New horizon

I was asked last month to take over the running of the company.

With a key staff having already left us and another leaving end of this month, big boss doesn't really have much of a choice. "But this is not my domain area," I asked him.

"I'm prepared to let you try, if you're willing to," he replied.

Ok, let's give it a shot. Will officially take over on 1 Mar 08. Will have 2 staff. Will have zero experience. Let's see how this pans out.



Post Date: 20 Jun 08

Everest legend Edmund Hillary dies

CNN report here.

Sir Edmund Hillary, the unassuming beekeeper who conquered Mount Everest to win renown as one of the 20th century's greatest adventurers, has died, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark announced Friday. He was 88.

...

The accomplishment as part of a British climbing expedition even added luster to the coronation of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II four days later, and she knighted Hillary as one of her first act.

But he was more proud of his decades-long campaign to set up schools and health clinics in Nepal, the homeland of Tenzing Norgay, the mountain guide with whom he stood arm in arm on the summit of Everest on May 29, 1953.

He wrote of the pair's final steps to the top of the world: "Another few weary steps and there was nothing above us but the sky. There was no false cornice, no final pinnacle. We were standing together on the summit. There was enough space for about six people. We had conquered Everest.

"Awe, wonder, humility, pride, exaltation -- these surely ought to be the confused emotions of the first men to stand on the highest peak on Earth, after so many others had failed," Hillary noted.

"But my dominant reactions were relief and surprise. Relief because the long grind was over and the unattainable had been attained. And surprise, because it had happened to me, old Ed Hillary, the beekeeper, once the star pupil of the Tuakau District School, but no great shakes at Auckland Grammar (high school) and a no-hoper at university, first to the top of Everest. I just didn't believe it.

He said: "I removed my oxygen mask to take some pictures. It wasn't enough just to get to the top. We had to get back with the evidence. Fifteen minutes later we began the descent."

Bye bye, Sir Edmund. Thank you for the adventure, and making the day a significant one.



Photo credit here.

Post Date: 11 Jan 08 @ IMM McD

If I had $100K

The stock market closed at 3,482.3 points for 2007, a 16.6% improvement over 2006.

My foray into the market has seen mixed fortunes. Was making good gains but failed to read the writings on the wall, and then August hit. There's now a slight paper gain, but it's almost laughable. Nevertheless, na see wah wu jit pah cheng, I'll buy:



We will do the sums again at the end of this year, with regular quarterly reviews.

Good luck to me!



Photo credit here.

Post Date: 2 Jan 08

New year resolutions for 2008

Yes, that time of the year where everyone fools themselves into thinking that it's a great year ahead for great achievements.

I've had my fair share of resolutions that have been rolled over for the nth year, and this is Year n+1. So here goes ...

NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS

1. Be more serious about photography
- Learn about the different techniques
- Make the SLR investment pay for itself


2. Set up and follow a health regime
- Sleep by 12.30am
- Regular exercises, eg. morning jogs

3. Pick up a new skill
- It could be singing, guitar-playing or even tap-dancing

4. Seriously think about residual income
- Learn more about the different forms of investments
- Consider about getting values from collectibles
- Explore the opportunities of an online, part-time business

5. Participate in the Stanchart Marathon
- Start off with the 10km run first, and progress to the longer distances over the years

6. Start thinking about the scholarships
- For the longest time, have wanted to set up 2 scholarships in my parents' names: physical science in Dad's and social science in Mum's
- related to this is also to find out about setting up foundations

7. Just added - don't write new year resolutions in June!



Photo credit here.

Post Date: 11 Jun 08
(As to why the resolutions are only written in Jun, you have to remember that I'm a procrastinating lazy asshole!)

School starts

Attended little niece's first recess session on her 1st day of school, together with her daddy, mummy and grandparents.

She seems to be coping well, eating her food healthily and chatting with her new-found friend heartily.

1. Still remember mum buying my food and waiting for me during recess.
2. How fast has little niece grown!
3. So that's how it looks like on "this side"!
4. When will it be my turn?



Photo credit here.

Post Date: 2 Jan 08

Personal DNA - Considerate Realist

About You

If you want to be different:

Appreciate that your skill set can be useful in many ways; your attention to detail and your familiarity with the inner-workings of things are valuable assets.

Try looking beyond the earthly qualities of things in order to expand your perspective, without losing your grounding in reality.

How You Relate to Others

If you want to be different:

Because other people would benefit immensely from your understanding and insight, you should try to be more outgoing in social situations, even when they make you uncomfortable. Others will want to hear what you have to say!

