Words

"The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other. "

2008-12-24T23:55:00.004+08:00

By: William E. Vaughan (American columnist & author, under the alias "Burton Hillis")

Merry Christmas to one and all! Indeed, things have changed a lot since I last posted (ONE MONTH AGO???). I have been given a wonderful career opportunity, and I have been having a good time lately.

Yes, I have left my job at Phillip Securities. I am now at a firm called "Providend". Similar job, but different company and different business model.

I think one of the greatest differences is that Providend operates a lot like a family. The people are warm and caring, friendly and kind, and yes, there's a strong Christian tradition amongst many members of the staff.

Although I still have some problems being released from where I was previously (long story), I'm already enjoying myself at Providend, doing some backroom work in the meantime, settling in and getting to know every person. As of Christmas Eve, I have officially met EVERY SINGLE PERSON in the Providend "nominal roll", because 1 of my colleagues, Evelyn, is on maternity leave, although she came back for the Christmas party.

Providend is different in the sense that we provide a fee-only financial consultancy service. In light of the alleged misselling taking place, I think our business model will appeal to many people. We have taken out the element of commissions in our advice, which leaves it much less biased and much more objective. If you are interested, we can always meet for a discussion.

But what strikes me the most about Providend is the closeness of the people. We have Games Day every Wednesday, where it's almost compulsory to attend. It's a wonderful session where the whole company (all 35 of us) comes down and exercise together, bond together and just see each other around. There's also the upcoming retreat, and of course, the wonderful Christmas Party that we had on Christmas Eve.

Although the games were simple, but I don't think I would have such fun if I played them in another setting. Being with the people just makes me enjoy it so naturally! I also had the chance to learn about the Providend Story, where Aaron, 1 of our founding members, shared with us the ups-and-downs of the company over the years, and how God has so kindly blessed us and seen us through. Of course, there's also the potluck! Just imagine 35 people (more if you include the interns) bringing 1 dish each, and that's the kind of spread you are looking at. For an idea how half of the spread looks like, you can see the picture below.

I cannot even begin to describe how warm and fuzzy my heart is this Christmas. Being a part of the Providend Family is indeed an honour to me, where I am able to work in an environment that I believe in, which is conducive to my growth and good people around me. Unlike many of my friends, I do not drag myself to office every morning, but there's a sense of anticipation where I can meet my new family members and get to know them more. I am very thankful to God for having shown me the way to Providend, and I really hope that He will keep me there for time to come.

As the title quote says, it is the best gift to be able to be surrounded by family members this Christmas, and this year, I have not one, but 2 families. Like I was sharing with Jack earlier on, a sign of the closeness of colleagues is by counting how many people are smiling in the company photo. See for yourself:

The Providend Family

Merry Christmas and a blessed holidays to everyone!

China-Macau-Hong Kong Trip 2008 - Day Six & Seven (12th - 13th Oct 2008)

2008-11-18T16:10:00.003+08:00

I can't believe it took a month for me to finish blogging about one week, haha!

So the next morning, I woke up to a hearty breakfast at the Cafe Dome, which featured a huge long buffet line (and it really is huge and long)! Let's just say I haven't seen any buffet line as long as this in the world, and you can basically have anything you can think of for breakfast there.

After a full breakfast, I had a tiny opportunity to sneak out and walk around the exterior of the massive IR.

The sign at the main entrance

A very decent replica of the Rialto bridge and the tower over St Mark's Square

Same goes for the Dojo Palace

They even have an artificial lake outside

Behind is the massive accommodation block which has 3,000 guest rooms

This might give you a slight clue of the immense scale of the IR

And what's an outdoor lake without the famous gondolas?

Of course, there are greens too

If you peer in through the arches, it's actually the taxi stand

After this was checking out and a transit to the ferry terminal bound for Hong Kong. I can't say I like the ride very much. It was raining and the route is exposed to the open seas, so it was very choppy. I think a flight is even more stable than that. Reaching Hong Kong at 3+pm, we bade farewell to our 2 "madams" who went to wash up, while poor Jackie had to bring us to our hotel via taxi.

