To Live, Love and Loathe

Choosing the best leaders...it takes guts

2012-01-24T21:03:00.005+08:00

Today, various media sources reported on that Former Commissioner Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) Mr Peter Lim Sin Pang, and former Director of the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) Mr Ng Boon Gay are currently assisting the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) in its investigations into allegations of serious personal misconduct, with sources alluding that "money and women" were involved in the investigations.

It is CPIB's job to conduct investigations in order to maintain the highest form of integrity in the public services, as such, such investigations are not out of the ordinary. However, there are some things in this case that are worth noting:

a) News released on 2nd day of Lunar New Year

The timing of the Ministry of Home Affairs' (MHA) press release and confirmation is certainly worth taking note of, since it was done on a major public holiday. Why the need to confirm this news now when the investigations had already been in progress for about two to three weeks? Perhaps, it might be the government trying to send a strong message that such cases have zero tolerance. However, my view is that news of this investigation was leaked out to the media and the government had to hastily respond to the leak.

b) Uncanny timing - just after parliament debated on ministerial pay

It is rather uncanny that news of this case surfaced just a week after parliament debated on the issue of ministerial pay. The ruling party (PAP) has put forward its rationale that a good salary is needed to dissuade corruption among the government elite. News of the ongoing investigations is certainly going to shake the ruling party's prevailing argument and provide the opposition with a perceived upper hand on this issue.

c) Both are reported to be former Public Service Commission (PSC) Scholars

It is no secret that the Singapore Government prides itself in its Administrative Service elite where scholars are earmarked early in life for key positions in the government and government linked companies. Based on imperial China's philosophy of the selection of bureaucratic Mandarins, candidates are put through rigourous tests and observation sessions. Their career paths are carefully planned and progress keenly tracked . Observers will raised questions on whether the PSC needs to review its selection process.

People have started to speculate that where 'there is smoke, there will be fire'. Before anyone casts the first stone, let us try not to speculate on the results, for they are innocent until proven guilty.

Being a leader in today's world is no trifle matter. Even more so if you are in the public eye. I have been informed by a reliable source that one of the incumbent ministers is so busy with his portfolio that he has opted to give certain grassroots events a miss.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

On the topic of what we can do to sift out the best people for leadership, I have some thoughts to share:

i) Choose those who do not love money

A former business associate related to me that since the creation of the casinos, they have decided to run background checks on their current and potential customers to see if they are gambling addicts. Their concern is that their addiction to gambling will lead them to embezzle company funds, and an inability to pay their business partners.

Leaders are only as good as how they manage their weaknesses. However, if one has a natural love for money, we have a problem. Don't get me wrong - I am all for paying a man his worth in salt. However, there is a fundamental difference in choosing a job because it pays well versus choosing a certain job because it happens to pay well. The bigwigs at Enron and Tyco were paid obscene amounts of money - and look at what happened? They still embezzled, they still cheated.

Good leaders are those who do not love money.

ii) Test values, not aptitudes

One of things I have been pushing for, is the need to test for values and not aptitude. Aptitude tests like the MBTI, Big 5, DISC and so on, are good - but only to a certain extent. The onus is on the candidate to be honest. Additionally, choosing a 'correct' answer on the test does not show the tester why that answer was chosen. Testing of values is not an easy task. It takes time, resources an skillful assessors. And the biggest elephant in the room - it is hard to quantify it.

An example of testing values would be throwing a group of potential candidates into an unplanned and perhaps mentally strenuous activity that seeks to throw them off guard, thereby exposing each candidates strengths and weaknesses. My personal favourite options might be sending candidates on kayaking or mountain hiking trip that will allow the assessors to discover the candidates' true colours.

Another method is to make candidates feel completely at ease during say, a cocktail session. A friend of mine deliberately cozies up to candidates and throws at them a few drinks before slipping them certain questions to test their views. They are surrounded by numerous assessors (very sober ones) who keenly observe the candidates' body language and responses. You might be surprised at how easy it is to set someone's tongue loose with a couple of martinis.

iii) Past achievements does not equate to future success

This current world we live in is obsessed with the need to quantify everything that cannot be quantified - purely because of accountability and marketing issues. As such, a person's past track record is regarded as the best predictor of future success. To some extent, this can be true. But what I advocate is finding out if one has failed before and how this person has overcome that failure. I am sometimes rather apprehensive when faced with a candidate that has a perfect track record. Life is never linear. If life has been good to you so far, and if you faced your first failure while working for me, wouldn't I be collateral damage? That would be a risky proposition indeed. However, if you have faced challenges in life, been trampled upon and despised, but against all odds you were able to make good, I will certainly take a closer look at this person. Alas, it will be tough for organizations to accept such people, for the Human Resources manager has to be held answerable to the higher ups on such a decision. In our risk averse society, charity has no place when your job is on the line.

The answers are easy, but the execution is cumbersome. Organizations whose leaders have the guts and gumption to make a concerted effort to find the best leaders, will find them.

image from smexcellence.com.au

I like his style...

2012-01-15T18:42:00.003+08:00

"I've thought about that. But what I've thought more about, because Mitch McConnell put it out there, is offering to match the total amount of voluntary contributions made by all Republican members of Congress. And I will. I will go 1 for 1 with any Republican. And I'll go 3 for 1 with McConnell...and I'm not worried."

Warren Buffett in response to whether he will consider writing a cheque for what he thinks his taxes should have been. Buffett had earlier pushed for higher taxes on the rich, which made Republican Mitch McConnell comment that if Buffett felt guilty, he should "just send in a cheque". Warren Buffett is worth US$45 billion, but gives away 99% of his fortune.

A most valuable skill

2012-01-07T14:16:00.002+08:00

"The most valuable skill anyone can learn in college is how to learn efficiently - how to figure out what you don't know and build on what you do know to adapt to new situations and new problems."

Virgina Postrel

2011-12-13T15:31:00.003+08:00

"The purpose of my position of influence was surely to speak up for those who have no influence."

Dr Susan Lim

Is there hope for Generation Y?

2011-11-05T16:42:00.005+08:00

Having breakfast with a former MBA classmate at a local coffee shop, we caught up over our runny eggs and nonya laksa, he broached topic of Generation Y.

Boy, did he talk to the right person.

Not that I am the definitive authority on this topic, but that this is something close to my heart both in academic research and in practice.

'There is no hope for this generation!', he gesticulated emphatically. Mind you, he is a soft spoken person who hardly ever loses his temper. Yet, he more than flinched as we spoke.

I consistently get this reaction from those who are aged 35 and above, and have a role in managing or hiring post-1980 babies.

Then again, we have to see the other side of the spectrum.

My students, aged between 17 to 24, often put it to me that those who are not of their generation are 'backward' and 'not keeping up with the times'. The common trait that is mentioned is 'slow'.

And thus, you, as the reader, will realise that for post-1980 babies, speed is not an option --- it is an expectation.

This seems to mirror a study commissioned by the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices in Singapore. It was found that younger interviewers favoured younger candidates over mature candidates. Once the interview panel consisted of mature and young interviewers, mature candidates had a 12% higher chance of being hired (Straits Times, 4 Nov 2011).

And so, on the one hand, experienced workers perceive that younger workers easily crumble under pressure and in the words of our country's founding father, 'footloose'. They are seen to be easily demoralised yet, highly confident of themselves and their abilities. 'Spoilt' is a word that is often brought up in my conversations with experienced workers.

On the other hand, the young ones see experienced workers as dated employees who simply stick to the status quo to safeguard their rice bowl. 'Uncreative and difficult to change', the young ones see mature workers as a liability rather than an asset. If they had it their way, they would like to populate their organization with Wii-playing, Crumpler toting, Rihanna listening peers.

People do not realise that both mature and younger workers want the same things in life --- financial stability, friendship, useful life experiences and time for themselves. Now, how each generational cohort seeks to achieve these things, is very different.

higher-faster-sports.com

I am against ageism --- the discrimination of those who are older in age; and reverse ageism --- the discrimination of of those who are young. It is unfortunate that in the Confucian paternalistic society that we belong to, it is the young who are at a disadvantage. However, the tide is turning and society is realising that they have to put aside their perceptions and bias to embrace their younger managers.

It will not be easy for Generation Y to become the established individuals they so want to be --- definitely not by next month. Many will suffer pain and some will crash dramatically and even take their own lives. But there will be those who will give the passage of time its place and bounce back to stand out amongst the others.

Both experienced and younger workers need to suspend their biases against each cohort. They need each other. The experiences of the Baby Boomers are valuable and can help guard against major mistakes in life. Younger workers bring lots of ideas and knowledge to the table, that can be very useful in improving the lives of Baby Boomers at work.

Concluding his argument against Generation Y, my friend declared, "I do not see any hope for this generation."

I paused for a while, and with a wink of my eye, I proposed, "I have hope for them."

Marketers, business people, listen to Bono...

2011-09-17T16:45:00.003+08:00

"Some people say, 'Come on, markets are not about morals, they are about profits,'. I say that is old thinking. That's a false choice.

The great companies will be the ones that find a way to have and hold on to their values while chasing their profits, and brand value will converge to create a new business model that unites commerce and compassion. The heart and the wallet.

The great companies this century will be sharp to success and at the same time sensitive to the idea that you can't measure the true success of a company on a spreadsheet."

Bono

Did or did Lee Kuan Yew not use the 'V' word on Islam?

2011-09-05T15:21:00.007+08:00

image from wikileaks.org

Singapore's former Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has come out against a Wikileaks cable that alleges he "characterizes Islam as a venomous religion".

http://wikileaks.org/cable/2005/07/05SINGAPORE2073.html

The following is a press statement released by Mdm Yeong Yoon Ying, Press Secretary to Mr Lee Kuan Yew, on behalf of Mr Lee, 5 Sept 2011

"Wikileaks released a cable by the US Embassy in Singapore reporting on the visit of Senator Hillary Clinton to Singapore in Jul 2005. The cable claimed that in my meeting with Senator Clinton, I had “characterized Islam as a ‘venomous religion’”.

This is false. I looked up MFA’s filenote of the meeting. Nowhere does it record me describing Islam as “venomous”, nor did I say anything which could have given that impression.

I did talk about extremist terrorists like the Jemaah Islamiyah group, and the jihadist preachers who brainwashed them. They are implacable in wanting to put down all who do not agree with them. So their Islam is a perverted version, which the overwhelming majority of Muslims in Singapore do not subscribe to.

I also pointed out that our Muslim leaders are rational, and that the ultimate solution to extremist terrorism was to give moderate Muslims the courage to stand up and speak out against radicals who have hijacked Islam to recruit volunteers for their violent ends."

I would like to summarily explore the reactions of the immediate stakeholders to this situation and present my views on this issue.

We have Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Ms Hilary Clinton and Representative Charles Rangel who met to discuss various issues during the visit to Singapore in July 2005.

We also have the foreign office representatives from both the USA and Singapore who were present to take notes during the discussion

Finally, we have former Ambassador Frank Lavin who signed off the confidential cable.

In light of this incident, we might begin to see finger pointing at who purportedly said what and interpreted inaccurately.

Lee's clarification today has now thrown the ball into the American's court. They will shortly have to respond whether they agree with Lee or whether they stick to their guns. I foresee an interesting exchange between Clinton, Rangel and Lavin on what their response should be.

To cut the long story short, this cable was meant to be confidential and not made available for public viewing. It would be in the Americans' interest to respond by saying that they are not against Islam and that this was a misinterpretation on Ambassador Lavin's part, thus making him the fall guy.

But the question still remains - did Lee use the 'V' word or allude to it during their conversation?

Many would argue that since Lee recently commented in his book "Lee Kuan Yew: Hard truths to keep Singapore going" that the Malay-Muslim community is 'distinct and separate', where there is smoke, there has to be fire - and so Lee would have to be anti-Islam.

I was not privy to the conversation between Lee, Clinton and Rangel, buy my very uneducated gut feel says that Lee did not do such a thing.

Why not?

Too much to lose
Having built Singapore from nothing to a first world nation, it would be terribly uncharacteristic of Lee to speak against something he feels strongly for - racial and religious harmony. Singapore is surrounded by countries that have Islam as their state religion. It would not be in Lee's interest to make the alleged statement.

Walls have ears
In diplomatic circles (so I am aware), despite 'so-called' confidential 'off-the-record' conversations, people know that what they say can (or do not say) can come biting them in the behind. Home Team officers are trained to guard against saying more than they should during contact with their foreign counterparts.

To avoid being leveraged against by the Americans
If Lee did make such a statement, the Americans could easily use it to instigate neighbouring Islamic countries against Singapore and thus pressure Singapore to gain concessions for future negotiations. While it is in the Americans' interest to support Singapore in the region, the Americans have a close working relationship with Malaysia and Indonesia. Both are moderate Islamic countries and work intimately with the Americans in the fight against terrorism. One might think that such a situation is far fetched. To this, I say that one must not be naive. Such, can be the dark side of global politics.

I have worked for a Muslim boss, with Muslim colleagues, managed Muslim staff and taught Muslim students. I have had pleasant experiences working with them and some of my Muslim students are the brightest in their cohort.

I also do not believe that Lee used the 'V' word or alluded to it in the context of Islam.

As the reader, you have a right to disagree with my opinions and conclusions. However, one thing we must agree on is that we do not condemn any religion, especially those observed by Singaporeans.

Losing yourself in the pursuit of life

2011-06-01T14:38:00.003+08:00

image from trutheran.blogspot.com

By David Brooks

Over the past few weeks, America’s colleges have sent another class of graduates off into the world. These graduates possess something of inestimable value. Nearly every sensible middle-aged person would give away all their money to be able to go back to age 22 and begin adulthood anew.

But, especially this year, one is conscious of the many ways in which this year’s graduating class has been ill served by their elders. They enter a bad job market, the hangover from decades of excessive borrowing. They inherit a ruinous federal debt.

More important, their lives have been perversely structured. This year’s graduates are members of the most supervised generation in American history. Through their childhoods and teenage years, they have been monitored, tutored, coached and honed to an unprecedented degree.

Yet upon graduation they will enter a world that is unprecedentedly wide open and unstructured. Most of them will not quickly get married, buy a home and have kids, as previous generations did. Instead, they will confront amazingly diverse job markets, social landscapes and lifestyle niches. Most will spend a decade wandering from job to job and clique to clique, searching for a role.

No one would design a system of extreme supervision to prepare people for a decade of extreme openness. But this is exactly what has emerged in modern America. College students are raised in an environment that demands one set of navigational skills, and they are then cast out into a different environment requiring a different set of skills, which they have to figure out on their own.

Worst of all, they are sent off into this world with the whole baby-boomer theology ringing in their ears. If you sample some of the commencement addresses being broadcast on C-Span these days, you see that many graduates are told to: Follow your passion, chart your own course, march to the beat of your own drummer, follow your dreams and find yourself. This is the litany of expressive individualism, which is still the dominant note in American culture.

But, of course, this mantra misleads on nearly every front.

College grads are often sent out into the world amid rapturous talk of limitless possibilities. But this talk is of no help to the central business of adulthood, finding serious things to tie yourself down to. The successful young adult is beginning to make sacred commitments — to a spouse, a community and calling — yet mostly hears about freedom and autonomy.

Today’s graduates are also told to find their passion and then pursue their dreams. The implication is that they should find themselves first and then go off and live their quest. But, of course, very few people at age 22 or 24 can take an inward journey and come out having discovered a developed self.

Most successful young people don’t look inside and then plan a life. They look outside and find a problem, which summons their life. A relative suffers from Alzheimer’s and a young woman feels called to help cure that disease. A young man works under a miserable boss and must develop management skills so his department can function. Another young woman finds herself confronted by an opportunity she never thought of in a job category she never imagined. This wasn’t in her plans, but this is where she can make her contribution.

Most people don’t form a self and then lead a life. They are called by a problem, and the self is constructed gradually by their calling.

The graduates are also told to pursue happiness and joy. But, of course, when you read a biography of someone you admire, it’s rarely the things that made them happy that compel your admiration. It’s the things they did to court unhappiness — the things they did that were arduous and miserable, which sometimes cost them friends and aroused hatred. It’s excellence, not happiness, that we admire most.

Finally, graduates are told to be independent-minded and to express their inner spirit. But, of course, doing your job well often means suppressing yourself. As Atul Gawande mentioned during his countercultural address last week at Harvard Medical School, being a good doctor often means being part of a team, following the rules of an institution, going down a regimented checklist.

Today’s grads enter a cultural climate that preaches the self as the center of a life. But, of course, as they age, they’ll discover that the tasks of a life are at the center. Fulfillment is a byproduct of how people engage their tasks, and can’t be pursued directly. Most of us are egotistical and most are self-concerned most of the time, but it’s nonetheless true that life comes to a point only in those moments when the self dissolves into some task. The purpose in life is not to find yourself. It’s to lose yourself.

source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/31/opinion/31brooks.html?_r=1&hp

Leaders: Born or Made?

2011-05-31T15:48:00.006+08:00

image from http://gunningforthetruth.wordpress.com

Recently, founding father of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, was asked by a group of Japanese officials and businessmen about his views on leadership. He relates his experience with sheepdogs in Australia and how they are chosen based on certain traits that they are born with. To get a good sheepdog, one needs to find the 'right dog'.

This view is not uncommon. In the 1940s to the 1950s, management gurus proposed the idea that leaders were born and not made. This view is known as the Trait Theory of Leadership. Most of us in this day and age have probably heard others mention that leaders can be 'made'. This might fall under the Behavioural Theory of Leadership. What this means is that researchers study the successful habits of leaders, past and present, compile them into bite sizes and then pass on the knowledge to those keen on being a good leader. This theory proposes that with observation and practice, anyone can become a good leader.

If one believes in Trait Theory, then there will be no need for trainers and academics helping people to be better leaders. Instead, psychologists and behavioural scientists would create a host of tests to help affirm that you have good leadership genes. This does not bode well for business schools and leadership consultants, does it?

If one believes in the Behavioural Theory, then the reverse is true. Business schools and leadership consultants will do very well, not psychologists and behavioural scientists.

I do believe that despite motivation and proper training, some catch on rather quickly, while others find it hard to put into practice. The question is this --- why then do some find it easier to learn while others struggle at the application stage? Why are some better leaders than others? Why are some better employees than others?

In the latest HRM magazine (Issue 116), page 10 attracted my attention. The title was 'Grooming average Joes'. The magazine interviewed 3 senior managers on how a leader should bring out the potential in an employee displaying average performance. 2 out of the 3 believed that 'no employee is average'.

Let me weigh in on this.

If 'no employee is average', then why do we have some staff who are more efficient and others who are 'simply useless'? The general argument is that the 'useless employees' are not fulfilling their potential, thus the dip in their performance. The solution? Leaders should, in the words of one of the senior managers, 'Marshall and Motivate'.

But my question is this --- assuming all things being equal, what if a person's maximum potential is a 5/10, and his colleague's is 8/10? I propose that this is not far fetched. Instead, unpopular as it may be, this is reality. Very simply, I believe that some people make better leaders and better employees than others. One might think that I am stating the obvious, but if you believe that there are 'no average employees', what you are saying is that with enough motivation, everyone has an equal chance of being promoted and becoming a good leader.

Believing that there are 'no employees are average' may also lead to unrealistic expectations. If you do not recognise that different employees have different levels of potential, you are likely to unfairly blame an employee should he or she not meet your expectations. On the flip side, the employee might unfairly blame the leader for not doing enough to unveil his or her potential.

When a colleague is observed to be consistently delivering sub-par work, one should ask whether the colleague has already achieved his or her potential in the presence of motivation and support. If the answer is a firm 'Yes', then you will have to decide whether your organization should continue keeping this person. However, if the colleague has shown sparks of good work and added value occasionally, but is inconsistent, then we can probably say that his or her potential has not been achieved.

We are all born different, talented in a variety of ways. Politically correct as it may be, it would be a terrible thing to assume that we are all mold-able to a desired end.

Paul Lim is an adjunct faculty member with the Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources (OBHR) discipline at the Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University; an Academic Associate and an Adjunct Associate with the Centre of Innovation & Enterprise, Republic Polytechnic, Singapore. He teaches courses in Leadership, Organisational Behaviour and Cross Generational Management. A doctoral student with French business school - Grenoble Ecole de Management, he is currently writing his dissertation on the impact of mentoring on employee retention in millennials (Generation Y).

Maid's body found in HDB water tank --- looking beyond the tragedy

2011-05-17T17:48:00.004+08:00

SINGAPORE - Housing Board flat dwellers of Black 686B Woodlands Drive woke up to some rather unique water quality on the morning of 16 May 2011. Residents claimed that the water coming out of their taps looked 'slightly yellowish and appeared unnaturally foamy'. At least four complaints were made to the respective town council about the issue. Efficiently, the water supply was subsequently turned off at 11am and 'maintenance work' was done to rectify the problem.

However, for the residents of Block 686B, their day would soon turn their stomachs upside down.

Police received a call at about 10am from a maintenance crew, informing them about a dead body floating in the 2m deep water tank. The woman, identified as a domestic worker who worked for the family on the sixth floor of the same block, was clad in bermudas and a T-shirt. Some cuts were suggested to have been observed on her back.

A resident, when interviewed in the wake of the grisly discovery, commented this way,"This so disgusting. My whole family finished a big pot of green bean soup I cooked this morning."

This incident is certain to be the talk of the town in the coming days as more information about this case is revealed. However, two issues have to be addressed as a result of this tragic episode.

