己的遭遇。因此人格的成長才是個人真正的資產，個人的存在對社會有貢獻，對世界有好的影響，才是一個人的成功。一般人都汲汲營營於前面二者，很少去重視第三者，如果一般人開始重視第三者，對於一時的起落、得失都不會放在心上。 經濟的變化就如季節的變化，自有一定的調整規律。 台灣人現在的問題，在於想要過更好的物質生活，開習慣了賓士、凱迪拉克，要他回去騎機車，是寧願死也不願過以前的苦日子。其實，台灣人應該想一想，從騎腳踏車、機車到開轎車，最後開名車，這期間只有十幾二十年的時間，以前可以那樣過活，現在為何不可以？從貧賤到富貴，人心是最感到快樂的，但是從富貴降到貧賤，人心就往往無法適應。紅樓夢描寫富貴世家，家道中落的過程，書中的人物是痛苦。面對經濟的衰退，台灣現在就像是紅樓夢的縮影，但是台灣現在的經濟並非一蹶不振，只是成長慢下來而已。

花無百日紅，台灣的成長不可能永無止境。天天晴天，草木都要枯死，經濟的變化就如季節的變化，自有一定的調整規律，人們應該學習調整自己面對它。經濟不好，就節省一點，節制一點物質的欲望，現在人的痛苦就是想要的太多，實際需要的並不多。

我到過德國弘法，發現一個有趣的現象：台灣人辛苦賺錢，只想要買一輛德國製造的車子，但是，德國人反而放棄汽車，改騎腳踏車上街。不景氣的時候，台灣是否能夠重新騎上「鐵馬」，節省資源，保護環境？現在很多人對未來惶惑不安，我認為，把握當下很重要，再怎麼擔憂未來也沒有用，最重要是腳踏實地。人們應該肯定、接受事實。什麼是事實？無常、變化就是事實，不只環境的變化是無常的，就連我們自身也是無常的，例如健康；面對、接受無常，就能對內外的變化有所準備。因此我常說，面對生活「要有最好的準備，最壞的打算」，無常是生命的變數，無法加以控制，只有做好心理準備才能在心理上有較好的適應，接受任何的打擊。日前，我到花蓮縣萬榮鄉的見晴村慰問桃芝颱風災民，這個村莊受到桃芝颱風重創，全村遭到土石流覆蓋，但是全村沒有一個人傷亡，為什麼？因為過去見晴村早已遭遇幾次較不嚴重的風災，因此對桃芝已有準備。當村長發現當晚情勢不對時，立即命令全村撤離，因此，才能將傷亡降到最低。外界赴見晴村慰問，看到村民並沒有太多的悲傷，因為他們保全了生命。所以，面對變局，首先就是不要自亂陣腳，堅持走自己應走的路。收入少一點就少花一點，房子換小一點，車子不要開了，調整一下就能適應，只要觀念稍微調整一下，日子一樣可以過下去。以前有位房地產大老闆，有一次遭逢不景氣，周轉不過來，結果連自己住的房子都被查封。有一位朋友看他可憐，就借一間屋頂上加蓋的鐵皮屋給他住，一家五口就擠在這小屋中，一天只有兩把麵條度日，小孩子還是照常上學，只是便當只有麵條而已，夏天熱得受不了，白天就到公園納涼，晚上再回去睡覺。如此過了一年，這位大老闆終於東山再起。如果這個老闆當初想不開，有了輕生的念頭，這一家人現在還有快樂的日子嗎？因此，「活著」比「什麼都沒有」重要，只有活著才有希望，只要有最低限度的物質維生，人就可以活下去。

小檔案 _聖嚴法師 [ 隱藏 ]: 年齡：79歲身分：法鼓山農禪寺方丈經歷：13歲出家；19歲暫時還俗，從軍抵台；30歲退伍，再度出家；39歲，留學日本東京立正大學，6年後取得博士；59歲，創法鼓山； 79歲，因腎衰竭而圓寂

True true...

2009-06-17T00:10:00.001+08:00

Sushi Go Round

2009-06-13T01:42:00.003+08:00

This freaking sushi business kept me up until 2am!

Proceed at your own RISK!!!

http://www.miniclip.com/games/sushi-go-round/en/

Plan Worst Hope Best

2009-06-07T23:03:00.001+08:00

This article sums up a simple principle to follow:

"Plan Worst Hope Best"

These're what are covered....

The seven common insurance mistakes parents make, and how to avoid them

1. Give the wrong emphasis

2. Insure the wrong life

3. Insure for too little

4. Buy the wrong type of insurance

5. Overlook Insurance for your career

6. Neglect insurance for critical illness

7. Omit insurance for terminal illness

It was sent to me by a Financial Consultant, Alex Wong, from fin-exis Advisory Pte Ltd

Ignore the fact that this link is from Manulife. The content is what matters.. read on...

"Plan Worst Hope Best"

Thanks Alex. If you guys needs any guidance on planning for your finance in life - insurance, will planning, housing finance, auto finance, kids, etc, please feel free to contact him at 9818 3836 or alex.wong@finexis.com.sg. I've no personal gains from this but I have had good experience through 2 sessions with him. I learned a lot from him. You'll too.

Invert!

2009-06-07T22:27:00.001+08:00

This is an example of an inversion table..

I went to a sports equipment sale last saturday morning. It is located at Tannery road, along kallang way area. Damn ulu, but I insisted on going because there's a warehouse sales, and I've always wanted to get an inversion table!!

So, what an inversion table? A popular brand is Teeter which can be found in Aibi, but I opted for Biotek's Victory Back because it's priced more attractively.

I have been wanting to get it for months, or maybe even a year already. Now, I've decided to end this struggle once and for all. The benefits convinced me and my darling girlfriend, and i got the stamp of approval from her. Yeah!

So what are the benefits? Read them here.. http://sitincomfort.com/inthinthbein.html

The inversion table will be assembled and delivered to my house on Tuesday... Can't wait to see the world upside down! ;)

ERP. This one I love.

2009-04-27T21:47:00.002+08:00

Enterprise Resource Planning

Electronic Road Pricing.. oops..

Enterprise Resource Planning

So what's this? This relates to all the past entries I've written regarding people, data, process, technology, etc in business.

ERP is the central piece of technology to make all these happen.

You are most probably using it at your workplace, running your business with it, studying it in school, or thinking of how to use ERP to help you spend less time sitting back in office maintaining your accounts/inventory/personnels/customer lists/invoices/anything with spreadsheets. Sounds familiar?

Wikipedia calls ERP: a company-wide computer software system used to manage and coordinate all the resources, information, and functions of a business from shared data stores.^[1]

Personally, I prefer CIO.com's Quick Intro to Tech topic's article that presents a more well-rounded perspective of ERP.

http://www.cio.com/article/40323/ERP_definition_and_solutions

In it, the editor, Thomas Wailgum, wants us to note that "This article was updated April 17, 2008 to reflect changes in ERP technology" and he'll be covering the points below.

* What is ERP?

* How can ERP improve a company’s business performance? * How long will an ERP project take? * What will ERP fix in my business? * Will ERP fit the ways I do business? * What does ERP really cost? * When will I get payback from ERP—and how much will it be? * What are the hidden costs of ERP? * Why do ERP projects fail so often? * How do I configure ERP software? * How do companies organize their ERP projects? * How does ERP fit with e-commerce? * How do on-demand and software-as-a-service ERP applications work? * How do I know my ERP data is any good? * Just how important have ERP systems become?

Your truly, Mr SQ Yong, also has a note: Do not take everything at face-value. Further your readings in this topic and you'll find that for many things mentioned, there seem to be alternate views, or the "it-depends" situation. So, have fun with ERP. It should find its way into your life somehow. Somehow ;)

JP Morgan Run

2009-04-24T23:59:00.002+08:00

My 2nd JPM run! New route, new distance. 5.6km and so you thought. Nah... 6.1km according to 2 guys who wore GPS devices.

I've been wondering: what timing should we submit after the race? The official time on the official clock? or the timing on our own stopwatch, taking into account the time spent to reach the starting mark?

My view: If you want to take part in a race, it's your responsibility to make your way to the front, and use the OFFICIAL TIMER at the finish line. Nuff' said.

I used official time. I came in 4th @ 30mins, instead of my rightful 3rd because some people submitted own timing. Move on. Shall try again next year. I was 4th last year too. Lucky 4?

Enjoy the scenery before the run

My lovely 7427.

Fellow runners behind me.

Fellow runners in front of me.

Almost there. Before the final bend.

Floating across the finish line @ 30:00!!

I should have smiled more if I knew there'd be so many SAP photographers. :-D

Birthday gifts

2009-04-13T20:50:00.005+08:00

Eat...

and shave..??

Thank you "3

两个人在一起有三件事很重要

2009-04-13T20:45:00.002+08:00

两个不同生长环境的人要在一起，已经是很困难的事了，而彼此能相互沟通、尊重与珍惜的人更

是少之又少。

因为许多人往往都是自私地站在自己的立场去想、去做，以为这就是对方所需要的，以致常常意气用事，痛了自己也苦了别人。

所以爱一个人不是给她你要的，因为你要的她不一定要啊! 而是要给她「她要的」，这样才是真正爱她。

所以，两个人在一起有三件事很重要：沟通，尊重，珍惜。

沟通

两个人一定要会沟通，沟通可不是件容易的事喔~

就连我这个自认是「沟通大师」的都不一定会沟通呢！

我就说「炒蛋事件」好了!我跟我老婆结婚才三个月的时候

我就发现我不会沟通了!

就有一天，我心血来潮突然就跟她说：「我今晚作一道世界

名菜给你吃!

平常晚上，我家都是吃三菜一汤。她一做完两菜一汤就离开厨

房，说要拭目看我作出什么世界名菜来给她吃，让她有个惊喜

我就拿起三个蛋，打散，唰~下锅，加葱花...，再加酱油~?

这是最重要的!!

小时候不是都吃他*的酱油炒蛋吗?这可是含有浓浓的母爱的

香味呢!好啦!?起锅~世界名菜---「酱油炒蛋」上桌!