After seeing these 2 statues, it doesn't require a PhD to figure out where we stayed in Hong Kong

Ah yes, you can see it for yourself

The giant chandelier in the lobby is beautiful!

I could see a wedding taking place in the garden lawn from my room, very sweet!

The hotel's designed like an 18th-Century mansion, very classy indeed!

Compared to The Venetian, Disneyland Hotel's room is very ho-hum...

Umm... what you see is what I "stunned" back for my sis... Haha!

This is the entrance to the in-house restaurant, a very beautiful fresco!

It was getting late, and Mr. Yau arranged a very grand dinner for us later that evening. What to do?

One of the few pictures we took at the dinner. That's Mr. and Mrs. Yau, our kind hosts for the entire trip, I must say. Dinner was, well, usual. Overflowing with food (you can see the plates are full) and lots of toasting, which was quite fun actually. However, I'm glad my glass held beer instead of the XO that they opened. Sipping was my adopted "drinking style" for the meal :)

Following a very full dinner, as always, I went to talk around the hotel while Dad went to sleep. Since I was there, I couldn't give up the opportunity to walk around, right?

The outline of the exterior is lit up at night, with music broadcasted through speakers mounted all around the site.

Photography lesson, people: What you see may not necessarily be what appear on your camera. This is using the camera's default settings.

This dimness is much closer to the actual illumination. See the difference?

It's all about having a Magical Day at Disneyland!

And the chandeliers are really beautiful!!!

It's a 700m walk to the Park entrance. I decided to stroll over and caught this fountain before heading back to sleep. Flying back the next day!

The quilts even have Disney characters on them. I tried to arrange the sheets properly after I woke up.

Even the head of the bed has a graphic of the signature castle on it!

I really wanted to try the breakfast at the restaurant. I heard a lot about the Mickey Mouse pancakes, and you haven't really stayed in a Disneyland Hotel till you've tried them. Alas, we were too late for breakfast, having woken up a little later due to the exhaustion! Oh well...

But after a short break and a bite from the cafe at the lobby, it was off the the airport already. Time to head back home!

That's not my seat, but the one beside me. Taken using my handphone, that's why it's so noisy. It was a comfortable flight indeed! Managed to catch Tina Fey's "Baby Mama" on the wonderful 15-inch screen.

Afterthoughts: It certainly was an eye-opener for me, this time. I think the learning experiences are not so much the places that I've been to, or visited, but more of the human interactions. The warmth of our hosts throughout, whether in Mainland with Ms Poon and Ah-Mok, or with the Yau family... I think the extent to which they go to play a good host definitely beats many of us hands-down! I think some of the things they do, we won't even do it for our own relatives, let alone friends. It has definitely been an educational experience, and I aspire to be more proficient in Cantonese the next time I meet them!

Lastly, here're the links to my Photobucket! Sorry it took so long...

Photobucket: Macau

Photobucket: Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel

Photobucket: China-Macau-Hong Kong Trip 2008

China-Macau-Hong Kong Trip 2008 - Day Five (11th Oct 2008)

2008-11-05T21:30:00.002+08:00

Ah yes, as promised the more interesting part is here.

We woke up rather early that morning to embark on the final leg of our journey in China. After having another too-much-to-eat breakfast with Ms Poon, we went down to Zhongshan City (中山市), the birthplace of the founder of modern China: Dr SunYat-Sen (孙中山). The city was formerly named Xiangshan (香山).

The actual building that Dr. Sun was born

The actual site where Dr. Sun was born

There's a statue of Dr. Sun when you step into the museum

I thought this is a very powerful quote by former-Chinese President Jiang Zemin. For those who cannot read Mandarin, a rough translation is as follows: "In the past century, the Chinese people, on the road to progress, have experienced three major historical changes, giving rise to three great people of the times: Sun Zhongshan, Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping."