Terrorism: Poisoning the water supply
This incident certainly raises questions about the safety of water supply to the more than 85% of Singaporeans who live in HDB flats. Maintenance workers who maintain the cleanliness and serviceability of HDB facilities belong to private contractors hired by the respective town councils. A substantial number of these workers hail from South Asian countries and have been observed to be industrious in their work. However, geopolitical considerations need to be taken into account as South Asia is not unknown to be sympathetic to radical elements. A scenario whereby a maintenance crew member deliberately adds poison to the water tanks of a cluster of flats under his care is something not unimaginable. I am glad that certain security agencies in our country proactively embed individuals into certain sites to test the potential damage that could be carried out by radicals. It is in recent memory that Singaporeans recall the breach of a MRT train depot by a couple of graffiti artists. This breach raised pertinent questions about the security infrastructure and systems at MRT depots and improvements have been made since. In light of this recent abuse of a public facility, it is important for the HDB and the Ministry of Home Affairs to review current security clearance measures when hiring these workers.

Crisis Communication
At 12.30pm, residents received town council notices informing them about the 'maintenance works' that was in progress. Such notices are typically pasted at lift landings on the ground floor.

When interviewed by the local media about the lack of information and communication efforts made to affected residents, general manager of the affected town council, Mr Soon Min Sin, responded,"Our priority was to protect the residents and cut off the water supply for their safety...once the investigation is concluded, we will let the residents know."

Crisis communication is vital for many reasons:

1. To minimize the spread of inaccurate information and speculation

2. To avoid a situation of panic that may result in irrational decisions made by members of the public eg. When the Japanese radiation leak from Fukushima was said to be heading towards China, members of the public started hording salt in the hope of countering radiation sickness and to hedge against the rise of future salt prices.

3. To instil confidence in the public that the situation is under control

There are areas in Mr Soon's statement that could be further clarified.

1. If cutting off the water supply is for 'their (the residents') safety', are we to imply that residents whom might have earlier consumed the tainted water are in an 'unsafe' position? If so, what can be done to make your position 'safe'?

2. It is prudent to omit certain details (for the moment) that are deemed as 'too sensitive'. However, a dearth of information gives members of the public a perception that authorities in charge of the situation are hiding something, or worse, clueless as to how to approach the situation

3. Timeliness of releasing information is an important point to note. If residents are to only be given access to information 'once the investigation is concluded' --- which might mean a few months, it is not unexpected that uncertainty will sweep over residents. Affected residents might trawl the internet to fill the information void. This could lead to the spreading of misinformation about the case, the town council managers or in a worse case scenario --- the involved government agencies.

Yesterday's story was a tragic case of a person losing her life in a foreign country. From this tragedy, the various reactions of the affected residents are highly valid. At times though, it could be bizarrely seen as comical, especially in the absence of information communicated to them by the relevant authorities.

Of greater importance is the future safety of the water supply at HDB flats. The irony of this case might end up as such: the untimely death of a domestic helper will help rectify security lapses, resulting in the saving of more than 4 million Singapore residents' lives.

Sources: Straits Times, US State Department

Paul Lim is an adjunct faculty member with the Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources (OBHR) discipline at the Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University; an Academic Associate and an Adjunct Associate with the Centre of Innovation & Enterprise, Republic Polytechnic, Singapore. He teaches courses in Leadership, Organisational Behaviour and Cross Generational Management. A doctoral student with French business school - Grenoble Ecole de Management, he is currently writing his dissertation on the effects of peer mentoring on employee retention in the millennial generation (Gen Y). This article is based on the writer's personal opinion and is not representative of any organisation or persons he may be associated with.

Why the 'Cooling-off Day' might backfire on the PAP

2011-04-30T14:29:00.006+08:00

image from http://sgsharemarket.com/home/2011/04/nomination-day-is-on-april-27/

SINGAPORE - This year's Singapore General Elections will see a new campaigning rule being put in place. A 'Cooling-off Day' will come into effect 24 hours before polling day, creating a 'campaign silence period' where no campaigning activities will be allowed for all parties.

The rules are further detailed on the Singapore Elections Department website:

Cooling-off Day The eve of Polling Day is designated as Cooling-off Day, a day when election campaigning is prohibited. This 24-hour campaign silence period is to give voters some time to reflect rationally on issues raised during the election before going to the polls. There are some exceptions to the prohibition of campaign activities on Cooling-off Day:

Party political broadcasts on television;
Reports in the newspapers, on radio and television relating to election matters;
Approved posters and banners that were already up, and lawful Internet advertising that was already published before the eve of Polling Day;
Books previously scheduled for publication;
The transmission of personal political views by individuals to other individuals, on a non-commercial basis, using the Internet, telephone or electronic means; and
Such activities or circumstances as may be prescribed by the Minister.

The above exception list, other than party political broadcast, also applies to Polling Day.
(http://www.elections.gov.sg/elections_parliamentary.html)

Prime Minster Lee Hsien Loong gave the reasons for this new ruling:

Mr Lee said: “I think 24 hours after the last excitement of the election campaign period, the rallies, the door-to-door campaigning, the adrenaline flowing, the clash in the mass media as well as in person, perambulating vans blaring away loud speakers, it’s good to have 24 hours to just calm down, think about it – tomorrow we vote.”

He added that having a cooling-off period will also lessen the risk of public disorder.

“Previously, once in a while, we have had pushing and shoving at election rallies as the crowd gets worked up and doesn’t disperse, but the main thing is to have time for people to think over the issues and to vote in a calm state of mind,” he said.

Mr Lee was asked how this additional 24-hour cooling-off period would apply to the online world of networking and video-sharing sites.

“On the Internet, it’s grey and also the policing is not so straight-forward but even then, in principle we should say today is a quiet day. I cannot control several million videos on youtube but your website, what you’re putting up in your own name, I think that should end the day before the cooling-off day,” he said.

Countries that have imposed a similar period of campaign silence include Australia and Indonesia.

Australia has a three-day black-out of election advertising and Indonesia has a three-day cooling-off before Legislative Elections and a two-day cooling-off before the Presidential election.

(http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1021648/1/.html)

In my previous post, I remarked that such an act would be akin to clutching at straws, a last ditch effort to help the ruling party 'win back' some voters who might have been perceived as emotionally swayed at the highly charged rallies organised by the PAP's counterparts in the opposition.

The theory goes something like this --- on the eve of polling day, you attend a highly charged rally organised by an opposition party. It is the day before the General Elections. The candidates are fired up and they want to set you alive with the their closing statements. You return home all pumped up, go to bed and awake the next morning (probably still pumped up) to vote in favour of the opposition.

At the first rally held by the WP in 2011, it was estimated that up to 20,000 people attended the event held at Hougang. My take is that the open fields have already reached its maximum capacity, and any change in attendees would be negligible.

Assuming that 5 separate rallies held by the different opposition parties were to take place on the final day of campaigning, it is estimated that a maximum of 100,000 people will be reached with speeches that are non-aligned with that of the ruling party's.

These rallies are taped by the respective parties and then uploaded onto their organisation websites or youtube, usually on the following day for public viewing.

However, by imposing a Cooling-off Day in order potentially win back these 100,000 rally participants, the PAP might inadvertently be giving the opposition the upper hand.

Rallies are only allowed to be be held up to 2200hrs (10pm). Subsequently, the parties might take some time to edit what was taped and then upload the footage either later that night or on the following day. Final day rallies are vital as candidates deliver their most crucial arguments and seek to end on a high note.

Given the new Cooling-off Day ruling, it is certain that all parties will scramble to upload their latest video footage as soon as possible in order to meet the deadline (this does not apply to personal blogs, personal facebook or twitter accounts). Doing so would give the public one full day to view what took place at the previous night's rally.

Now, if the Cooling-off Day ruling was not imposed, rallies and campaigning would have gone right up to the wire --- 10pm on a Friday. Parties would also rush to put their rally footage on the internet. The public would then only be able to view the recorded footage, but only on polling day itself. However, given that voters are eager to cast their vote and that many would like to beat the queue on polling day, many would want to cast their votes early, resulting in many not being able to review all of the previous night's events and speeches. Thus, the reach and the potential impact of the most recently uploaded rally videos would be relatively limited. Such a situation would favour parties who are able to organise highly charged rallies and send their 100,000 rally attendants to vote on a 'high' in just less than 24hrs post rally.

Perhaps, this was what the ruling party saw coming, leading them to impose a Cooling-off Day.

However, by imposing a Cooling-off Day, the public would be able to get a full day to view all of the previous evening's footage by all the different parties. Popular and relevant speeches (identified by passionate supporters of the opposition parties) would be 'pushed' or forwarded to friends via facebook, twitter and email. Voters will be hungry for last minute bits of information, trawling the internet and keeping their Facebook news feeds current. It would thus be very likely that exponentially more than the 100,000 rally participants would be eyeballing the videos --- videos that are likely to be 'pushed' by passionate supporters of the opposition parties. Instead of 'stabilising' the minds of the 100,000 rally participants, the Cooling-off Day may just do the opposite and expand the videos' reach to more people, convincing them to align with the opposition parties instead.

The Cooling-off Day might have worked in the absence of social media. PM Lee was also asked to comment on the impact of the internet on the Cooling-off Day (see above) and he acknowledged that it is something hard to police.

It is unknown if such a proposed angle was considered before the rule was imposed. That said, only time will tell if a strategically crafted move would turn out to be critically successful or a tactical failure.

Paul Lim is an adjunct faculty member with the Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources (OBHR) discipline at the Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University; an Academic Associate and an Adjunct Associate with the Centre of Innovation & Enterprise, Republic Polytechnic, Singapore. He teaches courses in Leadership, Organisational Behaviour and Cross Generational Management at the above institutions. A doctoral student with French business school - Grenoble Ecole de Management, he is currently writing his dissertation on the effects of peer mentoring on employee retention in the millennial generation (Gen Y). This article is based on the writer's personal opinion and is not representative of any organisation or persons he may be associated with.

Singapore goes to the polls...and my view?

2011-04-21T23:23:00.004+08:00

picture from facebook Singapore General Election 2011's Notes

Ah, I guess this post had to come sooner or later, and some of you might also like to know where I stand on things.

Many of you probably have an idea of who you are going to vote for or if I could phrase it in another way --- vote against.

The ruling party, People's Action Party (PAP), has been in power since 1959 (the PAP I am referring to is the one in Singapore, not the ones in Ghana, PNG, Romania or Vietnam). That, I must say, is a very long time.

So, am I pro-PAP or pro-opposition?

Not so fast, people. You see, this is a very difficult question to answer.

I am grateful to the PAP for how they have brought Singapore to where we are currently in the areas of religious harmony, physical infrastructure, safety and defence. In education, despite all the discontentment with the system, we have a largely literate and educated population. In the area of public housing, it is not a perfect system, but when you compare with global cities of similar standing, we are probably one of the best in the world. Trust me, I have seen first hand, public housing projects the world over.

Personal taxes are low and are going to be even lower come 2012. We have no natural water source and so we drink recycled water --- but it is safe and we can drink in confidence knowing that we have a constant supply of drinkable water (can't say so much of the smell of late...smelled of fish the last time I bathed).

We often take our public transport system for granted. Highly efficient and clean, getting connected to all parts of the island is rather seamless, although things can get rather crowded during the rush hours. But really, have you been to Guangzhou, Shanghai or Tokyo? You will know the horrors one faces when attempting to take the trains --- read as 'be prepared to get squashed, molested, etc'.

We have access to all kinds of foods in the world at our doorstep at relatively affordable prices. Some of you do not know this --- but the government stockpiles 3 to 4 times the rice that every supplier sells to the retailers in secret warehouses all over the island. This keeps the price of certain staples low and also acts as a buffer in times of crisis.

Being paranoid at every kind of crisis that might hit Singapore, the government has pretty much done scenario planning for all kinds of eventualities, save a nation wide alien abduction...where, I might just stand corrected.

But like every government the world over, the ruling party is not perfect.

A United Nations Development Programme report of developed countries ranked Singapore second, just behind Hong Kong in income inequality (http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1110326/1/.html). This presents an extremely challenging picture to those who are at the very bottom of the income spectrum, which in turn affects those who are the most innocent of the lot --- the children of low income families.

Political freedom is controlled in this country. The media is censored in the interest of national security. Political rivals deemed a 'threat to harmony' in the past have been dealt with effectively such that you would either be poor or have to be self-exiled. If you study Hofstede's research into Individualism vs Collectivism, Singaporeans have always been preached to about the greater good for the rest of society --- thus, we are collectivist as a result of the government. Fear of Singapore running into anarchy is a sufficient enough reason for baby boomers who have vivid recollections of Singapore during the times of racial riots.

Cars are a luxury item in Singapore. The price of a Toyota Altis in Singapore will get you the equivalent of a couple of brand new beemers on a 27 month lease in the US. Which reminds me, that we have to pay multiple types of tolls for use of roads in order to alleviate congestion. We pay tolls not to recoup the cost of building the roads. We pay tolls so that we can attain the right to use the roads. The amounts are relatively small in themselves, but when accumulated over time, it can get rather costly (think US$10 for a daily trip to and from the office during the rush hour period).

The price of housing has risen rather ridiculously in tandem with inflation, buyer demand and worsening land scarcity. While this phenomenon is not new to other cities in the world, the price of public housing in Singapore is pegged to land prices as determined by market forces --- not a good thing for couples who want to start a life together. As such, marriages are delayed in lieu of sufficient funds to put for a down payment for their first home. Systemic problems are created as a result of this trend --- relationships between couples are strained as a result of the pressure to speed up the putting of the down payment and might lead to a called off wedding; couples would get married later and lead to couples having difficulty in conceiving, which leads to an overall expected Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 1.11 in 2011 (CIA world fact book). This puts us at 3rd from the bottom of 223 countries with Hong Kong and Macau being worse off than us.

Which leads me to the next issue: foreign immigrants.

As a result of such a low TFR, foreign immigrants are needed to replace the shortfall in babies. However, rumblings from the ground show that citizens are highly dissatisfied with the influx of foreigners who allegedly 'raise the price of our flats, threaten our jobs, stress out our children with their fantastic grades and steal our husbands'. Of course, it is not all that bleak and I have good friends of all nationalities. Heck --- I have even helped them settle into Singapore! But these feelings of resentment are not trivial and it will be a major issue during these elections.

Hmm...

To make things more dicey for the ruling party, thousands of Gen Y voters will be voting for the first time. They do not care for proven track record and your experience (that's actually part of my doctoral research). They want good answers to their questions and have no qualms about voting for the opposition in the spirit of 'trying something new'. They are definitely not politically apathetic and do care a lot for what happens to themselves and the society at large.

Another weak area of the ruling party --- clear, transparent communication. In the past, the mainstream media could be censored. Not the internet though...ok, so with the exception of a few token 'banned sites' such as Playboy. With the internet, it is terribly difficult to censor blogs, tweets and your facebook status. I appreciate the many good policies that the PAP has implemented, but by having a history of clamming up or limiting the debate on tough issues, it has done itself a disfavour by not providing people with clear, transparent communication --- leading to suspicion and misunderstood perceptions.

And so, where do I stand?

The PAP has done a great job in the past. Will it be relevant in the future? A balanced government also needs the presence of good quality opposing voices in order to keep the ruling powers in check. This is good for the people, but it can also be a hindrance to the decision making turnaround time --- something the PAP has been used to as it is a very powerful competitive advantage for Singapore in such a fast moving world.

I am certain that the PAP's top brass know that these elections will be a humbling one for them. In what I see as a desperate attempt to clutch at straws, a cooling off day has been imposed on the day before the elections, where no political party is allowed to campaign. This is to give people time to think things over carefully before making their vote on polling day --- to be read as 'please don't be swayed by the good quality of candidates in the opposition, look at our track record and continue to vote for us'.

Will I vote in favour of a certain party? I am afraid that is not my main concern. Parties have both good and bad candidates. I will vote for the candidates whom I think will best serve my area's needs. It may be the PAP or it may be the opposition. But I will have to make a concerted effort to find out, process and decide.

For you out there, the Singaporean, you need to vote. Get out there and make a decision. You could choose the PAP, the opposition or spoil your vote. But that is your choice and you need to contribute to the future of our nation, so please vote wisely.

And yeah, these opinions are purely my own and do not reflect that of any organization or persons that I am associated with *wink*

Entering the new year 2011

2011-01-31T23:46:00.003+08:00

What a year it has been.

Despite the ups and downs, I am glad that we are here, now.

As for me, insights into the land of China greeted me even before the advent of 2011. And unlike many of my friends, I actually have come to embrace China in a rather unexpected way. I am well aware of the presence of China's hardware and its software that is going through a 'Work-in-Progress'. But instead of rejecting them, why not do the opposite?

You see, as economies develop, so does the software in the people. It will take some time before the Chinese are exposed to the ways of western civilization. But in the meantime, perhaps it would do us well not to think of ourselves as superior folks. That said, certain anecdotes are rather amusing. For instance, watching this documentary on how an American entrepreneur started a gym in Beijing, he related that some ladies did not know what to do with the treadmill and started to walk on it --- in their heels.

A funny thing happened while I was walking with a good friend of mine, down a busy street in Shanghai. Unlike Tokyo's Kabuki-Cho area which is first, a red-light district, attracting tourists to its sights, this was not a sleazy place but a street where tourists frequent for shopping.

I quipped that he needed a woman in his life. As if on cue, a lady pimp approached my friend and touted the services of 'pretty maidens who would be at his beck and call'.

The timing was so uncanny, I threw back my head and laughed!

We met 2 more male pimps on the way before my friend decided to put away the temptations of the world and be tempted by another kind --- food!

We sat down in a cafe (try not to think of Starbucks...try wooden stools and marbled top tables that well aged in a musty shop) and on that cold winter's night in Shanghai, we had a piping hot bowl of Soy bean milk coupled with Fried dough fritters (豆浆油条). A separate bamboo basket of meat dumplings topped it off.

China - love it or loathe it, you will be impacted by it in some way or another.

Do not enter...you may be crucified?

2010-10-21T12:34:00.001+08:00

Hmm...don't quite know what to make out of this sign I saw in Florence, Italy.

A real blessing...

2010-09-26T09:48:00.003+08:00

To be able to spend time away from the daily grind of work and take time to enjoy a respite with family is certainly one of the greatest blessings one can have in this time starved world we live in.

Well, 3 weeks into our family's extended break, I certainly am feeling blessed, cherishing the opportunity to have this (probably) once in a life time chance to spend so much quality time with family in beautiful locations.

We spent sometime on the west coast of California and I will be heading over to France next week for the school orientation workshops. That will be followed by a quick pop into Bologna and then back to Los Angeles before we make a stop in Tokyo en route to Singapore.

California is really different than the eastern part of the US where I was more familiar with. I shan't go into the details, lest I create a cyberspace war between those living on Eastern standard time and Pacific standard time, *grin*, but regardless of the number of times I return to this country, I am forever perplexed by its numerous anomalies.

For example, the United States remains the leading superpower in the world. This is regardless of China's rise. Geopolitically, militarily and economically, the US continues to hold strong clout over the world. Yet, many of its citizens do not have basic health care insurance. That means a visit to the doctor to confirm that you have a fever would set you back US$80, without medicine. (In Singapore, a visit to the doctor with medicine dispensed to you would set you back about $20 to $30 for the same ailment). And with the recent push for better health care, the majority of the American people are not looking forward to changes put in place to help get affordable health care. Perhaps it's the fear of change; perhaps it's because the peoples' huge mistrust in their President (Americans have an in-built mistrust for government). But sentiment is such that the people would rather fight against change and remain in the status quo. Someone once told me, "Perception is reality".

How true.

I recently asked my class whether they would rate the US as a conservative or liberal country. Not one of them rated the US as a conservative country. The reason? They cite Hollywood; high profile divorces and scandals; and the ability to own guns. Yet, the US remains relatively more conservative than most European countries, and perhaps, even some Asian countries. This is attributed to a strong Christian base in the country --- giving way to many politicians playing the religion card to sway voters. Recently, Katy Perry's performance with Elmo on Sesame Street was removed from TV because she was wearing an inappropriate piece of clothing --- a gold bustier.

Have you recently seen what clothes Barbie is wearing?

I am utterly confused.

As the US promotes its tenet in the right to freedom of speech and religion, you have the recent case of the inter faith religious centre uproar (it's actually not a mosque, folks). CBS recently asked one of its producers to dress up in the hijab (tudung) and the burqa (covers all of the body except the eyes) and walk in public at 3 locations --- New York City, Houston (Texas) and a suburb in New York state. The result was that the cosmopolitan areas did not even bat an eyelid. The same cannot be same for locations that are more homogeneous in ethnicity.

Another area that the US promotes aggressively is their fundamental belief in gender equality and equal opportunity. I recently had a chat with a knowledgeable person about the presidency of the US. We also talked about equal opportunity in the US. This person was basically saying that it would not be possible in the foreseeable future for the US to have a female Head of State, due to the old boys club. New Zealand, Germany, Finland, the UK and even Indonesia have shown the way in this aspect. The US?

We all know about the financial challenge facing households in the US. However, I also found out that fresh produce can be gotten for a fraction of what you pay in many countries, including Singapore! I could get a can of soup, 8 heads of corn, slippers, t-shirts and underwear for US$ 99cents each. A bag of about 20 to 30 oranges costs US$5. Compare that to the same price per orange in Tokyo! And yet, according to USA Today newspaper, almost a quarter of Americans are living below the poverty line (calculated as an annual household income of less than US$22,000 for a family of five). Of course, the household savings rate is hovering around 3%, up from 2+% in the boom years before the recession. It is so affordable to have a decent standard of living in this country. Yet, many are impoverished.

Well, this post is not a complaint, it is simply an observation of this country. Talk to The Wife --- she will simply wave her hand at me and run off to the Factory Outlet Malls.

Let's go jogging

2010-07-27T11:14:00.005+08:00

I completed my warm up jog around the track and began to pick up the pace.

The running track at Commonwealth served primarily as an exercise space for New Town Secondary School students. The track is also opened to the public, a wonderful thing at that. New Town Secondary School is no longer there but St Theresa's Convent has taken its place. Known for their field hockey prowess, the girls spend more time on the artificial turf within their school compound instead.