她走出来，一看，「这是什么?」

「蛋啊!炒蛋啊~」

她是外省人，所以她们从小吃的蛋都是加盐巴的。我是本省人，

所以都是加酱油的。

「我不要吃!这不是炒蛋。」这女人怎么这么硬啊?!酱油炒

蛋就不是蛋吗？分别是少见多怪嘛!黑蛋当然也是蛋啊~

「不吃就不吃!」

她筷子一摔，还真的就不吃了。

碰!还甩房门。

自此而后，只要我每次炒蛋，内心、脑袋就开始挣扎...

「要加盐巴?还是加酱油?我应该要让她才对...不对?」

哼！这一步不能让!这可是攸关我大男人的面子，尤其童年的

回忆、他*的母爱、还有省籍意识在里面的ㄋㄟ~怎么能轻易

就让妳?!」

每次上桌的酱油炒蛋，她就当作没看到那道菜。

我们就这样过了五年。很不可思议吧！为了个炒蛋吵了五年，

但后来突然有一天福至心灵，我终于想通了!

我们跟小朋友玩不是都会让他吗!

因为他年纪小，不懂事嘛，所以我让她!而有时老婆不懂事、幼

稚的时候，我又何必认真呢！

有一天我就炒了加盐巴的蛋上桌了。

唷！我们家的黑蛋怎么变白蛋啦?!就没听过黑人会变白人

的，我们家的黑蛋竟然也会变白蛋呀!」

我这时啥也没说，只嘿嘿干笑了两声。可是，你知道吗？过两天，换我

在桌上看见黑蛋了。

她炒的。

所以，爱一个人不是要给她你要的，你要的她不一定要啊!

而是要给她「她要的」!切记。

要把对方的需要当作你的责任，这样才是真正爱她。

尊重

男生在发展关系的同时能尊重对方的意愿，

能把主控权交给女生的才是好男生。

艾斯德讲的是「两个人在一起要学会尊重彼此的任何决定」。

意见不合可以沟通，因为无论从人权、人性来说，男女生都是

站在平等地位上的。

我告诉朋友---尊重，是最重要的!

如果他(她)会尊重你，意即什么都好，都是能商量的。

会把你放在平等地位上看待的这男生或女生就不会糟到哪里去。

珍惜

我们要珍惜每一段关系。假设你还能活60年好了!

等你60年后，快死之前，请你拿起一只笔和一张纸，

想一想，写下你这一生中「真正爱过」的10个人。

爸妈兄弟姊妹都可以，是真正爱过的喔!

那种只爱三个礼拜的不算是真爱。

能写到超过是最好，不到10个也没关系。

我现在想，我就好像写不出来10个呢！

我就连我是不是真正爱我方爸妈都不太确定。

因为你真正爱一个人会一年只见他三次面吗?

不会吧！一定是巴不得每天都能看到他(她)的是吧！

可是现在都有自己的家庭了，所以一年大概也只回去三次而已。

纸翻过来再写，这一生中「真正爱过你」的10个人，

如果你真能写到10个那你可真的很幸运很幸福了!!

还有一个小故事!大意是说一个即将升职的男人，因为她老婆

突然罹患老年痴呆症，朋友们都建议他把老婆送到医院治疗兼疗养。,

他考虑了一星期后递出了辞呈。

朋友们都很惊讶、错愕，纷纷询问他为什么要放弃升迁的机会呢?

他的人生就将要达到最高峰了啊！

他说：「我只想到我在神前面承诺过，不论她贫穷、疾病、变老变丑

我要爱她、照顾她一辈子。

Cry fudder cry mudder

2009-03-30T12:49:00.002+08:00

TRADITIONAL CORPORATION You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull. Your herd multiplies and the economy grows. You sell them and retire on the income. AN AMERICAN CORPORATION You have two cows. You sell one and force the other to produce the milk of four cows. You are surprised when the cow drops dead. A FRENCH CORPORATION You have two cows. You go on strike because you want three cows. A JAPANESE CORPORATION You have two cows. You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk. You then create clever cow cartoon images called 'Cowkimon' and market them World-Wide. A GERMAN CORPORATION You have two cows. You re-engineer them so they live for 100 years, eat once a month, and milk themselves. A BRITISH CORPORATION You have two cows. Both are mad. AN ITALIAN CORPORATION You have two cows, but you don't know where they are. You break for lunch.. A SWISS CORPORATION You have 5,000 cows and none of which belong to you. You charge others for storing them. A CHINESE CORPORATION You have two cows. You have 300 people milking them.. You claim full employment and high bovine productivity. You have the newsman who reported on the numbers arrested. AN INDIAN CORPORATION You have two cows. You worship them. A MALAYSIAN CORPORATION You have two cows. You signed a 40-year contract to supply milk at RM0.06 per litre. Then midway through, you raised the price to RM0.60 or you cut the supply. When the buyer agrees to the new price, you change your mind again and now want RM1.20. The buyer decided you can keep the milk and they go look for milk that comes from recycled cows or the cow urine instead. Your two cows retire together with the Prime Minister. And last but not least, A SINGAPOREAN CORPORATION You have two cows. One cow-peh and one cow-bu.

Business, Process.. and Technology

2009-03-02T09:32:00.004+08:00

In one of my post, I mentioned the 4 words to remember for basic Business and IT.

2 of them are Data and Process. So, does just buying some tools to use ensure that jobs and data are automated and stored enough? Well, not quite. We're not talking about buying and installing a spreadsheet or word processor here, but something more powerful. Huge business impact actually.

Here's an article that helps you to understand more about the relationship between these 2.

"Developing a successful master data management (MDM) strategy starts with identifying broken business processes that can be fixed with improved data management, according to analysts. MDM tends to come across like an infrastructure project or middleware -- something that IT would sponsor, according to Dan Power, president of Hub Solution Designs Inc., an MDM consulting firm. But placing sponsorship with IT misses the point, he said. The line of business needs to sponsor the project because it can identify the business value the data holds and how a single view of that data can affect the bottom line. "IT should be involved, but it shouldn't drive this," Power said. "It's really a business paradigm -- changing the way the business thinks about data."" - Courtney Bjorlin, "Successful MDM strategy starts with finding broken processes, not technology", February 2009, SearchSAP.com Read on here...

Once again, SAP helps to clean up the mess :)

2009-02-27T08:57:00.002+08:00

San Diego fires Axon over ERP implementation problems

Hitler Slams Temasek and Ho Ching (Singapore)

2009-02-18T22:51:00.000+08:00

Home again...

2009-01-04T11:02:00.002+08:00

Away and back. 2008 2009.

2008-12-16T20:39:00.005+08:00

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, friends and family...

Family and friends, boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen...

My final week of work for 2008 ends this Friday, hopefully. Congratulate me.

Spain awaits me. I'll be back in early Jan 2009, ready for more work.

Don't think there'll be anymore updates till then. Busy for the final dash this week.

Go go go... fire in the hole... cover me... storm the front!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year..

Strasbourg, France, winter 2008

ERP. No no no, not the gantry.

2008-12-11T01:34:00.001+08:00

Everytime I mention ERP, first thing Singaporeans think of is.. yes.. that's right.. Every Road Pays.. oops.. I meant Electronic Road Pricing.. explained clearly by LTA here.. Well, my interest is not so much in that ERP.. but in Enterprise Resource Planning.

ERP = Enterprise Resource Planning

Perhaps you should read the following article to understand more about it. This is one of the best written article introducing ERP to the masses. "Enterprise resource planning software, or ERP, doesn’t live up to its acronym. Forget about planning—it doesn’t do much of that—and forget about resource, a throwaway term. But remember the enterprise part. This is ERP’s true ambition. It attempts to integrate all departments and functions across a company onto a single computer system that can serve all those different departments’ particular needs." - Thomas Wailgum, "ERP definition and solutions", updated April 2008, CIO.com. Read on here...

How Technology Caused the Financial Crisis

2008-12-10T18:13:00.004+08:00

Hey hey hey... before you start bashing technology.. read on.. Joe Skorupa wrote on his blog about how technology could have lessen the damage done by the financial crisis. Well, not exactly his idea, but our dear SAP co-CEO, Léo Apotheker.

"Here's a hint to all of these experts: computer systems actually provide automated oversight of financial institutions if you install them and run them appropriately. These systems provide "an absolute, real-time view" of a financial balance sheet with impeccable precision that can generate reports for either internal or external transparency. And if you don't believe me, I suggest contacting Leo Apotheker of SAP. I believe he can point you in the right direction to find the right system you are looking for."

- Joe Skorupa, "How Technology Caused the Financial Crisis", September 2008, Retail Insight.

Read on here... no registration required though ;)

Don't stop spending on IT in downturn

2008-12-05T17:36:00.009+08:00

IT has always been a cost center for most organizations, but it shouldn't be. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) with necessary modules for your core business coupled with Business Intelligence (BI) to source out more opportunities or improve weak areas can be an option. I believe it all boils down to 4 words for the basic set up (let's not talk about governance, etc. first):

Data, Tools, Process, People

"Companies that face less severe capital constraints and can navigate through the recession cycle should not only cut costs but also seek out additional opportunities to improve business performance. They can use IT to increase revenues and reduce operational costs in the short term. Often, these improvements can be made with modest investments. Companies can use data more effectively and optimize processes through technology. IT, for example, can be vital to improving supply chains by enhancing logistics and inventory management. Similarly, better data can sharpen insights into customer segments, pinpointing opportunities to change prices or focus sales efforts. Over 12 to 18 months, these projects may return up to ten times the bottom-line impact of simple IT cost reductions." - James M. Kaplan and Johnson Sikes, "Managing IT spending", Mckinsey Quarterly, December 2008*

*You must register to read the full article

=====================

Updated on 11th December 2008: Download this in PDF from here

Fallen in love with in and out of love

2008-12-04T20:19:00.002+08:00

Armin van Buuren ft Sharon den Adel - In and Out of Love

Addicted to surprises

2008-12-02T06:19:00.004+08:00

I'm so addicted to kinder surprise that I have to buy a box every week.. this time.. got a nice surprise again...

One box has 3, there must be something decent in it...

I like the excavator the most!

