Follow your calling...

"Money No Enough" Wealth Management Seminar Series

2008-08-27T15:11:00.004+08:00

Yeah! Finally! My idea is really materialising!

The idea of holding and organising a seminar series is to add to my service objective of providing up-to-date information with regards to the Insurance, Investments and Financial Services industry for my clients and the general public. I've finally took the first step to not only provide articles for my clients, but in addition to that, I've worked together with a fellow colleague to put together a series of Wealth Management seminars!

The First Instalment is facing a tough challenge, but the whole process was really fruitful. Invitations were sent out to our fellow companies located in Clifford Centre, together with graduates and members of the public I met during career fairs. All these in the hope to have avenues for information exchanges to build more credibility for myself and my company.

The exposure is most welcomed, as I get more contacts from the Admin Officers or the HR personnels from our fellow tenants in Clifford Centre. Unknowingly, we set the date on the day of our Company's Team Bonding day! Oh my..I should have checked earlier..now I'll have to resend all my invitations to my contacts.

My dream is to have a seminar series at least once every 2 months! Will change the topics and titles accordingly :) This is gonna be a lot of hard work and time consuming, coz it'll be an activity outside of my regular work, but I really enjoy the process of doing something outside of my normal working routine and getting people to take part in the process. Will update on my blog on the latest of the seminars and workshops!!

May lady luck smile on all the hardwork I've put in! Cheers! :)

Begin with the Goal in mind...

2008-08-06T23:37:00.003+08:00

"Begin with the Goal in mind..."

This is one of the popular line used in most motivational or self-improvement books. Been reading up quite a number of these books recently. Still figuring out how to best apply it into my work. I guess I should just do the work instead of figuring...That should help...

"Every Goal needs a plan..."

Something I've done: I drew a funnel, with the level of my earnings, I'll highlight the funnel, from the bottom to the top, with lines of tasks or objectives stated at different levels. So far, I've only managed to clear 2 of those tasks which I promised myself at the beginning of the year. I MUST NOT QUIT! It's a long and tedious road, but I still believe perseverence is the key to achieving my goals. My ultimate goal is to attain self-sufficiency and family-sufficiency..JIAYOU!

"Ayuda Del Uno Mismo..."

The meaning for my nick, Lences. A meaning I gave myself. Only One will be able to help Oneself. Though circumstances, fortune, and companions will be there to assist you, but the degree of my desire to attain the specific goal is the ONE MOST IMPORTANT factor in achieving any goal.

"How do you define YOUR 2008..."

This quote, re-iterated by my CEO, mentor, really got me thinking. What do I wish to achieve and do in order to make 2008 a memorable one? The first event that came to my mind is to finish my FIRST every marathon and secondly, to attain a comfortable income level for the upcoming year, where I can finally balance my Savings and Expenditure easily.

With the Army Half Marathon coming right up, on the 24th August 2008, I'm started running. Shall Start a small target chart on my blog to keep me going. Hopefully, with discipline in training and perseverence of the mind, I can take on the 42km marathon in December.

Jiayou LENCES!!

Human For Sale!!!

2008-04-16T23:47:00.002+08:00
Hmmm..chance upon this webby after visiting booboogal's blog...

I am worth $2,726,066 on HumanForSale.com - How much are you worth?

True number portability

2008-04-16T23:08:00.002+08:00
The wait is over! Finally! ^_^

Definition extracted frm WikiPedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_number_portability)
Mobile Number Portability (MNP) enables mobile telephone users to retain their mobile telephone numbers when changing from one mobile network operator to another.

In Singapore, this service will be available from June 13!
(Extract from Yahoo.com: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20080416/tap-singapore-telecom-c3bb44c.html)

Been waiting for this for ages. Now I can finally port my line over!

Let's Gunbound!!

2008-04-10T01:24:00.004+08:00
Gunbound!!

Oh my..this picture brings back memories! haha..

Still remember the time when so many pple plays this silly but super duper cute game in JC. How I wish there's another game which can link us all back together to play again :)

Haha..think the nostalgia got to me once again..Thinking back, seems like it was eons ago, but in fact, it was just a cool 8/9 years back. It's April 2008 already! Yeah! Think it'll be 1st of June real soon! Can see all my friends once again..Really appreciate it when the guys and gals who flies back specially for our annual occasion.

Working Life

It's been 9 months into my career. Things are slowly picking up, and I can slowly see the fruits of my labour..Bit by bit, but I'm working hard for it. "Consistency is the key"

This career requires a lot of self-motivation and a never-say-die attitude. The feeling of helping pple getting into the mode of saving up, and making informed decisions help a lot in my career. Being in the working population all these 9 months, I learn a tremendous bit, giving your best to earn your keep, putting in the efforts to reap the deserved rewards...
"his world seems pretty fair so far :)"

It's a path I chose, a path of my interest, and a path to help pple while helping myself achieve my goals...The feeling of doing things right, giving suitable and correct advices, assisting in the implementation of plans..sounds pretty much like engineering don't you think? ;)
"Never quit! Keep on going!"

Old saying:
"When the going gets tough, the tough gets going"

I must aim towards achieving my own targets in life while doing things right! Jiayou!

It's a brand new 2008!!

2008-01-10T23:50:00.000+08:00
Cool! We've ushered in the new year for more than 10 days now..The general trend in the equities market's pretty much...what do we call it..."Smoky"..