It was 6pm already. The track faces an MRT train station which was abuzz with people getting off work, heading home after a day at the office. The sun continued beating down on the growing number of joggers at the track. While Singapore does not have four seasons, we do experience more hours of sunlight during the Northern Hemisphere summer time.

Ten rounds, that's the aim. Ten rounds of 400m on a bitumen tar track. Jarring for the knees but it's my best bet given the amount of time I have to play with.

As I commenced my run, an Indian chap in a white tank top trots over from the side stairs and begins to run alongside me. It's not really a tank top he is wearing --- more like the sleeveless underwear one wears under a a business shirt. But I'm not fussed.

Genetically speaking, we Chinese can't jump, run or swim faster than our counterparts from other continents. And yes, while China churns out fantastic athletes, the vast majority of us are happy to be confined to recreational exercise...and the auditing of Profit and Loss sheets. And so, knowing my genetic position in the hierarchy of human physical abilities, I decided to slow down and let the Indian chap run on ahead.

He didn't.

Ok, so maybe there are some young strapping Indian chaps who are not so pre-disposed to running. Or maybe, he was being courteous.

I decided to pick up the pace.

So did Indian chap.

I slowed down to let him run on ahead.

He slowed down too.

Hmm...

Ok, I have tried my best to accommodate him. Since he is not picking up my signals, I'll just run on ahead.

First round.

Second round.

Third round.

Hey! Indian chap is still pacing me just half a stride beside me!

You know the feeling when someone is running beside you? You can't see him but you know he is there? How would you feel? I don't know about you, but it's as if someone was breathing down my neck, and it's not fun.

Now my feelers are scanning for possible reasons as to why he is tailing me so closely.

Maybe he is lonely; maybe he likes my scent (yuck!); maybe he is gay and wants to hit on me (happened to me once...you can never be too sure); maybe he wants to pick my pocket; maybe...

I try to lose him on the 4th round. I pick up my pace and decided to apply full-on Chi Running and steamed on ahead.

Round 5, and he was still there.

As we entered the bend to complete the fifth round, I had concluded that this chap probably just wants company on his run. Oh well, so be it.

As we entered the sixth round, I hear him panting heavily and gasping slightly for breath. That was when he turned to me and said,"How many more rounds to go?"

I could not suppress my grin as I turned to him, running stride still in motion.

"Four more to go," I replied in a half pant,"What's your name?"

"Rizal."

I reached out my hand,"I'm Paul, pleased to meet you."

He flashed his pearly whites, offered me his sweaty palm and we shook.

"I will finish the same number of rounds as you," Rizal quipped.

I offered,"All right, let me then slow down the pace for the rest of our run."

Though he did not say it, I could feel the sense of relief wash over Rizal.

And that's how two strangers jogging on a public track spent the remaining four rounds --- chatting and jogging.

Rizal is from Malaysia and he works at a hotel in Singapore as a Receptionist. He is going to take part in an Inter-Hotel Track & Field meet this weekend. Today's run was meant to be a training session with some colleagues. Since they were late, he decided to pick the first person he saw on the track and pace him --- that would be me.

As we completed our run, we bade each other goodbye and walked away in separate directions. I wonder what he was thinking as he walked away. Was he glad that we could run together albeit over such a short distance? Was he thinking about how to train for this weekend's race?

I guess I'll never know. But I sure was glad that he wasn't trying to ask me out on a romantic date.

Choices in life

2010-06-08T16:14:00.010+08:00

I've taken a hiatus from updating my blog of late, largely due to my teaching schedule.

Having spent some time in the corporate world, the contrast between that and a teacher's life is quite substantial. That said, specific occupational rigours are expected whether you are a corporate man or a teacher. For example, corporate life can be quite intense during the different cycles in a work year. But once I got used to it, I was energized! When teaching, I underestimated the energy required to conduct public speaking and to explain challenging concepts on the fly. And although contact hours are much less than the time spent at a corporate job, I somehow crash after every lecture and facilitation session.

It is commonly circulated amongst the corporate folk that those in academia tend to be 'out-of-touch' from the 'real world'. There is some truth to this statement, but try and figure out this anecdote --- most patients who get admitted into the Institute of Mental Health are teachers. A friend of mine who happens to be a psychologist at the aforementioned facility could not comment on absolute figures, but concurred that the anecdote is not 'too far from the truth'.

Hmm...

But yes, given that I have a little time now, it is only decent that I update my blog and once again, to all those who are actually reading this entry, an appreciative thank you to you --- but don't you have better things to do?

LOL!

I am blessed to have been able to complete my Masters program last November. Nope, I don't feel any smarter or wiser. In fact, the more I learn, the more I don't know. Someone once insinuated that the reason for his studying an MBA was to obtain a higher level of intelligence. I never knew he wanted to be an alien.

But yes, having made the switch from being a corporate man to becoming an educator, I can say with all my heart that I am loving every minute of it! The past 3 years have also confirmed my calling in life. And thus, the plan to study even more hatched sometime late last year. Yes, this former school dropout applied to doctorate programs earlier this year --- and got accepted into both schools.

*background refrain of obama-esque shouts echoing 'Yes, we can!'*

I thank God for life's journey so far. There was a time that I used to ridicule doctorate students as having irreversible brain trauma. Looks like they are having the last laugh now as I go over to the dark side. One program was based in Spokane, Washington. (Now where the heck is that?) Another is a French program based in China. Yes, the fella who failed his Chinese exam at high school level in Singapore got accepted into a doctoral program in China. Rest assured, the program is conducted in English but the telephone interview was conducted in both English and Mandarin. I guess the professor probably admitted me because he felt that my Mandarin language skills make for good comic relief amongst my mainland Chinese classmates.

*Grin*

When the time came to make a decision on which offer to accept, a thousand and one things ran through my mind. Are we good on the financial situation? Must we sell the car? How about Junior's education? The Wife's job? Where will our new domestic helper go? But the time came and the choice was quite clear.

It helps that both programs allow for me to commute to class over the 4-5 years course duration, but I guess the clincher really boiled down to an issue of how relevant the institution was at a global level. The fact that classes are held in China is a plus point for me. This prodigal son of Hainan Island (China) has never stepped onto the mainland soil yet (if you exclude Hong Kong). Perhaps, one might see me as a Sea Turtle (Hai Gui, a term to describe mainland Chinese who leave home for greener pastures in the West, but return to the mainland eventually), but I do think it is time. The decision making process involved thought, prayer, research, seeking out wisdom from the correct folks, lobbying and of course, waiting.

I am certain this will be a life changing decision, and I am looking forward to the journey ahead! And so all you folks out there, if you happen to be living in Grenoble (France) or Beijing/Guangzhou (China), I shall be knocking on your doors very soon! Come to think of it, I am doubtful I know anyone in these places...

New LG PRADA II mobile phone - $380 neg

2010-03-31T18:22:00.003+08:00

Beautiful LG PRADA II (Black) for sale.

Hardly used.

No problems with the phone.

Am selling to finance my wife's new IPhone.

Comes with full warranty. Date on Warranty Card is left empty.

Please contact Paul: 917 852 17

Man, that was fast!

2010-02-18T00:41:00.005+08:00

Man stole after casino losses

Feb 17, 2010

By Elena Chong

AN INDONESIAN man who lost all his money at the Resorts World Sentosa casino stole a mobile phone from an undergraduate at Changi Airport.

Paulus Djohar, 49, unemployed, was jailed for four weeks on Wednesday after pleading guilty to stealing a $500 phone from Ms Lim Tse Min at Terminal 1 on Tuesday.

A court heard that he came here from Malaysia last Tuesday with the intention of patronising the newly-opened casino at RWS. As he lost all his money gambling at the casino on Monday, the second day of its opening, he decided to steal from passengers at Changi Airport.

Early on Tuesday morning, Djohar was at the airport when he approached Ms Lim, who was with a group sending a friend off.

One of them in the group saw his suspicious movements and alerted Ms Lim, who discovered the phone gone from the side pocket of her backpack. She and the witness confronted Djohar.

Djohar, who said he regretted what he had done, could have been jailed for up to three years and/or fined.

www.straitstimes.com

This one's for you, my boy....

2010-01-12T22:43:00.005+08:00

Find Your Wings
Mark Harris

It's only for a moment you are mine to hold
The plans that heaven has for you
Will all too soon unfold
So many different prayers I'll pray
For all that you might do
But most of all I'll want to know
You're walking in the truth
And if I never told you
I want you to know
As I watch you grow

I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams
And that faith gives you the courage
To dare to do great things
I'm here for you whatever this life brings
So let my love give you roots
And help you find your wings

May passion be the wind
That leads you through your days
And may conviction keep you strong
Guide you on your way
May there be many moments
That make your life so sweet
Oh, but more than memories

I pray that God will fill your heart with dreams
And that faith gives you the courage
To dare to do great things
I'm here for you whatever this life brings
So let my love give you roots
And help you find your wings

It's not living if you don't reach for the sky
I'll have tears as you take off
But I'll cheer as you fly

I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams
And that faith gives you the courage
To dare to do great things
I'm here for you whatever this life brings
So let my love give you roots
And help you find your wings

A short respite...

2010-01-11T10:28:00.002+08:00

Entering the year 2010, it has indeed been a busy time for me so far.

Teaching assignments; the endless amounts of grading my students within a short timeline; conducting leadership training sessions; and heading off for 2 weeks of army reservist training. I foresee breathing space during the month of Ferbuary...I hope =)

Thankfully, today is a very much needed respite from my work and responsibilities. To give you an idea of how tight my back to back schedule is, I am only able to fit in certain appointments on the way from the toilet to the carpark --- talk as we walk. Arrive at the car, meeting over. Job done.

But yes, today, as part of the institution's performance indicators for its staff, I am required to sit in, observe and report on one of my colleagues in their presentation of the lesson. Such an exercise can be rather intimidating for both Observer and Observee. If you can imagine the potential level of blackmail that might take place, you will know what I mean. Thankfully, my colleague, J, is an easy going free spirit. She does a good job anyway, so it's a straightforward exercise for the both of us.

That means, I get a chance to breathe!

Actually, it sounds worse than it actually is. I remember the days in Advertising that left me with heart palpitations and breathlessness --- an exciting industry indeed. Not to mention high levels of stress! That was a different ball game altogther --- with the potential for many to burnout.

But the work I am doing now, though busy, I am actually quite enjoying it.

Still, a man needs to rest.

Rest has been understated, especially amongst the Generation X-ers and, especially Y-ers. We think that if our mind is able to push us to multi-task between office work, family responsibilities and fitness training for that triathlon coming up next month. But the reality is this --- our mind can make us achieve heights physically we are not able to attain, but only for a limited period only. Everything comes at a cost, and while you have achieved a greater height, the toll on your body can be irreversible.

It could even kill you.

I have friends and acquaintances who hold top positions in their corporations. They work till late and then go for late night jogs, swims (think 12am). They sleep at 2am and then get up at 6am. They are quite proud of their ability to balance such a lifestyle.

I shudder.

Research has proven that with little sleep, people die earlier; are not able to concentrate for long periods; and are prone to make wrong decisions.

To be fair, I was one of these individuals who thought that nothing could stand in my way. But I have learnt my lesson, and I have to make time to rest.

Yes, one has to make time to rest, especially if you are the go-getter type of person.

And so, on this day of respite, I have planned to visit the mall nearby to get a pair of tennis shoes (so that I can keep the tennis date planned in February). I will also head to the gym for a short run and pump some iron. And then there is more grading for tonight.

Hmm...I've learnt my lesson, eh?

Awww...

2009-12-21T23:47:00.004+08:00

I attended the Lea Salonga concert with the wife last week.

Ok, I admit that I was dragged there by the wife. I mean, I like Lea Salonga, but I did not really think much of going. My living room couch was beckoning me towards itself irresistibly. But since I loved the Wife, I relented.

And I did not regret. What a lovely voice this lass has...and at a live performance too!

Here's one of our favourite songs. After she sang this song, you could hear half the concert hall blowing their noses with tissue. Ladies mostly, I think. It was dark, you see.

The title of the song is called 'Two Words'. It was written by 2 of her closest friends for her to sing to her husband at the altar. Watch the video of her sing to her husband and you would see him just melt in a helpless heap.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji3bEFoBYtA&feature=related

*Sob*

So sweet...how come my wife never sang to me like that???!!!!

All I want for X'mas....

2009-12-21T21:21:00.003+08:00

Nice to have...but I guess it'll have to be put on hold for now =)

Thatcher the former Prime Minister or...?

2009-11-13T09:06:00.002+08:00

Stories like that just make my day! LOL!

OTTAWA - 'THATCHER has died,' read the short text message that kicked off a brief diplomatic flurry among members of Canada's parliament and their advisers at a black tie dinner this week, said local media on Thursday.

Upon learning the 'news' via mobile or Blackberry at a soiree honouring Canadian military families on Tuesday, some 2,000 shocked Conservatives, said to revere the Iron Lady of British politics, and their advisers reportedly huddled to discuss a reaction.

The prime minister's office called Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street to confirm that Margaret Thatcher had indeed passed away - baffling British officials, CanWest News Service said.

It turned out the message was sent by Canadian Transport Minister John Baird from his home in Toronto to a person at the gala dinner to say his beloved 16-year-old grey tabby cat, named for Margaret Thatcher, 84, had died.

The recipient then forwarded it to others.

A spokesman for Prime Minister Stephen Harper's office was not immediately available for comment. -- AFP

Becoming civilized?

2009-09-25T12:22:00.004+08:00

Here I am, at my father-in-law's laptop, in the Los Angeles suburb of Arcadia.

(punch in 'Arcadia, CA' at http://maps.google.com/ to see where I am at)

I had just returned from Las Vegas yesterday. The 'City of Sin' is just under an hour's plane ride away from Ontario airport in California. The Wife's parents had so kindly bought us a 3 day 2 night stay at the Venetian, and 2-way return air tickets there of course.

(http://www.venetian.com/)

I had been to Las Vegas when I was really young. Not much recollection of it. But this time, I sought to observe and try to discern between Hollywood glamour (that we see so often on TV shows like 'Las Vegas' and 'CSI: Las Vegas') and reality.

Not too long ago, when the Singapore government gave the go ahead to create not one, but two casinos (politically correct term is 'Integrated Resorts' or IR), many political observers applauded the government for being 'mature' and 'moving towards civility'. Singapore is known in the West as a 'nanny state' --- for banning the sale of chewing gum; for caning Michael Fay...the list goes on. So, having the creation of not one, but two casinos, shows that 'the government has faith in its people and recognizing that a civilized society allows a freedom of choice and expression' --- even when it comes to gambling.

What should we expect in Singapore when the IRs open? Entertainment? Fun? Vibrancy?

Or will it be crime? Sleaze? Addiction?

Personally, I sympathize with the government. It's not something they would have liked to have but in doing so, they are 'showing their hand' and 'throwing their trump card'. These opinions are mine alone, but it is quite clear if you read the signs in the wind. Anyway, this is for another blog entry altogether.

Back to Vegas.

Stepping into the lobby of the Venetian was simply 'meraviglia' --- astonishing. Of course, it is nothing like what I saw in St Peter's Basilica or at the cathedrals in Europe. But for modern day context, it was oozing with opulence in its interior finishing and intricacy in the ceiling paintings. Soft Baroque music played in the background. A certain fragrance filled the lobby --- The Wife thinks that it is toilet fragrance --- that is meant to uplift the senses.

I could go on about every detail at every hotel we explored --- the Mirage; Caesar's Palace; the Bellagio...Oh, The Bellagio...but it would take just too long. So let me instead briefly touch on some observations.

Gambling
There are slot machines everywhere --- the airport; on the sidewalks; in the pubs. Every hotel has the ubiquitous slot machines and most of them have gambling tables for Blackjack, Poker and Craps. High rollers are ushered to a different section for higher stakes. In these areas, the sound of 'ching-ching' is heard all the time to give people the impression that others are winning --- so you should persevere and wait for your turn to win! You will see that there are no clocks on the walls so that you do not keep track of time --- you got time, so play more lah! Restrooms signs are really hard to locate, so that you do not think about your bladder --- focus on winning!

Boobs
Let's be real --- where there is money, there is sex. Waitresses are outfitted in dresses --- low from the top and high from the bottom. Most are physically well endowed, save the 1 or 2 waitresses who are less endowed because of equal opportunity hiring regulations. Wynn Hotel has a nightclub called Trysts; The Mirage has a nightclub called Bare; The Venetian has a nightclub by the pool called Tao --- sounds innocuous enough eh? Until I found out that there are Asian dancers in the pool wearing nothing but flower petals in strategic spots. The streets are filled with dispensers giving free directories to massage services and topless dancers. Hispanic flyer pushers give out flyers on how you can hook up with a girl of your desire. Moving billboards on trucks drive by, beckoning you to book a topless show for tonight.

Money Talks
Tipping is rampant. To get a good seat in the nightclub, tip the greeter well. To make sure your bags come off the luggage holding area fast, tip well. When ordering a drink, you have to tip the bartender. To take a photo with the actor playing the accordion, tip him...err, well, the girls that did not tip him gave them a dirty look and continued playing his tune, albeit sourly. Tonnes of shopping can be done at all the hotel malls with brands that would make the seasoned Orchard Road shopper hyperventilate.

Entertainment
Lots of options. For the night, you've got world class concerts, musicals, stand up comedy shows, topless shows, cirque du soleil performances. Then there are free shows like the Treasure Island Hotel Pirate show and the Bellagio's water fountain show. I really could not find anything that kids could be occupied with. To be fair, I did not go beyond the busy part of the 'Las Vegas Strip'. But then again, I would really say that it is not a place that would excite kids. Other forms of entertainment would be like the Dolphin lagoon or seeing the White Tigers at the Mirage; sitting in a gondola in the Venetian's man made canal --- quite cool I must say; Madame Tussaud's wax museum; and gambling, but of course.

Well, well, well. Is Singapore going to be like that? I don't think so. Vegas is in a league by itself. But yes, we have to expect some of these things that will come our way. On the positive side, many jobs will be created, I mean, many. Business entertainment will be directed our way, so will conventions from MICE. We will be seeing world class roller coasters and amusement rides --- a long time coming for us, really. It will be an exciting time for us all. But yes, I am aware of the social ills that will fall our way.

Part of our package was a $50 credit for us to play with at the slot machines. The Wife and I thought, what the heck, let's try our hand at the slot machines. And so we did. Before you know it, we were winning money! I must say that it was actually quite exciting. We decided to cash in our winnings and we got a handsome sum of $39.95. How wonderful it was to win! Hang on...we started out with $50. Yeah, they were free credits. But actually, amid all the excitement of winning money, if we had forked out the $50 ourselves, we would have ended up with a 'deficit' of $10.95.

The House always wins.

'Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.'

1 Corinthians 10:12 (The Bible)

2009-06-26T17:27:00.003+08:00

So here I was, lining up to buy my breakfast from the Holland Village Hawker Centre. I was meeting my friend C to catch up over a breakfast meal. C decided to buy 'economic bee hoon'. I decided that since I was going to have a buffet pig out at the Ritz Carlton later in the afternoon, I would take something 'lighter' on the tummy.

I went up to the Chicken Hor Fun store. In front of me was a strapping young chap, probably in his mid twenties. He was waiting for the store owner to whip up 2 plates of Dumpling Noodles. I noticed that he was wearing a fitted french cuffs shirt and tailored pants ( I glanced quickly at his pants, lest I be mistaken for...). Hair was nicely spiked up, portraying a spunky image of a yuppy. Whipping out his unmistakably branded pure leather money clip, he slid out a $10 note and then threw it onto the counter...flippantly.

Hmm.

That was a strange way to hand over money, I mused.

As if to reinforce my observations, the store owner --- a middle aged lady --- asked spunky yuppy if he had 50 cents. Spunky yuppy dug into his pants pocket and fished out some coins. After sifting out 50 cents in his palm, he threw the coins onto the counter once again, splaying the coins all over the counter.

I was highly intrigued --- what kind of character throws money onto the counter in such a flippant and 'bo chap' way? Store owner lady had to reach over from her end and individually pick up the coins. Interestingly, the throwing of the coin was not done in contempt --- it was done so naturally that if I had pointed it out to Spunky yuppy, he would not have noticed what he did.

As he carried his food away, my observations continued swimming in my mind. As I handed over the money to the store owner lady, I...Hey wait a second!

I handed the dollar note to the store owner!

I consciously froze that moment in time into my brain, and replayed that scene in my mind --- I handed the money over to the lady. I did not throw the money.

Human behaviour, to me, is worth examining. Now, I am not concluding that I am morally more in tune, just because I 'handed over' the money rather than throw the money onto the counter. For all you know, I could be a wife beater, child molestor...you get the drift (watch Criminal Minds and you know what I mean). However, my question is this - why couldn't Spunky yuppy just simply hand the money over to store lady? By splaying the money all over the counter, it was inconveniencing her. Not too nice.

And so I propose the following reasons why he did what he did:

a) Spunky yuppy is spoilt and treats hawkers with disdain.

b) Spunky yuppy does not like to physically handle money as dollar notes and coins contain billions of germs.

c) Spunky yuppy has a tick and instinctively throws money when his hand comes in contact with them.

d) Spunky yuppy was raised by a couple of wolves and does not know basic social manners.

That aside, I should really track him down to find out who his tailor is.

Just sitting here...feeling young all over again

2009-05-06T15:52:00.002+08:00

Sitting in class after the lesson I've conducted (we facilitate classes for the whole day...quite a draining task, for me at least), I can't help but eavesdrop on the conversations my students are having.

Some are finding opportunities to bond by exchanging thoughts about common interests.

Some are discussing about their after school plans.

Another chap put the call from his girlfriend on speakerphone --- causing some laughter from the class because of her high pitched voice.