Maybe 3 small ones isnt enough now.. I decided to go for Maxi!!

See mini versus Maxi!

I'm gonna have a good time munching this egg..

This reindeer hatched from Maxi... what a surprise..

Axing the smiles

2008-11-20T16:40:00.001+08:00

http://comment.straitstimes.com/showthread.php?t=14657&page=3#27

Risk?

2008-11-18T15:45:00.002+08:00

Hmm.. I'm thinking... ya. sure it's sensible to invest.. but... Town councils.. with the people's money... should it be in any riskier products? I thought I read something about risk in the financial report... no lehman.. no merril lynch.. but.. are the money still as safe as it should have been?

Sembawang Town Council clear for now....

2008-11-18T06:00:00.007+08:00

Sembawang Town Council replied to my email after I sent them a gentle reminder a week after this first email was sent out. Nov 5 - 1st Email Nov 13 - Gentle reminder Dear sir/mdm,

I hope this email was successfully delivered. A reply would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks and best regards,

Shao Qin

Nov 15 - It took him/her 10 days to reply. No sound from Prof Ho. Dear Shao Qin, We refer to your email to Assoc Prof Ho Peng Kee, MP for Nee Soon East, concerning Town Coucnil's sinking fund. We appreciate you concern about the possible loss of our Town Council's sinking fund in the purchase of the structured products. We would like to inform you that our Town Council did not invest in any of the affected credit- linked products such as Lehman Brothers mini bonds, DBS high notes, Merrill Lynch Jubilee series 3, etc. Sembawang Town Counil has always been prudent with our investments and will continue to be conservative and ensure that all our investments comply with the Town Councils Acts and the Financial Rules as well as guidelines issued by Ministry of National Development. The audited financial statements of our Town Council for FY 06/07 can be found at our web site www.sembawangtc.org.sg. The latest financial statement for FY 07/08 will be uploaded to our web site soon. Thank you Best Regards, Soon Min Sin, General Manager, Sembawang Town Council ================= I went through their financial statements and they did pump in millions in investments, but as of last year, it made money. Millions was also pumped in last year for something else... shall wait for new report to be uploaded.. anyway.. whoever can understand.. please assist.. i suck at it... still learning by myself.. By the way.. 2 town-councils bought those worthless shit!!!!!!! http://www.sgpolitics.net/?p=1243 Updated: make it 8?? http://www.omy.sg/News/Local%2BNews/Story/OMYStory200811171844-48771.html http://theonlinecitizen.com/2008/11/town-councils-anymore-skeletons-in-the-closet/

Wheel.. Of... Fortune....

2008-11-17T06:41:00.003+08:00

Figure it out yourself... ask me if u really cant.. ok?

Hehehehehe

2008-11-17T06:34:00.003+08:00

Buckle up Dorothy cause Kansas going byebye.. hehehehehehehehe...

Doh!

2008-11-17T06:18:00.004+08:00

Homer took a picture of himself everyday.. for 39 years.. doh!! I love The Simpsons.. it's so much nicer with this music too... Watch the Oxy 5 to 10 to... haha..

Kinder Surprise!

2008-11-08T23:16:00.001+08:00

Haha!!! I got my 2 pieces to-be-assembled racing car with stickers leh!!!

The Straits Times/States Times/Shitty Times

2008-11-06T04:45:00.003+08:00

I read this article WITH MY EYES OPEN!

Did DBS pay Gracia Chang to write this? I'm disappointed with our national papers once again.

Gracia, open your eyes and write please...

Sorry to all the grandpas and grandmas and others who lost their life savings. I wish this article was written to highlight your plight instead of:

"Mr Lai, 25, sank $50,000 into Minibonds. The money, he said, represents 'no more than a couple of per cent' of his entire investment portfolio."

"In any case, those who have decided not to complain are determined to move on. Financial adviser Ms Lou said: 'I'm not going to die because of this $10,000. I invest money that I don't need to use for the next two years at least, so there's no impact on the way I lead my life.' Year-end vacations will go on as planned and Ms Lou is 'shopping around' for a trip to Australia. IT entrepreneur Mr Lai is also not about to cancel his four jaunts to Hong Kong, Australia, Japan and Korea."

Nuff said.. read on.. http://www.asiaone.com/Business/My%2BMoney/Story/A1Story20081103-98067.html

We want the truth Town Council

2008-11-06T02:43:00.003+08:00

http://www.sgpolitics.net/?p=1012 http://wayangparty.com/2008/11/04/let-us-exert-pressure-together-on-the-pap-town-councils-to-open-their-account-books/

Kinder Surprised

2008-11-06T01:59:00.001+08:00

Not fair.. People buy kinder surprise and get to assemble the toys... I bought it 3 times and got these stupid standing shit 3 times in a row... shit man... Should I use a knife to cut them apart and reassemble using super glue?!! grrr.... Ok.. here's the bet. If I another such shit.. I'll quit kinder surprise.. it'll be Kinder Surprised.... cool?

Crack your speakers

2008-11-03T06:09:00.004+08:00

She looks better than the ladies below... but beware.. she can destroy your weak notebook speakers... From Giuseppi Verdi's La Traviata... Listen out for a strange sound at 26secs..

Scary ladies.

2008-11-03T05:45:00.001+08:00

The great Richard Wagner.... Don't be frightened by the scary ladies... just listen and enjoy...

Andrea Bocelli kept Elmo up whole night

2008-11-03T05:08:00.002+08:00

Don't miss the ending ;)

In Deutschland bis Weihnachten

2008-10-12T20:38:00.003+08:00

I'm in Germany until X'mas.

Busy with work and settling down.

Drop me a message or call me @ +49 152 2763 9291 sometimes ;)

Enjoy the sunshine,

SQ.

Astronaut and I

2008-08-24T00:32:00.002+08:00

Managed to catch hold of Dr Sheikh when I was at the Harris bookstore @ Tebrau City few weeks ago... He was there to promote his book... Did you believe? heheheheh..

End of this chapter...

2008-08-03T23:11:00.000+08:00

JBJ da man!

2008-07-22T23:33:00.003+08:00

In case you didn't see this @ Sgpolitics.net.... Open Letter to the Prime Minister from JBJ

Things We'd Really Like to Learn in Uni

2008-06-26T18:44:00.002+08:00

http://www.talkingcock.com/html/article.php?sid=2590 http://www.talkingcock.com/html/article.php?sid=2590

Hope you are doing well~

2008-06-13T20:58:00.003+08:00

1981 ~ 15th June 2005

Dear Jiahui, How are you? It's been almost 3 years. I hope you are doing well. I remember we met each other during the registration day at Catholic High. Actually no, we knew each other long before that. Or should I say my grandma knew your parents longer than we really knew each other? Anyway, you understand what I'm saying. I really enjoy hanging out with you in the neighborhood after class, weekends and during holiday. If not for you, my cycling skill wouldn't have improved so much. My 2 cycling masters are Simon and you. Nowadays I cycle occasionally with Simon, but I wish you are still with us. When you pillioned me on your bicycle, I always have full confidence in you, knowing that you'll never lose your balance, never once. Fishing, or rather, catching fishes with Weitian, Yuesheng and you was really a crazy thing. What were we thinking when we lugged home 2 large pails of tiger barbs on your bicycle? No wait, we didn't actually brought them home. The journey was so torturous that we ended up pouring them away, into the monsoon drain.. haha!! I got my 1st Sony Playstation when I was 17, using my first paycheck earned from Ivin's. Thanks to you, I managed to get extra games when I purchased the set at your uncle's shop. And I hated you, because you always beat me in Puzzle Fighter... I still remember how you almost fought with another guy at the arcade, after losing the game of Puzzle Fighter to him. Your temper was always so bad. I was pretty taken aback when you quarreled with Samuel, Ivin's manager/boss, when he docked our pay for being late. Yes, OUR pay, when you were the one being late. I'm always amazed by my patience with you. Can you count how many times a week you made me wait probably at least 15 to 30 mins under your block before we leave for work? But I'm sure you had your principle and reason when you argued with him. We both quit after that. Anyway, it doesn't matter now, does it? I haven't eaten at Ivin's after that day, until last month, but at a different branch. Ivin's always reminds me of you. My 1st experience in long distance driving took place when you were in Poly. I was your canoe-driver, helping you drive the van full of canoes for your team's canoe-polo competition in Terengganu. My first time in the East coast too. I must say that Tasik Kenyir was quite an unusual place for me. The landscape was unique. It was fun mingling with your teammates and not so fun when we had that accident on our way there. Luckily, no one was hurt. I think you did well in your 'O' levels. A1, or were they A2, for your English and Chinese. How many people can proudly say that they did well for both? At least not in Catholic High. Yes, we know why ya? haha. I did badly too... However, when you failed your other exam and had to re-take them, I felt like your father, always having to nag at you. What were you thinking at that time? When you decided you didn't like poly and left, what were you thinking again? I must admit I really wished you would have done better, but I guess you knew better what you wanted. You joined the army, pursuing your love for leadership and adventure. You performed well, but the screwed-up SAF wouldn't let you go to OCS because they only had eyes for someone with more than 'O' levels. I say, "Fuck you SAF, understand?! Not only did you not fulfill a part of his dream, you took away his life.....!! ...... shit you.........." Jiahui, the day I sent you off seemed not so long ago. I can still remember the screams and cries from your sisters, cousins and friends, the pain, and the tears I shed that day... You'll always be my mentor, friend, neighbor and a good 豬朋狗友... hope you are doing well... Always remembering you, 劭勤 Defence Minister comments on death of Special Operations Force soldier http://commentarysingapore.blogspot.com/2006/01/latest-saf-death.html "Publicly-Released" Miliary Incidents (since 2003) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore_Special_Operations_Force

Bye Bye POSB after 21 Years

2008-06-05T08:13:00.000+08:00

Remember these? Courtesy of Times of My Life

I had my first savings bank account with POSB in 1987. Let me count... it's been 21 years! Wow... However, I've decided to close it today. POSB, listen up: I CLOSED MY POSB SAVINGS ACCOUNT... I've signed the divorce paper with your saving squirrel! We're through! bleh...