And that's us outside the museum

We were supposed to meet up with our "bodyguards" for the next 2 days, 3 of Mr Yau's children - Flora, Doris and Jackie, outside the memorial. However, since they were coming up from Hong Kong, it made more sense to meet them closer to Zhuhai (珠海), where we proceeded to have lunch at downtown Zhuhai. After lunch, we crossed over to our next destination by land: Macau (澳门)

It took a while to get through Customs. A little joke that I thought of was that some Customs officers already had lunch, thus doing things more slowly, whereas some had yet to go for lunch, which explains their faster-moving queues. Haha! By the time we crossed over, it was already 3pm.

Just outside of the Customs checkpoint was the bus terminal where shuttle buses waited to bring incoming visitors to the various casinos and Integrated Resorts (IRs) around Macau. It didn't take much difficulty to find ours, since it was the largest: The Venetian, Macau

Arriving at the IR's West Lobby, this is where we checked-in

It's a Saturday, but that alone doesn't explain the crowd

This is the bedroom, very grand indeed.

This is the living room, with an AIO printer and wireless router on the desk. It's a full suite, costing around S$550 per night.

The view outside the window: It's a mini-golf course below

Of course, a grand suite has a lavish toilet too. This is what you see when you enter (that's me in the mirror)

Shower cubicle and bath tub on the left

Dressing table on the right, and behind the door is the WC

We didn't have time to walk around the IR proper. It was already 4.30pm by the time we had settled in the room and washed up. The sun was setting, there wasn't much time left, so first things first, the Yaus had to bring us to do the "tourist-thing" since it was my first time there: a snap tour of the city.

A view of the Grand Lisboa, owned by Stanley Ho

A very familiar view of Macau for those who have been there before, because behind it is...

If you haven't been here, you haven't been to Macau: St. Paul's Cathedral (or what's left of it). That's me (wearing red hoping to get lucky in the casinos later), along with my 2 "madams" and 1"ah-sir": (L to R) Jackie (Mr Yau's 2nd son), Flora (eldest daughter) and Doris (3rd daughter)

That's us on the cannon platform which overlooks St. Paul's

I thought this is a very interesting candid shot of the 3 of them, all checking their cameras after they have snapped their fill. They're more into the "tourist-thing" than I am, haha!

This is a place called Fisherman's Wharf. It is right beside the sea, and you can see the huge bridge linking the islands in the background.

There are quite a lot of restaurants on both sides of Fisherman's Wharf

That's Dad with the 3 of them

At the end of the stretch, there's even a mock-up of the Colosseum in Rome

A view of the Sands Hotel, another project owned by the Las Vegas Sands Group

And this is one of the casinos in Macau, along the Fisherman's Wharf.

After this, we went for dinner downtown at one of the more famous restaurants. No private room this time, but still first-class food. I had my first taste of sea worms, which were baked with eggs and seasoned with spices. I couldn't taste anything out of the ordinary. Needless to say, our plates were never empty.

Now that dinner's taken care of (like I said, food is never an issue), we went for a walk around town. Macau's nightlife is bustling, lights everywhere! We went to buy some almond biscuits, then dessert. Just a stone's throw away was the Grand Lisboa and Casino Lisboa, 2 other landmarks of Macau.

The brilliantly-lit Grand Lisboa Hotel. Lights run along the lines and change colours frequently.

And right opposite it is the Casino Lisboa

After the trigger-happy camera-snapping that ALL 5 of us engaged in, we crossed over to another IR, the Wynn. Stepping in, it's easy to see that it's different from The Venetian.

From the Wynn, this picture illustrates the running lights on the Grand Lisboa better. That's the Macau nightline for you!