Then there are others who are diligently doing the assignment I gave to them.

Bright young minds, some people would say.

"Make a difference!"

That was the message drummed into our minds during the pre-semester briefing, which was capped by a 'moving' video on a teacher who gave a certain student a 2nd chance at learning.

To what extent are we a part of moulding and shaping these young minds (I take back the phrase 'young minds', as there are students here in their 30s, 40s and 50s)?

The Singapore government recently went on a hiring spree to target 3,000 people to join the teaching profession. Among the candidates, many are crossing over from the corporate sector, after being let go as a result of the ongoing economic downturn. Good move on the part of the government to hire those in need of a job.

The million dollar question though, is this: Are they all cut out to be teachers?

Indeed, after observing many teachers, some are really in it for the wrong reasons. Perhaps, some were misled and became disillusioned after doing their time. But then again, this happens across all sectors and industries.

However, in the process, will our children become collateral damage in exchange for the education of individuals seeking their calling in life?

Tough call.

CEOs and HR managers know that finding talent is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st Century. Enter Generation Y (post 1980s babies) and it throws another curve ball at corporate and government policy planners.

Too many questions, too few answers. But hey, that's life, isn't it? =)

"Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape."

(I know I am misquoting the owner of this quote, but I think fits, yah?)

I'll see you when I see you

2009-02-28T18:26:00.006+08:00

Grand dad, in a picture taken on our final walk together.

My maternal grandfather passed away peacefully this morning at 9.30am in a Kuala Lumpur hospital. He was 89 years of age.

The last time we met, it was slightly under 3 weeks ago. The occasion was my grandmother's birthday and pretty much the whole clan travelled from all over the world to celebrate this momentous occasion. I remember joking with my mom that grand dad may have thought that with all of the relatives congregating at this time, he might have thought that they were preparing for his funeral by seeing him one last time.

Dramatic irony, quite.

Many in the family had decided that grand dad had lost his marbles due to his incoherent (sometimes) babbling and reminiscing of past events. Indeed, towards his final months, he had mild dementia and was disoriented at times. Sure, there was once he warned me that my wife was an unfaithful seductress and she should be cut off at all cost.

Hmm...any comment, darling?

However, over the past year as I visited him, and during moments when he was relatively alert, I could detect a twinkle in his eye that told me not to underestimate his memory and consciousness of events around him.

I remember the time when I met him for the first time since he became bed ridden. I was on a business trip to Malaysia. I was concerned for his mental state as during my initial conversations with him, I assessed them to be rational and legible. He was bed ridden for four months without ever an opportunity to see what it was like outside his room. Together with another cousin, we literally lifted his wheel chair out onto the lanes outside the house. And then he started singing.

A merry heart does good like a medicine: but a broken spirit dries the bones.

He was so addicted to his new found freedom that he started to ask for more and wanted to be taken on a car ride. That was when he decided that he was going to be bedridden no more and started walking unaided from his wheel chair ---- a rather worrying period because he would get up onto his feet without anyone's knowledge and risked a nasty fall, which he did several months later.

I remember the last 2 times we met.

The first was at his home when he was sitting in his wheelchair, at the driveway. It was late morning and he was being fed.

"Paul," he exclaimed when he saw me, which took everyone else by surprise given his recently demented state.

I sought help to push him in his wheelchair, out into the neighbouring lanes as before. I managed to find my aunt's husband, slapped a cap onto grand dad's head and together we pushed him around in the lane at the back. It was getting hot as the sun reached into its mid day position. The fact the house was built on a slope did not help in our cause to push grand dad around. We took him on the flatest lane possible and headed back to the house.

"Just one more time," requested grand dad as we were nearing the house again.

My uncle and I looked at each other and agreed that one more time was possible. And so we brought him on another round.

We reached the house and wheeled grand dad in.

"Just one more time," grand dad looked at me with his bulging eyes.

My uncle had already gone into the house, a little fatigued from his effort. I was left in the driveway with grand dad.

I scanned the house for relatives to help. I looked at grand dad and replied that I could not do it alone as it would have been terribly dangerous for me to push him out onto the sloping lanes alone. It did not help that grand dad was not a light person.

"Just one more time," was his response.

I was torn between his request and the rational. The sun was now at its highest point in the noon day sky. I did not have the assistance of relatives.

As I heard chatter of relatives from the house, I put my hand on grand dad's and apologised that I was not able to grant his wish.

"Just one more time...please," he tried.

The best I could do was to wheel him around the driveway, which was pathetically restricted compared with what he had just experienced. I did that anyhow. All of us have wishes in life but sometimes, due to various circumstances, they unfortunately just cannot be fulfilled.

The last time I saw grand dad was at my grandmother's birthday banquet. It was towards the end of the banquet and people were bidding their farewells.

"Grand dad," I covered his hand with mine, " I will see you when I see you."

With a weary nod, he acknowledged me and as our hands firmly clasped each other's in final contact.

You are in a much better place now grand dad.

I will see you when I see you.

ScratchScratch* I've got to learn a new language

2009-02-05T00:50:00.006+08:00

I'm not kidding.

Previously, I thought that my command of English is quite good. You see, I have been excelling in English language exams not only locally, but also in countries with a strong Anglo-Saxon heritage. Perhaps, one of my most noteworthy moments was when I was studying at the University in the US and I topped the Advanced English Literature class....well, ok, so there were only two students in the class and the other student did not get a grade because he was mostly absent from class and exams.

I jest.

But well, I believe I have a decent command of the English language...so I thought. It's really humbling (but very much needed) for a teacher to go blank in front of a class when the kids start talking in their own slang, but using it with a very different meaning. And so, with much humility, it would be wise to go 'Huh?' and ask for the meaning of the alien jargon.

Ever since I started teaching at the polytechnic, my whole notion of 'English' has been turned upside down. Words that I thought had only one meaning now have multiple meanings. Then again, there are totally new words that are being created on a daily basis. Let me indulge you with a few examples:

Noob - A newbie. Oops, sorry baby boomers. Newbie also means someone who is new.
ie. He's a noob, just arrived from overseas.

Emo - Short form for emotional but it is not defined as 'emotional'. It describes someone who is deep in thought in a pensive manner. Usually, this person is alone in a corner putting on some earphones playing on his computer or reading a book.
ie. John is emo-ing again, I wonder what is on his mind.

Random - A term used to describe someone who changes topic or the line of convesation abruptly.
ie. He's random again. First he talks about his school work, then now he complains about the bus service.

Eff - Substiute for the word renown expletive f**k. Can also be used to emphasize and exaggerate a point.
ie. You are an effing genius!

I think I need to go back to English classes real soon.

Let me go emo in the corner...

Online business...what the heck, let's give it a shot!

2009-01-28T18:31:00.003+08:00

So you see, I have been away from my blog for the longest time.

Those of you who ever so often popped by to see if I have updated anything, but in vain, I do extend my humblest apologies and profuse gratitude to my ever faithful fans...which amounts to about two of you, I think.

It was indeed quite puzzling to see the readership go from 50 hits a week to an all time low of 15 a week and then for some strange reason, over the past week, it went back up to 45 a week. In any case, this is my warm up banter before I share with you on my new baby supplies online business (together with some very visionary partners)!

Yes, in times like these, one needs to take some calculated risks, and so here we go!

The website is meant to fulfill three things:

a) It is Singapore's 1st Online Baby Registry

Question.

What is a baby registry?

Well, know what a bridal registry is? Pretty much the same. We get couples who are pregnant (yes guys, the correct term is that you and your wife are pregnant...don't ask me why!) and ask them to choose items from our list of products. They show this list to their friends who want to get them presents when the baby is born. That way, beaming parents will not be getting 10 boxes of chicken essence and 3 baby strollers. Nifty idea from my wife =)

b) We will try using various products ourselves before we sell them

Yes, poor kid of mine will be the lab rat for the benefit of every newborn out there. But really, we will try our best to test out various products on our kids and if we think it is fab, we will show you our stamp of approval!

c) Online resource

We have realised that many mothers-to-be yearn for information from experienced moms. While all advice should be taken with a pinch of salt, we would like to be known as a reliable source for really useful advice.

And oh, one more thing.....

I'll be blogging about fatherhood on the blog, where time permits!

It's not often you will have a dad do this. But think of it as sharing my fatherly love to the world. (On a more scrupulous note, it is a really good unique selling proposition)

Check it out at www.babywishes.com.sg

cheers!

I never thought this day would come...

2008-11-05T23:38:00.002+08:00

Yes, I never thought that this day would come --- the fact that an African American could be voted the president of the United States.

I used to spend some time in the US some years back and it really opened my eyes, having seen racial discrimination against the blacks personally. Many Singaporeans, or many people around the world, still see the US through their Hollywood lenses, courtesy of their telly. But the United States, in reality, is a really different place. And while this topic is not often touched upon, racism is well and alive in the US.

I was in Boston, MA, in May this year for a course. I spent some time chatting with them on the presidential election and we spoke about Obama and McCain.

"You know what?" I began, "My friends in Singapore and I think that Obama would make a really good president, but we really fear for his life."

"Oh! We all expect that he will be martyred," replied an African American lady course mate.

But what surprised me most was the nonchalance in which she replied.

Having started the conversation on politics, more people started joining in the conversation. Very soon, we were a mixture of whites, blacks and yellow --- yes, yellow would be me.

Interestingly, all in the group were democrats and they agreed in unison that Obama's life would be in dire danger if he becomes President.

"Then why does he still want to pursue this?" I thought aloud.

"It's because he just wants to and he has to," came the swift reply from the same black lady.

And that just sums it all up.

"...because he has to".

That to me is profound.

I would have wanted to spend some time explaining about America's past, but I believe one can easily check it on wikipedia.

The fact that Americans can cast off the shadow of their undignified past and forge ahead to embrace such a dramatic change speaks volumes of a country where only the American dream can be achieved.

President Obama's victory speech was just aired on the TV, and like many in the audience, I have to admit that I was spellbound by his speech. It is extremely rare that you can find someone who speaks with such conviction, ease and authority.

And so to President Obama, you have a tough job on your hands, a very tough job. I trust your ability to make wise decisions that will affect the whole world. But I pray that the good Lord will sustain your life throughout your presidential terms, as He only can.

Nostalgia and musings

2008-09-21T00:31:00.002+08:00

It's kind of strange when you go onto a social networking site like Facebook and you join 'meet' people who share similar experiences with you during the particular time in our lives. Let me give you an example.

I stumbled upon my primary school alumni page (no kidding). Well, it is a relatively popular school in Singapore, but what really got me chuckling was the sight of some class photos that we used to take way back in those days. Yes, way back in those days, we took photos of all classes in front of the same statue with the same poses (by the same photographer, that I am certain of). My goodness! And to read the threads posted by different people, I sure remember some of those names they quoted! Actually, I can say that I am a notch up from most of them --- I actually went back to school about a year back! Some teachers were still there. But of course, most of them have left, retired or moved on to somewhere beyond the blue.

Not many of you know this but there was a time in my life when I actually went back to secondary school but this time, not as a student but a relief teacher. There I was, sitting in the teachers' common room where not too long ago, I had to knock and ask for permission to enter. This time, I actually GAVE permission to students to enter! Sitting there at my desk, I remember looking around me. My former teachers were now my colleagues. And as I was sitting there, along came a teacher who had previously taught me. With a twinkle in her eye, she started sharing some gossip with me about some students and teachers. As she walked away with a chuckle, I remember being a little stunned that the person I previously had to revere and 'respect' was now a peer who was showing her human side unabashedly to a former student. But I guess that just meant that she was treating me as a peer and not anything else. When did this shift in her mindset take place?

My dad has this mantra he reminds himself "Be careful who you offend on the way up, you might have to meet them on your way down".

Right, so I have gone a little off tangent here. But back to my point about sharing similar experiences with strangers during that time of our lives. Can't help being nostalgic here, can I?

I am a big fan of history. Not just the topic and the study of it, but of how we can all learn from our past to bring ourselves into the future. I was just telling The Wife about how I value charting my life regularly and asking myself tough questions about where I am now and where would I like to see myself in the future. I've learnt more about myself in these past 2 years than I ever did in my life. This only means that I am well positioned for things to come in the future. What things might these be? Only the good Lord knows. But this thing I do know:

"I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happens to them all." Eccl 9:11

Right time, right place...

Back from my Europe trip

2008-09-01T04:56:00.002+08:00

Coming back on the flight from Frankfurt, I could not help but recall that this would have been the 2nd long haul trip I have made this year. Sure, I know of many who are flying all over the world for work. But for me, I must say it is pretty big, especially since it is largely on my expense.

I had just spent 2 weeks --- 1 in Berlin, Germany; and the other in Helsinki, Finland.

The Germany trip was more for a business survey and the time in Helsinki was for my MBA program's International Week.

Going into the trip, I was not exactly looking forward to it.

Why?

Well, I have heard so much about these 2 countries and the work culture (read as rigid and seldom out of the box). For a person like myself who thrives on creative ideas and insights, I thought that I would just try my best to 'live through' this experience.

I was wrong.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. Let me tell you why:

1) We are all human

Though our cultures may be really different, but we all work on basic human emotions regardless of our race and cultures. My classmates hailed from Finland, Russia, Korea, China, Australia, Taiwan, New Zealand and Singapore. Our lecturers were from the USA, South Africa, France and Finland. And though our food preferences were one of the most obvious distinctions, inside us, we all work the same way --- we are nice to those who are nice to us; we ignore those who are arrogant and brash; we laugh when we are happy; we cry when our emotions overflow it's threshold.

Yes, we are all the same.

2) As humans we can be really cruel

I had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit a former WWII German concentration camp and I was not about to miss it. I rented a bicycle, brought it onto the S-Bahn regional train service and took a ride to the town of Oranienburg. From that town, I rode my bicycle to the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp.

It was surreal to say the least. The sky was overcast and threatened to rain as I made my way to the camp. As if upon cue, the sky shed her tears as I entered the gates of the camp, where once upon a time, many prisoners trod this same path towards days and months of living hell, often ending in their untimely death.

I took tonnes of pictures of the camp. The images of the cruelty was enough to turn my stomach. However, what struck me was the cold weather. Here I was towards the tail end of summer and it was chilly. I cannot fathom how it was like during the winter months.

In 1971, Stanford University conducted the Stanford Prison experiment that saw volunteers from all walks of life, taking up the challenge to be prison wardens or prisoners in a simulated prison in the basement of the university. The results showed that even ordinary citizens, when given unlimited power, can abuse it to a level of cruelty no one expects them to achieve.

Likewise, the Nazis specially chose soldiers who were regular citizens in their early 20s to carry out their campaign of 'Final Solution'.

3) Self Discovery

This trip confirmed what I knew about myself; and what I did not know about myself. I really think that it is one of the most important things in life to discover yourself, and often, you need the help of others to tell you the whole truth.

During the course of the program in Finland, we carried out exercises and simulations that unveiled our strengths and weaknesses. I was pleasantly surprised at some of the outcomes, which set me thinking about positioning my competitive edge in this world (to my christian friends out there, no, I have not turned into a humanist. It actually is rather Biblical...wanna know how? Talk to me) and how I have the potential and ability to play on the world stage.

What was even more interesting was to see other friends discover themselves during the course of this week. It manifested in many ways. Mostly, it was unpleasant but it was the whole truth, and I believe that if they continue to take it the right way, they will go far.

Enough of my rambling. But if there is one more thing I want to add --- the food on Lufthansa is HORRIBLE!

Obama -- Saviour of the World?

2008-07-29T22:56:00.004+08:00

I love this article about Obama from Gerard Butler of The Times of London. Fantastic! (It helps if you have some knowledge of the Bible and world politics)

He ventured forth to bring light to the world

And it came to pass, in the eighth year of the reign of the evil Bush the Younger (The Ignorant), when the whole land from the Arabian desert to the shores of the Great Lakes had been laid barren, that a Child appeared in the wilderness.

The Child was blessed in looks and intellect. Scion of a simple family, offspring of a miraculous union, grandson of a typical white person and an African peasant. And yea, as he grew, the Child walked in the path of righteousness, with only the occasional detour into the odd weed and a little blow.

When he was twelve years old, they found him in the temple in the City of Chicago, arguing the finer points of community organisation with the Prophet Jeremiah and the Elders. And the Elders were astonished at what they heard and said among themselves: “Verily, who is this Child that he opens our hearts and minds to the audacity of hope?”

In the great Battles of Caucus and Primary he smote the conniving Hillary, wife of the deposed King Bill the Priapic and their barbarian hordes of Working Class Whites.

And so it was, in the fullness of time, before the harvest month of the appointed year, the Child ventured forth - for the first time - to bring the light unto all the world.

He travelled fleet of foot and light of camel, with a small retinue that consisted only of his loyal disciples from the tribe of the Media. He ventured first to the land of the Hindu Kush, where the

Taleban had harboured the viper of al-Qaeda in their bosom, raining terror on all the world.

And the Child spake and the tribes of Nato immediately loosed the Caveats that had previously bound them. And in the great battle that ensued the forces of the light were triumphant. For as long as the Child stood with his arms raised aloft, the enemy suffered great blows and the threat of terror was no more.

From there he went forth to Mesopotamia where he was received by the great ruler al-Maliki, and al-Maliki spake unto him and blessed his Sixteen Month Troop Withdrawal Plan even as the imperial warrior Petraeus tried to destroy it.

And lo, in Mesopotamia, a miracle occurred. Even though the Great Surge of Armour that the evil Bush had ordered had been a terrible mistake, a waste of vital military resources and doomed to end in disaster, the Child's very presence suddenly brought forth a great victory for the forces of the light.

And the Persians, who saw all this and were greatly fearful, longed to speak with the Child and saw that the Child was the bringer of peace. At the mention of his name they quickly laid aside their intrigues and beat their uranium swords into civil nuclear energy ploughshares.

From there the Child went up to the city of Jerusalem, and entered through the gate seated on an ass. The crowds of network anchors who had followed him from afar cheered “Hosanna” and waved great palm fronds and strewed them at his feet.

In Jerusalem and in surrounding Palestine, the Child spake to the Hebrews and the Arabs, as the Scripture had foretold. And in an instant, the lion lay down with the lamb, and the Israelites and Ishmaelites ended their long enmity and lived for ever after in peace.

As word spread throughout the land about the Child's wondrous works, peoples from all over flocked to hear him; Hittites and Abbasids; Obamacons and McCainiacs; Cameroonians and Blairites.

And they told of strange and wondrous things that greeted the news of the Child's journey. Around the world, global temperatures began to decline, and the ocean levels fell and the great warming was over.

The Great Prophet Algore of Nobel and Oscar, who many had believed was the anointed one, smiled and told his followers that the Child was the one generations had been waiting for.

And there were other wonderful signs. In the city of the Street at the Wall, spreads on interbank interest rates dropped like manna from Heaven and rates on credit default swaps fell to the ground as dead birds from the almond tree, and the people who had lived in foreclosure were able to borrow again.

Black gold gushed from the ground at prices well below $140 per barrel. In hospitals across the land the sick were cured even though they were uninsured. And all because the Child had pronounced it.

And this is the testimony of one who speaks the truth and bears witness to the truth so that you might believe. And he knows it is the truth for he saw it all on CNN and the BBC and in the pages of The New York Times.

Then the Child ventured forth from Israel and Palestine and stepped onto the shores of the Old Continent. In the land of Queen Angela of Merkel, vast multitudes gathered to hear his voice, and he preached to them at length.

But when he had finished speaking his disciples told him the crowd was hungry, for they had had nothing to eat all the hours they had waited for him.

And so the Child told his disciples to fetch some food but all they had was five loaves and a couple of frankfurters. So he took the bread and the frankfurters and blessed them and told his disciples to feed the multitudes. And when all had eaten their fill, the scraps filled twelve baskets.

Thence he travelled west to Mount Sarkozy. Even the beauteous Princess Carla of the tribe of the Bruni was struck by awe and she was great in love with the Child, but he was tempted not.

On the Seventh Day he walked across the Channel of the Angles to the ancient land of the hooligans. There he was welcomed with open arms by the once great prophet Blair and his successor, Gordon the Leper, and his successor, David the Golden One.

And suddenly, with the men appeared the archangel Gabriel and the whole host of the heavenly choir, ranks of cherubim and seraphim, all praising God and singing: “Yes, We Can.”

That's why I love Republic Poly.....

2008-07-25T17:44:00.004+08:00

Well, time to show my loyalty to the school that I teach in (over here, we call it 'facilitating').

I was walking past a class room today when I came across this really interesting and creative piece of 'graffiti'.

Each class has a couple of floor to ceiling glass panels to allow people to either look into the class or out of the class. On one class that I passed, the class used markers to draw on the glass panel. I suggest you zoom into the photo to have a clearer read of the words.

I smiled appreciatively as I took a photo of this. My time at JC, I never saw such creativity. But then again, I could be biased. Anyway, this was 'graffiti' created in good humour and extremely creative! I wonder whether it was part of their project work.

It brings to mind of the good humoured pranks played by American college kids in the US. I've heard of how a whole dorm of students pretended that it was the start to a brand new day in order to trick their friend who was in deep sleep at 12am (it was his b'day). When he awoke, he went to the toilet, thinking it was time to prepare himself for the day, his dorm mates all went back 'to sleep' and turned off the lights.

Of course, who can forget the pranks (hack) that MIT students pull off on their Great Dome, which is a dome to a building on campus. When one of the Stars Wars movies was released, students spent all night 're-decorating' the dome as R2D2 (i believe). Of course, there were instructions to school officials on how to dismantle the mess they created!

Long live harmless creativity!

Do you fail to notice the beam in your eye?

2008-07-23T11:25:00.004+08:00

**Warning. Pictures below are explicit and could be disturbing**

When I first read the headlines to this piece of news, my first reaction of shock lasted for all of 5 seconds. The next 5 minutes was that of sadness...a deep sadness that made me wonder if all humans are capable of such inhumane behaviour.