Save $$??!! SAVE ME!!!! @_@ Courtesy of Times of My Life

Why? I seldom use it, but, the main reason that pushed me to close it was a practice that is unfair in my opinion. When the amount drop below an average of $500 each month, they were more than happy and swift to take $2 out every month... I had to throw in some money to prevent them from sucking my account dry. $499.9.. after 1 month... left $497.90.. after 2 months... blah blah... I'll be sucked dry in about 20 years time... my 21 years loyalty.... coincidentally also 21 years to suck me dry.. but wait.. don't they pay interest? Sure!! BUT.... NOT monthly.. it's yearly FYI... quick to deduct $2.. slow to pay me a few cents... no wonder I didn't see interest for past few months already... It's not just about the money.. it's about making me feel like I was right to stay with you for 21 years!... apparently not so.. haiz.... *shakes head* Why is interest paid and calculated based on a yearly basis, but service fee deduction based on 30 or 31 days average?! Why Why Why? Don't wana waste each other's time anymore... byebye POSB! DBS... Domestic Blood Suckers... POSB... Possibly Only Sucks Blood... Anw, I don't know much about finance.. is this a common practice or is there a real good reason behind such policy? Enlightenment will be greatly appreciated... :) Note: I sent a feedback to POSB. Let's wait to see what they say....

劭勤 in Yishun

2008-06-02T18:33:00.003+08:00

楊劭勤，yours truly, was walking along Yishun when he spotted something.. 劭。。刀口力的劭！！ Very rare... And the shop's called Yahweh.. nice... ;) As I walked further down... 勤！！！ haha.. When will I see 楊？？

Alive and kickin'!

2008-05-30T17:21:00.005+08:00

Hai... ya!! Im still alive and kickin assess!! Enjoying life and work all at the same time... but still pissed at inflation and overcrowding in Singapore! @.@ Who disagrees? What? You live on Pulau Ubin ah? Ahh.. sorry... but isn't it crowded too with all the people going there to use the new cycling trek? Oh ya.. since we won Pedra Branca, we can go there instead.. less crowded.. I hope... if u r lucky, u may be able to wave Hello to the 2 poor guys trying hard to balance themselves on the 2 rocks in front of u... heheh...

So.. who's rushing into JB to get some dirt-cheap fuel before next weekend? Better do it quick... or else even price of bak chang goes up during dragon boat festival... then you'll have to paddle your boat into malaysia... and hope someone throws bak chang which you can fish out of the sea after that... and yeah.. paddling your boat does not consume fuel and saves environment too.. nice.. so what you waiting for? Go grab your paddle and plastic bathtub lah!!!

Not the toilet bowl

2008-04-21T21:55:00.002+08:00

Hello! The findings are out.. Mat Alamak didnt escape through the toilet bowl... yup... it took 2 months for us to realize.. wow.. hey wait... u mean there wasnt any toilet bowl in the first place? Shit.... it was a urinal.. and you need a f**cking cubicle? He's very SHY right? Damn.... unfathomable... http://theonlinecitizen.com/2008/04/21/ji-escape-cois-report-and-ministerial-statement/ ok, so who still thinks he's in Singland? I personally don't think so... since he ran away half naked (yes, he hung his trousers over the cubicle door to let the "guards" think that he's still doing his long and big business), he most probably just swam over (or watever method) to Indomie-land because he wouldn't want to be caught with his pants down.. he's SHY... remember?!!

Let's talk about K Pop lah

2008-03-29T11:09:00.001+08:00

In my previous 2 entries about K-Pop, FM96.3 한국어 Radio & Not bad, FM96.3, I gave some reviews on the K-Pop dedicated and played on the new Korean radio station FM96.3

And ok, I've decided. Let's talk about K-Pop in more details. K-Pop is more than DBSK and Super Juniors. Yes, rather than just sit around and whine, I've decided to introduce you to a bit more about K-Pop. It's time for some serious K-Pop education!!

I'll tell you where to listen and watch MVs. Keep up to date on K-Pop news, music charts, etc. Of course, the list are limited to what I personally know. If you have more, please email me @ "emailshaoqin@gmail.com". No, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you. My email is emailshaoqin@ gmail.com. People scold me stupid, why put the word "email" in my email address to confuse people? Well, that's the whole point.

Imagine A asking B,

"Hey, how can I send these Edison Chen pictures to Shao Qin?".

"Um.. email him lah.. emailshaoqin@gmail.com."

"Ok, what's his email?"

"emailshaoqin@gmail.com"

"ok ok...I know lah.. email him at gmail.. but what's his full gmail address?!"

"emailshaoqin@gmail.com"

"I KNOW!!!!!!!.... what.............."

Haha~ Get the joke?! It's stupid, but I like it.. haha.. Btw, don't bother sending me Edison's pictures anymore.. he's a loser who "quit" HK entertainment scene and is ready for his new life in Hollywood... I think he'll enjoy it there.. Britney, Lindsay, Olsen twins.. kekeke.

Ok, back to K-Pop.

K-Pop news
http://popseoul.com/ - If you are bored, and need hilarious K-Pop news.. this is it.. whatcha waiting for?! ㅋㅋㅋ

http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/entertainment/enter_chart_list.htm

http://www.arirang.co.kr/Tv/Pops_News.asp?PROG_CODE=TVCR0102&code=Po4&m_view_t=Po&ptitle=

Charts - Best place to keep yourself updated.
http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/entertainment/enter_top10_detail.htm - Chart lah, what else?

http://www.arirang.co.kr/Tv/Pops_Weekly10.asp?PROG_CODE=TVCR0102&code=Po3&m_view_t=Po&ptitle= - Ehh.. this is a bit special... user-determined chart

Music Videos
http://kpopvideo.com/kpop/ - Tonnes of MVs here... but unorganized... it's free lah. no complaints.. heheh...

Music video countdown shows
http://www.arirang.co.kr/Tv2/Pops_WhatsOn.asp?PROG_CODE=TVCR0102&sys_lang=Eng - This is a weekly half-hour video show. My favourite. It has a countdown chart, and short introduction in the form of english subtitles to tell us more about the songs and artistes...

http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/entertainment/enter_chart_list.htm - Audio show. Click on the picture that says "KPOP Chat".. Yes.. CHAT! Actually it's "Chart", but there's a typo that they didn't correct.... bleh..

Lyrics/Translations
http://aheeyah.com/lyrics/index.htm - Best source for lyrics in Hanguel, Romanization and English translation... what else you want?! Hah?!

http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/entertainment/enter_words_list.htm - English translations of selected K-pop songs.

한국말 할수있으면.. http://mstar.o2sky.com/main/music.php?murl=main... choose from menu on the left.. beside K-Pop, there're J, Mandarin, etc.. this is the imitation of http://www.bugs.co.kr.. but hey.. it's free.. for Bugs, you need to pay about 3000won/month.. but it's worth it... get a Korean friend to help you out.. I still owe 본홍 lotsa money for this..ㅋㅋㅋ.. return u next time ok? Or, just listen to o2sky.com...although it's not really high quality audio or very very very updated.. still acceptable..

Ok, here're some singers I randomly thought of...

이승철 - Lee Seung Cheol
(He's been around for 10 years in the music scene.. how bad can he be? He's good.. no doubt about it.)

씨야 - See Ya
(Oh!! My favorite girl group.. the sight of 규리 Gyu-ri makes me go weak.. 보람 Bo-ram... a bit weak... 연지 Yeon-ji.. sorry, no weak.. ㅋㅋㅋ They sing really nice and sad love ballads.. ^^)

SG 워너비 - SG Wannabe
(actually stands for Simon & Garfunkel Wannabe. They are 3 talented men who sang a duet with See Ya which I really love! )

양파 - Yangpa
(Haven't listened to her previous album, but her 5th album, The Windows of My Soul, won me over!)

KCM
(His piercing vocal is so mesmorizing..)

거북이 - Turtles
(Cute dance music to brighten up your day)

Monday Kiz
(Feels like SG Wannabe to me.. heheh)Brown-eyed Girls
(Be it alone or with other bands, singers.. they are just as good..)

DJ DOC
(Who can forget them? The grandfather of hip-hop!)

When I was in Korea for 4 months, I attended 2 major musical/school cheering events and witnessed live K-Pop performances.. when we were lucky, we could even see them perform at public places like shopping centers, etc.. really miss those days.. but I think, the best performance I've seen was at Yonsei's Akaraka... the opera singer singing "yamo yamo yamo yamo yamo...!" ㅋㅋㅋ

Puppeteers and Puppets at Home

2008-03-21T17:43:00.003+08:00

Who likes to play chess? Or Control puppets? No idea? Give you a clue... He can't sing.... hehehe... Wong Can't Sing lah~ A comment from a reader @ http://theonlinecitizen.com/2008/03/20/if-one-were-dr-choong%e2%80%a6/#more-709

"DY, hell would sooner freeze over before we see a Singaporean civil servant go against a minister’s wishes. If Choong recused herself, imagine what that would mean. The minister would take that as a slap on his face and Choong can kiss her career goodbye.

Choong and the other two, in my opinion, are pawns in this spin game that the minister is engaging in. WKS is not a moron, you know. He knows exactly what he is doing.

Except of course, he doesn’t know how to lock up a limping terrorist."

More than The Straits Times & MediaCorp

2008-03-17T23:54:00.005+08:00

Okay, it's time again for our OPEN YOUR EYES BIG BIG AND SEE series again.... remember her.. nice eyes..