Stepping into the lobby of the Wynn, you can see the red-carpeted floor

Of course, shopping can be rather limited if one has budget constraints... Even their souvenir Wynn polo-tees are from Burberry

At one of the open areas, there's this beautiful and massive carving on the ceiling with all 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac

And below it is a globe-like structure

The top opens up in a circular-fashion, revealing a large screen. This screen then opens up to reveal...

A giant chandelier descends from the ceiling

And from the bottom, the globe-like structure opens and a golden tree rises from the bottom

The leaves are illuminated in the 4 colours of the 4 seasons. Nothing much, just a gimmick for people to throw money into the tree.

Outside the Wynn, there's a more spectacular show that's free, and definitely more eye-catching: the music fountain, a display of water sprouts and pyrotechnics

It helps to know the song they are playing to ("Holding Out for a Hero"), that's how I managed to catch some of the high points of the display.

Taking a cab back to The Venetian, we walked around the gaming floor and the Grand Canal Shoppes, just to look around before turning in.

This is the main lobby of The Venetian

Beautifully-painted ceilings

The mandatory photo-taking

The only shot I took of the gaming floor

The Grand Canal Shoppes take up the entire 3rd floor of The Venetian, which I can assure you is probably an even bigger floor area than Ngee Ann City. This is the main shopping area and has fake canals running through certain stretches. The shops are more mid-range, with brands like G2000, Zara, Esprit, Levis, Nike and so on, definitely more wallet-friendly than Wynn or even Four Seasons, which is next door. The entire area has a fake sky and is dimly-lit to emulate Venice in the evening, a good excuse to turn on the lights!

Well, who can leave out this "restaurant"... Haha!

There's even a huge foodcourt serving dishes from all over the world. Suitable for people on a budget or for those who didn't make it downstairs at the casino... Haha!

It's probably quite an honour for our cuisine to be featured here. It looks authentic too!

That's the view of the corridor from my room. Typical of the walkways that bring you to one of 3,000 rooms in The Venetian!

I wanted to try my hand at the table, but I was simply too tired. Besides, with such a comfy bed awaiting me, and an accumulation of late nights all the way, I gave in.

Little did Dad and I know, our 2 "madams" and 1 "ah-sir" sneaked down to the casino after sending us to our room.

Photobucket: Sun Zhongshan Memorial

Photobucket: Macau

China-Macau-Hong Kong Trip 2008 - Day Four (10th Oct 2008)

2008-10-26T23:47:00.005+08:00

Today's another day around the region. After having breakfast with Ms Poon again, we went to the nearest attraction, Qing Hui Gardens (清晖园), which is just across the road... Yes, literally across the road.

This is a garden complex that was bought and maintained by 4 top scholars (状元) that came from Shunde. It was revamped and decorated as a very beautiful Chinese garden, which, I also understand, is used as a filming set very frequently.

The main signboard to the gardens

The entrance to the gardens

This is something that looks like a grotto, looks like they also have some interest in rocks and water

You can see how this makes a good filming location :D Very typical of the period dramas that we watch

After this, we met up with Ms Poon's husband, Ah-Feng, who brought us to the neighbouring Chen Village (陈村) which is famous for its flowers, but turned out that this is not the season and we ended up looking at precious "weird stones", which I can't say was very interesting. Moving on, we went for lunch at a nearby restaurant, getting my taste of the incredibly-delicious 陈村粉, which is something like a mix between kway teow and chee cheong fun, but when cooked in the proper manner, is really good!

(L to R): Ms Poon, Ah-Feng, Dad, Me, Ah-Mok

After lunch, Ms Poon and Ah-Feng went home to prepare for the evening, where they have graciously invited us to their home for dinner. We then proceeded to Foshan (佛山) to visit the Ancestral Temple (祖庙), which is a group of old ancestral temples with very intricate statues on the roofs.

This is a very typical wishing tree that we always see in shows
It has a beautiful pond too, the rest of the garden was a little... messy?

