Parental Love

Those past 2 weeks were terrible, but it taught an important lesson. If you were to dwell deep into the source of the case, one would realise that the underlying message is: PARENTAL LOVE.

Parents would do almost anything for their children, some even offering their own lives. I also recall the many sacrifices that my parents have made for me.

Yet, I am painfully ashamed of the little that I've done for them thus far. Can't afford to take them on tours (they have to pay for it themselves), hardly buy them things, even the car I'm driving. Priority should be given to Dad, but I end up hogging it most of the time.

So what has their poor son been doing? Keeping my weekly dinner dates, updating them about my daily life, and taking a genuine interest in their well-being. I know it's barely scratching the surface, but that's what I (and they) can only contend with now.

My dream is to one day, create 2 tertiary scholarships in their name. For Dad, a scholarship in languages, and for Mum, one in humanities.
They had (and still have) so much love to give. To them, I'll be forever their little boy. Oh, how I love the both of you so much! So many times, I want to hug the both of you and say thank you, but our Asian conservatism forbids me from doing so. Shit, I hate it when I get emo ... please excuse me as I grab a tissue ...

*compose compose*

On this very symbolic occasion, Pa, Ma, I would like to wish the both of you:

A VERY HAPPY 35th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!

Big Case Part II

Saturday night was supposed to be the last chance, but got called on Sunday night to report in.

This can't go on. It has passed my threshold. Anything that needs me to give up sleep, family time and is affecting my work is too big a compromise. If this case doesn't close soon, I don't want to be sleeping for 2 hours every night for the rest of my life.

Thankfully I've been allowed a daily (nightly?) early release.

What Will You Do ...

... if, in the span of 3 days, your boss tells you:

A) you are not shrewd and nasty enough, and

B) he hopes he doesn't reach the stage of him using a stick

A) came about because he thinks you were too nice to an agent. He expects you to change, ie. become nastier. Why? Because that is a pre-requisite to be in the business world!

If I have to change this aspect of my character because of my environment, then I'll rather change my environment.

B) came about because he thinks you are too soft, and have been bullied by the customer. This part I can agree. I need to be more assertive and must learn to put my foot down.

All said and done, my boss is a nice guy. This mild outbursting from him might have been a while in the making, meaning he's been holding it within until now.

Big Case Part I

Last night marked the start of the Big Case.

I don't know how long it would last. And I don't know how much daily sleep I'll get. If the 2 hours I got this morning is any indication, I think we are in for something whose scale I cannot comprehend.

And obviously, this post is pre-dated.

Bye, Mate

I've not seen anyone so enthusiastic and dramatic before. He actually got me interested in crocodiles.

I've always thought that if any mishaps were to happen, a crocodile would be involved. I was wrong. It was a stingray instead.

May you rest in peace, mate.

Lest We Forget

Accompanied Wifey sometime back to the newly-refurbished People's Park Complex. Yes, the place seems brighter and newer, but some flavour seems to have been lost.

Anyhow, as she was window-shopping, I went wandering around. On one of the floors, I made a turn and found myself back in the nostalgia that is Chinatown. I didn't realise that this part of the building wasn't upgraded. The shops were still using iron grilles, the signboards were old, and the floor tiles were still the small squarish type. I smiled to myself, having found the flavour back.

As I walked further, I came to the end of the building, and from across where I was, was the Chin Swee estate. This place brings back memories, as I recall my dad bringing me here to a 铁打 for my sprained ankle. The shop was no longer there, but the quaint red-green 亭子 was.

I walked downstairs, crossed the road, and did some walking-around. The birds were chirping, old people chatting, children playing, the whole experience was so surreal. And I enjoyed myself, lapping up all the rusticity. To add to the high, in front of Sheng Siong, I saw a bunch of old folks watching two chess players having a go at the game.





I am such a sentimentalist. I was both happy to find this gem of a place, but at the same time, worried for its existence. In our relentless pursuit of development, the evil claws of upgrading will, in a few years' time, degenerate this place into nothing more than memories.

When that day happens, at least with this post, the image can be preserved for posterity, and I can say that 我曾经到此一游.

Happy Anniversary, My Princess

How time flies! It seem like only yesterday that we had a good meal at Suntec.

I admit this year has been a bit mild, what with our friend's pregnancy and my pathetic financial condition. Think we didn't even have an official celebration, other than that visit to Ikea.

Despite this, my responsibility towards you hasn't changed, which is to provide for you and to love you. In tough times like this, I feel it in my blood even more, that I can't let you down.