I have been reading The Straits Times since I don't know know when. Let me count. 10, 15 years? Somewhere there. I love the comprehensive news coverage, from world to home to entertainment to travel. And yeah, who can deny the popularity of the jobs section?? People who don't buy papers will buy it on Saturday, hoping to land a nice job, so that they can survive well in Singapore. Yes! Singapore! Our Sing-land, land of life-gets-tougher-for-some-everyday. We hear complaints everyday. But think beyond what you read on The Straits Times or hear from the Mediacock, oops sorry, mediacorp news. Our dear paper ranks #154 on the 2007 Freedom of the Press World Ranking... 154 mind you!! That's categorized as "NOT FREE".. I still love The Straits Times, but I'll gladly get other perspectives through The Online Citizen and for something funny but serious enough to take note of, TalkingCock.com... don't pray pray with talkingcock ah.. they came out with a great guide on spotting Mas selamat.. haha.. Ok, back to my main topic today. I may not be able to afford a roof in future! See Uniquely Singapore - Is the HDB fulfilling the needs of Singaporeans? and you'll understand why. Read all the news from papers, watch the news, put them together, analyze and get the other perspectives, and think about it, very seriously..... Extracted from that article.... "HDB ignoring reality The mission of the HDB is to provide affordable housing for Singaporeans. Instead of focusing too much on building premium HDB flats with record-high prices and having price increases of about 40 per cent over the last two years, it should divert more resources and effort to providing smaller, less frills affordable flats. Asking people, particularly newlyweds, to buy in the resale market ignores the reality that the prices of resale flats are much higher and require cash top-ups above valuation, which may be an affordability issue for younger or lower-income Singaporeans. Removing various restrictions for ECs, whilst maintaining the status quo for resale flats, may encourage younger Singaporeans to buy higher priced ECs, and thus take higher risks over the typical 30-year mortgage tenure. " "So, how well has our Minister for National Development done in respect of providing affordable housing to meet the needs of Singaporeans? Are Singaporeans getting value for the high pay of ministers? In view of the problems being faced by thousands of would-be flat owners, did the National Development Minister deserve the up to 9 months performance bonus plus the up to 8 months of GDP bonus he received last year? What criteria were used and how were his bonuses derived? His performance thus far leaves much to be desired. " For me, I'm still glad I have a roof over me.... future... fight hard lah.. for now, back to sleep and go to work... no money no lunch... So, for those who want to get a flat but can't... our mini-star marlboro Tan can only tell you to Tan gu gu.. ban ban Tan ah....

Zen Stone Plus with Built-In Speaker

2008-03-07T23:37:00.004+08:00

I have never stepped into an IT show for years. The last time I was there, it was purely because of work. I was a promoter for the Sony Handycam, and up till now I'm still wondering why I didn't have commission for so many cameras sold that day? i could have earn a lot.... Anyway, I went to IT Show 2008, purely because I wanted to buy an MP3 player. Not MP4, MP5, Ipods, etc. Just a basic MP3 player. Saw the Creative ad on Digital Life on Tues, did some research, and decided I'll go there, take a look, and buy the 4GB Zen Stone Plus with Built-In speakers. $159, not sure if this is the standard price, but I bought it partly because it came with a USB Power Adapter, also known as a-charger-which-works-off-your-wall-power-socket. Why is this so special? Because the retail pack only comes with a short USB cable. Yes, when I say short, I meant it. Sorry, no photo of it, already kept it in the box. That means, you can only charge the Zen Stone with your notebook, PC or any power-emitting USB port. Quite dumb. Apparently that USB power adapter cost $49, so I reckon it's a good bargain, and so bought it. The IT Show 2008 runs till 9th March (Sunday). If you need a basic MP3 player, but don't want to let Apple earn your money, not even an Ipod Shuffle, get this. And yeah, Creative is Singapore brand. Support Mr Sim ok? $159, only black left, software stored in player (also acts as external storage), short USB cable, rubble sleeve (also known as the MP3 player's condom, like those for mobile phone), a clip, earphone (not the ear-plug type) and most importantly, free USB Power Adapter! Look below! It's small enough to bring it to go jogging, or as a voice recorder, to record those anyhow-say-say salesmen at the IT Show. Has build-in Mic, speaker (very clear, surprisingly!) and FM lay-lio (radio)... what u waiting for?

Joanna Wang 王若琳 ~ Start From Here

2008-03-04T21:44:00.006+08:00

Better Late than never.. I just bought Joanna Wang's "Start From here" today. Been listening to it non-stop. It's addictive. Her voice, the songs, the melody, the lyrics.... fantastic.... no... should be fantabulous! She has received praises from other singers like David 陶喆. In the album, she sang the re-written "愛很簡單” by David， in English.. yes.. English.. it's called "I Love You". Absolutely fantastic. The best has to be "Let's Start From Here". There are English and Mandarin versions of it. There are 2 CDs, CD1 in English, and CD2 in Mandarin. CD2 has 5 tracks that can be found in CD 1, but of course, in Mandarin! It's so wonderful to be able to hear her singing in such articulated English, and yet enjoy it in Mandarin too. One more thing you should know. She's only 19, but has been hailed as "Lisa Ono". That's a big title to carry, but I'm sure she has no problem with it. Keep it up Joanna.. Hear it @ http://www.sonybmg.com.tw/pop/joanna/musicplayer.html http://www.sonybmg.com.tw/pop/joanna/web/p1.php

Nic's Revenge

2008-02-28T01:01:00.003+08:00

Ok, Edison got himself into deep shit, quit HK and is ready for Hollywood. So, what's Nicholas gonna do? What's Gillian gonna do? What's 张白痴 gonna do now that Nic is pissed? How is Nic and Gillian gonna have their revenge on Edison? How did Edison make 阿蕉and 白痴 do it? Find out at..... 《兄弟芝娇》 - Part 1 http://www.ku6.com/show/iOnDbybnltlz-xJ4.html 《兄弟芝娇》 - Part 2 http://www.ku6.com/show/PbIRDjlz7Q18Iikf.html 叔叔是有练过的喔。。哈哈哈。。

How true? U decide.

2008-02-21T00:03:00.001+08:00

Does this make sense to you? Anyway, something light hearted for you. A baby pug..... ^^

The Budget Day, Gotcha!

2008-02-20T01:21:00.004+08:00

Open your eyes BIG BIG and see!

From TheOnlineCitizen.com http://theonlinecitizen.com/2008/02/18/5-minutes-with%e2%80%a6-leong-sze-hian-on-the-budget/ Do you think the budget is really about sharing surplus with us? Judge for yourself. Read the above to get another perspective of the "surplus sharing". You'll be surprised.... ;)

They say... They tell.. I heard..

2008-02-20T00:30:00.006+08:00

I'm a flirt. I had some special relationship with a student from the School of Accountancy. She had a boyfriend. Yes, that's me, from what I heard. I don't know how this started, but probably I should start reflecting on my behavior. What have I done? Why is there such a rumor about me? Hmm.. I havent even been back to school in 2007.. -_-" Mmm.. scandalous SQ... what did you do?! Let me count the number of close female friends I have who are from SOA. Y*nj*a & G*ll**n (names have been withheld to prevent more rumors, but then if i censor it, there'll also be rumors on why I censor. Whatever..). Y*nj*a & G*ll**n, since when did we....?? ㅋㅋㅋ... Wait, maybe I should count the guys too. Who knows?! There might a rumor that I have a boyfriend in SOA!! Anyway, sorry, I absolutely have no idea who the lucky lady is. Rumors... I've been told to ignore it, but it does affect me by a certain degree... ouch... So, who has the answer.. tell me secretly leh.. not too loud ok? Thanks man ;)

The hottest girl in my life right now.. Chloe!

Not bad, FM96.3

2008-02-18T21:46:00.003+08:00

I'm now listening to FM96.3. Last week, I made a comment about this new Korean radio station in Singapore. Apparently, they do play music from other than Super Juniors, DBSK... heheh.. Today, I heard 양파, 이승기, etc... cool.. Apparently, the bubblegum pop only happens when the dedication starts. All the bubblegum pop stars crazy youngsters wrote in, so that partly explains the choice of music selected to be played -_-" Ok, I'll keep on listening for a few more weeks to see how it goes. Will keep you updated! ^^ Updates @ 2210hrs: They are playing 거북이 Turtles' song.. someone suggested introducing this band to Singapore.. thank you... but... bad news follow... DBSK... 1... let's count how many they will play tonight! @_@

Wassup S. Q.?

2008-02-17T22:27:00.005+08:00

Yeah, what have I been up to? Primarily working and resting. Loving it. I came back from my exchange in Korea last June, and started my hunt for a job. In fact, I had to rush back from Korea to attend a job interview just to find out it wasn't the role it was supposed to be. How did my resume end up there?! Imagine, today is Thursday, earliest flight is Friday noon, or else next earliest is 2 weeks way! So, I booked it before the office closed on Thursday 5pm, spent the whole night packing my room, luggage, and didnt sleep at all. I wana thank all my friends who spent their time with me throughout the whole night, and sending me off... 고마워요.. ^^ Despite the rush and everything not going well for the interview, I managed to apply for leave of absence to do an internship and started working ever since. Life's been good for me. However, I still miss my great friends at Yonsei alot. Really alot. The Singaporeans were an awesome bunch of guys and girls who really knew how to shop, eat and party. Thank you so much! We still keep in contact now and then in Singapore despite our busy schedule. I was also fortunate to meet up with quite a number of exchange friends who visited Singapore. Rob from The Netherlands, Nao from Japan/Korea, Mansy, Keng Fung from The Netherlands and J Fung from New York! I hope I didnt miss out anyone... I am now awaiting lovely Patrik Huff's arrival... c'mon.. hurry up! Work has been good so far. Went Japan and Germany in the first month, and after that I 've been working here since then. It's getting busy, but that means there's progress, quite happy with it. Besides work, I spend my time meeting up friends for dinner and lunch. Poly friends, Exchange friends, SMU friend, old friends, new friends. Sometimes, I'll spend time alone to catch up on my life and just do nothing. Singapore is getting crowded, and it's getting on my nerves. I try to avoid downtown areas like Orchard Road and City Hall on the weekends. I need my open spaces and peace sometimes. I travelled quite a lot in 2007 too. First it's for exchange in Feb, then Thailand to visit a friend, and then Thailand again for my graduation holiday, and of course Japan and Germany for work/play. And oh yeah, how can I forget about the now and then short Malaysia getaways? I love making short trips over the causeway just to eat, shop and sightsee. My next trip? I don't know when, but I would love to go Hong Kong to visit all the great HK friends I made when I was in Korea. Somehow, the SG and HK people click really well. I hope JetStar will have super duper cheap deals for soon! Also, I was very happy to see my buddy getting married! Congratulations Zequan and Liping! 祝你们白头偕老，早生贵子 ^^

2007 was indeed an awesome year. Studied, played, ate, drank, met new friends, happy times, bad times, too much time, no time.... all happened... For 2008, it's gonna be a year with new dreams, new goals to meet... For now, I wish all my friends Happy New Year, and many many happy returns... 新年快乐，恭喜发财，万事如意，心想事成，步步高升，事业顺利，爱情美满，一帆风顺，见风驶舵，船到桥头自然值啊！！ ^^

FM96.3 한국어 Radio

2008-02-13T23:08:00.005+08:00

Sleepless in Singapore from 9:00pm to 11:00pm on FM96.3FM

Find out more @ http://www.international963.sg/

I heard it for the first time tonight. First thought: bubblegum pop korean music channel for teenagers?