My personalDNA Report



Post Date: 19 Dec 07

Bye bye, Dan

2 days ago, CNN reported that Dan Fogelberg had passed away.

"Dan Fogelberg, the singer and songwriter whose hits "Leader of the Band" and "Same Old Lang Syne" helped define the soft-rock era, died Sunday at his home in Maine after battling prostate cancer. He was 56."

I have been afraid for many years, fearing that this day might come. But death comes to everyone, and dear old Dan is no exception.

Thank you for the wonderful music and your wonderful voice. Thank you for introducing to me Leader of the Band and Longer, 2 songs that touch my heart whenever I listen to them. Every single time.

Rest in peace, Dan, and do remember to watch over us from Heaven.



Picture credit here.

Post Date: 18 Dec 07

Places we would love to go - Part I

These places are high on the must-go list, hopefully in Apr/May next year.

Austria

The beautiful scenes of The Sound of Music really captivated us.

(Photo credit here)

Switzerland

I cannot get the image of the Swiss Alps with the little cottage from Heidi out of my head.

(Photo credit here)

Scotland

The land of bagpipes, Gaelic, castles and Nessie

(Photo credit here)

France

This would count as a re-visit, cos we didn't explore much the last time around.

(Photo credit here)

Post Date: 22 Oct 2007

Canon 400D

I have finally succumbed to temptation and am now a proud owner of the 400D.

I've pondered for almost a year on whether to get a DSLR, and if yes, which model to get. The Sony Alpha came really close, but the 400D won the day.

What tipped the scale was a well-placed advice, reminding me that I only live once, and since I like to capture memories, why not?

Being the newbie that I am, I have to put everything together, little by little. To start off, I have been loaned an entry level kit lens to use "until you feel like returning me". Another kind soul offered me his 2nd hand bag. Dry box will be phase II. Extra battery, card and tripod only when going for holiday.

The only thing missing now is the out-of-stock lens book, which will take me from lesson 1.

As my boss said aptly, "It's time to reward yourself".



Image from http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Canon400D/images/Canon400D_main.jpg

Post Date: 12 Oct 2007

Malaysia's first astronaut

So Malaysia has just had her very first astronaut sent into space. Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, an orthopedic surgeon and part-time model, travelled with Soyuz TMA-11, bound for the ISS.

I feel proud for Malaysia. I'm not bitter, jealous, anything. I'm glad that they have come to this level of achievement, organically or otherwise.

I feel proud that such a close neighbour has sent one of her sons into space. It's almost like I'm living out my dream through him ...



Image from http://diodati.omniscientx.com/2007/10/11/facing-mecca-in-space-an-exercise-in-spherical-geometry/

Post Date: 12 Oct 2007

Just when you ...

... thought it's done, you get a call to say someone went to ask sometwo, and since sometwo wasn't supposed to know and now the secret is out, we have to go back. And start. All. Over. Again.

Production line starts tonight.



Post Date: 12 Oct 2007

What a great way to start the week

Was reading the papers this morning at breakfast when I spotted a familiar face in the Business section.

It was an ex-colleague, someone that I quite regularly bumped into. He has just been made General Manager of a developing country up north.

Here I am, wondering if I'll still have a job in 2 weeks' time, and then I see in the papers a peer who has been promoted.

What I know is, he's no longer a peer after this announcement.



Post Date: 1 Oct 2007

Current predicament

So I have been offered a less-than-attractive package. While I want to sleep over it now, I may have to face it in a few weeks' time. May, because they might not want to hire me after all.

This is the fix I'm in - I can only choose 2:



- If I want money and time, I have to give up commensurate post -> current offer is to give up money AND commensurate post
- If I want money and commensurate post, I must give up time -> logical, but not likely to happen to me
- If I want time and commensurate post, I must give up money -> dunno what's the likelhood of this

Methinks my biggest problem today is the lack of an objective.



Without an over-arching goal to guide my decisions, I'll never know which choice is better, which is worse. Time? Money? High post?

Sigh.



Post Date: 1 Oct 2007

It's done

UPDATE - 29 Sep 07

The update is that the case is closed. All's well that ends well.

*********************************

It's done.

We completed one week of work last night, culminating into a trip to you-know-where.

The results are good, although we still don't know its direct impact. And so we wait.



Post Date: 1 Oct 2007

It's imminent

Just got a call.

The message passed was for Wifey and I to go back and help.