No, Confucius is not a local, I'm also as confused as you why there's a statue of him here

And of course, old folks indulging in their past time (mahjong and cards in the background), entry is free for senior citizens aged 70 and above

You can get a glimpse of the roofs now

Definitely a lot of effort was put into carving these individual figures up there, there's so many of them!

We actually found a surprise: The actual Wong Fei Hong memorial (黄飞鸿纪念馆). All along, Dad thought the one at Xiqiao Mountain (西樵山) was the memorial, but here at Foshan, which is what all of us from the Once Upon A Time in China movies (starring Jet Li and Chiu Mun Cheok) remember.

This was what told us that we struck gold!

Yup, can't be wrong this time!

Sorry to disappoint, but this is not the actual medical hall, as fans of you may recall. It was actually burnt down and this is just a recreation of how it would have looked like.

And what do you know? I was so engrossed walking around that I forgot to take photos!!! Even of the statue sitting directly at the door!

After a refreshing drink, we embarked on the hour-long drive back to Shunde, where we went to visit the City Hall (nicknamed "The White House" by our hosts) and Government District. I think this is easily a sign of how rich the Chinese government is.

You can't blame me for looking tired, it's been a long day (as you can see by the photos)!!! Hands Up anyone who thought that's a hotel in my background!

Making a short stop back at the hotel to wash up, we then proceeded to Ms Poon's place for dinner. She was kind enough to prepare a steamboat for us, comprising of shrimp, fish and turtle meat (yes... turtle meat). Leave it to Chinese hospitality to always keep you eating. Our plates were seldom empty and the food prepared was definitely much more than what we could consume. It was a really casual dinner and I really enjoyed chatting with them, although the excessive hospitality did make me feel a little uncomfortable at some points.

The shrimp. Ms Poon thought I liked to eat shrimp, so she bought a bagful from the market

This was the fish. You might want to note that they think the head is the best part and is always served to guests!

And yes, this is the turtle meat

After dinner, we went to a nearby monument for a walk, the Shun Feng Gate Park (顺风山):

This is actually taken from quite a distance away

A closer view, you can see how big it is compared to the people in the picture

The carvings are really intricate! And you ought to note that I had to keep my hand very steady to get these clear pictures at night without flash! (Let me hao lian a bit lah... :p)

Well, of course hands to get tired too...

And that's just the base...

Of course, they only light up the gate from 1 side. Here's the view on the other side, the lake-side

I must say that it is definitely impressive! It's simply HUGE! But here's an interesting piece of trivia for you: it's new. Yes, it's NEW! Built only 5-6 years ago by the local government! Of course, it caused a minor uproar since it was funded using tax dollars, but you have to admit that this is indeed a monument that people can be proud of. I initially thought that it was commissioned by some emperor in some dynasty... Haha!

We then went back to Ms Poon's place for the desset, Double-Skinned Milk Pudding (双皮奶). We got back to the hotel close to midnight, and I needed the energy for the last phase of the trip, the one that actually left a stronger impression on me than the past few places I've been to.

Photobucket: Qing Hui Gardens (清晖园)

Photobucket: Foshan (佛山)

China-Macau-Hong Kong Trip 2008 - Day Three (9th Oct 2008)

2008-10-26T22:54:00.014+08:00

Today's one of the key highlights of this trip: A visit to my grandparents' home villages in Shunde (顺德). Firstly, we had breakfast with Mr Yau's branch manager in Shunde, Ms Poon. Let's just say that when he's not around, he definitely makes sure that someone else is. He even tried to convince us to let his cameraman follow us around to film our trip (I'm not joking... a cameraman with a digital camcorder) not once, not twice, but SEVEN TIMES!

Anyway, cameraman aside, Ms Poon is the branch manager of 1 of Mr Yau's shops in Shunde, so she's tasked to take good care of us. She met my parents before, but this is the first time she's meeting me.