All dedications are about congratulating the station, nothing wrong. But, problem comes next..

Almost all the dedications are for DBSK, Super Juniors, and other teenie weenie pop groups.. damn... and almost all dedications end off with aja aja fighting... wish it'll improve as time passes..

Let's see how... meanwhile, I'm happy that we have a Korean radio channel in Singapore! yeah!

Expensive Singapore

2008-01-16T17:30:00.000+08:00

The relentless rising cost of living in Singapore Posted by theonlinecitizen on August 27, 2007

22/12/2007: Dun forgetz how your bank $$ bcome smaller in 2007! (Dulan Remix) A Year of Extraordinary Inflation - Singapore 2007

That's me?

2008-01-10T13:02:00.000+08:00

http://www.kindheart.com.tw/cgi-bin/element1.pl 你是一個有自己想法的人，很有個性，不喜歡受約束，不但思考非常敏捷，還有很強的執行力，往往可以根據社會常識而自己發想出特別的思惟，想出解決事情的方法，並且會因為好奇心的驅使，累積許多生活的經驗和美好的回憶。　　有時喜歡一個人獨處，那是因為你的個性上有些自我矛盾，表達能力也較欠缺，雖然很喜歡與人相處，但常常是長篇大論的講一堆話，卻沒辦法說出重點來，讓別人不太容易了解你。雖然也會幫別人做事，可是往往做一半，又暫停休息了，較缺乏耐心，無法徹底完成。　　你對愛情很專一，可是又怕被綁住，很想逃開，保有自己的時間，因此在這方面會難以兩全，就像跟好朋友聚會時，大夥氣氛處得很好，可是此時此刻你又喜歡開溜。　　雖然你很聰明，喜歡藝術，但是藝術創作能力不足，建議你全心投入當個觀眾，或業餘的藝術評論者，因為你真的不太適合成為藝術家，或在台面上表演。　　你的生命目標是開發一些讓自己能獲得成長，或者與人一起完成有理想性的事情。由於你的人生本質裡充滿著關懷、熱情，和強烈的自我意識，因此從幼年時期、青少年時期開始，你就會想到很多與人生相關的問題，但是你必須經過一段很長的歷程，磨掉你心中的執著和個性，一直到思想成熟以後，才會了解自己的個性，而慢慢地看見清澈的心靈，漸漸明白自己需求的生命境界，和值得努力追求的東西，你的人生才會穩定安靜下來，潛心在心靈的修為上，並開始感覺到尋找一個心靈契合的伴侶，是最重要的人生大事，因此你很重視和伴侶間的心靈交流，往往會堅持找到人生中的靈魂伴侶，才會結婚，因此晚婚的機率很大。在職業上，你也會偏向服務性質的工作，以發揮自己關懷、熱心的本能。　　你的性格特徵是熱情，也就是遇到事情會很狂熱，一頭栽入，但是對事物有選擇性，有興趣的事情會去做，沒有興趣的就不管。　　你的優點是擁有熱情的精神，肯為對方奉獻，缺點則是常常無法掌控自己的行為，以及強烈的自我意念，尤其是跟對方有衝突的時候，因為無法掌控自己，自己的某些意念常會突然的冒出來，使得事態變得更嚴重。　　你的潛能在於溝通協調，雖然你所講的道理自己不一定做得到，可是會幫助別人釐清問題的癥結。你在人生運勢上，經常會面對並解決許多人際關係上的事物，由於你的應變能力極佳，並富有強烈的服務精神，非常了解人與人之間的微妙的道理，以及如何達到平衡性，所以能夠幫助別人做協調工作，適合從事公司人事方面的工作。

Time for work!

2007-12-25T00:10:00.001+08:00

Yeah, it's me! I'm back in Singapore for a summer Christmas. One more day, and I'm gonna start my engine, and push the throttle to the maximum! Time to work hard. My university days are officially over! Starting working slightly more than a month ago and meeting many interesting people. Attended trainings, meetings, dinners, team events; and most importantly, met my teammates for the first time in Germany. They are a bunch of friendly and knowledgeable folks whom I really like a lot. I've gotten a series of task to be carried out, so that means it's time to focus. New year resolution will be to do well in life and job. It's amazing, how I dreaded school life, but now that it's over, I think it went past faster then expected. I meet friends now and then, and realize that they are starting work, etc., and it makes me feel like Im in another world. No more complaining about exams, lousy project mates, etc. It's all about where you are working at, how much you get paid, what you do there, why you choose that, how you got there, what's your plan, etc. This is the norm I guess. So, what should I list as my 2008 resolutions? In details, I don't really think I wana put it down. Probably afraid of telling people about it, but not fulfilling it! haha. Scaredy cat... haha.. Like I said before, life and work. Life, what should I aim for? I want a healthy lifestyle, and that means discipline! I havent jog for 3 weeks already.. oh no!! i can feel the fats cloggin up my arteries as i take each bite of the juicy steak.. talking about steaks... i do feel hungry now... feels like having a medium rare steak with beer or wine. anything goes... just wana bite something.. or someone! haha!! Ok, i'll go and hunt for my prey in the middle of the night.. i feel so awake now.. still in the european timezone.. been feeling so tired for the past three days... tired or not.. i still have to eat.. take care! ^_^

Graduation Holiday - Nan & Chiang Khong

2007-11-27T11:29:00.000+08:00

I went Northern Thailand and dropped by Laos on one of the days. Spent a total of 10 days with lots of nature and just relaxing, eating, sleeping, reading..... Basically, I went Nan and Chiang Khong. Nan is a province that is surrounded by mountains. Only 25% are flat lands. I stayed at the main town of Nan. According to Let's Go travel guide: "Hidden in the mountains on the outskirts of Lanna Kingdom, Nan remained a semi-autonomous principality until 1931. The distinctive and beautiful architecture of the mural-bedecked wats reflect this cultural isolation. During the 1960s and 1970s, Nan remoteness made it a haven for smugglers. Today, Nan's seclusion provokes nothing more threatening than frequent shouts of "I love you" from children unfamiliar with farangs." Wats are temples and farangs are foreigners. I chose this place because it is less touristy and has what I love a lot - mountains! Spent a night on the mountains and did some light trekking near the peak. I was also fortunate to witness the annual Long Tail Boat Race, which was a huge event in Nan. Talk about lucky! The other place Chiang Khong. It's just a border town where tourists typically spend a night before going Laos or simply alight from their bus and head straight for the pier to take a boat across to Laos. The main town is just slightly over 1km long, or short if you like. I had really nice 2nd storey bungalow overlooking the Mekong river and Laos. Spent 4 days & 3 nights there, just reading, eating, drinking, walking. Relax, that's all. Cross over to Laos for half a day because Singaporeans get free visa. If not, it'll cost 20 to 30 US dollars for 15 days. Did I mention our free visa is a 30 days one?! Traveling alone felt really special and refreshing for me. If you ever have the chance, do spend a week or 2 traveling alone. It's therapeutic.... Anyway, here's my schedule for the 10 days... Day 1 - Bangkok. Bangkok to Nan by overnight bus (12 hours). Day 2 - Nan Day 3 - Nan ~ Phuka National Park (overnight) Day 4 - Left the mountains, return to Nan Day 5 - Nan Day 6 - Left Nan by bus, and transferred to another bus at Thoeng to go Chiang Khong. Total 5 hours. Reached by 4pm. Day 7 - Chiang Khong, Laos (Huay Xai). Day 8 - Chiang Khong Day 9 - Chiang Khong. Left for Bangkok by bus @ 4pm. Journey ~ 13 hours Day 10 - Bangkok, Singapore So.. Day one's photos are ready! For the albums, please visit http://picasaweb.google.com/emailshaoqin Picasaweb is really cool. They even provided a link for embedding a slide show!

Full...

2007-11-24T00:33:00.001+08:00

I'm still very full 4 hours after having my dinner with Simon and Bryan. It must be the i-shake-it-wobbles pigs trotter... must admit.. it's delicious.. crispy skin with fats a few times as thick as the skin on the underside... covering an even better looking and tasting flaky lean meat.. woo hoo.. did i mention the sweet sour sauce? wah ha ha! Chilli crab? Fail... Beer? Fail.... Veggie with small mushrooms? Good... we were so afraid we wouldn't be able to find the small mushrooms when the auntie told us the mushrooms are small... haha... it isn't that small lah auntie... That's it... I'm so full.. Anyway, am I turning into an uncle? I was known as ajeosshi or uncle, when i was in Korea... now that I have graduated from Uni.. i have to admit I'm turnin into ajeosshi.... something confirmed the evolution... my waistline is expanding rapidly... I was at the tailor to make 2 pairs of pants, and was quite surprised to learn that I am a confident 32inch!!! How?!! i used to buy 32 inch pants/short to feel comfortable.. now.. it's a minimum.... Must keep my hands off beer, pig trotters... and start jogging daily.... ok... i shall start... next month... heheh... By the way, I am in the midst of preparing my graduation holiday photos taken in Thailand... uploaded.. but only less than half have captions/descriptions... so pardon me.. please wait for me ok?! Here's a preview... Bye bye~ ^_^

Temple in Chiang Khong

I'm back... & 111

2007-11-10T02:25:00.000+08:00

I'm back... byebye~

Holiday & 110

2007-10-30T14:52:00.000+08:00

My sturdy backpacks are ready for actions again! I'll be away from 31st to 9th November for my graduation holiday! By the way, this is my 110th posts. 110, I like the way this number looks. I'm slow, but I blog. Anyway, please wait for me, and I'll be back to post all the photos I'll be taking! The album will be @ http://picasaweb.google.com/emailshaoqin Bye Bye~

搞不懂

2007-10-17T21:24:00.001+08:00

Is this lady spinning left or right? Believe it or not, different people see differently. Ask your friend. You'll be surprised. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22556281-661,00.html The full moon this year was awesome. Took this photo on the 3rd day of mid-autumn festival. Lunar calendar August 17th. Amazing. It looked like a lightbulb. Click on photo to see it zoomed in.