And I won't.

On this special day, I want to dedicate a special song to you, one that I like a lot. Despite it being 10 years old, the lyrics are valid for eternity.

今生注定

高:现在你心里想什么
王:现在你心里想什么
能不能就写在眼眸
告诉我
在这沈默的片刻
让我们用心灵交流

如果爱情烦恼真的太多
或许心事都交给我
合:为你耽忧
对我来说也是快乐

合:不管有多少真心多少爱被错过
有了你我已经别无所求
用半生紧紧相守换取承诺
什么话都不必再说
喔......

总以为曾经付出曾被爱伤害过
这世上只有我对爱执着
直到我慢慢感受你的温柔
才了解
今生注定与你相守

Song at http://www.may-8th.com/zhuding.mp3

Matter of Opinion

Spotted at a commercial building in Jurong yesterday.

Yes, yes. I'll be hugging it to sleep every night.

Matters of the Heart

Poor SJ.

Think she has encountered one baddie too many. These bloody assholes are giving us 30-somethings a bad name!

But I guess it's all part of growing up. At different stages of our lives, we are faced with different obstacles. The challenge is to rise above all and to live to tell.

To help alleviate some pain, I phone-ordered a box of Godiva for her. The guy on the other line damn funny. My message to accompany the gift was: To My Sista: Cheer Up! He called me to ask if should be spelt as 'Sister' instead. Hello??!! A bit lame that it's a gift for her and yet she has to pick it up, but well ...

On a related note, FF had an entry on this and I left a comment. Thereafter SJ also left a comment, followed by FF's. Fancy seeing myself next to the 2 ladies whose blogs I regularly read!

Singapore Fireworks 2006

Update 12 Sep 2006:

Went to see fireworks again, this time near Esplanade. The whole experience can be summed up in 4 words:

LIM PEH KUA BO!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We were eating at East Coast when we decided that we will risk the crowd and see the fireworks.

There were many possible places to go, but I chose Marina South. The parking was so packed! Being the smart aleck that I am, and with 2 minutes more to go, I parked on the pedestrian pavement.

Shortly after, the fireworks started. I must say the place we stood wasn't too bad. Other than the low level fireworks that were blocked by the trees, the rest were ok.





While taking photos of the fireworks with my mobile phone, I noticed that many people were doing likewise. I took a shot of them, but the photo turned out crappy. Whatever.

When the show finished, Wifey and I almost ran back to the car, hoping to avoid the crowd. To our bewilderment, a Malaysian car had parked at the exact place where the pavement slopes down to join with the road. There was a car that parked behind me, and both of us were effectively locked-in. For the next 20 minutes, we waited and waited, with passing cars watching us. Felt like a bloody circus act. They must be thinking: Ge kiang lah, ge kiang lah!

I tried to look for other "launch sites", but to no avail. Finally, the car behind ours decided to do a 3-point turn, and head back the other way. We followed suit, finally relieved of our confines, only to be confronted with another 15 min of jam.

Grrrr!

Matter of Opinion

New product? Spotted in a supermarket in Geylang East.

Last I checked, the Merriam-Webster online dictionary has no record of this word ...

What To Do ...

I have been advocating cutting wastage in the office. For example, why print on one side when you can print of two? Why print only one page on each side when you can print 2? I even suggested to my boss that he should follow suit.

This morning I was mildly pleased when I saw my colleague adopting my suggestion of 2 sided - 2 page on one side suggestion. Needing the same printout for an internal discussion, I went about setting the printer to print a proposal on both sides when I forgot to set 2 pages per side. Imagine my aghast when 8 pages came out, instead of 4, when the 16-page document was printed. What if my boss saw my wasteful printout?

So what did I do?

Stealthly shred the 8 pages, and re-print 4.

Talk about cutting wastage.

Loser ... or Lost?

Went for a birthday party yesterday. It must rank up there as one of my longest 1 hour. To be fair, the family organising it are really nice people, friendly and easy to get along.

But everytime I'm with them, I can't help but be overpowered by their "whiff of wealth". They come from well-to-do families, and it shows. Everything about them is branded. Subconsciously I become reserved and ... boring.

I know the devil is in my head: branded stuff ≠ putting other people down, but ... but ...

Even the friends they invited share that smell. Not to mention the few Beemers I spotted at the visitors carpark - surely they belong to some of these friends?