After a good, hearty breakfast (a typical demonstration of the overeating on my trip), we set out to my grandmother's home village of Shui Teng (Mandarin: 水藤村, Cantonese: Sui Tang). We did a stop by her aunt-in-law's place (whom my parents have also met), since they were living in the same village and my dad prepared gifts for them. Following which, we walked around a little and went to see the only landmark that my grandmother could recall, the stone bridge:

The stone bridge

That's the name of the bridge: 玉麟桥

So this is the photo that I'm supposed to show Grandma: That I came here

I thought Dad took a rather comfortable candid shot of me
And this is what you see on the side of the bridge. I hear the water used to be clear... Haha!

After this, we went on to my grandfather's home village of Ma Jiao (Mandarin: 马滘村, Cantonese: Mah Kau). Nothing much there except the village signboard, and nothing to confirm too, since Grandfather's no longer around.

That's all 4 of us: (L to R) Me, Dad, Ms Poon, Ah-Mok (our driver for the entire time in China)

After lunch, we then proceeded to Xiqiao Mountain (Mandarin: 西樵山, Cantonese: Sai Chiu San), a nature reserve mountain near Foshan (佛山）. There are a few tourist attractions there, and the ticket basically allows you to see everything.

First stop: Wong Fei Hong Lion Dance and Martial Arts Museum (黄飞鸿狮艺武术馆）. This is a martial arts centre set up by the famous martial arts master to take in young delinquents and train them to focus on something that can benefit their lives. There are lion dances and martial arts demonstrations performed daily by the current students, many of them very young.

This is the main entrance, notice the signboard?

Stepping through the main door, a statue of the folk hero greets you

And there's also a memorial to the famous actor, Kwan Tak Hing, who played Wong Fei Hong in the old Hong Kong movies. Here's something interesting: He's an actual disciple of the Master himself!

This is the view of the courtyard. That's the largest lion-dance head in the world!

2 lion dances on both sides of the courtyard, each with different set of poles, and thus different obstacles

After a rather good lion dance, we then went to see the 4-sided bamboo (四方竹). It's basically bamboo that is square-shaped, with rather distinct edges, than the round ones we typically see. The edges were rather hard to capture as an image, so you'll have to take my word for it. I did, however, manage to feel them.

Like I said, you're gonna have to take my word for it... Haha!

Moving on to another nearby attraction, a 62m-high statue of Guanyin (观音), which is the 16th-tallest statue in the world (as compared to the Statue of Liberty at #24 and Sentosa's Merlion at #36, according to Wikipedia). It's definitely huge and awe-inspiring, and to think that I actually told Dad that it's comparable to the Giant Buddha statue in Hong Kong (which only clocked #41 at 34m high, even below Merlion).

This is actually from quite far away, about a 7-min drive?

To be honest, if you ask me, I think the photo does it injusticeThis one does give you a better appreciation of the size and scale of it, but you really have to be there to feel the size for yourself

And this is what the statue is overlooking: a huge plaza and a majestic overview of the mountain

Following this was a walk around the area, then off to have a "Dirty Chicken" (污泽鸡) dinner back in Daliang (大良), Shunde, where our hotel is, which turned out to be quite tasty! No pictures as we got lost for 2 hours on the road trying to find our way back, not to mention getting stuck in the horrible China traffic.

Photobucket: Xiqiao Mountain (西樵山)

China-Macau-Hong Kong Trip 2008 - Day Two (8th Oct 2008)

2008-10-19T23:11:00.004+08:00

In China, their definition of a good bed, I was told, is super-hard. The harder it is, the better! So yes, you are not wrong to conclude I didn't get the best night's rest, but I suppose the fatigue took over.

This is the view outside of my room

It's actually a resort area

And good Feng Shui too, with a hill and a lake just outside

The toilet's not bad, 5-star hotel leh...

Isn't this cute? They even provided a rubber duck alongside the bath salts and body lotion. I missed out on the bathtub here.

And... uhh... Some other personal-use items, in case you need it. Always better to be safe than sorry!

The hotel lobby's huge and posh, no wonder it's 5-star...