Oil price's rising...rumours have it that it'll hit at least US$120/barrel before we count down for 2009. Gold price's rising like everyone's afraid that it'll be running out...hee...

(Alright la, not running out..it's more like a good way to keep the "value" of our money ya? Gold's been known to peg to the rate of inflation..)

Rate of Inflation in Singapore. Generally, the old rules of using 3% as annual inflation cannot hold anymore. The value of the money we're holding are deteriorating faster than we can say "WAI~~~~~~~~T!" The CPI (Consumer Price Index) which measures a basket of necessities, and I emphasise, it's NECESSITIES only..which means it excludes common items like body scrups la, restaurant meals la, coffee at different cafes la..which actually signals that the more affluent people who likes to enjoy a bit of the "luxuries" are experiencing an inflation rate of close to 4.5% wor!! Scary...

Oh well, has anyone found out the best way to outdo the excitingly increasing rate of inflation? Wonder whether there are any stocks or ETFs that peg itself to the rate of inflation :P

-----------------------Disclaimer------------------------
Mindless Ramblings.
For leisure reading.
Not for use as basis of any forms of investments.
The author shall not be made liable for any forms of investments or coincidental events by anyone reading the above ramblings
-----------------------Disclaimer------------------------

2007 ending soon...

2007-12-27T12:15:00.000+08:00
Reflections on being an IFA...

It's been a good 6 months since I'm with my current job.
Interesting and refreshing.
I meet up with different people every week, and manage to catch up with lotsa old pals whom I've not met for ages. Well, this was actually one of the many reasons on why I took up the challenge of this job. With my current job, I'm expected to see people. This expectation allowed me to be able to meet up with friends I've not contacted for ages, chit-chat, talk crap with them :)
The fun part is that it doesn't have to be purely business, regardless of whether they're getting anything from me. Just a nice simple sit-down coffee or dinner to catch up on the past, talk about the present, look into the future, the whole process is very very enriching. And to add to that, the possibility of assisting them in achieving what they wish to achieve with my resources, adds a whole lot of different meaning to just plain catching up :)
Really feels like I'm re-attaching whatever bonds I had with my friends have from my younger days :P

Christmas Party in First Principal...

In the office, my colleagues are still as nice and accommodating, and I've even managed to find some of their cuter sides :) Experienced the first Christmas party in my office! There was sooo soo much food!!! Lontong, Sushi, Chicken rice, Arabic cuisine, Indian Cuisine, Pineapple rice, Beef Stew, Turkey, Kebab...you name it, we have it! haha..reverted back to my glutton ways..ate a little bit of this, and a little bit of that *slurp* My colleagues sure knows to cook!!

(Side note: My team presented Malay Cuisine with our Lontong - from Robin's Mum, and stole one of the 3 group awards: Most Sporting Group! for Christmas 2007!..hee..)

Alrighty, shall end this short short post for now. Ciaoz 2007, and HELLO 2008!!

Taking the road less travelled...

2007-09-04T16:28:00.000+08:00
Scenario: If you are trained in a profession, say Computer Engineering, but subsequently found out that your interest is only an interest, and you don't wish to follow the path, to treat it as your career, what decision would you take? Will you follow the path in which you were trained? Or do you have the courage to try out something different?

Devil - I'm a Devil!!

2007-07-03T13:13:00.000+08:00
Ooh!! I'm the Devil!! :D

You are The Devil

Materiality. Material Force. Material temptation; sometimes obsession

The Devil is often a great card for business success; hard work and ambition.

Perhaps the most misunderstood of all the major arcana, the Devil is not really "Satan" at all, but Pan the half-goat nature god and/or Dionysius. These are gods of pleasure and abandon, of wild behavior and unbridled desires. This is a card about ambitions; it is also synonymous with temptation and addiction. On the flip side, however, the card can be a warning to someone who is too restrained, someone who never allows themselves to get passionate or messy or wild - or ambitious. This, too, is a form of enslavement. As a person, the Devil can stand for a man of money or erotic power, aggressive, controlling, or just persuasive. This is not to say a bad man, but certainly a powerful man who is hard to resist. The important thing is to remember that any chain is freely worn. In most cases, you are enslaved only because you allow it.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

《潮爆大状》

2007-06-30T12:34:00.000+08:00
Haha.. Another interesting show I caught on CH 55 on Starhub! Something which kept me occupied on a weekday evenings...

《潮爆大状》 was shown at 8pm every weekday, but not to worry, it has finished it's screening already :P

I'm a sucker for Hong Kong dramas featuring courtroom battles, though I can't remember the name of the other Hong Kong film I caught in the past. Despite the fact that the story did not carry many Mind-boggling twists, the exchange of words in the courtroom does pack a punch.

What's the most creative part of the story, is how the script writer weaved all the main characters of the story into the final courtroom battle.

Starring: 郑少秋, 陈键锋, 苏玉华, 唐宁 , 石修

Will not hesistate to give it a grading of 7 on a scale of 10..

《隔世追凶》

2007-06-21T14:40:00.001+08:00

领衔主演：郭晋安　陈慧珊　许绍雄　商天娥　江芷妮　邓健泓

The final episode for 《隔世追凶》 was shown on Channel U last nite. Both Zihui and myself agreed that it's the climax of the whole show.