The place is at a beach in Torregaveta, just north of Naples, Italy. Sunbathers and swimmers were enjoying a summer's day at the beach. 4 young girls who were gypsies (known to locals as Roma), walked the length of the beach to beg and sell trinkets to the tourists and sunbathers.

In many parts of Europe, gypsies are looked down upon as uncultured people who are a nuisance to the public. And you thought that only India had the caste system. In Italy, there is a deep hatred for the Roma as they have been associated with crime and begging. Many of these Roma are not Italian natives, but have come from Eastern Europe, seeking a better life.

Being children, these girls were drawn towards the ocean and started playing in it. However, 2 of the girls found themselves in trouble. These 2 girls went on to drown in the choppy waters. They were related to each other but were not sisters. They were aged 11 and 12. What was to come was worse.

As onlookers rushed in to save them in vain, they laid out their bodies on the beach and covered them with beach towels. And then the activities on the beach went back to normal. People continued sunbathing near the corpses. Others played soccer nearby. Families went on to have their lunches, all within metres from the 2 dead girls.

'It was surreal,' as quoted by one of the witnesses.

Our natural reaction is to condemn those holiday makers. But ponder a little longer, and you realise that it does not take much for us to be guilty of similar acts.

Ever walked in the subway stations in New York City? At some of the bigger stations, beggars line the walkways as they call out to you for alms. After a while, you become so numbed after seeing them day in and day out, that once when a beggar fell to his knees to beg in front of me, I deftly side stepped and continued walking.

Now, I am quite a kind soul. But that incident disturbed me for some time, even after 8 years.

How could I have been so immune to human suffering so quickly?

Hop over to some countries in South East Asia and you see kids begging in the streets. They come knocking at your car window, urging you to hand them some monetary gifts. Some women have resorted to borrowing babies from other mothers, to use them to paint a sadder picture to the passer-by. Locals advise us not to wind down the window to give any money to any of them, lest we end up having a whole street full of beggars barricading the car and the road.

Honestly, if I were one of the beggars, I would do the same! Anything to put food into my stomach.

I do not see myself giving money to all the beggars on the street. It might not be the wisest move. But my point is this --- does it affect you that people are begging, and that there are others more worse off than you?

Of course, the gypsy girls' death is causing an uproar in Italy, especially among the Roman Catholic Church and the politicians.

But then again, are we all fighting for justice or are we just hypocrites?

Good Press Release writer; Budding Videographer & Photographer needed

2008-07-14T01:01:00.002+08:00

I am looking for anyone who is interested in helping me out in my MBA marketing project and for my father in law.

My MBA project
============
I am looking for someone who is trying to build up their portfolio or will work for a free lunch (decent one of course) on a mini campaign for our project.

Video shoot - Scene of a man throwing stuff out of a HDB flat window. Only need 15 sec footage. Will be

Photo shoot - For 2 print ads. Simple shots of everyday HDB heartland scenes.

For both shoots, I will be on hand to give direction. You will have rights to use your final works for your lifetime! And I need help fast! Like to complete by this week!

The benefit for you?

Your work will be shown to Bernd Schmitt, world renown marketing professor from Columbia University, who sits on the marketing board for Samsung and Volkswagen. If he likes it, you just might make it to the world stage. Rest assured I will put in a good word for you.

Press Release writing
=================
I am trying to help find my father-in-law someone who can help write a short press release about his work in the US. This release is targeted at Business Times in Singapore.

The benefit?

My heartfelt gratitude and a very decent lunch =)

Anyone out there who can help?

My pedicure and other wacky stuff MBA students do for their class

2008-07-07T17:31:00.008+08:00

Well, I guess this marketing guru has certainly lived up to his name.

Our MBA class was taught by renown marketing professor Bernd Schmitt from the Columbia Business School.

I, being passionate about marketing, was looking forward to this class and he certainly brought across his message of creative living.

After lecturing for a good 2 days, as we were drawing near the end of the 2nd day, he posed us this challenge of beginning to live our lives creatively. To do that, we must first take that leap of faith and do something we have never done before. In that way, we will be able to see things from a totally different perspective, instead of assuming that we actually know.

We were given 1 hour to roam Marina Square Mall and do something we have never done before.

Now, my class is filled with rather accomplished individuals of various nationalities who are middle to senior managers in MNCs. However, this was a time that we had to overcome our fears, challenge ourselves and do something different.

You see, if you have never done something before, it is probably because you have either:

a) no interest in it
b) never had the time to do it
c) never thought about it
d) afraid of it
e) detest it
f) it's illegal

You can imagine the level of fear and excitement some of us had. Let me relate what some of my classmates actually did...some rather interesting stuff:

The Yogi
This red head is a vivacious lady who holds the post of regional head in a certain MNC. She decided to sit cross legged in the middle of the shopping mall holding a deeply spiritual post. Some thought that she was part of a guerilla marketing promotion for Coach bags.

The Masked Ones
2 lovely ladies, one of which is a Financial Controller and the other a Manager, decided to buy beauty masks, put them on and leave them on their faces while shopping around Marina Square.

The Officer
He was dared to do a manicure. Now, he holds an officer position in the military and is very 'Man'. And so, this was truly a time when he was going beyond his comfort zone. With a red face and very stiff hands, he put them on the hand pillow and made a silent prayer that men under his command would not happen to chance by this rather interesting scene.

Myself
I've done quite outrageous stuff in the past, but what I really wanted to try was to have a pedicure. And so I did! And now, I'm a believer. I mean, it actually makes sense for everyone to have a pedicure! The toe nails do not 'bite' into your flesh; the dead skin is removed nicely; no more cuticles....someone sign me up for a package!

Of course, some others decided to get a head massage for the first time in their lives. Others included buying a Lego toy for themselves due to a very deprived childhood (joking yah, Mr R). There was this brave lad who strode into Chalone to buy a $300 lingerie set for his wife. There was also this guy who decided to go pierce his ear. And of course, who could forget our 3 Indian friends who thought that it would be so cool to stroll into a liquor shop to sample some booze and then come back to class.

Their rationale --- they have never come to class after having drunk alcohol before.

Being the teacher

2008-06-29T22:56:00.003+08:00

I guess some of you do not know this, but I am actually teaching at Republic Polytechnic on a part time basis.

It's kinda interesting to observe the reactions from different people when I tell them this piece of news. It ranges from the following:

The go-getter: "Hah? Why? So wasted? Why you want to do that?"

The clueless one: "Teach what ah? Can teach meh? I thought you selling chocolates last time?"

The open minded one: "Yah! Good for you! Educate bright young minds!"

The teacher: " Are you out of your ******** mind??"

Well, you see, in Singapore, being a teacher in the primary and secondary school system, it can be kind of traumatic.

You wake up at 5.30am to get to school by 7.30am. Your day starts at 8am and runs all the way into the early afternoon. There after, you will have to take charge of a certain interest group called CCAs (Co-Curricular Activities). Depending on which group you take, you might have to stay in school up to 8pm three days a week. During the school holidays, you have to conduct enrichment classes for your kids. You will also have to come back to school for staff trainings.

I think you get the idea.

As such, many of my friends who are in teaching, end up rather jaded. They start off with much enthusiasm and end up disappointed in the whole system.

I don't blame them one bit.

Because Singapore's government operates like a business, this mindset flows down all the way through it's ranks, ministerial agencies and statuatory boards -- including the Ministry of Education. And so, teachers have to meet KPI's (Key performance indicators). For those of you in the corporate world, this is a common term you have to get used to. 'Make sure you achieve your deliverables'.

Same thing.

But in a school setting?

Teachers are ranked according to the number of students who get good grades, pass or fail. Now, if you were a financial sales person, and you were ranked according to your performance, what will you do to survive? Push hard to sell products...right?

If you were a teacher...what would you do? That's right...push your students REALLY hard! All this under the guise of 'it's for your future'; or 'you want to be a failure in life?'; or 'don't disappoint your parents'.

Taking the moral high road always works in the teacher's favour.....especially for their career.

Having taught in different countries and situations over the years, I have concluded that it is really tough to treat your student as your product. It all boils down to motivation. But how can one find time to motivate 40 students in the class? On top of that, you have to mark their papers, create lesson plans, oversee your CCA, handle ad hoc school projects, and demanding parents?

If you asked me, the system should focus on teaching teachers how to deliver to the kids using the soft skills side of things. But then again, detractors have said that this system has worked for years, so why rock the boat? Also, some may say that the soft skills are for wimps. Not effective and not efficient.

Perhaps...perhaps....

And that is where I come in. Some of these kids have been so scarred in their school system, they have given up hope for their future when they get to tertiary level education. And that's what I like to do best --- manage and motivate talent to the best of their potential. And I know of like minded teachers (facilitators --- that's what we are called at RP) who are doing a good job in this department.

Why part time? Well, I am not looking forward to a full time position in this area for various practical reasons, one of which is my MBA studies. But additionally, I might branch into some other things.

What other things?

Look me up for a coffee and I may let you in on my plans =)

What a mess

2008-06-08T00:19:00.003+08:00

I had previously written about the price of oil crossing the US$100 per barrel mark.

Just yesterday, the price crossed the US$134 mark, fueled by Israel's comments on the need to destroy Iran's nuclear capabilities (read this as 'in order to secure Iran's oil fields to make available to the world at large')

I was speaking to a friend not too long ago. He is well connected and was at a talk given by a global bank, on the effects of the rising price of crude oil on the rest of the world. Their prognosis was not good.

As the price of oil rises, governments will have to take certain unpopular measures for the greater good of the country. These measures, though unpopular in the short run, will be effective in the long run. However, people's emotions will run high. The poor will protest against such measures. Ruling parties will be ousted, giving way to parties who take advantage of emotions rather than good sense.

Eventually, some countries will use the excuse of energy sustainability to carry out invasions against others.

What a mess.

Is there any way to solve this? A conference in Japan 2 days ago sought to address this . However, I have a feeling it is too little too late.

Just look at Malaysia. The government suddenly announce increases at the petrol pumps of 41% overnight! Imagine the uproar and the political instability that is taking place there now?

To those who think that I am over reacting, just look at Indonesia's 2 former presidents. They were overthrown as a result of rising oil prices in the past.

History is waiting to repeat itself.

Of Watches and Misers (that's me there)

2008-03-27T22:48:00.004+08:00

Ok, so I decided to take the plunge...finally.

I turned the car out of the Bendemeer Hawker Centre into the straight that would take me to Mustafa Centre. Earlier on, I had gone for Tui Na (chinese massage...the painful kind) with Mr D. We were chatting over some salty Laksa and Teh-Si (black tea with evaporated milk), looking at the mess of a weather out there.

A little earlier than that, last night to be precise, I had paid Mustafa Centre a visit with my in-laws to buy some Indian spices for them to take back on their long trip to the US. If you have been to Mustafa's, you will know that one must pass through numerous display cases of watches before you make it to groceries upstairs. Endless displays of watches.

I am always a sucker for Casio watches. Yep, cheap, good, tough and nice too...for the price. But that's my rationale ---- why pay so much for something that will tell the time just as well? Oh all right, so the Casio watch will have a +/- error of 20 secs a month.

Who cares?

Sure, I buy the argument that watches can be an investment...a piece of art...a fashion accessory, especially on men who have really few options to accessorize themselves with (cuff links; ties; bracelet...I might get that one sometime). But honestly, let's analyse this a step at a time.

You buy a sort of entry level pricey watch --- Emporio Armani; Tissot; Seiko; Citizen

It will set you back $300 - $400. Not an investment. Can't really go around asking for a 20% return on your Citizen, if you know what I mean.

You get a mid level pricey watch ---- Tag Heur; Hamilton

Sets you back anywhere from $1,000 to $10,000. Exorbitant and trust me, after you sell it on eBay 20 years from now, unlikely to garner you a big return on your auction. Probably you will find fans of old watches who might pay a bit for them, but factor in inflation and time value of money...nah.

Moving up the rung, are the pricey, pricey watches ---- Jaeger Le Coultre; Corum; Rado; Patek Philippe; Rolex (who can forget that!)

OK, fair enough. Some of them, if you buy them at a good price (regular price $30,000; sale price $8,000), you might sell it for more next time. But ain't that like paying for the price of a motorbike for something you wear on your hand?

I was taken by the Casio Edifice collection of watches in the showcases. Really nice stuff for a decent price. It does not help that they recently blew up this huge poster of a slick watch model on the window display.

$302 for new slick watch model? Nope.

(since when did Casio have the audacity to charge so much!)

You see, my watches have been either given to me free (read as magazine subscriptions, hand me downs) or I have bought them really cheaply. How cheaply? My Casios cost about $40 to $70 and last me for 5 years at least. I got one Guess that cost me $100 more than 10 years back.

I left Mustafa last night thinking about the watches and with easy access to the internet, the world of Edifice popped into my living room.

Way cool!

And so, it was over Laksa with Mr D, that I decided to get an Edifice watch.

There it was, in the glass case, looking real fine.

$153.20!!!

*GULP*

Justification time: Do I really need a watch at this price? Can I get an alternative knock off version? Shall I just forget the whole thing?
(yah, I know. It's a bit of an anti-climax here, but you see...I'm a miser on such things)

I paced up and down, beside the display cases (I believe I was way calmer in the labour ward when The Wife was going to deliver). There were similar ones but did not look as good...but they were 2/3 the price of Edifice - I - Like.

Jia lat (local slang of exasperation).

Finally, after much mental wrestling, I decided to treat myself.

Why? I dunno. It's a treat right? Ask no more!

I took the sales slip to the cashier for payment, and returned to the showcase to claim the watch. An Indian (duh) sales man was there. As he handed me the watch, I winced dramatically, claiming that it was a pricey purchase. And then the reply came:

"But sir, it will help you keep good discipline."

I stared at him, dumbfounded at the smoothness of his sentence delivery and awed at the simplicity of wisdom of his statement.

I left Mustafa's with a grin on my face and my conscience, soothed beyond balming.

Mustafa's...they train their staff really well.

Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. (Matthew 25:13)

The day I met Lee Kuan Yew....I did not comb my hair

2008-03-05T17:03:00.003+08:00

Well, the past week has been an interesting one for me, having been helping out behind the scenes at the World Effie Festival.

My role?

I was stationed mainly at Conrad Hotel, welcoming the speakers; helping them check into their rooms; and briefing them on what was to be expected during the 2 day event.

The challenge of this role? The ungodly hours I had to be at the hotel due to the odd arrival times. SQ flights from Newark and LA land around 5.30am in the morning. Other flights land around midnight. Imagine that day when I had a 1 am arrival and a 5.30am arrival on the same day.....suicide I say!

Being privileged to have been in direct contact with some prominent figures, let me share some of my personal insight into their personalities. Trust me, I am not one to kiss and tell....but tell I will!

Shelly Lazurus
Chairman, CEO
Ogilvy & Mather

Now this lady works 24/7! She arrived at 6am. When I ushered her from her limo, she was reading some notes handed to her by an assistant. Showing her to her room, we went through her schedule:

6am - Arrive from Newark
9.30am - Deliver address at conference
10.30am - Press Conference with Ogilvy Singapore
12pm - Working Lunch
1pm - Meeting with Ogilvy Singapore (4 hour meeting)
6pm - Depart for Bangalore

Does she even sleep? Little wonder that she is 26th on Forbes' list of most powerful women in business.

Lawrence Flanagan
Chief Marketing Officer
MasterCard Worldwide

Cordial chap who has been in Singapore a few times. Comes across to me as a decisive chap who quietly works behind the scenes.

Dr Jeffrey Cole
Director
Centre for the Digital Future
Annenberg School of Communication
University of Southern California

I missed welcoming him in the lobby. I ended up going to his room to brief him...and he was in not much more than his briefs....more like a bathing robe and a face partially shaved with shaving cream dripping off his face. Jeff is a big person and with a booming laugh and ring to his voice, he is one of the most affable persons I met.

Lord Sebastian Coe

His name says it all --- former Olympic medalist; former MP in Britain; Leader of the winning Olympic bid to host it in Britain in 2012. With his partner Annette, they swooshed into the lobby of the Conrad, but not before the GM of the Conrad approached me to request that we welcome them to the hotel together. A down-to-earth chap, Lord Coe checked-in wearing sweat pants that looked no less than a day over 10 years. Amazing! Extremely focused chap who can be seen pacing up and down in the lobby on his mobile, eventually being led away by Annette with the phone still attached to his ear.

Simon Clift
Chief Marketing Officer
Group VP Personal Care
Unilever

The head of marketing for one of the world's biggest consumer goods brands, Unilever is one of the top 2 biggest spenders of advertising budget in the world. Simon has a very likeable character and extremely humble for someone who wields great power. I have been extremely taken by him. In a different life, I would have asked him to mentor me and applied to work for him.

MM Lee Kuan Yew

OK, so I did not meet him personally, but I met his security entourage and his very capable personal assistant called Ms Yong or YY. A rotund lady in her 40s to 50s, she is extremely meticulous and great with detail....much like a motherly figure.

And yes, on the day when MM Lee was speaking, I forgot to comb my hair.

I should write a book with that title.....

World Effie Festival....Woo Hoo!

2008-02-17T17:36:00.001+08:00

I'm gonna be there....enough said.

Stupid Cupid Nite: Thursday 14 Feb 2008

2008-02-09T22:12:00.000+08:00

Yes, it's that time of the year where lovers (the perceived luckier ones) come together to commemorate the existence of their love over an exorbitant meal.

Ridiculous, I hear?

I am in agreement.

Another commercial gimmick?

Yep!

But let's be real here...for those of us who are not hooking up with anyone that night on 14th Feb, I am sure there will be some subtle form of pressure --- if not from your friends, it will be from your parents. Don't you hate it that everytime this time of the year comes, the ticking of your biological clock somehow seems to sound louder?

Well, let me try and lend a hand.

For christian singles who just wanna spend some time to be yourself while getting to know more people in a really clean, fun, economical and non-pressuring manner, this is the deal:

I am planning a Stupid Cupid Nite. No gimmicks; no commercial sponsors; no overpriced fees.

Just be yourself, come with your friends and meet new ones while having a great time!

No Pressure.

If you are keen, contact me at: tumduck@yahoo.com or sms me at: 917 852 17

Date: Thurs 14th Feb 08
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: I will personally provide details via email
Price: $15 (to cover basic food costs)
Target Age group: christian singles 21 to 40
Closing date: 13th Feb (3pm)

Remember, this is just a platform. Make it as fulfilling as you want it to be.

Some thoughts for the New Year

2008-01-03T23:42:00.000+08:00

As we start the new year of 2008, I have been thinking through a few things that have recently struck me in my interaction with people at various levels. Let me ramble on and feel free to exit at any point should you find yourself struggling to keep from dozing off as I plod along.

The Next Stage of Life

I just came back from a friend's (HW) wedding dinner tonight. Well...it could have been like any other wedding dinner but for the fact that it was the wedding dinner of my friend of 20 years. Long time huh?

As we said our goodbyes, my friend whispered into my ear, "Now to work on SC!".

For you see, the 3 of us grew up together for the past 20 years and we have all moved on in life, albeit different paths. If you really wanted to be particular about it, ok. So I was the first to get married and now have a kid. HW is now the second one to be married.

We are left with SC.

But really, even though we are of the same age, we have ended up doing different things. HW was trained as a lawyer and ended up (in addition to a law degree), a culinary arts diploma in baking! (By the way, HW directed the bakers to bake a cake at the exact specs that she wanted and it was served at the wedding banquet. Hands down, the BEST cake I have eaten in my life. Singapore is going to miss her. Lucky for Vancouver.

SC, dabbled in engineering and is currently serving a higher being.

Myself, business studies could only lead to one thing ----- business stuff lah! And so I pretty much have gone through the whole Marketing Mix cycle, and in between managed to get a Tennis coaching license and am currently working on my MBA...that is, in addition to being a part-time stay home dad looking after baby EK =)

OK, back to SC.

But really, it's not this race that we are competing against each other for.

And so, to SC, if you are reading this, no worries. You know that God has his time. But HW and myself, we have our plans for you *wicked grin*

Change or perish

At the wedding, I was chatting with this friend who deals with industrial parts. Upon asking how the market was, he replied that things are terribly different from when he first entered the industry. In the past, profit margins could be as high as 50%. Now, you would be lucky if you got 25%. And with increasing costs, it will drive all profits down. His words: Have to change with times or else surely fall behind.

Oil prices were at about US$22 to S$28 per barrel in 2003. It just went past the US$100 mark a couple of days ago.

The PC hard drive memory is said to double at a rate of 18 months. Can someone PLEASE explain to me how in the world is it possible for Toshiba to come out with a 200GB USB Thumb Drive??!! Crap! That is more than my PC memory!

Not long ago, a headhunter and I chatted that he was not looking for loyal employee candidates

that stayed up to 5 years in the same company.

"Not flexible and cannot adapt to change, perhaps," he proposed, "Need to show that you can hop to another company after 2 to 3 years and survive there. That is increasing your market value."

Can't really say much for my dad who has worked in only 3 companies for the past 40 years. Loyalty is dead!

My point? The world is really changing very fast in everything. For some of us, by the time we truly understand certain concepts, it could well be too late for us. New trends and opportunities would have popped up, passed us by and we would still be in a daze.

Will we change and move with the times? The choice is yours.

2008 Resolution

It is because of such fast moving changes in the world, that I have decided that it is time for me to try and strike out on my own. I've realised that working the companies that I've been before, gave me an insight into how the world works. However, one thing that all of them face is the need to change. I am afraid that most companies find it hard to change and they lag behind. Interestingly, taking time off to think through things and reading the news have shocked me into realising the amount of things I have not been exposed to as a result of being busy with work. You would think that holding down a good job is a great thing....not really.