And here's the parting shot

Yup, we only stayed for 1 night here. Too bad I didn't have time to explore the place, it looks very good and the food's rather impressive too. Oh well, there's a long journey ahead, time to hit the road! We met up with Ah-Mok, our driver on loan by Mr Yau, then got on our way.

Next stop was actually a factory visit, which isn't much to talk about, although I did get a glimpse of village life in China. Following which was a simple lunch where I tasted "kampong chicken" (the skin's yellow, not white). Next on the itinerary is the Sea Battle Museum in Humen (虎门）, which is dedicated to the Opium War and the naval battles that ensued.

At the entrance of the Museum with Dad

Officially endorsed by Jiang Zemin (江泽民), former Chinese President

And here's something to show that China's up and coming... The Humen Bridge (虎门大桥）. There are actually many bridges like this all over China

And we also drove under the bridge, so you can imagine how large it is

OK, I can't say the Museum was very interesting, that explains the lack of pictures. Haha! From there, we proceeded on to the Panyu district (番禺区), where we were supposed to recce another hotel in Chang Long (長隆), another resort area.

This area is developed as a wildlife resort, with a zoo, night safari, water world and amusement park. The hotel there is easily 5-star, maybe even 6, but the most famous attraction of the area is perhaps this:

Yes, that's a real, LIVE, white tiger, right beside the buffet restaurant, might I add. Of course, the glass is thick enough.

However, the real show was at night, where we watched the circus performance, which seems to be quite famous and quite good too!

I quite like the forest background, it's very well-done

Yes, time to introduce the contenders

It's actually pretty cute seeing the 2 bears "fight", of course I trust that no bears were harmed in the process

The bears are quite good, introducing various modes of transport, from this rickshaw...

To the bicycle...

And where would we be without motor transport?

This is a very delicate balancing act by 4 guys who kept the wheel spinning by their own momentum aloneI have to say this is very impressive indeed

The grand finale, and the curtains come down... A water curtain!

The performance ended quite late although it was immensely enjoyable, and it was an hour's drive to our hotel for the next 3 nights, New World Courtyard by Marriott, in Shunde District( 顺德区). And it's the only hotel I didn't take any photos of. Ironically... Haha! Yes, time to let my tired body get a nice warm shower and hit the sack... another sack with a hard mattress...

Photobucket: Chime-Long International Circus, Panyu

China-Macau-Hong Kong Trip 2008 - Day One (7th Oct 2008)

2008-10-19T21:58:00.007+08:00

Yes! I finally have some time to blog about the trip! I know it's long overdue, but better late than never, I suppose?

It all began early on a Tuesday morning. Suited up (literally... coat & tie) then went to Changi Airport. My first flight out of the new Terminal 3! All-new experience waiting for me. I was told not to eat breakfast at home, and for good reason too.

Breakfast's provided

A glimpse of the new T3

That's the plane that carried me to Hong Kong International, a Boeing 777-200ER

This was the reason why I had free breakfast... not to forget a delicious brunch on-board... as well as a very comfortable seat... and the stewardess addressing me by name... and... well, you get the picture.

I actually paid for the ticket, just that I used my KrisFlyer points for the upgrade. It was a bit of a waste though, I thought I could experience the new Business-Class with the ultra-wide seat, this turned out to be the older Business-Class seat... yes, I've flown Business-Class before too.

We landed at Hong Kong International Airport around 1.30pm, following which we were immediately chaperoned to lunch at the airport by Mr. Yau, my Dad's business friend (and family friend already, as it is) in Hong Kong. From here on, the hospitality is only going to increase.

To put it simply, food is never an issue. Hunger is never an issue. Eating is always on the minds of our hosts and eating GOOD FOOD is the key aim. Let's just say my hosts kept giving us food, and when you take 1 morsel from your plate, they'll top it up with 3 more. You get the idea...