I was really really very touched by what Dahe（许绍雄）, Tian Guang(郭晋安)'s father, on what he did. He "disappeared" after the incident which supposedly killed him. He protected and watched after his wife and son in the shadows after his separation from them, for a whole 20 years, without appearing in front of them.

The story writer skilfully 穿插 scenes from the past into the present to weave a touching tale and creates suspense and thril in the solving of the different police cases from the show. And somehow, the cases are related to the different casts in one way or the other, integrating smoothly into the show without giving viewers the idea that the cases were forcefully inserted into the story.
If you guys are free and missed the show due to it's late timings, get it from the stores ya? It's worth your time!! hee...

One last hurdle!

2007-06-21T14:29:00.000+08:00
3 weeks of mugging, slogging away, flipping insistently the pages of my textbooks over and over again, it now boils down to the final paper! The last of the 4 exams I had to take in order to qualify myself and attain my license to practise!

My dear had been really supportive, working on one lucky charm after the other...the charms really did wonders! Had never failed any of the 3 papers accompanied by the charms.. Would like to take the opportunity here to thank you, my dearest piggy!!

I'm one paper away from being offered the contract for my new career! Must persevere...

The Golden Compass...

2007-06-20T14:27:00.000+08:00

Was visiting li-zhi's blog when I chance upon the following..hmmm...
Every person has a life companion in the form of an animal known as a "Dæmon"..Interesting..Let's take a look at what i've gotten!

Cool!! :)

8 days before Shanghai Trip!

2006-01-09T00:28:00.000+08:00
8 days left!

Finally! The long awaited flight to Shanghai's coming up!
In another 8 more days I'll be able to hold Zihui in my arms again!! *Yeah!*

Wait!! Don't need to rejoice that u finally can enjoy my absence for 5 months yet! hahaha.. I'll be back for CNY before flying off for GIP on the 6th Febuary. That will be the date where I'll be gone for 5 months, doing my Internship in Sykes Shanghai. Hope it's gonna be a real fruitful trip, coz the work Sykes do really interests me. They specialises in Customer Relations Management (CRM). Something I've been formulating and looking around on, but can't put a name to it before this Internship Company came into the picture. Am now juz praying that the allowance I'll be receiving will be able to keep me going til the time i return to Singapore in July :)

爱琴海

The long awaited 爱琴海 performance for my hall's Xing N Strum was held today! The feeling of singing in front of familiar crowd, friends and fellow hallmates, in a 名歌餐厅 is really very shiok! hee.. Maybe I'm an exhibitionist like what Zihui always says :P But I can't help it. Really like the sensation when I'm able to have the attention of the crowd on me, and paying attention to me. This comes at a price though, that I'll make myself more malu than proud most of the time..haha..

Anyway, back to the venue. The sound system is better than the one we have in our hall, so singing in 爱琴海 is naturally more enjoyable than performing in hall :P

Didn't perform too well for my first song (光良- 天堂). Lucky there's pple who dedicated the non-compulsory song in the dedications segment. Think i performed slightly better in this second song(林俊杰 - 翅膀). Had to tell myself that I'll do a better rendition for my second song if it were dedicated and I get to sing again. Was really glad I didn't do too badly after I checked out my video recording.
Credits to Chunjie! My Buddy in Hall! Thanks pal!!

Really glad to hear comments from seniors. They enjoyed the singing. I can still remember the comments given last year. Saying they keep seeing the same faces..haha.. maybe becoz i recruited slightly lesser vocalists last year as compared to this one :P

To Gerri, Hanna, Flex, Marcus:
A JOB WELL DONE! :)

Oh yar! Met up with Karen while I was done with Dinner. She didn't change much ar :) haha..still the same smiley sister I know since JC. Think she'll be leaving again, going back to the States this coming Thursday. Must grab a chance to ask her out for dinner. Haven't seen her for ages!

K K..gotta go bath now.. shall continue with my blabbering when there's nothing to do ^_^

Examinations Fever!

2005-10-26T15:46:00.000+08:00
Alright.. it's that time of the year where we're suppose to apply all our energy into late-night studying and consuming drinks containing burnt-notes...

Love studying alone in my own room... Being able to see my zh online and chatting with her whenever she's free, turning on the television to catch anything that's on during my breaks and best of all, being able to concentrate wholly without distractions when i'm doing my revision. It gets pretty quiet in hall during this period of time, quite the opposite for the public places like Canteen A, LWN Library or the reading rooms. Aww.. the peace and serenity of the hostel during Exams... Neat!

Just went thru this 1.5hrs revision lecture for my database module. *sigh* Its the KITA that i need to start working hard. Can't help but feel the tingling sensation at the back of my spine, after going thru this 1.5hrs. There seem to be endless pages of notes and concepts to remember for this Database module...and I have to say, even if it's an open book examinations, it's gonna take tremendous effort for me to comprehend the ideas and concepts in the application of the theories in Exams. Hope I did well enough for my lab experiments to help me pass thru this module... *sulk*

One last tutorial, one last chapter before I'm done with my first round of revisions for this Operating Systems Module. Almost there. Shall complete this module today and start on my Database Module before the sky turns dark! *Determined!*

Jia you Jia you Jia you!!