I have had to unlearn many things that is seen as common wisdom and needed to take a step back and see the bigger picture of things. It is not always obvious but when you do step back and look, sometimes, it just hits you so hard.

I am glad that I have learnt some of these lessons fast, and it has helped in my decision making process. I will still have lots to learn and I am looking forward to learning and applying.

Baby, baby

Ah yes! This year was the year that I became a dad to EK. Along with it, the joys of fatherhood and the smell of poo. But really, I thank God for this child and I am so sure that this little fella is going to teach me lots of lessons, just as I am getting ready to teach him lessons *wink*

One thing though, this boy is a lady's man and The Wife and I are pretty certain that he will get married by the age of 5.

SC, you'd better not lose out to my boy!

Happy 2008 y'all!

It has been a long time...

2007-12-01T23:51:00.000+08:00

Ah yes...to all of you who have been faithfully stopping by my blog, many thanks to you!

Indeed, it has been a while since I updated this blog. Why? Well, lethargy is one reason. The new kid in the house can be another. And of course, there is work and church stuff....but of course there is also the part time studies I am involved in.

Am I mad, committing myself to so many things?

Well, let's just say that I kinda like a full life.

Let me take this time to share with you some insights I have truly learnt through the course of this year. These insights were probably head knowledge to me in the past, but I can truly share these thoughts from first hand experience. You may not agree with them, and that is fine. But if you find them useful or interesting, would be glad to hear from you:

1) Work hard 20% of the time. But work smarter 80% of the time

2) Efficiency should be used wisely

3) Paper qualifications are quite useless, really

4) Try hard as you may, work and human emotions cannot be separated from each other

5) In life, its all about people

6) Determination usually gets you what or where you want. If your dream is worth pursuing, just be ready for the long haul

7) Try not to know too much. Just know enough

8) It's ok not to know what your next step or plan is

9) The highest form of manipulation is when your opposition thinks that he has manipulated you, but in actual fact, you are manipulating him

10) Many times, we need our enemies more than we need our friends

Disclaimer: Do take the above with a pinch of salt. The above do not always apply to all situations.

cheers!

And then there were 3...

2007-09-23T22:40:00.001+08:00

OK, I must admit I have succumbed to popular demand...I am updating my blog!

Yes, it has been some time since I wrote my last entry. Was it writer's block or something else? I dunno. It could have been attributed to pregnancy...of my wife, silly!

Anyways, on the fateful day of Sept 11th, I became a dad! There is now absolutely no excuse for me to forget my dear son's birthday.

I am sure you all want the lowdown on the birth of this beautiful creature, so here are the statistics of my son's birth:

No. of hrs wife in labour: 10 hours

Administration of Epidural (pain relief): At first, no. Wife very brave. Then we had to give it to her

Time from start of pushing to delivery: 29mins

No. of days spent in hospital post delivery: 2 nights (check out time 12pm...like hotel like that)

Number of times poo-ed in 1st day: Lost count

Weight after Hospital checkout: 2.4kg (normal for baby to lose weight after delivery)

Weight after 3 days from hospital checkout: 2.7kg (100g weight gain per day!)

Cost of hospital stay: S$2,000+

Cost of seeing your baby burp at you: Priceless

Looking at the picture above, I must assure you I am not trying to kill my kid through strangulation. Rather, I am trying to burp him. But one thing though, check out his really big bright eyes and his really Lao Been (old looking face). Picture above was taken when he was 3 days old!

I am so blessed.

Branding...more than just stamping on a cow

2007-08-15T23:04:00.000+08:00

Branding.

Definitely one of the most misunderstood words in the English language.

Ask almost anyone about the definition of Branding, and most will refer in some way to a logo; a typeface (font); an advertising campaign; or a packaging design.

Key in 'Definition of Branding' into Google and what you get is a slew of definitions that (believe it or not) differ one from the other as if it were night and day.

One definition I pulled out from the web is this:

"The process by which both a brand and brand identity are developed"

Another states:

"...the process of building a favorable image for a product or company that differentiates it, in the minds of prospects and end users, from other competitors"

Another guru proposes:

"...is the assignment of value to products through naming, packaging, marketing, and advertising"

My favourite is this:

"The use of a hot metal object to scar the body. Sometimes seen as the "ultimate" act of submission"

Indeed, the shrewd brand owner knows how to make consumers yield themselves towards a certain brand, 'submitting' to the brand's perceived value and associations!

May I then propose the definition of Branding, in my humble opinion?

"The building and protection of a Branded product or service, towards achieving the aim of financial profits"

There we go!

Wasn't too difficult to swallow, was it?

I can almost recall a friend of mine saying this when I lamented to her on the lack of true marketers, "Stop being such a bl***y purist!"

(swear word sensored to protect young readers out there. Honestly, I truly think that the expletive vocabulary of my 12 year old friends truly surpass me in every aspect. I am just being civil for appearance sake)

But yeah, back to branding.

A study was done by the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health where 63 preschoolers were asked to sample two meals, each consisting of a chicken nugget, a quarter of a hamburger, french fries, two baby carrots and a small cup of milk.

Although both meals came from a local McDonalds, only one of them appeared in its original packaging. Researchers presented items from the other meal in plain wrappers, which lacked the company's distinctive logo.

In most cases children said they tasted a difference between the two meals, and they overwhelmingly preferred the McDonalds-branded foods. (New Scientist.com News Service, Roxanne Khamsi, Fast Food branding makes children prefer happy meals, 6th August 2007)

It was a pretty amazing study. The children actually preferred carrots wrapped in 'McDonalds' branded packaging ---- even though it does not exist on McDonald's menu!

Yes, the art of branding is that of attracting people to buy your brand so that you can earn profits. Not just recognizing your brand only, but converting that recognition into a sale...hopefully many times over.

In the case of Budweiser and the talking frogs campaign is a great example of people recognizing the Budweiser Beer brand and campaign, but resulted in lower sales. And while the brand recall was high, it only fulfilled the first part of my definition, it did not fulfill the latter part sufficiently.

http://www.mycustomer.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=133055&d=2043 ("Frog in the Throat" section)

As a Brand Manager, I can only say that I am still learning and have much more to learn.

And so, if you ever hear of anyone claiming that Branding is easy peasy, please excuse him for he is not of a sound mind. Otherwise, please refer him to me --- I can put him in touch with a farmer who requires farm help to stamp marks on his cows.

The Little Red Dot

2007-08-12T23:40:00.000+08:00

It is interesting how something initially seen as deragatory can be turned around and used as something positive.

The term "red dot", was first used in 1998 by the former president of Indonesia, B.J. Habibie, when he made this quote, pointing at a map on a wall to the interviewer, "It’s OK with me, but there are 211 million people (in Indonesia). Look at that map. All the green (area) is Indonesia. And that red dot is Singapore. Look at that.”

Reaction to that term was swift and furious from all corners of ASEAN. Interestingly, our country's leaders picked up on this term and used it to their advantage. Rather than associating the "Little Red Dot" term negatively, they used it to reiterate how vulnerable Singapore is. Similarly, while we are small, we are also 'Red' ---- a fiery chilli padi that can make things happen.

Thank God for wise leaders.

This same term has been immortalised in a title of a book about Singapore's foreign service --- 'The Little Red Dot. Reflections by Singapore's Diplomats'.

I am currently reading this compilation of short essay pieces from Singapore's diplomatic corp, relating the tough times they faced protecting and lobbying for Singapore's interests in the nasty world of global politics. Indeed, all Singaporeans owe a debt to these men and women who worked most of their lives overseas so that we can have a better life.

If you are into current affairs, politics, international relations and economics, this book would interest you. Otherwise, I would just simply direct you to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The Wife has been hogging the Harry Potter book for the past week now.

And then there are the more learned ones...

Keeping it Simple

2007-08-07T12:49:00.000+08:00

The article above is written by Phillip Kotler, a renown marketing guru of our age.
I feel that he wisely narrows down the requirements to be a great marketer at the top of your game:

1) Differentiate - Always have a selling point
2) Creative - Think outside the box
3) Leadership - All marketers should be leaders, not administrators

I wonder then, why the degree is known as Master of Business Administration (MBA). On saying that, I do agree with Kotler. We sometimes just cannot let go and tend to micromanage.

Agree?

Of course, the slackers among us are giving me back slaps.

Balance, folks...that's what I am aiming to get.

But of course, if you happen to be selling courses on 'teaching' you to be a great marketer or chief executive, you would have to say that the position requires you to be the following (as what a management school advertised in the media):

A Visionary

A Motivator

A Negotiator

An Architect of Organisation Structure and Systems

A Sensor of Market Opportunities

A Creator of Shareholder Value

A Strategist and Policy Maker

A Strategist for Acquisition

An Agent of Change

So complicated...I'd rather go work on a farm.

Anyone hiring farm hands? Will work for food!

My own church

2007-08-03T12:59:00.000+08:00

Yes, many people do want to be pastors of their own church.

Me? Nah. I'll pass.

And there will be others who will pounce upon the very opportunity to pastor a church. Some, will resort to underhand tactics and manoeuvres that will put seasoned corporate man to shame. I know. I have seen it happen.

But why?

Short lesson #2156: People desire to have Money and Power.

And the age old question is put forward to you: Would you rather have Money or Power?

Some prefer power, for they rationalise that they can control the rich.

Others say they prefer riches, for they can buy power.

So what better way than to have both --- money and power ---- by being a pastor, or let's broaden it, a religious leader.

"Oh come on now (as you naysayers and hypocrites declare), these people are always honest and after all, they are 'God's people'."

That is exactly the point, NOT!

In the real world, head honchos are constantly being constantly bombarded internally and externally, for the decisions and non-decisions that they make. Your political rival is doing his or her job well, when he or she manages to dig some dirt onto you and cause you to fumble and 'lose face'. Sometimes, it can be so bad, you will have to leave office without a pair of pants to your name --- just like that Bill Clinton guy (except that I think he deliberately left office without his pants).

Back to my point.

Would you ever dare 'question' your religious leader on the decisions that he makes? Some of us would. Most of us wouldn't.

Why?

'cos he will get god to strike you down with a lightning rod! And the more dominant and charismatic you are as a religious leader, it is very likely that your job is a relatively cushy one. After all, if someone comes and creates trouble, you could immediately choose to go into a trance and declare that the trouble maker is possessed by an evil spirit causing disharmony in the organization. That will be enough to have your faithful followers pick the trouble maker by his collar and drag him into the nearest dump.

Not to mention the gratitude your followers will have after you have 'positively' identified and cleansed the 'holy place' of the trouble maker, thereby maintaining harmony in the religious body. They will show their gratitude by heaping their riches onto you --- all in the name of giving to god, of course. And you being the godly person, would not reject riches for 'your god'...except that you happen to be spending all of god's money on yourself.

Of course, I am sweeping in my statements. But we do not have to look far for such examples.

In fact, our local Voluntary Welfare Organizations (VWO) are currently seeing some of their top guys scoot off with donors' monies, some quietly, others in broad daylight.

I am thankful for our country's leaders and for my church leaders, who are human nonetheless, but are focused on where they stand...

....'cos if they're not, I will be one of the first to drag them by the collar and throw them into the nearest dump.

The taxi driver with 6 fingers

2007-07-29T23:52:00.000+08:00

Fresh from my recently consumed Big Mac meal grabbed on the run, I made my way to meet my business associate, T, at the hotel lobby. We were supposed to catch a cab to the Coach pick up point together half an hour later but the KL traffic was so bad, that we decided to leave immediately.

Dragging my briefcase/luggage, I made my way to the hotel lobby, looking every bit the professional who had come into KL for business and had hit 18 holes and was now making my way to catch a flight.

Looks are terribly deceiving.

After meeting up with T, we stepped outside into the humid PJ air. The air today was less smoggy than it usually was. The rains in the morning had cleared the smog away. It did not matter to me anyway --- I was cooped up in our Office HQ, receiving my Battle Orders to increase sales, increase the pressure, increase distribution, increase brand awareness....in a shorter amount of time.

We stood in line behind a couple who wanted to catch a cab to Bukit Bintang. We waited as the doorman approached an incoming taxi.

"How much to Bukit Bintang?"

The doorman hailed at the couple, " $20 to Bukit Bintang, ok?"

The woman remarked to the man, " Crazy! $20 to Bukit Bintang?"

The doorman took that as a no and waved the taxi on.

The roads in and around KL and PJ were so jammed on a saturday afternoon, that no cab driver wanted to pick any passengers running on the meter. They figured that they were better off quoting a flat fee. For that afternoon, it was the cabbies who were king.

The doorman came back to the queue and approached us.

"Where you going, Sir?"

"Menara Axis."

"OK, you wait here, Sir. Wait for this couple to go first."

I nodded in acknowledgement.

Couple in front of us finally gets a cab that brings them to Bukit Bintang for $10.

We were next in line.

The next cab pulls up to us and the efficient doorman is already briefing him on our destination.

"Sir," said the doorman, facing us, "Will you be able to direct the cabbie to Menara Axis? He is not too familiar with the location."

"Cannot lah, 'bang! Driver should know what! Close to PJ Hilton. If he knows where that is, I can show him."

"Ok, ok, PJ Hilton he knows. It will be $15," replied the doorman.

"Sure or not? He knows ah?" I asked suspiciously.

"No problem, Sir. He says OK. Have a good day!"

I walked towards the trunk to keep our luggage. T stands behind me and squeals, " Eh? Sure or not? He can make it or not? Otherwise we get lost then how?"

"No worries, T. Should be ok."

I crossed both fingers and toes.

We entered the cab. An Indian cabbie is at the wheel.

"Boss, Menara Axis, you tau? Boleh ah? Bagus."

Honestly, it did not do much to assure me. You know, when your cabbie starts shaking his head from side to side in a rocking motion and answers you that he is sure of the destination when initially, he wasn't sure, you start having doubts. But then again, I had to do it to reassure T. After all, what were the chances of finding another cab in this rush hour traffic, to take us to our destination on time?

As soon as we drove out of the hotel driveway, we were immediately faced with the snarling jam. The cabbie remarked," The government bodoh! If we want to go north, should make a road to the right. If we want to travel south, should make a road to the left. What the government do? They make 1 road to the left and both those going north and south use the same road. Stupid dah!"

His dashboard was filled with Hindu inscriptions and mini idols. Cab drivers the world over seem to have this in common --- the reliance on their gods to protect them at their cab driving jobs. The muslims, the buddhists, the taoists, the catholics....they're all the same.

That was when I noticed our cabbies 6 fingers. Left hand was intact with 5 but the right hand was made up of only 1 thumb. Where the rest of the fingers should have been, they were all missing from the knuckles onwards.

"You're a brave man," I remarked.

He looked at me quizzically.

"Your hand," I pointed, "But you still drive."

He looked at me through the mirror and smiled a toothy grin.

"Got to live. Must survive. No problem!"

And he proved it by driving with his right hand only....I mean, his right thumb only.

"So, what happened?" I cautiously prodded.

"I was 18 years old when it happened. Accident."

He went on to describe how he had to be kept in the hospital for 2 months and after that, at home for the next 7 months for the wounds to heal.

"After that 7 months, I told myself that I cannot feel sorry for myself. I must live."

And so he headed to the capital, KL, to find work.

His first job was a petrol pump attendant. The Kiosk attendant took pity on him and allowed him to sleep at the back of the kiosk at night. His salary was $20 ringgit a day.

Then, he came to know the truckers who came to the kiosk to refuel their trucks and soon found that they earned much more than what he had. He plucked the courage to ask one of them for a job and one of them agreed to make him his assistant.

"I sat beside in the truck and helped in everything. When raining, I run back to cover the truck."

It was on one of these rides that his trucker partner asked him to give a go at driving the truck. And as they say, the rest is history.

To get a license to drive a truck, he had to apply at the motor vehicles department. Upon seeing his right hand, they referred him to a doctor to certify that he was able. The doctor took him on a test drive in a car and he passed with flying colours.

"It was easy lah! I sit in the car only and no problem. They give me license to drive car and truck. But no motorcycle. But it's ok."

He and his new trucker friend got along so well for the next 23 years, that he was offered his trucker friend's daughters into marriage. But he declined. It was after driving trucks that he decided to finally go into be a cabbie for the past 3 years. He has a wife and 2 children.

"God give to us healthy body, we must use it to work, to survive. Those who have perfect bodies, do not work, but stick out their hands to ask for money, even god cannot help them."

"I no right hand, never mind. I am already 60+. But you must have the feeling," he points to his head," the feeling to work hard and to live."

I love the lessons gleaned from people, like this Indian cabbie. Professors at top universities have laws, theories and hypotheses. Corporate honchos have their track records and political fights. But people like this cabby, are the real heroes and survivors in our society.

But you must have the feeling...

To blow or not to blow...

2007-07-18T11:14:00.000+08:00

*ahem*

ok, now that I've got your attention, let's talk about the whistle blowing of 2Lt Li Hongyi.

A quick background:

This PSC government overseas scholar bound for MIT in the USA, was serving out his National Service as a Platoon Commander when he came across an alleged situation of favouritism in the military. Officer Commanding covering for another Platoon Commander in an alleged case of AWOL (basically, disappearing without anyone knowing where you are or when you will be back).

Usually, such offences are quite servere in the military and are punishable with a decent stay at the Hilton hotel (and you believed me?). Actually, it's the Detention Barracks or the military prison.

2Lt Li got peeved (perhaps this was not the first time he had observed such incidents) and decided to take matters into his own hands. After allegedly going through the proper channels, he decided to air his grievances in an email to the Defence Minister, cc Chief of Defence Forces. Chief of Army, etc.

Oh yes, one more thing -- 2Lt Li is the son of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

This debate has been flying through cyberspace faster than a speeding bullet. Was 2Lt Li right in blowing the whistle? Was this approach appropriate? Was he trying to abuse his position? Or was he just doing the right thing?

You decide for yourself. Read the email found at the link below:

http://tomorrow.sg/comment/view/6468283

I just had to take this Photo

2007-06-26T10:04:00.000+08:00

The Manager-on-Duty seems to be taking a break...or wait a sec! He ain't the manager! He's our **st**! What's he doin' there? Moonlighting? We ain't givin' him enough love?

Shock! Horror!

Updates

2007-06-26T09:50:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

Just wanted to say a thank you for those who have dropped by this blog (advertently or inadvertently).

What has been happening in my life? Tonnes! I will update more in time to come.

But most recently, I returned from a wonderful church camp at Pulai Springs Golf Resort. Yes, we christians need to be recharged from the daily grind and be provided with Golf Therapy...

And if you really believed that last statement, you must really hate christians that much to believe it...although I actually took time to hit 9-holes. Pretty decent 9-holes played, I must say!

And Oh yes, the above picture is the infinity pool that faces one of the holes in the 36-hole golf course. The voyeur in me had to snap the pic above. Those in Acts, can you guess who those dudes are?

Less than 1 more mth to GST hike

2007-06-05T17:18:00.000+08:00

Yes, in case you do not already know (yes, you. The ones living in Singapore!), our Goods and Services Tax (GST) will be raised 2 points to a grand total of 7% this 1 July 2007.

What does this mean?

Everything more expensive lor!

But why increase? Click here to see what the Government says.

One note of caution, most of us will generally be able to get by with our daily expenses. But for those who belong to the lower income group, I strongly suggest they get help to plan their finances.

You have been warned! Dun blur blur and then when 1st July comes, you look at the receipt after buying some stuff from the supermarket and start complaining that the receipt printed wrongly with 7% GST instead of 5%.

What next?

2007-05-30T10:41:00.000+08:00

So me and The Wife were in Chiang Mai, Thailand, over the weekend. At a restaurant toilet (yes, I said it right), I saw this newspaper article pasted on the mirror, above the washing basin.

The long and short of it is that the restaurant owners actually owned an Elephant Farm that trains elephants to do tricks. And one of the tricks...you got it --- making the elephant sit on the potty and then after that, flushing the bowl!

My question is --- Did the Thai sewage department actually approve of the sewerage system to 'handle' such a big customer with 'big output'?

I hate to venture into any imagination if no approval was gained...

Such great faith has not been seen...

2007-05-21T09:52:00.000+08:00

Once, someone very wisely said to me, "It is better to keep your mouth shut and look stupid, than to open your mouth and confirm it."

I guess this saying does not apply to all situations, eh?

Word has it that when the Defense Minister was asked if he could see anything while looking on with his Bino caps on. He replied with strong enthusiasm that he could see the view ahead and even heaped praises on those involved in the above training exercise.

This man's faith is strong...believing in what he cannot see...

...and also in denial.

Slow Movement --- Any takers?

2007-05-16T13:27:00.000+08:00

Ah yes, I can finally get down to updating my blog once again.

The topic I've been most fascinated with lately is the 'Slow Movement'. In case you have never heard of it, here it is:

People stressed. Need a break. Re-think life. Take things easy.

Simple enough?

It all started with this dude who led some Italians to protest at the Piazza di Spagna on the opening of a McDonalds food outlet there (by the way, we discovered that the Piazza is a lovely but extremely busy place when we visited Rome last year). What became a protest against fast food has become a lifestyle choice for many who want to get off the fast track in this rat race we live in...even more so for those of us who live in Singapore and Hong Kong.

With improved technology, we can multi task tonnes of things at the same time but then, forget the purpose of the creation of these technology in the first place. Tell me about it, I just got a new handphone with Wi Fi access. Tempting not to use it to reply my client the very moment he needs me to email him something.

And so, out sprouted Slow Food, Slow Books, Slow Travel, Slow Cities, Slow Living, Slow Schools and Slow Money.

I can agree with most all of it except Slow Money.

Duuuh...

The point to all this is that we should take time to smell the roses (if there are still any. These days, the National Parks Board keeps stocking out parks with Heliconia. No wonder we cannot smell anything even if we wanted to). While this is not a rebellion, it encourages people to enjoy their experiences more in depth. Say, if you were reading a book, instead of rushing through it, rather, take time to absorb the contents of the story.