It's October...

2007-10-12T23:16:00.000+08:00

Time flies... before I knew it, it's almost mid October already! Getting older.. I think I like working life... for now.. this is what I think... When I returned to SMU, I couldnt recognize almost everyone! Luckily I made the right choice to get out before I feel intimidated by the youngsters! But then, lazy to blog.. facebook... How huh?!

Baby Chloe & The Ball

2007-09-24T21:41:00.000+08:00

Went to play with Chloe last week and realized that she can already wave "byebye"!! I was so amazed by her... but what was even more amazing.. or maybe I should say amusing... was her behavior when confused.. kids.. always so entertaining... This is Chloe just before she turned one month old...

S. Q. lah

2007-09-02T01:22:00.000+08:00

ok.. S. Q. it shall be...

I actually shortlisted Alexander.. Alex Yong.. Nice? Alexander the Great! haha~ but.. seems like I'm better known as S. Q.

so.. S. Q. it shall be...

No Zeneida Yong (sorry Zeny, u've just lost a sister! haha~), no George, no Tom, Dick or Harry... Thank you!!

Life's been good ^.^

2007-08-15T23:26:00.001+08:00

My precious Chloe, aka 小胖妹~

Yo!! Uncle S. Q. is still alive and kickin~ What else? 2 weeks of conducting workshops for client is tiring. This round has ended! woo hoo.. It was fun, no doubt about it, but if I ask u to eat abalone or lobster 3 meals a day for 2 weeks, how you feel?? Sianz rite? It's interesting to see how some people are resistant to certain changes to the way they work. C'mon, suffer now, enjoy later. I wouldnt call it suffer, just some necessary changes. With the new system in place, you can easily generate KPI report, finance report, etc with few clicks of your mousey.. how nicey? Ritey? SAP isn't so successful for nothing. Certain processes are tried and tested to simplify your life and pump up efficiency.. how nice... okok.. enuff of work.. Today, some colleagues started calling me S. Q. because of an SMU friend.. then my team colleagues realized it was weird... she said she couldn't connect the new name to my face because I'm known as Shao Qin to her.. That makes me wanna have an English name! What should I be called? Tom, Dick or Harry? I think I don't want Harry lah... Haha... Larry is better.. reminds me of the game Leisure Suit Larry... Larry YONG... how? Or Tom Yong.. like Tom Jones.. Or Dick Yong?? Ehh... sounds weird.. hmm.. or George? Then I can have a tennis coach telling me "I gotta be honest with you George. Your son holds the racket.. like Agassi. One day, he may.. be world number one!" Haha!! Had late dinner @ 1030pm... went for rugby training at Ceylon sports club.. no no no.. Im not from that club... i don't play cricket.. just cant figure out any shit from it.. Im either stupid or lazy to figure out... or there simply isn't any need for me to... sprained another finger again.. one finger each session.. how nice.. that means 10 sessions onwards, i should stop playing already... i better start taking more calcium, or it'll be broken fingers.. I'm weak already.. even the uncles who used to play with me 7 years ago quitted/quitting... but they are really old lah.. im just young old... not old old... rugby is a really great game... except when you injured yourself... so, anyone of u playing, buy more insurance.. I did.. haha... hospitalization plan... even if I just got a scratch, i better persuade doc to let me stay a night, so I can claim! haha!! btw, 2 toenails are gone again.. as always when I wear soccer boots.. so ugly... how to wear sandals and dont look like a monster?? huh?!! Was reading a great friend's blog... and reminded of my life... social life? ehh... how huh? i also realize mine's lacking.. a typical week will be working, rugby, la-kopi with Mr Z, Mrs Z (wife) and Mr S, lonely dinner over TV and what else? Rite.. beer... with them too... looking forward to the new Z-house, I'm sure it'll be our new hangout! Sorry Mr Z & Mrs Z, I'm already aiming your house! haha Just realized I havent watch any movie with them for so many months.. or year? See, I dont even remember.. Guess we dont have habit of watching movie... weird... don't ask me y... I usually watch random movies with any random people... or else it'll be video streaming at aznv.tv... I pay USD5 for 30 hours leh.. don't waste mah... talking about it.. I have 27 more episodes of Jumong (주몽) to watch... already conquered 54.. total: 81!! yesh.. 81 freakin episodes.. OMG! I'm wondering what my life will be when I'm 30... fantastic.. I can see nice picture.. dont ask me wat.. just nice ok?? Everything's gonna be awesome.. I'll love my job and everything and everyone around me.... but for now... I'm gona finish up reading papers, check mail, surf net before continuing any beautiful dreams I always have! haha!! Tomoro... can wake up 30 mins later... 30 mins more sweet dreamzzZZZ.. yummy... ^.^ Uncle S. Q. .. no.. George is having a great time of his life... his son holds racket like... agassi.. and his son is gonna be.. world number one! haha!! ^O^

Contradictions of being a Singaporean

2007-07-29T23:06:00.000+08:00

1. Night - sleep with air-con on

Day - bathe with heater on 2. Day - cannot wake up

Night - cannot sleep 3. Translation is needed between Singaporean Chinese and Mainland Chinese 4. Smell Of rubbish besides letterboxes; rubbish inside letterbox 5. Singaporean Chinese use different languages other then Chinese to communicate 6. Singaporeans never like to vote, but like to complain 7. There are quite a number of rich-yet-poor in spore –

They have Car, Credit Card, CPF but no Cash and is liable to lots of loans 9. There are quite a few high-tech barbaric Singaporeans –

they know how to use state-of-the-art equipment, 3G mobile phone and powerful computers,

but they don’t know how to use a simple dustbin or toilet 10. Half of Singaporeans rushed to buy Hello kitty,

and the other half is busy killing stray cats 11. Chewing gum - Can chew, but cannot buy ?? 12. Cigarettes - Convenient to buy; not convenient to smoke 13. Private cars - Cheaper and cheaper to buy ; harder and harder to maintain 14. Education - Teachers teaching less but expect students to learn more

Courtesy of Young Kuan-Sing

I wana play Rugby!

2007-07-25T23:45:00.000+08:00

Watched All-Blacks play Wallabies last Saturday on the Australian Network TV and I could feel my body talking to me, "It's time... c'mon".... It was a so so match.... but I was glad New Zealand emerged victorious! Whoa haha! Ok, so it's time.. time for what? Time to get serious on the pitch of course... Im gonna play rugby again... I really miss rugby... Played touch rugby once in Korea only.. but I wana play contact rugby.. social contact rugby for old youths like me! heheh.. Went to take a look at my old rugby trophies and guess what?!!! One of it broke! actually, it was glued in the first place, so it didnt really break.. think the glue just turned lousy.. that's all.. no no.. r u thinking that I glued it? It was manufactured like that.. 2 parts..

Lousy glue..

Headless trophy~ haha..

My old and trusted mouthguard.. more than 5 years old.. still in my closet waiting for me is my shoulderpad.. let's go!

Gyeryongsan National Park

2007-07-25T23:27:00.000+08:00

Was going through the camera I brought and damaged on the 2nd week of my stay on Korea. Found these photos taken at Gyeryongsan National Park. Went there with Woo Young and his brother when I went back to his hometown (Daejeon) to visit his family. We spent 3 hours (or was it 2) travelling by Mu-gung-hwa train. I was treated to very nice pork-belly dinner by his brother on the 1st night and to an even nicer dinner by her mum! It's traditional Korean food.. really really cool... dishes keep coming and going , coming and going... I felt so full... and there were lotsa' beef and fresh seafood... nice... His brother brought us to this park on the second day.. and it was so so so cold.. especially when the wind blew... freezing.. as for the blur photos taken, please bear with it because I dropped my camera and it lost its focus.. ㅠ.ㅠ However, it's working now.. i wonder why.. you'll see the clear photos I took in my next post... ^.^

Woo Young's brother, Me and Woo Young.

Miss Ting's Birthday~

2007-07-18T23:59:00.000+08:00

It's been a month since I'm in Singapore... I guess we are still craving for Korean food... so where else should we go but a Korean restaurant, right?! Sadly, the reviews on the internet were inaccurate.. it was better than Seoul Garden, foodcourt... but still... level of satisfaction derived from this meal was lowww....... maybe we ate too much in Korea.. so local ones can't be compared.... but we can't expect too much too.. ingredients is a bit different in Singapore.. well.. at least we enjoyed the 반찬 (side-dishes)... ok.. next month.. go to more authentic one.. hopefully.. ㅋㅋㅋ Located on the 4th floor of Excelsior Hotel... Looks like the real thing... quite excited for all of us! Those were the days.. Eng Teck.. our beloved and talented photographer in Seoul.. we love his dua-ling-gong (his camera's nickname..) NTU's Rouxin and Zhiqing... and SMU's Gillian... missing is Flora... she was sleeping at home.. she lives in the Europe timezone.. so next gathering will be @ 3am I guess?!! ㅋㅋㅋ Flora 씨.. 일어나!! Oh ya.. it's Miss Ting's birthday.. belated one.. by 2 weeks! ㅋㅋㅋ Happy Bird-day ah!! The uncle and the aunties smiling so sweetly for the camera.. but actually they couldn't wait to eat the cake!! Look at the nice cake... it's lemon flavored.. with silver beads on top.. nice.. (as if u can see the beads.. sorry.. haha) The real uncle joins in... haha.. ㅋㅋㅋ We bought her Anna "Buay" Sui perfume.... And I selected a really nice card for her.. it's nice because I chose it.. heheh.. All photos courtesy of Gillian~ 고마워..