The Myth - Jackie Chan

2005-10-12T13:41:00.000+08:00

Synopsis: Intrepid archeologist Jack and ambitious scientist William set out on an adventure that would lead them to the greatest discovery in Chinese history. Their journey starts at Desar, India, where they stumble upon an ancient sword from the Qin dynasty and a magical gemstone that appears to be able to defy the force of gravity. The booty not only leads them to the mythical mausoleum, but it also connects Jack to his dark past life...

Starring Stars from Korea, Hong Kong and India.. If there's one movie that you've wanted to catch for this week, let it be this show man! It's finishing soon.. If my deductions are correct, it'll be taken off the schedule for the movie theatres in the coming week liao...Catch it while u can!

My favourite scene has to be the part where General Meng Qi (Jackie Chan) was called for duty to retrieve the immortality pills from Qin's troops who were trapped by the treacherous Minister. He led his personal calvary in the light that the minister refused his request to proceed out with the imperial guards guarding the ailing Qin Shi Huang.

General Meng Qi knew it was a suicide mission, called out for his troops who have family to take care off, to exit from the ranks...but the soldiers, having been through thin and thick with him, though fell out from the ranks, they still mounted their war horses and followed their general throughout...This scene really moved me...

Other parts of the show has to be the fast and furious moves when the actors wield their weapons in defence or in attack. The moves are so well coordinated, that even though u know it's been rigged and that Jackie Chan will definitely win after all the hassle, the moves were still a feast for the eyes.

Another part of the film worth mentioning has to be the last scene, whereby the real tomb of Emperor Qin is featured.. in a weightless medium. The troops, war carriages and even the palace were built in midair.. though it's computer animation, but still it was visually stunning! The graphics designers really made it look like a heavenly palace...marvellous...

Do take time off to watch this show.. though it's pretty hilarious(Jackie Chan style) and out of this world, I still like the story line and how the producer switches between the past and the present life of the main character...

Dinner with Peter Pan & Supper with STOMP!!!

2005-10-02T00:32:00.000+08:00
Do you believe in fairies... - Peter Pan

Yup! I didn't brag hor! It was a totally awesome experience on the 1st Oct 2005! Listened to one of the BEST live performance by a choir, Ever! To add to that, it was really close up! Was juz standing around 10m away from the choir from the musical "Peter Pan"!

How did it happen? Well, my group and frens and myself were looking for dinner place before the STOMP performance at the esplanade when we chance upon a whole group of people doning the "Peter Pan" musical tee. Seen the commercials for Peter Pan for quite a number of times while watching the adverts on Kids Central (",) hee... sorta recognise a few faces...

The excitement didn't juz start like that... we saw mics being set up and the stars of the show having their dinner in Thai Express. The place was packed! SP and myself had to settle for a faster meal at Garlic Restaurant, while the rest tucked into Thai Express. Lucky for us they're there. Sneaked into TE after our dinner to catch their sneak preview of the musical! The choir was perfect! Their notes were so crisp and clear, and with that type of volume right after they had their dinner, I can only stare in awe :P They didn't need to warm up at all! The voices juz serenated the whole stretch of restaurants...If only I have a bit more money in my piggybank, then i'd surely start jio-ing pple for the musical :)

STOMP was rythm-perfect! The performance started off with them, playing ard with brooms! The lighting, the reception of the sounds, and the energy of the 8 members got me nodding my head to the rythm, almost none-stop throughout the whole performance! haha.. got my stiff neck after which :P STOMP didn't use words during their whole performance. They spilled water into the crowd, did the clearing of the stage with the lights on, made it so much like part of the whole performance. The smallest-sized member of the group was really hyper flexible and acrobatic! He flipped, and turned and churn out loads and loads of laughter from the crowd :) Fantastic!

Love to have their sense of rythm if possible. Would surely be great if I can be part of the performance :) Had a STOMP-like performance in hall before, but it was rather short, and we had to practise for a long long period of time juz for the short 2-3min performance. If only we had a STOMP cultural group in hall. I'll definitely be the first to sign up! ;) haha...

Supper with STOMP! The six of us, SP, Rina, CK, Gerri, Desmond and myself (left to right) were having Supper at the eating place beside the esplanade when we chance upon the members of STOMP! Was contemplating whether we should ask for a group picture before the 6 of us finally pluck up our courage to walk over. It was so much of a coincidence! They were juz eating about 2 tables away from us :) hee.. *happy!*
That's not the end... as we were grinning from ear-to-ear about the pic we juz took...I saw 5 more familiar faces as we made our way to the bus-stop!! The other 5 STOMP members!! Can't believe my luck!! Quickly rounded up my frens and pointed excitingly to the table right beside the walkway to the busstop! hee.. Hmmm..can't upload the pic..wasted :)
In any case, It really rounded off a great nite out! STOMPS FANTABULOUSLY AWESOME!! *grin*

It's been a long time...

2005-09-28T17:32:00.000+08:00
Goodness!

Looking at my previous posts... 190 days left.. it's now left with slightly more than 90.. *happy*
ZH's internship is coming to an end soon!