And so, rather than rush on a 21 day bus around Europe holiday, take a month and half off instead to visit the same places. Or, use your 21 days but spend it in only 2 places. That way, you will be able to fully enjoy and absorb the way of life at your selected destinations.

True, true. I can hear naysayers snorting that this is for the well heeled. Admittedly, 99.5% of us do not have the luxury of being able to take a month and a half off to travel. Also, it means that your finances are being stretched to the max. How to afford?

When the Wife and I went to Europe last year, we did Rome and Paris in 10 days. Comfortable, you might say? Relatively. That very morning after I landed in Paris, I hopped in line with the queues at the Musee D' Orsay, Rodin Museum and the Lourve and covered all 3 famed museums in the space of one afternoon (I can say I've been there done that, but no quality of experience). We did have to wake up at 4am to catch the 5.30am budget plane from Paris to Rome.

On the flip side? We enjoyed a delicious meal of Shawarma whipped up by our chatty Lebanese 'hole-in-the-wall-shop' chef in Paris' red light district; We explored the catacombs located along the world's first paved road; Ate the yummiest Gelati in the world, found in Rome (the wife had it everyday we were in Rome); Overawed by the vastness and grandness of the Versailles Palace and its huge gardens (I promised myself that if I am able to, I will want to go back to the Versaille gardens and have a jog there in the Spring).

Well, having said all that, I wish to make a proposition to all my readers --- Let's start slow...

Take the afternoon off on Friday 8 June 2007. I will bring all of us to an undisclosed location in Singapore to rediscover both your environment and yourself. And pay me a token sum of S$5 for having thought of this idea =)

Those interested, pls email me at tumduck@yahoo.com . This half day journey of re-discovery will go ahead if I have a minimum of 6 people. Why so?
Otherwise no fun lah!

Have yourself a Slow Day!

It's a gal thing

2007-05-03T10:34:00.000+08:00

Girls love being pampered...even if it is at the expense of our reputation.

I can virtually see many guys nodding their heads in vigorous unison.

I mean, you hear of guys doing the craziest stuff, all for the sake of proving their undying love for their gal. Sometimes, guys do it as a result of temporal paralysis of the rational mind, being struck by the arrow of cupid. These fellas literally do not know what hit them. Others, you have but no choice but to do as the gal desires or risk losing face and losing your gal.

My point?

Why do you not hear of gals doing crazy stuff to prove of their undying love for their guys?

Ok, before I get pummelled by you gals, actually, you all do prove your love in your own ways, yah?

Except that they might not be too dramatic as the guys'.

In fact, I dare say that guys tend to be all theatrics in the dating phase and then fade away after marriage. Whereas, gals seem to enjoy the guys' theatrics during the dating phase, but end up doing most of the work after marriage.

That, my guy friends, is sacrifical love.

And so, why should we disrupt the order of nature? Leave things the way as it is!

Kidding yah!

(guys, at this moment, I am being held by me Wife with a dough rolling pin pointed at my head. For the things I am about to write, pls forgive me for committing treason against the band of brothers)

A fairy tale of magic, was what we never planned.
Two hearts in search for true love, brought as one from different lands.
I thought I must be dreaming, the day that I found you.
And now my life's worth living, and grey skies are turned to blue

Chorus:
Oh Serena, I knew from the start,
That the love we have will stand all tests and never tear us apart
Oh yes Serena, my promise is true.
I will hold you tight till the cold night is through,
Girl, I love you.

The majesty of nature, on this terrestial ball,
But there a flower blooming stands the chiefest of them all.
This flower's like no other, her colours pure and bright.
This flower's you my precious as you freely share your light.

Forever Serena
Music and lyrics by Paul Lim
March 2002

Presenting Ibumie HarMee

2007-05-03T10:11:00.000+08:00

Calling all foodies! The latest sensational instant noodles has come to town!

Have wonderful memories of pigging out in Penang, Malaysia? This latest product is inspired by the street hawkers in Penang selling a well known dish called Penang Har Mee (or prawn noodles).

You might think that it is just another instant noodle brand in the market...but wait, here are a few reasons why you should try this product:

1) No preservatives

2) Soup base powder is ACTUAL prawn stock!

3) Noodle quality is superior to many competing brands

4) One of the more unique and interesting flavours in the market (not your usual Chicken or Tom Yam or Curry flavours)

This product is currently available at most provision shops islandwide and can be found at Sheng Siong and Prime Supermarkets.

And so, your next question is: How do you know so much about this product?

Honestly?

I am the Brand Manager for this noodle =)

But seriously, give it a try. You will not be able to give an opinion until you first try it.

I welcome all comments and feedback on this product.

Enjoy your HarMee today!

Obituary for a Car

2007-04-30T15:02:00.000+08:00

The family of Paul

Toyota Vios 1.5 litre

would like to thank all friends and relatives who have been so supportive of us during this time of loss. We would like to thank car salesman D*** for first introducing Vios to us back in 2004. Special thanks goes out to all the mechanics at Mova and Borneo Motors who have laboured so hard to give Vios a better lease of life.

Vios has been called life in a better place (likely India or Vietnam). During Vios' short time in our care, it has gone through so much, having travelled to Kuala Lumpur and Malacca and frequently into Johor Bahru. Vios unfortunately succumbed to its injuries (a punctured tire, noisy air con belt, ripping leather seats and interior, neglect from regular car washes).

Vios, you will always be special to us.

Definitely Halal (safe for Muslim consumption)

2007-04-30T14:52:00.000+08:00

For those of you who are still trying to figure out why I put this picture up, well, it's in the spelling.

Know the answer yet?

The Wife and I can sometimes be real asses when it comes to being pedantic about spelling accuracy (those of you in the same league, please go read 'Eats Shoots & Leaves' by Lynn Truss. Enjoy!). But for the layman in us, here's where the spelling went wrong:

No Pork

No Lark

I trust they do not have bird meat in my sliced fish soup.

I wonder if bird meat can actually be considered part of a bowl of Seafood soup...

My Long Hiatus from Blogging

2007-04-23T16:38:00.000+08:00

Yes, it has unfortunately been too long since I have been away from my blog. To my readers, thousands of apologies. Busy with work, church and lotsa other stuff.

So what have I been up to? Well, early in the year, I was in an exciting final round interview with UBS bank for their Wealth Management Associate Program. Of the 1500 applicants, the attrition rate was 98% going into the final round! We had to sit for an online numerical and IQ test. Then go down in person to UBS for another numerical test. Then we were shortlisted for interviews. In the final round, UBS would place you in a mansion they rented and like the reality TV series 'Big Brother' or 'Temptation Island' or etc, you will have to fight it out in some tests 'reality' situational tests with the other applicants that are divided into 5 groups of 8. To cut the story short, I did not make it but lived to tell the story to my grandchild. Congrats to M.C. who made it out of our group!

Speaking of grandchild, I do not have any as of yet, but a child, well, kiddo is on the way. Coming our way in September to be exact. Excited? Stressed? Anticipation? Nah! In all honesty, moi does not know what to expect but to prepare for many sleepless nights. Thankfully, The Wife has had a decent pregnancy thus far. The only thing she is concerned about is wanting to have a natural delivery versus being cut up like prime meat in the butcher shop. Pork chops, anyone?

Just came back from a 1 night trip to Batam. Harris Resort may not have 5-star facilities, but they more than adequately make up in service. Picture this: Friends and I are playing water polo (the easy version of course. No one treads in the water here as water reaches to our waists. Besides, we ain't no pros!) and some time in the middle of the game, the hotel has someone deliver a platter of fruits served on skewers for our 'Half Time' refreshment! At no cost and without us requesting for it! We were just stunned at this simple gesture of initiative and generosity.

Or how about when we were being ferried by bus back to the hotel. They got another minivan along so that all 30 of us could have adequate space and comfort after a heavy meal. And the ride was only 1 min!

My friends, go to Harris Resort in Batam and you will not go wrong. Look for Stylianos, the fun and well loved greek General Manager of this resort. Mind you, he speaks fluent Bahasa Indonesia.

Another new thing in my life -- a new car! Yes, we have decided to get the Hyundai Avante and trade-in our Toyota Vios. With this new car, I am breaking new ground in my life:

1) I am choosing a Hyundai! Had bad experience with Hyundai before and my impression of it has never been great till I saw and tested the Avante.

2) I decided on a Silver coloured car. Groan! Don't remind me. In the past, I used to complain about how Singaporeans can be so dull with their car's choice of colour. Singaporeans tend to be very safe when it comes to making decisions...even for their car's colour. My Vios was orange and my Hyundai will sadly be silver, a nice shade though (am scrapping the bottom of the barrel here, people). But why silver?

Black is cool but makes the car look small. White is nice but will have tough time cleaning and maintaining it. Dark Violet is nice but too common. Mountain Blue reminds me of my heritage (Hainan Blue). Red looks just wrong on this car.

Ma'am, I would like Continental Silver for the colour of my car.

They deliberately placed the word 'Continental' in front of the 'Silver' so as to appease my choice. "It's not just ANY silver you are choosing. It's 'Continental Silver'!"

Pray tell me what does the word 'Continental' describe when it comes to colours? 'Dark Silver', I can understand. 'Light Silver', I kapish. Even 'Pearl White' is fine with me.

How does 'Continental' describe a colour?

Interestingly, as I took stock of the things I have purchased or intend to purchase, my list looks something like this:

Car - Was Toyota (Japanese); Now Hyundai (Korean)
Mobile phone - Was Motorola (US); Now Samsung (Korean)
TV - Was Toshiba (Japanese); Now Samsung (Korean)
Home Sound System - Was Philips (Netherlands); Now Samsung (Korean)
DVD Camera - Samsung (Korean)
Bluetooth Earpiece - Samsung (Korean)

In all honesty, I never realised how Korean we have been until I made this list. Something has happened while we were all sleeping in the past 5 years!

1 more interesting fact --- At Harris Resort Batam, we saw signs in English, Bahasa and Korean. Not Japanese but Korean. In fact, the resort brochure lists a Japanese restaurant on their premises. I went to check it out. The signage says 'Japanese Restaurant' all right...but the menu and food are all in Korean.

The Japanese are not going to be too pleased.

Frigid panda

2007-03-28T22:50:00.000+08:00

Yeah, it's really quite hilarious but true! I could not help but burst out laughing while reading this article in the newspapers.

So someone's not getting any action these days eh?

But the real question is: will this method work?

I mean, let's be really honest about it --- the act of copulation is a 2-way thing. Unless of course, the act is paid for, as in a business transaction. So while it might work for the male panda, how about the female panda? Don't the zoo keepers know that the female species are a hard species to get through to? They should have videos for the male on how to cuddle the female panda and how to give back rubs. Not panda porn!

And back to our frigid panda --- who were the sickos who filmed the porn pandas in action?

My suggestion ----- forget the porn. Go straight for Viagara, Cialis, Tongkat Ali. And don't forget artificial insemination.

Tsk, tsk. Even zoos these days are facing declining birth rates.

Actually, come to think of it, if this method works for the pandas, would the government use this similar method to encourage human baby making? I mean, it would have to be proven with pandas but why should we stop at pandas? I should really write in to the Singapore Feedback Unit to offer this solution to our declining birth rates.

I somehow sense The Wife's hand reaching over to pinch, twist and pull my right ear....

A song to see you through life

2007-03-21T00:18:00.000+08:00

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small when you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances but they're worth taking
Lovin' might be a mistake but it's worth making
Don't let some hell bent heart leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out reconsider
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance

Lee Ann Womack

Happy Birthday Winne!

2007-03-11T23:15:00.000+08:00

To our dear friend who is a capable being and confidante to The Wife, may this year bring you much joy to keep you optimistic; minimal pain to keep you in check with the realities of life; great hope to keep you on your feet; and much laughter to preserve your sanity (not that you are anywhere near insane or anything).

Happy Birthday, Dear Winne!

(btw, the candles are not indicative of your true age)

Does your hairdresser caress your ear?

2007-02-15T18:38:00.000+08:00

I kid you not.

So I decided to take a stroll to the hairdresser around the corner. My regular hairdresser went on MC today and will continue to be away for the Chinese New Year. Well, I do need to look decent for the New Year when visiting relatives. Also, there is this cousin's wedding coming up and I really do not want to turn up at his wedding with the newly shorn look. Today would be a good day to cut hair.

Gone are the days when I went to ethnic barbers to have my hair cut. When I mean ethnic, I mean barber shops with chairs in a row manned by either Malays (always known as Sri Dewa), the Chinese (known for using a blade to scrape your neck after the cut, and also provide ear digging services), and the Indian barber. A haircut will set you back no more than S$10 for an adult male. I have given up on those days. Being converted whilst studying overseas, I have since moved on to professional hairstylists who actually wash your hair before the cut (ok, ok, it took me that long to progress). But progress I did! I have had my hair cut in New York City, Toronto, Melbourne, etc. Some of them are pretty good stylists. My all time favourite -- Jack Giordano, an Italian who emigrated to Burlington, Ontario, Canada. He rocks!

I entered the hairdresser that was around the corner, for the first time. I was attended by a gentleman who resembled someone just released delinquent school. But then, judge not, I must. Because Chinese New Year is around the corner, it is a practice that hairdressers and barbers impose a mandatory self declared tip, on top of the regular price of a haircut. I shrugged it off. Where else would I go? To the military barber? God forbid!

I must say that his scalp massage was pretty good and decided to relax and enjoy the hair wash.

When it was time to rinse my hair at the sink, I lay back and let the water do its job. Well, looks like the water was not the only thing doing its job.

I realised that the male hairdresser was caressing my ear!

(I pause here to choke)

And he did it while washing my hair and ear and cupping it ever so tenderly....arrgh!

I need a cold shower.

Ok, so maybe I was overreacting. But honestly, the way he did it and the amount of time he took to wash my hair (and ears), I am really intrigued that his lady boss (sitting outside reading a mag) did not even complain about the huge amount of water he had wasted. Honestly, I have never had a longer hair wash in my life! And while my gay-dar was on (ya know, radar for a different sexual orientation), right in front of me was a promotional poster for a hair product where the model was topless save her hands cupping her breast strategically. I guess the Yin and Yang of things are balanced here. But hey, that dude is still cupping my ears!

Yes, I may have been over sensitive. But going by my track record, a white guy tried once to pick me up; my very gay colleague would only complete the work if I allowed him to grope my chest; and was once winked at and air kissed by a transvestite at a supermarket....I think it is wise to be a little more alert.

I have nothing against gays per se. It is just those who are the desperate ones who are trying hard to 'get to know you', them I detest. Much like a creep who thinks he is god's gift to women, harassing every skirt that walks by him.

I suddenly am gaining an insight into a woman's violation...

After the haircut was done (which was done quite decently), and the payment made, hairdresser gave me his sweetest smile and waved effeminately, while leaning on one leg and making limp the other.

I'm going back to Agnes next time round.

Disposed accordingly...For the want of a better phrase

2007-02-09T15:44:00.000+08:00

It is an extremely curious thing to find an ad in the classifieds asking for the next of kin to contact a certain hospital to reclaim the remains of a patient who passed away.

Why curious?

The ad was located in the most obscure of locations in the classifieds (in between the project tenders page and the Jobs section). Honestly, what are the chances of your next of kin flipping through the classifieds and finding out that your remains need to be reclaimed?

But well, this is hospital procedure...yes, we have to inform the public...we have made reasonable effort to contact the next of kin (really depends on your definition of 'reasonable').

I mean, come on, can we try a bit harder? Like placing a notice on the home page of your hospital web site? That would not cost a cent! Or, if your corporate communications department had a little more creativity, talk to a journalist and persuade them to place a regular column in the main spread for unclaimed bodies. They regularly write stories to inform the public about missing persons in the custody of the Police. Why not human bodies?

Doh! But of course! Because they are DEAD!

But the other thing I noticed was the concluding paragraph where it states "Please note that the body of the deceased will be disposed accordingly..."

I know it is a medically accepted term to say that a body is to be disposed of. But oh such cold, heartless and distant language it exudes!

"the body will be disposed of accordingly..."

Yes, our remains are disposable but surely we are not akin to diapers or styrofoam cups or scrap paper. Could we at least try to show more compassion even for the deceased?

English language teachers, save our societies from further coldness.

Junior's grown!

2007-02-09T15:21:00.000+08:00

Well, well. Looks like Lim Junior is doing well in the water bag of The Wife's womb.

Yes, a visit to the Gynae confirmed that the Lim offspring is doing well, thus far.

You can actually make out the head from the picture on the left and upon magnifying the picture at the Gynae's, you could actually see the area where the brain will be formed; and the tiny heart beating away!

Wonders of nature isn't it?

Which quite naturally brings to mind the position that Pro-Choice proponents push --- that life does not begin at conception (I stand corrected if this statement is errorneous). So how does one explain the tiny dot pumping away in the heart chamber of the foetus?

Work hard to get ahead in life...Truth or lie?

2007-02-04T00:11:00.000+08:00

I know that is a hotly debated topic and a monkey that is constantly on the government's back. But the stark reality is true --- there is a substantial number of middle aged people in the work force who are out of jobs and the numbers are set to rise. I do not have the numbers to back me up but do bear with me as I take you through my thoughts.

Asian kids will hear this familiar refrain: Study hard and work hard to succeed in life. Truth or a lie?

Very recently, I had opportunity to assist at a recruitment agency and the number of resumes you receive from middle aged persons seeking employment is just overwhelming. Mind you, when I mean middle aged, I do not mean person in their 50s. What I deem as 'middle aged' are those 38 years old and above.

I am not the least bit joking.

Take for instance an ad for a managerial post in Marketing in the FMCG (Fast moving consumer goods) industry was seeking an individual with 8 years of relevant work experience. As I sifted through the resumes, my colleague helped me by 'shortlisting' them.

Too old (candidate was 38 years old??!!!); Non relevant experience (candidate had extensive marketing experience in food products and dried milk powder and the job post was for fresh dairy products. Am I missing out something here?); too highly qualified (candidate had a Masters in Marketing).

At the end of the exercise, I shortlisted 2 probable candidates but my colleague decided against them. Why? For the very reasons I have stated above.

And so, when seeking a middle to senior managerial position locally, you must not be too old (35 years and below) but have enough RELEVANT experience and cannot be too highly educated.

As I looked through some of the resumes sent in, I could not help but sympathise with many. There were those in their 40s and were previously in Senior positions heading companies. Now, they are just satisfied with a middle management post. Some are even willing to take entry level positions.

I have the stories of 2 friends to share with you.

One is a father of 3 daughters with the eldest in her 1st year at university and the youngest is 16 years old. A couple of years back, he was CEO of an IT company and had enough money to live in a landed property at a prime location. Then he was retrenched and has never found another job since. He is in his late 40s to early 50s.

Another friend is 40 this year and is a Country manager for a foreign company. He fears that if he is made redundant, he will not be able to find another job again. He has no children but is married.

We have been told to work hard in order to get into premier schools and that would get us prestigious scholarships at premier universities that would lead us to a career with bright prospects.

The reality? Hit 35 years and above and I suggest you think of a backup plan when you are out of a job. Yes, not 'if' but 'when' you are out of a job.

The Straits Times recently did an article on this issue of middle age joblessness. Even top government scholars were not spared and these were considered Singapore's brightest who were trained at top universities worldwide. Come 35 to 45 years of age and you will have to make way for the just-as-bright scholar but is 30 years of age to replace you.

I am not discounting the virtue of hard work. I am all for hard work and I am a hard worker myself. My point is: Will pure hard work get you to your goal? Will it assure you of your job in your mid 30s, 40s and 50s?

I would like to hear your thoughts.

She wore blue braces

2007-01-30T16:36:00.000+08:00

I was strolling at Vivocity early this afternoon. Got to make full use of my 2 more days of freedom before I become slave to my new employer.

Of course, there were the usual Singapore-map-flipping-tourists who were trying to find their way around; and then there was me, flipping the map of Vivocity just trying to find my way around even after having been there like about 5 times already! And then there were the usual wannabes decked from head to toe in their Gucci and Prada apparel, walking around as if the mall belonged to them...ok, perhaps it may belong to one of their parents.

A girl caught my eye.

Lest ye have any less than savoury thoughts, let me enlighten you further.

This girl was in her late 20s and she caught my eye. She was wearing a janitor's uniform, doing her rounds keeping the mall clean. I observed her from a distance and could not help but conclude that she may be mildly mentally disabled due to her gait and her facial expression (ma'am, should you happen be this girl that I am writing about and happen to read my blog and are not the least bit mentally disabled, I profusely apologise unreservedly. As compensation, I will gladly autograph for you a copy of the first ultrasound of Baby Lim, as seen in my previous entry).

But what struck me were 3 things:

1) Her cheerful disposition

She was walking together with a colleague. The colleague did not look mentally disabled but he was not the least bit cheerful. Perhaps he had a bad day; perhaps he was going through some difficulties with his boss. Whatever the case, the contrast was that stark. Girl is mentally challenged but was cheerful. Guy was normal but looked grumpy.

2) She wore blue braces (not blue velvet...perhaps only oldies fans will appreciate this pun)

Mentally challenged as she was, her carer took the effort to help her get braces for her teeth. They were not boring coloured braces, they were bright blue! Ok, regardless of the colour, the point is, someone actually wanted her to look nice by straightening her teeth and wanted the process to be enjoyable by recommending her a bright blue colour. In short, people who were caring for her wanted her to live life as normally as possible. This example, to me, is something seldom seen in Singapore or any other country for that matter (I used to do social work in Victoria, Australia, where its state welfare programs are one of the best in the world).

3) She is a contributing part of the workforce and society at large

Two hurdles are overcome here. Firstly, the openness on the carers' part to let her work. Secondly, the willingness of the janitorial company and Vivocity to allow her to work in full view of the public.