I'm already not very good at parties. On top of that, I feel so inadequate among these people. I've once told someone I reek of "middle class", but I can't seem to pull myself out of this vicious circle, let alone rise to the occasion and qualify myself to be in THE league. The current financial difficulties just further compound the problem.

So am I a lose, or am I just lost?

IT salaries to go up in China, S'pore - ZDNet Asia

When I read this, I wanted to laugh. How come I'm always not in the loop of these things?

IT salaries to go up in China, S'pore - Business - News - ZDNet Asia

Matter of Opinion

Spotted at ROM last week.

Okaaaay... so where's the registry for a rowdy marriage?

Zizou, was this how you wanted to go?

Was on YouTube and saw the number of videos making fun of the head-butting incident. I feel sad for him.

People say Zizou is hot-headed and has a terrible temper. I don't think so. The way he plays, the way he reads the game, and the fact that he was the captain of the national squad speaks volumes of his character. Add to that his shyness, modesty, humble beginnings and what he has achieved.

At the same time, the guy is protective over his family. Maybe over-protective. A little word about them and he loses his head.

Is it wrong to want to protect your family? Is it wrong to get agitated if your family is insulted or you are provoked? Isn't his reaction a further testament to this guy's greatness?

**~UPDATE: 13.07.06~**

As I was writing this piece yesterday, Zidane was issuing an apology, as well as giving his side of the story here.FIFA, get off your bloody moral high ground and let him keep his Golden Ball Award!!

Final - Italy 1:1; 5:3 PSO France

When France scored the first goal, I was mildly excited. Among my friends, I was the only one supporting France.

And then Italy equalised, and the score stayed 1:1 till full-time. Into the bin went the 2 slips.

Then Zizou lost his head and crashed it into the chest of Materazzi, an ex-Everton player. And France lost.

Zizou, why like that? You are my inspiration leh, my 偶像 you know. You and I are of the same age (I'm a month older than you, actually), but look what you have achieved. I so want to be like you - making it to the pinnacle of your career yet still have time and so protective over your family.

Anyway, this has not been a financially fruitful World Cup. Actually, this is the first time I'm betting so actively.

Total Investment: $55
Net Earnings: $3.10

Yes, will be keeping my day job.

3rd, 4th Placing - Germany 3 : 1 Portugal

The tickets were bought in Jurong.

Germany, playing at home, should have the upper hand. Also felt that this will not be a 1 goal game. Bought 3 goals (Total Goals).

Finally, my first earnings from this World Cup! But the odds of $1.62 was really pittance.

Was on the way to winning both tickets, when at the 88th minute, Portugal scored their solitary goal. Oooiiii! Who asked you to score, Nuno Gomes?? Could have made $20 more!

Total investment to date: $45
Net earnings: $3.10 ($8.10 payout - $5 bet)

Tibet

On 1 Jul 2006, the 青藏铁路 was opened to much fanfare. At 5072m at its highest point, it is the world's highest railway.

Having been to Tibet myself, I have seen how simple the Tibetans live. Their absolute nonchalance towards materialism astounds me. Deeply religious, they donate huge amounts of money/precious stones to temples, leaving just enough for themselves. Their "just enough" seems to be just above the poverty line to me.

I have also seen the infusion of (for lack of a better word) capitalistic trademarks, like karaoke and massage joints, bars, billiard halls, etc. In the name of modernising, I think diluting is also taking place. Despite having stayed in Tibet for 3 years, our tour guide seemed just as dismissive of the Tibetans. In his mind, they are of a different breed, of a lower grade. I think I offended him when I replied "你似乎以有色眼镜在看待他们". My point was, let's not use our own yardstick to judge them. Who is to say which is more superior? They have lived this way for hundreds and thousands of years, and they have achieved equilibrium in their mental state, their spiritual state as well as in their society. SOMEONE ELSE is upsetting this equilibrium.

I may not have visited many countries, but I dare say Tibet has one of the richest cultures. It is an enigma which will take many, many years to unravel and understand. Only if you bother to try to understand. And not through white-washing or cultural bulldozers. I urge everyone to visit Tibet as soon as you can.

Politics 1 : 0 Cultural Preservation





(Graphic from: http://www.wellesley.edu/Polisci/wj/ChinaLinks-New/Images/121-potala-side.jpg)

To Be Different

So many things have happened. To break away and be different from the Old Me:

• I carry 2 pens instead of 1
• I re-started wearing cologne
• I wear a tie everyday
• I use a headset instead of earphones
• I use the other donation box in the temple

The changes may appear skin-deep, but I believe they will have far-reaching effects.