But then...on the contrary...ZH has extended her stay for me... I've managed to get a place in GIP (China) for the next sem. Will be looking for a company to do internship in China. Of coz, my wish would be to source for a company in Shanghai so i can be close to ZH! :) *pray*

HL got a great overseas attachment in Oracle! He'll be getting S$2000/mth!! OMG! He's so gonna learn a lot of stuffs *envy* Pity, can never match his hardworking, his intelligence and his character. HL's really a role model, someone to learn from and to look up to ;)

Busy busy busy... Reports due dates coming up and yet I've not started doing them. My coding really sucks! Took me so so many days to read the codes and find out what it actually meant! 5 more days to deadline... *panic panic*

Just done with MAF last nite. Can't help but laugh at myself when i saw the video Rina helped me took. Can be summarised into one phrase ar "Constipated look!" hahaha... No more practise for Xing N Strum for now. It'll definitely be the activity I'll miss the most after I leave Hall 11...

Alright, shall end my posting for now... Came to a consensus with myself... will try to post regularly to keep my thoughts in tab. Memory's failing me... *getting old..sighz* Need to note down my thoughts...

Seeya for now, Bloggy!

(Drenched...) Treetop trail...

2005-06-25T16:43:00.000+08:00
It was a cloudy and humid saturday morning...

*Rrriiiiiiii~~~~ng*

Ah.. my dear's voice over the telephone.. :) a Delightful start to the day!
However, my eyes refused to obey the brains, and i fell back into a short slumber soon after, only to shock myself up at 8am.. oh great.. I'm gonna be late!

Met up with my JC mates, Eugene and Hanqiang, at BK in Thomson plaza...found out that the treetop-walking party was left with the 3 of us..Oh well..What the heck, we juz continue with our plan and set off towards the treetop trail...

Entering Venus drive, the only things worth mentioning would have to be the monkeys we saw, swinging around on the trees beside the walkway and the occasional cars driving past the three of us, into Island country club..

*BLANK*

Ah! The trail..looks kinda scary..it shakes! Reminds me of the bridge across the shallow waters in Sentosa, the one that goes over to the southernmost tip of the continent? *Ring a bell?*
Looking to the left, trees...to the right, more trees! Eugene took some pics of the place.. hope it came up well.. the only nice view i kept with me has to be the sight of MacRitchie Reservoir to the far right of the treetop walkway...

*BLANK*

Sky darkened...The 3 of us rushed on..into the jungle trails.. reminds me of the time i had this topo exercise in the same area..juz before going for an overseas jungle survival training. Before long, rain fell. Was worried for my handphone and wallet.. plus.. i didn't carry an umbrella like my friends..had to put my valuables under their care.. Went on in the rain.. Eugene tried to shield me from the rain with his umbrella, but my sharing of his umbrella really slowed our pace down.. With no significant shelter in sight, (unless u're looking at spots covered by any form of thick canopy), we had to hasten our pace.. decided to walk in the rain, with my newpaper! ;)

Love walking in the rain.. When was the last time u walked in the rain, with nothing significant to worry about, juz strolling and skipping ard, happy to get yourself drenched?

Eugene: I stopped walking in the rain after the chapter on Acid rain in Secondary School...
HQ & SL: haha...

Practical chaps.. very reliable and great frens to have.. :)

Saw some couples, walking hand in hand in the rain.. how i wish my dear was with me.. we'd walk in the rain, stroll and be happy in each other's company.. Getting home afterwards, dry ourselves up before tucking in for a nice hot bowl of soup, doing all these while watching the falling rain through the window.. one way of spending a nice, quiet weekend together :)

Finally.. the days that's past surpassed the number of days left.. 190 days.. seems like a long long time though.. however, it's heartening to see the number of days passed greater than that of what's left.. Really miss hugging my dear, holding her close to me.. her warm embrace and her comforting hands...

Wish these 190 days will pass by soon...

Engagement Vs Marriage

2005-06-24T10:12:00.000+08:00
Had been asking a few of my friends on what they perceive these two terms. Gotten a mix of different responses from different friends. The following's a rough summary of what my friend's perceptions:

1: Engagement is a verbal acknowledgement for the bringing together of the couple's families. Usually a talk between both parties' parents. No written agreement or signing is made. After signing at the ROM does a couple be considered Married.

2: Engagement is the signing of consensus at the ROM, to see if anyone objects to the marriage. After a certain period of time, if there's no objections, the couple can then sign at the ROM to be considered a Married Couple.

3: Engagement is an event whereby you throw a party for ur friends and relatives and announces the get together of two individuals. An acknowledgement of couple-hood. However, it'll only be considered marriage only after the traditional Chinese Wedding Dinner.

Hmmm.. Not really a consensus, but I guess generally, a couple's considered married after the signing at ROM.. so, what does a couple do for engagement then? Really throw an engagement party? Exchange of rings and promise?

I'm still buffled...shall try to ask some adults (a.k.a parents) on what engagement really means...

退一步海阔天空。。。

2005-06-17T00:53:00.000+08:00
I realised the beauty of the phrase today...

Mum was really agitated when she forgot about me having an early dinner at home today. She sounded really furious and tired, saying I didn't remind her about it today and that she's finally had a free day without work, only to be rushed to cook dinner again...felt very guilty...

On other days, I'd have rebutted back and say something hurting. Guess I was kinda tired today. Did something I dun usually do. I juz reassured mum it's alright and told her that I can postpone my meeting and that she need not have to rush out dinner. Pushed back the meeting with my GLs for 30min coz I was running late. This reassurance really cooled my mum down. And seeing how I enjoyed dinner, her anger and agitation went away :)

The food mum cooks really nice! :) Pity i had to rush thru dinner, else I would have stayed on the dining table for another 15min, licking my fingers clean from the sauce in the chicken dish...hee...