I will never forget her bright smile with the bright blue braces. But more importantly, she was given a chance to contribute to society and assimilate into it. And as a result, she happily carried out her job, oblivious to the crowd throngs that pass her daily. I can also imagine the many obstacles her carers faced when getting her the job. People to convince, others to persuade. Politics and personal agendas could have been and may still be in play.

But for bright blue braces, she is blissfully cleaning Singapore's biggest mall.

Junior's habitat - 9 months only

2007-01-30T16:18:00.000+08:00

Rather fascinating to have an up close view of Junior's habitat for the next 9 months. Yes, that uneven ring of black (located just off centre, towards the left) will be my offspring's home (to those who are still trying to figure out what I am saying, the ring is the amniotic fluid or the water bag).

Stay tuned to see scans of the foetus in a couple of weeks' time!

We are officially Pregnant!

2007-01-25T10:43:00.000+08:00

Yes, to all of you who have been cheering us on (or have simply given up) to have a kid, we are happy to announce that we are pregnant!

To those of you who are wondering why I used 'we are pregnant' instead of 'my wife is pregnant', well, I am afraid that it was something insisted upon by The Wife. I guess it is politically correct to say 'we are pregnant' instead of 'she is pregnant'.

Why?

Maybe it subliminally helps the man take mental responsibility for the 9 months of agony the woman goes through; perhaps it is just a weak 'claiming of ownership' attempt from males who feel alienated by the powerful feminist movement that attributes full ownership rights to women who are carrying a child in the womb; most likely, it could be to clarify that the kid in the womb happens to also belong to the rightful man.

Hey! These days, you never know! There is so much confusion disputing whose baby belongs to which guy. And so, I think it is quite appropriate that the term 'we are pregnant' can be confidently applied when a couple is pretty much certain that the kid belongs to them.

Err...dear, the kid's mine, right?...Dear?

Although the kid is now a zygote (no bigger than 2cm) and is expected to come to term only this September, for those of you who are in the spirit of giving, what with Chinese New Year around the corner, please help us recoup our losses --- from our 3 years of having to spend Chinese New Year by just giving out Red Packets and getting nothing back in return --- by simply forwarding us your kind and generous monetary donations made in the name of our zygote, Zygote Lim. We accept MasterCard, Visa, JCB, PayPal, Cash, Cheque and Telegraphic Transfer. All donations are hereby welcome to be made on an indefinite rolling and ongoing basis, even after Zygote Lim has attained the age of majority (In Singapore, the drinking age is 18 years old but to be able to watch nudity at the cinemas, you need to be 21 years of age. In light of Zygote Lim's unwillingness to be denied 3 year's worth of generous donations and to give slower donors an equal opportunity to give, we will set the age of majority in Singapore at 21 years old.

All donations are tax free and cannot be refunded regardless of whether Zygote Lim comes to term or not. Should Zygote Lim decide to wait a few more years before coming to existence, all donations shall be duly and equally divided between The Wife and myself, wherewith we shall use all proceeds to take a super long vacation to the Caribbean Islands. Gifts in kind are not encouraged as we do not look forward to having 20 milk bottles, 6 baby strollers and 44 high chairs. Should such a scenario take place, we shall in no means prevent ourselves from selling off redundant items on Yahoo Auctions or eBay to obtain additional income from your generous gifts).

Act dumb sometimes...

2007-01-22T23:58:00.000+08:00

A newspaper article today talks about the life of a gentleman who has made a name for himself by creating a whole chain of retail outlets just selling bread.

His life was wrought with challenges and successes. But the key lesson learnt was that he never gave up and sought to overcome his challenges one by one.

One of the interesting comments that he shared was this,"Act dumb sometimes. You don't have to appear too smart."

It was probably because of this 'tactic' that he managed to achieve what he wanted during some deadlocked situations.

How can this be? Isn't it a known fact that if you 'look dumb', you will be 'trampled' all over?

Ah! But there is wisdom in his quote.

So in what situations do we 'Act dumb' and yet be 'smart'? Or as Singaporeans like to say 'Think smart, act blur'. May I suggest the following:

- When being stopped by the traffic policeman for speeding,"Huh? I thought this was a race car track."

- When you get caught for shoplifting,"Doh! I thought these were free samples!" (pretty lame lah)

- When you accidentally walk into the Ladies' washroom,"Er...sorry, I thought this was the car park."

- When trying to elicit competitive intelligence from a big mouth insider,"Oh really? I did not know! I must be so out of touch! You are so knowledgeable!" (say this in irritatingly high pitch)

- When your wife catches you in the arms of another woman,"Is this a new massage technique?"

Yes, humility can go a long way. Perhaps, that is probably why my youngest sister can get away with almost anything. I believe that it was a mutual friend who bestowed upon her the extremely flattering comment that she was 'Blonde with black hair'.

My sis is going to kill me...

How to teach a German to Leem Kopi...

2007-01-17T15:44:00.000+08:00

Sunday night, my baby sister took it upon herself to invite her friend to come over for some food. Thankfully, I had enough leftover Salmon to pass around (I think I have been too nice to my sisters...hmm).

Anyway, so in comes this strapping German lad by the name of Alex.

Alex is a cool dude and first impressions wise, he's mature for all 23 years of him (Mom, if you are reading this blog to find out if your youngest daughter is going out with this German dude, sorry to disappoint you. He already has a girlfriend).

Here for an internship that will last a few months, Alex works at the German Business Centre for a German company selling German power tools. He stays in an apartment that is mostly occupied by German expatriates working for other German companies like German automobile makers BMW and Daimler Chrysler (And you wonder how in the world Singapore was colonised by the British and the Japanese).

Alex's father lives in Italy and mother is in Germany. Why Italy for the dad? Well, one day, while travelling around Italy on a holiday, Alex's mom had a headache. His dad decided to pull over his car to let mom rest. As he got out of his car, he looked around the vast surroundings and said, "Eureka! Let's buy some land here and build a house!"

(OK, maybe he did not say these words...the point is, that he just pulled over, surveyed the lands around him and decided to buy up 25 hectares of land and built a house!)

The story goes on, that his dad decided to use the land to plant 2000 olive trees to venture into the Olive Oil production industry. His brand of Olive Oil currently retails for 30 Euros per 750ml. Some aficionandos have been known to purchase 50 cartons of Olive Oil from them for the purpose of full body spa soaking treatment.

Sheer, uninhibited decadence.

I tried persuading Alex to convince his dad to buy another 25 hectares of land to plant more Olive trees so that I can help distribute his product in Asia. Well, I guess we Chinese always know a business opportunity when we see one...even if it means charging S$150 per 750ml bottle of Olive Oil. After Alex kindly turned down my advances, I decided to introduce the blond hair blue eyed German with some Singapore culture.

How to teach a German to Leem Kopi (drink coffee)

1. Fold your right leg vertically by placing your right foot on the chair. Slanting to your left buttock is allowed. Switch legs if your left buttock becomes numb after a while.

2. Receive the coffee with both hands. Stir the contents twice. Remove spoon from cup.

3. Drizzle cup's contents down its sides. This will cool the coffee very quickly.

4. Slurp up the contents in the saucer in one gulp.

5. Repeat as necessary.

And there you have it --- the full flavour of coffee sufficiently cooled so that it can be downed in a single gulp. Not to mention the sheer respect of the Ah Pehs (old men) in the neighbourhood coffee shops.

Guten Appetit!

Playing a little too 'try hard'...

2007-01-09T16:27:00.000+08:00

So I was walking back to my place from Holland Village. This hamlet of shops is considered one of Singapore's most hip places. On any given day, you can find people dressed to the nines even if they were just going to buy a magazine from the news stand. Celebrities, upper class expatriates, yuppies and wannabes frequent this area. For some strange reason, the sun here seems to be rather glaring. Now you know why everyone seems to be walking around with those oversized sunglasses, even in the night. Another strange phenomenon is that the ladies around Holland Village tend to have much lower necklines and much shorter skirts than any other place in and around Singapore, save Orchard Road. My grandmother meant well when she commented on this phenomenon: 'My goodness, the cost of living in Singapore is getting so high! Even the people these days have to resort to getting smaller sized clothes in order to save money. '

I did not have the heart to point out to her that the underwired padded bras that was worn beneath the 'smaller sized' blouse had probably set back its owner by a good S$100. (and don't ask me how I know what these wear-on push-uppers cost).

On this day, as I walked back to my place, I happened to glance at some sculptures that were located opposite the back of Cold Storage Supermarket.

I turned to Favian, "They've finally completed the sculptures. It took ages to complete. The presence of the sculptures is supposed to heighten the 'cultural-ness' of the empty space below the block of government built flats."

Favian peered at the series of sculptures.

"Is that a toilet bowl?"

"That's just ridiculous," I scoffed at his probable worsening of myopia.

"No! It really is a toilet bowl!"

The smirk on my face gradually morphed into a jaw drop as I turned to look, allowing the millions of dust particles and microbes to enter my already deteriorating body (yes, in case you are in denial, your body is also deteriorating as you are reading this article).

What in heaven's name is a sculpture of a toilet bowl doing in a classy place such as Holland Village?

We crossed the road and went to have a closer look.

There were about 5-6 sculptures, each depicting a 'socially considerate' action. One was throwing rubbish into a bin; another was washing his hands in a basin (probably alluding to the Singaporean government campaign to wash your hands after using the toilet); and then there was the dude flushing the toilet bowl.

Someone hit me over the head and tell me I am not dreaming.

These sculptures were made by students from a local Junior College (Senior High School).

Sad.

My guess is that the town council probably commissioned the school to get their students to do the work for free, with the promise of their work being put in full public view at up-market Holland Village for posterity.

Then there are those who will do almost anything for fame.

And so, if I were one of the sculptors from the school, one fine day, I would bring my kids to see the works of art that I had accomplished so many moons ago. How proud they would be of me!

"Daddy, why did you sculpt a toilet bowl?"

"Well, son, I did it for the good of society."

"But why a toilet bowl? Why not a bird or a person, Daddy?"

"We did as we were told. Just like how this sculpture is educating everyone to flush toilets. So we must flush toilets."

"But Daddy, why do you need others to tell you to flush the toilet?"

"Government says we must. No questions asked."

"But Daddy, why is it Mummy complains that you do not flush the toilet at home?"

Such is the price of fame.

Are you a Ronin?

2007-01-04T00:18:00.000+08:00

The term 'Ronin', refers to ancient Japanese Samurais who were no longer under the command of their master. They then had to live independently without taking instruction from anyone else but themselves.

These days, the modern Ronin in the business world are those who dare challenge the past and are willing to change in order to move ahead.

Are you a Ronin? Well, let's see:

- Are you a high achiever and also someone who wants to contribute to creating a better society?

- Are you self reliant and an adventurer?

- Are you inwardly reflective of yourself?

- Are you someone who is confident and self motivated whilst always willing and wanting to learn?

- Are you persistent and determined?

- Do you possess high tolerance for the ambiguous and uncertain situations?

- Are you committed to your organisation's values and goals whilst being able to rethink and adapt to changing circunstances?

- Are you someone with 'helicopter vision', being able to see the broad picture?

- Are you open to new experiences whilst being open to re-examining how things were done in the past and learning from the mistakes?

Give me a shout or drop me a note if the bill fits!

*taken from 'The Ronin Age' by Peter Sheldrake, Times Editions 2003, Singapore

Thank you!

2007-01-03T01:17:00.000+08:00

Yes! If you are reading my blog now, I would just like to say a big thank you for visiting.

I hope that the articles that I have written will bring you endless reading pleasure.

Just some site stats on my blog:

- You take an average of 2min 20secs to read my blog
- On the average, the blog has been visited about 30 times a week with the highest traffic received consistently on Thursdays (I haven't the slightest why this happens)
- My blog is currently ranked 2,415,210 on Technorati

I am looking forward to engage you, the reader, and receive any feedback you might want to get off your chest. I will be installing a tagboard shortly to facilitate instant comments on my blog.

Cheers!

Where there is no vision, the people perish...

2007-01-03T00:27:00.000+08:00

The Associated Press released an article today, saying that a recent study conducted by the business school at Florida State University, found that 40 % of managers and supervisors do not keep promises. More than 25% of them also bad-mouth about their subordinates to their co-workers.

Tell me something I don't already know.

In fact, I dare say that these statistics fall short of the actual figure of bad bosses out there.

I have this theory: In the whole realm of the labour force, I propose that less than 10% of people out there are capable and responsible to a decent extent. However, will this 10% of quality people end up being your boss? Highly unlikely. And so, when you get a new boss or get into a new job, 9 out of 10 chances, you will have to expect your boss to be an idiot; backstabber; incompetent; coward; visionless....you get the drift.

These are sobering odds.

And so, for those of you who still think that hard work will get you ahead, I'm afraid that according to the statistics, you are more likely to get ahead if you know how to work your boss.

Manipulative? Some detractors might say.

Sorry pal. No one said that life was fair.

I just returned from a short retreat in Johor, Malaysia, where the leadership of the church gathered to map out the plans for the year ahead. I am extremely thankful that our church leadership has great foresight and vision. They are not afraid to be corrected when wrong and are willing to make tough decisions when needed. Real men, truly. Unlike most of the men that I know, but that's another story.

True leadership is not about ordering people around to boost your ego. It is so much more than that. I could go on stating examples of good and bad leadership, but I think you know what I am saying.

And so, if you have a good boss at work today, be thankful for what you have. However, if you have a crappy boss at work, just know that you are in the majority. Put up with the crap or just find a less crappy one to work for.

At the end of the day, everyone's crap.

Brother, you put me to shame...

2006-12-27T15:49:00.000+08:00

So, I was leaving Kelana Jaya (in PJ, just outside of KL...for those who are not familiar with acronyms, PJ=Petaling Jaya; KL=Kuala Lumpur) in a taxi that I had just flagged down. I was leaving for the airport to take the next flight home after having been interviewed by a Malaysian company for a job position in Singapore. I had actually called for a cab but twice, the cab drivers did not see me and decided to run away with other customers who flagged them down first.

Mental note - in Malaysia, make sure you have a backup plan with cabbies that you have booked.

Finally settling myself in the cab, I thought that I would just lie back and relax. This morning saw me awake at 4.30am to check-in at 5.30am to catch the 6.30am flight to KL. It was now 5pm in the evening and I was trying hard to keep awake. The ride to the airport would take about 40 mins. The Malaysian goverment had the wonderful foresight of building a world class international airport in the middle of a palm tree plantation that is an hour's drive away from the city central (I am being sarcastic here, just in case you did not get it).

The cabbie turned out to be rather chatty. Looking not a day above 30 years old, we struck up a conversation with his 70% knowledge of English and my pathetic 10% of Malay.

As we were into our conversation, I discovered the following:

- He has 1 child and 1 more kid on the way come January
- He has a wife that is a teacher
- He asks me for permission before he answers his ringing handphone (terribly polite, I must say)
- He holds 4 jobs...

Whoa...say that again?

Yup! He holds 4 jobs.

"How does that work?" my interest piquing.

"I work as an IT technician from 9am to 5pm; then I start driving taxi between 5pm onwards, you are my first customer today; then I go home and trade in forex and at the same time am an agent for pre-paid phone card sales."

Well someone hit me with a baseball bat. I must be dreaming.

Why, you might ask.

The Malays, native to most parts of South East Asia, are easy going folks. They mostly get along well with everybody both within and outside of their community. The large majority of the community is not career driven. They are, by and large, easily contented with life and promote strong family ties...not to mention big families too. In this day and age where having 2 children is a rarity, most of my Malay friends come from a family of 4 kids. And while some detractors dismiss their attitude towards life as laissez faire, I feel that the other races (especially us Chinese) have much to learn from them.

"Brother," I replied, "you put me to shame!"

He graciously chuckled at my confession.

"But why? It's great to be driven but 4 jobs?" I inquired.

"For survival lah. We have no choice. The cost of living in KL is rising so fast that I have no choice. This is the only way to survive." He said matter-of-factly.

And this is certainly true. The cost of food, daily necessities and cars are ridiculously high. In relation to the salary of a fresh graduate, we in Singapore have it much better.

With my newfound respect for him, we chatted on everything ranging from our cross straits relations; to food; to religion; and Phua Chu Kang.

As I bade him goodbye, I wished him in words that I sincerely hope turn prophetic, " Someday I will probably see your picture in the newspapers when you are nominated as businessman of the year. All the best to you, Areeza."

With that, I turned and walked into the airport terminal.

Now, if I can catch the earlier flight out...

Xmas Musical

2006-12-23T11:37:00.000+08:00

A big welcome to all who are interested in getting in on the Xmas mood and atmosphere. Do join us at the Musical to be held over the next few days.

If you need further directions or information, feel free to email me at tumduck@yahoo.com

Merry Xmas all!

(This invitation is applicable to those living in Singapore. If you live overseas and want to attend the musical, I am sure that the cast and crew will be extremely flattered but no, they will not provide you with a free air ticket)

Santa stinks!

2006-12-21T22:05:00.000+08:00

Ok, so everyone likes to have the perfect wedding anniversary dinner with your love one, yes?

I booked this fantastic place (or at least, what I thought was fantastic) located on a hill in Singapore. The key draw, I heard, was the spewing of 'snow' at regular intervals during the night. Yes, we pathetic Singaporeans have to resort to spewing soap suds to simulate snow, but that is another story.

I had actually gone to check out the place a week before and thought it was smashing!

Anniversary day arrives. I pick up the wife. We are making good time.

We park the car and make our way to the restaurant. On the way, we meet a Singaporean tour guide with a flag in one hand whilst blowing a whistle in his mouth. Quite the odd sight I must say.

"Can you all please gather? We cannot leave until everyone come back here. Bus will not take us home."

Some people standing around him had puzzled look on their faces. They started spewing in Vietnamese and gesticulating at tour guide. Obviously, they were his 'lost sheep' who did not understand what he was saying and he likewise, did not speak a word of Vietnamese.

We left tooting tour guide and walked on to the reception area of the restaurant.

"Excuse me, can you tell me where the ****** restaurant is?"

"Please enter from the right hand side," replied the receptionist, motioning to another 2 greeters dressed in white, standing in the wings.

"Hi, we would like to go to the ****** restaurant. Is it this way?"

"Yes, but you would have to pay an entrance fee of S$3 per person, refundable for every S$15 spent."

Huh?

I shrugged my shoulders in resignation.

"Ok, here's S$6," as I handed her the money.

"Oh, you have to pay at the reception," white dressed greeter replies, pointing me back to the receptionist.

Double huh?

I walked back to the receptionist and gave her my why-didn't-you-just-tell-me-before look.

She did not get it.

"May I help you, sir?"

I started to mentally pluck my leg hairs to divert any wayward thoughts of strangling her.

"Two entry tickets to the ****** restaurant, please."

I couldn't believe I actually said 'please'.

Start plucking left leg hairs.

Receptionist nonchalantly hands me 2 tickets.

"Please enter from the right hand side."

"Is she a robot?" I whispered to my wife.

The 2 dressed in white greeters waiting in the wings let us enter. We take the escalator to the top.

Very nice view.

At the top, some more greeters took us to our seats. Signs which said 'reserved' could be found on all the tables.

Popular location eh?

The greeter pointed us to our seats. It was the table behind one of the tables with unobstructed view of the Keppel Harbour.

"Erm, I did request for a table with a good view during my telephone call reservation. Can we have that table?" I asked, pointing to the table next to ours.

"Sorry, sir. That table has been reserved."

Triple huh?

I pointed to the 'reserved' signs on 'Nice View' table and ours.

"They both are reserved......" I prompted our greeter as I made alternating rotating motion with both hands.

Hesitant awkward moment as she processed my clue that would lead her to the million dollars.

"It's our wedding anniversary and we.........,"

We got 'Nice View' table.

Food was ordered and the night went on quite nicely. We did observe that another couple at the other 'Nice View' table were sitting with their back facing the view.

Quadruple huh?

Main course is served! Dig in......NOT!

The Wife's seafood pasta tasted nasty. The mussels, prawns and scallops all tasted the same ---- bland. The linguine was overcooked by a mile and the tomato base tasted stale.

I ended up giving my wife my tenderloin and foie gras.

Such sacrifice.

As I struggled to finish the pasta, all lights went out and the soap suds snow starting spewing to the beat of Xmas music blasting in the background.

I buried my face deep into the pasta.

Then, Santa and his angels, yes, angels, made their rounds to each table. Couples eagerly hugged Santa while having their picture taken.

Santa walks past us.

OOoohhh! The pong!

Santa stinks!

For those of you do not know what Singapore is like, think Hawaii or Jamaica weather all year round. Then think of what happens if you wore a Santa suit in the tropical climate?

All wonderful memories of Santa using Old Spice as aftershave from an old TV commercial, dissipated.

Santa really stinks!

The Wife and I bury our heads even deeper into our pasta. How could anyone hug smelly santa?

The only highlight of the evening was a great Indian waiter who was so jolly and service oriented that I just had to compliment him on his great service.

As we walked out of the reception area, we met smelly Santa moonlighting by giving out flyers to the Xmas party. The 2 greeters standing in the wings bade us farewell. I noticed 2 pairs of angel wings in the corner.

Hey! The plastic wings belonged to the greeters dressed in white standing in the wings! Talk about cost cutting!

As we walked out of the building, the wife and I thought of what a job ad for the position might read,

Greeter/Angel
===========
+female working environment
+required to point customers back to robotic receptionist
+required to be dressed in angel white
+required to don angel wings and assist sweaty Santa to take pictures with customers who for a moment, do not question why Santa has fired the elves and resorted to hiring Angels
+great personality is a plus (but if you are cheap to hire, no need any personality at all)

But let's be fair now. Not all angels have to be greeters.

I wonder if Victoria Secrets are hiring any male assistants for their Angels.....