The situation is tricky, with many angles to cover. I can think of 2 possible outcomes:

1. We will be hated to the core
2. We will hate ourselves for being subjected to manipulation



Post Date: 18 Sep 07

How a weekend was screwed

Got a call from New HR on Friday, while I was waiting for the train at City Hall MRT.

They offered a position that is below my expectations, and a package that, on first look isn't too bad, but a base pay that I was already on 3 years ago. Back to 40:60. To add to the pain was the impersonal, deadpan tone of the HR person.

I really wonder when my career and basic pay can finally make their way up consistently. Over the past few jobs, it has been up, down, up, down - how to put a stop to this nonsense? Initially the dream of a $100k annual basic pay dream seemed so much nearer, but now? Huh!

It's not so much that I'm an ingrate - my annual package has been on the up. It's just that at every stage, I get pushed back a few notches, and have to fight my way back to equity and beyond. Most of the time I clear, but sometimes I trip, and pay kena hentak kaki. When will someone finally offer me an increment to jump ship? Something clear cut, simple, not mind-taxing, and where I don't have to feel sour even before joining the company? When? WHEN?! Why is it that everytime, I'm made to feel small? Why? WHY?!

Apologies to Wifey, who once again had to put up with my long face and withdrawn mood. Don't know how long she can take this nonsense.

Here we are, sweating over the annual package on offer, and wondering aloud when will the tides turn, while people just took delivery of their new Mercedes Benz C-class. I'm been told a gazillion times, "Don't compare, don't compare", but I reaaaaally cannot help it.



Post Date: 10 Sep 07

Of herbs and gratitude

Aussie friends are here again!

Brought them to Imperial Herbal at Vivocity. The last time we ate at the restaurant, they were still at Metropole. But the standards remained. The food was good! Our guests enjoyed themselves, which was a great relief for me!

During the dinner, one of the topics was on their son, about how much he has changed after meeting his fiancee. He seems like a different person now, hardly visiting them, spending beyond his means, and a host of other illogical decisions.

So sad. All along, I thought he was the more sensible one of the 2 boys. Given how honest and hardworking-ly they have lived their lives, it's sad that their elder son is slowly pulling the rug from beneath their feet. Oh well ...

They had a few errands to do and I gladly offered to do for/with them. No amount of running around can measure up to the help they rendered us when we were in Australia. They were like our foster parents, and I'll be eternally grateful to them.



Image from http://www.learnenglish.org.uk/magazine/magazine_home_australia.html

Post Date: 6 Sep 07

881

Caught 881 with the folks yesterday.

I've always had my reservations about local productions, but this one turned out alright. A good break from the J-Team overdose.

The show did not invoke as much nostalgia as I thought it would. This may be because during the 7th month celebration of yore, we always had Chinese opera instead of 歌台. Mum said having Chinese opera was more seh been, because they were more expensive. I also didn't like 歌台 much - they were too gaudy and (audibly) loud!

The story was heart-warming enough, with forbidden love, kinship, success, and eventually death. And the leads acted really well. But what, to me, is the real icing on the cake is the "mainstreamisation" of Hokkien. It's about time people openly accept that as part of our culture!

I was also very mesmerised by the haunting song.




Image from http://www.cathay.com.sg/cp_nowshowing.html

Post Date: 3 Sep 2007

Temporary reprieve

Went to Waterloo street today. Badly needed to consult the Powers on the housing dichotomy.

I wanted to 求 for 2 签 - one to ask if we can sell, and one to ask if we can rent.

The first 签 was a 中签. While it was ok in general, it wasn't resoundingly positive.

When I 求 for the second 签, I wasn't able to get a 胜杯! After 4 tries! I think it's fairly obvious that rental is a route that I shouldn't pursue.

Mum suggested, "Why don't you ask if you should just let things stay status quo?" Which I did. For this, I got a resounding 'YES'. I'm to wait till autumn and winter, where things will become clearer.

I'm so happy with this instruction because it is such a difficult situation. I didn't want to rush into this, as it not only does it involve my house, mum-in-law and mum-in-law's house, but also emotions and responsibilities.

So now, we wait, should be until January.



Post Date: 6 Sep 07

Creative Zen Stone Plus

Went to Comex yesterday intending to buy an MP3 player. It needed to be light, handy, and must have a complementary set of accessories. With the choices and myriad of models, I narrowed down to 2: Sandisk or Creative Zen. Was eventually won over by the Zen Stone Plus. $99 for the 2GB model, with a skin with clip thrown in.

Ok, that's one item checked on the to-do list for the Singapore Marathon 10km run!



Image from http://sg.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=213&subcategory=744&product=16757

Post Date: 10 Sep 07