Found myself getting irritated at very very small things. Guess I've not been occupying my time fruitfully this holidays. Didn't find job. Didn't learn new things. Been lazing around pretty much until now. Freshmen Orientation Camps coming up, preparations well underway. However, whenever I'm not doing Orientation stuffs, I let my mind run wild and become a suspicious, paranoid, intolerable jerk..my tempers would flare ever so easily. *sigh*

After seeing how moving a step backwards in an imminent quarrel or an uncalled for situation helps to sooth tempers and restore peace, I like the results. Though I've been taught about this phrase for since-dunno-when, seems like I finally realised the true meaning and wonderful results it brings about.

This reminds me of the time when I accidentally shot my mouth and tease BC on the soccer court, resulting in myself getting such a hard knock in the knee that i had to limp for 1 whole month. Hmmm..what would happen if I had retaliated? Anyway, was in no position to retaliate...couldn't even stand straight then...did felt very sore after that though, in my heart and in my leg..but as time passed, the sore in both my heart and my leg slowly faded away...and my disgust and "hatred" for BC too disappeared. Was really mad at him still though..he could have apologised after I apologised for shooting my mouth ar...haiz...

Lesson learned: Time heals wounds. Stepping a foot back in an imminent quarrel allows space for parties involve to think and make the correct decision.

For myself, I guess I'll continue to keep to myself. Speaking less means bringing about less trouble. And of coz, less chance of making myself a fool...Understood this for a long long time already :)

Suddenly had the energy and zest to help my gf come up with an easy excel expenditure worksheet. It's to keep her spendings in tab, else she'd lose track of her spendings and use up the money she wanted to save for her end-of-year trip. Hopefully, I can do some saving up on my own and accompany her on her trip this end of year :)

Feel really lucky to have ZH with me. She's someone I can talk to, someone I can confide in, without being afriad I'd make a fool of myself. Been feeling very lonely and very lost since her departure to Shanghai. Can't find a person I can really trust to speak to. I really hope she can come back soon. I really really miss her...

Countdown clock for her return has finally broke thru the 1xx Barrier. 199 days more before she returns back to Singapore. Hopefully, my 胡思乱想 can come to an end with the start of the busy Orientation season and the start to Year 3 Sem 1 in NTU :)

Jealousy? Possessive? School Culture??

2005-06-15T17:30:00.000+08:00
Had a marvellous workout yesterday... Played badminton with my JC classmates... hands aching from the lack of warming up and cooling down.. haha :P

Consulted Hawx on a few issues that's been bugging me for quite sometime...his replies got me thinking, thinking of how I can change the way I think and improve on my personality...

Issue 1:

What are your feelings when your significant other tells you that she's/he's going out alone with another person of the opposite gender? Regardless of work or play?

Issue 2:

If I don't feel comfortable with it, should i keep the views to myself, or voice it out and prepare for some form of unhappiness?

Issue 3:

When asking gals out, do guys, MOST OF THE TIME, keep hidden agendas inside them? Or do that have other motives....

Issue 4:

Am I the best person to tell my significant other, or will it be more believable if a third party tells him/her about Issue 3?

Issue 5:

Is it because we're from Chinese High, so much so that we became overly protective and possessive of our girlfriend? Has the school or the environment we were in affected us into such thinking?

Discussed these few issues with Hawx, got some answers from him...Interestingly enough, some of the views hawx shared with me happens to be what ZH's friend told her...and very similarly, gals share the same thoughts that going out with other guy friends is juz something normal friends would do...

Conclusion: Gals are from Venus, Guys are from Mars..

We're generally different in the ways we think and holds different perspectives over the same issue...

However, it doesn't mark the end of a relationship. Ironing out the differences and understanding each other's thinkings does help in coming up with the solution for both parties. I'm sure glad I've found the answer for some of the issues mentioned, and that both ZH and myself have managed to sort out the differences in our thinking. I can now confidently say we truly understand each other on a deeper level...

Wow.. it's been a long time...

2005-06-10T16:00:00.000+08:00
Hmmm.. haven't typed in any entries since my exams... makes me wonder why I started blogging for?

Realised a little while later that i actually wanted an online site to keep my thoughts for my GE module.. a very interesting subject about the teachings of Sun Tzu's Art of War...

And also, to safekeep the feelings I've kept inside since my dear went overseas...

It's nearing the 200 days mark... 200 days in another 10 days' time..
Zihui's almost gone for 200 days...

Been coaxing my dear piggy to bed every nite for a few months now, though really, she dun need my help to fall asleep ;) haha.. My piggy has this ability to fall asleep within a few minutes wherever she is... something I've been hoping I can do also.. haha..

Being able to hear her voice every nite before i go to lalaland kinda soothen the 思念之情 in my heart...

How I'd wish that it's December already, and I'm counting down the last 10 days before she'd return back to my side..

How I wish I'll be able to fly over to Shanghai to meet up with her, join her in her Tour before returning home...

How I wish I can feel her tender kiss and her tight embrace right now...

But the only thing I'm able to do now, is to countdown the numbers from 206...and hope it reaches my desired 0 soon...

Weekend of Week 12.. 3 weeks to exams...