Lee Ki Chan 미인

2007-07-06T00:39:00.000+08:00

This MV is a special 3 in 1 MV!! There're Lee Ki Chan 이기찬, Park Hyo Shin 박효신 and Eru 이루.. they sang parts of each song.. and Lee Ki Chan sang my favourite song - 미인 mi-in (美人)... I like to sing this song when I visited the 노래방 (karaoke) in 서울 (Seoul)... and Park Hyo Shin is Hayes 씨's favourite singer.. we sang his 추억은 사랑을 닮아 (in this MV) at karaoke before... thank you Hayes 씨 for telling me about this MV on youtube~ ^.^

Grades~ Surprised! ^.^

2007-06-26T14:27:00.000+08:00

I got back my grades for all the courses I did at Yonsei University... what a surprised... I got A-, B+ and C+... heheh... For Global Business Environment, I didnt expect B+ because I failed mid-term... 7 upon 20! @.@ Maybe I did well for projects and presentations.... plus... I correctly predicted what will come out for exam.. all 3 questions.. haha... maybe I got full marks for final exam? ~.^ One thing I like about this course was the Professor. Prof Chinmay Pattnaik is what my friend and I call a "Walking Encyclopaedia"... he really knows a lot of anything.. whatever.. I'm so impressed.. Korean Grammar for International Learners.. C+... why? Because i didnt sit for the exam... Had to attend an interview some 2 hours away from school... so mayb I could have gotten A from my lovely Professor Kim... ㅋㅋㅋ IT at an International Level talks about IT Outsourcing... relations between IT development and economic development and democracy, etc... very nice course... it's actually a Masters course.. but we are allowed to take it if we're senior.. I like it very much.. except the timing.. Wednesday... 6pm to 9pm! ㅠ.ㅠ Korean Language 1.. um.. A or not, it doesn't matter so much to me because I think I learned a lot from it.. and it's conducted 2 hours, 4 to 6pm, from Monday to Friday.. I love my class mates so much! We have so much fun and we look forward to class every day!

She is our beloved Grammar teacher Miss Kim who teaches on Mon, Wed and Fri... 김 선생님! 감사합니다 ^.^

They are my classmates and that's our reading and listening teacher 방 선새님 (holding papers)... from left, Rusli(Indonesia), Christopher(Uruguay), Patrik(USA), Brian(USA), Sharon(USA), Alexis(USA), Charles(USA), Mihwa(USA), me!, Hayes(Hong Kong), Jennifer(USA)..

The handsome men from my Korean class... heheheh..

Farewell dinner with my classmates @ a 삼겹쌀 (BBQ Pork Belly) restaurant.. So this is it... my 4 months of exchange at Yonsei University 연세대학교 has officially come to a close.. time to move on to more challenges awaiting me! ^.^ To all those who have ever been part of my life in Korea... 감사합니다! ^.^

마라카 Melaka 马六甲

2007-06-25T02:52:00.000+08:00

A trip to Melaka is a must for me at least once a year... to enjoy the North-South Highway and nature around Mr Chian's aka Zequan's grandma's house... Our rented car.. we turn into Johor Bahru people when we go Malaysia.. heheh Mountains and endless road.. Not forgetting to pose for a photo.... Here we are... ready for fruits paradise... See all the durians hanging on the trees?! More durians... One big durian to tempt you~!! Li Peng aka Mrs Chian recently basking in the glory of her prized possession.. I don't eat durian.. but being a nice guy, as always.. I help everyone open the durian.. heheh.. This is as precious as gold ok! I don't eat durian, but this puppy here enjoys it.. Once he start, he can't stop! @.@ Still going on... After eating... it's time to shit.. haha!! 2 more dogs joining the durian fest! Besides durian.. there're rambutans.. Mr nice guy in action again.. this time to get some rambutans.. Fleshy and juicy rambutan.. Jackfruits... No chance to eat... Promegranate.. no chance to eat again... Dragon fruit... it's still developing.. Chickens running freely in the field.. Doggies taking a siesta... how relaxing.. Finally, this is Mr Chian.. with beautiful bougainvilla flowers... A group of bugs taking their afternoon break too.. @.@ Nice flowers under the hot hot hot sun~

Changing Season

2007-06-20T01:12:00.000+08:00

Took a picture from my window during winter and then another during spring/summer... which do you prefer? Having 4 seasons a year is so nice... you can remember all your things according to the season and year.. not month and year.. imagine saying "I met my first love in the winter of 95....".. sounds more romantic rite... heheh..

Winter......

Spring/summer......

Korea vs Netherlands

2007-06-20T00:56:00.000+08:00

Please don't complain that my blog is collecting dust and becoming an old man like me ok? Here're some photos taken by Eng Teck & Gillian when we went to watch the friendly between Korea and Netherlands!!! I know it's old match... but only a few weeks back.. c'mon.. ~.^

Mansy from Netherlands (note the Korean t-shirt @.@), Gillian, Me & Zhiqing~

Flag raising during singing of national anthem...

Our beloved Eng Teck doing well in squeezing all of us into a photo with his long hands and trusty camera ^.^

End of match. Korea 0 - 2 Netherlands.. Nonetheless, we converted a Dutch into a Korean fan! ㅋㅋㅋ Heheh...

어디? Where? 哪裡? どこ？

2007-06-18T19:29:00.000+08:00

싱가폴에 있어~ I'm in Singapore~ 我在新加坡~ シンガポールに　います～

Time to go home~

2007-06-05T00:45:00.000+08:00

My last day of exchange officially ends on the 17th of June, the day when I've gotta pack up and leave my beloved I-House (dormitory) ㅠ.ㅠ For those who really miss me a lot, wait for me huh... soon... will be back before end of June if goes as planned... who knows what may happen.. maybe if someone gives me a suitcase full of money.. I'll stay here longer! heheh~ Please do not send any more mails to my dormitory.. I'm afraid it'll arrive after I leave.. Anw, life is short.. but don't play too hard... you may make it shorter.. kekeke.. Don't always think that tomorrow may not come so you gotta play hard today.. that's feeling a lil' bit pessimistic.. don't you think? For everything, moderate is the key~ I've no idea why I'm mumbling all these.... but... hope it helps.. kekeke ^.^ 아녕~

Long Time No Hear~

2007-06-05T00:25:00.000+08:00

안녕 하세요~ annyeong haseyo~ Did anyone miss me a lot? I'm still alive, as always ^.^ Since my last post... I've done many thing.. just too lazy to posts the photos... and do anything about it.. heheh.. I've been travelling to various places.. like Gyeongju for historical sites, Suwon for Hwaseong Fortress (similar to Great Wall of China, it's a smaller fortress lah~), Incheon's beach, Nami-Island (filming site of Winter Sonata), Chun Cheon for pan-grilled spicy chicken, eating and drinking around Seoul... talking about drinking.. Korea is a drinking haven.. it's like drinking soda or juice! heheh~ Last Saturday, I went to the World Cup Stadium to watch a match between Korea & Netherlands... Korea lost 2 - 0 but it was still nice for me to be there... I'm lazy to post photos... lazy to select, resize and edit... here's a video for you anyway...

Life @ Seoul

2007-04-15T00:15:00.000+08:00

Sleep, eat, read news, read books, attend lessons, revise, drink, sing, walk, shop, buy grocery, travel, meet friends, sleep.... and this.. and that.. and whatever...

Welcome to the Demilitarized Zone!

2007-04-14T23:53:00.000+08:00

Joined the school organized trip to DMZ! Wow! What an eye-opener.. didnt expect to see the real stuff in front of my eyes. Saw it in movie only... JSA.. but it's real.. real!! Alive!! Too bad the blue building's blocking the North Korean soldier... and there were other 2 North soldiers watching us in binoculars from 2 towers on the left and right.. Few days ago, I watch a movie called "The 간큰가족" (The Bold Family's the Eng title - hope I didnt spell the Korean title wrongly). It's about a dying man's wish to see his family in the North. Although it's a comedy, there were sad moments at the ending part of the movie. I could really feel how some South Koreans really miss their families up north... :(

My 한국어 classmates.. from left, Rusli 씨, Miwa 씨 (美和), Jennifer 씨!

I thought they were fake.. looked pretty much like mannequin =_=" Don't play play.. they are all Taekwondo black belt holder!

Road to North Korea.. 가자.. let's go?

Our guide from the US army Do I look like them?

Everland 가자~

2007-04-14T23:42:00.000+08:00

Nothing last forever, not even in Everland. Nonetheless, we went! It's my birthday! For this one day, my friends aren't gonna call me 아저씨! (uncle =_=") (Photos courtesy of Eng Teck & Flora 씨)

Cute?

That's us hanging upside down!

돼지야... 사랑해...

Nice lah~

Everland forever even though nothing's forever! 화이팅!

Birthday @ 서울 (Seoul)

2007-04-14T23:19:00.000+08:00

Celebrated my 26th (27th!!!! in Korean & Chinese age) in the dynamic city of Seoul on the 24th of March 2007! My beloved 친구 (friends) from my 고향 (hometown) held a surprise celebration at my favorite place in Seoul - 한강 (韓/漢江, Han-gang, Han river). Btw, was also at this area last weekend to view Cherry Blossoms! Anw, I was really glad I've got such bunch of great pals... here's a loud "고마워" from your beloved 아저씨! ㅋㅋㅋ (Photos courtesy of Eng Teck.. 感謝합니다)

MIA.. nah.. ^O^

2007-03-29T10:26:00.000+08:00

Sorry for being missing for so long.... Many things happened after the first snow I saw. More snow felled, rain came, and it rained ice yesterday (or the day before?? It doesn't matter).... Weather is turning weird, and so are some people around us. Just keep yourself sane in this insane world. Sometimes, being a lil' insane makes you look normal, so don't be too serious. Have fun.... I've got tons, or rather, Gigabytes of photographs stashed away inside my disk. Just too lazy to make some time to filter them, edit, and post them. Been a lil' busy in school and walking. Korea is big, so we spend considerable more time on moving from places to places as compared to Singapore.... Anw.. in short. I'm alive ^.^ 안녕.....