2005-03-27T19:01:00.000+08:00
Finally bought my very own copy of Frozen Throne! Yeah! But I promised myself to play only after exams.Oh well, as long as I'm not home, I won't be able to play it.But, it surely got me started. I restarted playing my WarCraft III. It's so fun! :) hahaha

Brought stuffs back home to study, but ended up only giving myself extra muscle training.

BUT!! I managed to finish reading my GP01 Mind of Sun Tzu's Text Book!! Cool right?! Finally!! Now to start work on my essay! (Personal Reflections)

My current Progress: 5/20 pages

I target to hit 20, wonder if that can be done. Only used up so few of my resources, but my writing doesn't seem to be flowing.. hmmm...

Wonder if my girlfriend's back in shanghai already.. She was touring Wuxi the day before.. nevermind la, shall wait for her SMS... :)

27th Jan..........17th Feb (600 days...)

2005-02-15T12:19:00.000+08:00
Hi bloggy..finally found time to write in my personal entry...

Why the dates stated above? Well, these 2 days are pretty interesting for me this year. Interesting? Yes...27th Jan's my birthday. This year's special, to me at the very least. Spent my first birthday on my own since I can remember. The feeling's one of which, where lonely's really an understatement. Zihui's in Shanghai, followed by the fact that I'm really tired from school work and hall activities, I decided to spend it alone. Come to think of it, I've not had a day which I don't have to worry about school work and hall stuffs for quite sometime. So, in a sense, coming back to my room after lessons, making a trip to JP on my own, doing my own shopping for grocery, it seems like the simple life I've alwayz been thinking about :) A quiet, peaceful 23rd birthday.

It may be because of all the personal time I had in the day, when I manage to see my dear Zihui online at night, I was truly overjoyed! My dear gal hasn't been able to get online for the few days before the 27th even though she has installed her wireless LAN. Both of us's been pretty frustrated that we weren't able to get her computer up for the past few days. Before this, I was actually resigned to fate that I won't be able to see my dear for a few more days. So, you could really sense my delight when I was surprised by an invitation to view my dear gal's webcam and to get to see her image online!

To add to that, my dear Zihui actually prepared a gift box for me before she flew over to Shanghai. It's contents: More boxes. Instructions: to open 1 small box every other month (Dec, Feb, Apr etc) until she returns from Shanghai. Though it's not Feb yet, I requested to open the second small parcel my Zihui's prepared for me. She agreed.

Honestly, I don't think I can describe the feeling I felt at that particular moment, when i read the message within (No way I'm gonna type here!! :P) and the little "kiss" enclosed. Touched..Yes..close to tears? No. It's in tears. No matter how hard I tried to hold back the tears, they came down. My first time. Nope. Not to cry, but to cry laughing, smiling and in delight...confusing feelings I would say. My first time feeling this. It's a very strange feeling, something I've never felt in my life before. My dear's gift really did wonders. It brightened an otherwise dull and quiet birthday I had on the 27th Jan.

2 days more before I know this extraordinary girl of mine for 600 days. It's slightly over a year, but during this short period of 600 days, we've shared soo soo many different experiences together. The feeling of separation, getting back together again, going overseas together, learning to dive together, planned and gone on a backpacking trip together, studying together...the many many things we did together. It not only opened my eyes to the new world, but further emphasized to me the importance of having a companion is to every individual in this world, and that, I've really found the companion that God has chosen and bestowed upon me, to take care of and to be cherished by me.

Thank you Zihui, for the many many wonderful experiences we shared and the many many more experiences we have ahead of us. I Love You...

GP01: Mind of Sun Tzu (Battle of Russia)

2005-02-11T17:48:00.000+08:00
Hmmm... Just left the LT from my weekly dosage of Sun Tzu's Lesson. Prof Foo continued with what's left of the 7 series of the second world war. Battle of Russia.

A little background on this lesson. Those taking this course does not have to take the final examinations, however, each of us are suppose to complete 2 project papers on (I) Reflections after reading Reminiscences of an Ancient Strategist, and (II) Group Project. Each of these papers carrying 50% of the grade for this course.

Lessons actually includes the prof telling us bits and pieces on how the strategies mentioned in the book are portrayed and shown in the 2nd World War. Today's tape was on the battle of Russia.

Well, it was said that this was the turning point of the 2nd World War. I couldn't believe more after seeing the tapes shown today. Very interestingly, the video was able to capture scenes of the battles at different cities. I marvel at the person who's taking the footage. It was pretty comprehensive, with images of scenes-after-war, bombings and artillery bombardments. However, what marvelled me the most was how Russia managed to suck Germany deep into it's territory and lured the Germans into a trap which they cannot get out from.

The use of several defence lines instead of concentrating their defence along the vast borders of the formerly known USSR worked wonders. Germany's tactics of breaking thru 2 fronts and encircling their enemies in a swift move didn't work well against Russia's Defence. It only manages to strengthen the deeper defence walls of Russia, resulting in Germany's inability to break thru to Moscow. In fact, they didn't even got close enough to start their artillery barrage on Moscow.

The impact of the defence was really portrayed to it's utmost with the siege of Stalingrad and Leninborg (Can't remember the spelling) The film showed how the people of these 2 cities stood firm against the onslaught of the German's and even with the nonstop bombardment of the city, the white flag was not raised. The most fascinating part of the defence of the Leninborg has to be the part whereby fresh supplies were shipped in through a FROZEN LAKE!! 100 miles long! Winter, in a way, saved the Russian's in the city of Leninborg.

The defence of the 2 cities too brought about the importance of FIBUA, Fighting in Built up area, a skill taught to us during SISPEC training. The Russians gave the German HELL when they entered the city. Work has to be done to clear out every inch of the buildings in the cities, so much so that, in the example of Stalingrad, the Russians didn't allow the Germans time to breathe, when after moving back and allowing a short advance of the Germans into the city, they fought back.

Germany's continued onslaught and the relentless defence of the Russian's allow us to see 2 different sides of tactics. One, Germany, no matter how advanced their machines are, weren't able to break through with their, at that time, high-tech war machines (tanks, planes etc). Two, Russia was able to rally together all the different races and ethic groups which exists in their vast land mass to fight for the same cause. Three, the sheer determination of Russian men and women, coming together to form an undefeatable wall of defence which really helped turned the tide of the war. Four, Germany, no matter how prepared, fell into the trap of attacking too deep into enemies territory and Five, Germany didn't win the heart of the pple they annexed. These few points surely brought upon the failure of Germany in their offence against Russia.

I have to agree with the Prof that it's really a privilege to be able to watch such a movie. Don't think i'll ever take time off to watch it on my own if not for this course. It does bring about new perspectives and how tactics and the use of resources bring about a huge differences in the outcome of a war.

Was watching 三国演义 the night before. I was marvelling at the tactical brilliance of 法正 in helping 黄忠's defeat of Xiahou Yuan, one of the recognised generals of Wei at that time. It was the use of time. If I remember correctly, 法正 was saying something about the troops morale in general, being highest in the morning, without proper rest, they'll get tired and sleepy in the afternoon, and they'll tend to wake up and be more alert in the evening. 法正 attacked and occupied a hill overseeing Xiahou Yuan's encampment, knowing very well this impulsive general will not take it lying down. After suggesting to 黄忠 about the ploy of "以逸待劳", where 黄忠 was to hide in the middle of the hill and wait for his signal before commencing the attack. When the soldiers of Xiahou Yuan was weary and tired after a whole morning's screaming and shouting at 法正 to surrender the hill, his whole troops sat down and rested til noon time, where almost everyone fell asleep. In a very swift movement, the well rested troops of 黄忠, upon seeing the signal given by 法正,rushed down and slayed Xiahou Yuan. I applauded at the 计which pulled off.

I was captivated also at the way how Zhuge Liang plotted routes of retreat in the event that Huang Chong's troops fail to win at Ding Jun Shan.His crisp and clinical deployment of troops to secure all passage of return, and his deployment of troops to trick his enemies into believing that his full force is attacking, paid off handsomely with Huang Zhong's success. I can only stared in wide eye disbelieve and applaud at his brilliance.

Alright, shall end this entry here. Will come online and punch in my next entry later tonight i guess. Seeya bloggy!

Hall Production 2005!!

2005-02-04T02:51:00.000+08:00
Alright...after soo many so many months of preparations, it's finally came down to this very last 2 days!

简单。快乐

This year's production..my 2nd year running..calling the cues from the side. Being a stage manager's a whole lot of work...though i would say my work's been minimised quite a bit with my director handling most of the stuffs that i "messed up" last year :P

Hmmm..sometimes I really wonder why do I like to do all these very very 辛苦stuffs..I guess interests beats all the other explanations I can come up with 吧...

Last year was really a very fruitful and enjoyable experience...I can still vaguely recall when the Emcee called for our names on the 谢幕for the very last day of performance.. I really felt like crying.. all the hardwork..time..sweat.. guess they all pay off at the very end..the fulfilling feeling's truly amazing.. Can't remember when was the last time i had that feeling..hopefully, I can reignite that feeling in me once again this year :)

Oh yar! I remember...this feeling of exhilaration was also the feeling i had inside when my 女人agreed to my courtship :) When she finally said yes..I could almost be seen jumping outside my hostel room.. (couldn't do it inside coz Bayde was asleep :p )

女人，you've really brought a change to my life. The feelings I experienced ever since I got together with you really brought a whole new meaning to me.. utter devastation, extreme joy, unbearable heartaches, your long absences from my side, our trips overseas... Honestly speaking, not many could experience what I felt in our relationship. I'm really missing you terribly. Well, for a start, I know I can't stop what you've already decided to do, so all I am left to do is to give u support...however reluctantly I am.. Just wish you'd come back to me, by my side soon...

Well, it's 3am already..guess I'd better turn in, or else I won't be able to wake up for my 8.30am lectures tomorrow again! :P Goodnite dear bloggy..shall fill you in when I'm free again... *chop* Seeya...

Things We Can Learn From A Dog...

2005-01-19T16:13:00.000+08:00
"When loved ones come, always run to greet them.
Run, romp, and play daily.
Be Loyal.
Never pretend to be something you're not.
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
No matter how often you are criticized, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout.
Run right back and make friends..."

The above came from a poster hanging right in front my study table. It shows a golden retriever sitting quietly beside the long stretch of words...

It's been 42 days since my girlfriend got to Shanghai... She seems quite settled down.. Hopefully, she can get her internet connection real soon.. really really miss her.. The only medium to talk and communicate with her is right now restricted to SMS.. hai..

Shall end my 1st entry here...
Goodnite Bloggy...