After lunch, as well as a short lesson on Chinese history and culture, Mr. Yau and his driver drove us across the border into Shenzhen, China. That's where we visited a place which many of you may have seen, but don't really know where it is: Window of the World (世界之窗)

This is actually my parting shot, but I put this here to show you the entrance.

Yes, you thought you saw something in the 1st pic, right? Yup, this is the replica of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Not as high as the real one, but still impressive enough.

A view from standing under the "Eiffel Tower"

Climbing all the way to the mid-section, it's quite a good view of the park. That's the replica of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. I loved the water cannon though.

This is the model of Angkor Wat in Cambodia

They even put miniature figures on the building to add to the flavour

Another easy one: The Leaning Tower of Pisa

The Taj Mahal

Yes, even the Great Pyramids of Egypt, which you can visit inside

Yup, I managed to lose the jacket and the tie, but no chance for a change of clothes. Mr Yau didn't accompany us in, so we could lose the formalities

Uhh... quite obvious, right? Maybe they should have added a giant alien saucer above it ala Independence Day... Haha!

St Peter's Basilica in The Vatican City

Lo and behold! Guess we have something to contribute to the great monuments of the world! 1:1 scale somemore!

And yes, it's quite rewarding to stay till night time. The sky became dark at around 6pm because the days are getting shorter now. And this was taken without a tripod.

We stayed for a cultural performance afterward. It was rather good too, but it was a long day. By the time we got out and checked into the hotel, it was almost 10pm! However, I think that this is a wonderful place to visit. Lots of miniatures and definitely awe-inspiring because the park is sooooooo big! You can go to my Photobucket (Link's at the bottom) to see the other miniatures there. Time to get some dinner and then off to bed!

Of course, another parting shot of the entrance!

So we got onto the company van (Dad's company's factory van in Shenzhen) and we went to our hotel, Goodview Hotel, in Dongguan. About an hour's drive from Shenzhen... *stomach rumbling*

It was late when we got there, so I obviously didn't have time (nor energy) to take photos of the hotel then. We dumped the luggage and yes, DINNER!!!

My first taste of food prices in China: This huge cheeseburger costs $12 in a 5-star hotel. It somehow looks smaller in the picture though...

Time to hit the sack! Long way ahead tomorrow!

Photobucket: Window of the World (世界之窗), Shenzhen （深圳）

I'm back!

2008-10-17T00:29:00.000+08:00

Hihi, I know I haven't been updating in a while, but I just got back from my trip and I have plenty of backlog to clear, plus my exam is coming up next Saturday. Will be blogging about my trip soon, hopefully!

“There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.”

2008-09-29T23:29:00.015+08:00

By: Ernest Hemingway (American novelist, short-story writer and journalist, 1899-1961)

I believe it's rather obvious why I chose this title quote. And yes, I had a ticket, courtesy of HSBC and Dad, whom I went with. (That answers your question, YC! Haha!)

Being a corporate invitation, they were obviously trying to sell something, but seeing as they provided a 4-course dinner in a private function room (haute cuisine, no less), and 2 free tickets, why not?

Of course, it would not be courteous to be snapping pictures of the food during such a high-class event, so nothing from there. After dinner, we proceeded on foot to the Pit Grandstand, that's where my seat was.

From here on, I leave you to enjoy the pictures and the occasional video.

Entering via Gate 2, near Millenia Walk

Walking by the Singapore Flyer

My first glimpse of the track as I was crossing the overpass to the Grandstand

Going up to the block where my seat is: A12

The frontal view of my seat. The glassed area opposite are the boxes, and below them is the race pit, where the cars go in to take fuel, change tires and whatever

The view to my left, the starting line or race line (SingTel SingTel SingTel)

The view to my right, as you can see, I'm seated on a straight, which isn't good because cars just zoom by

And yes, I could see some of the pits. This one is Jenson Button and Reubens Barrichello from Honda

Of course, who can miss Hamilton, who has been in the papers these past few days

A view of the starting lineup

Team members removing the covers on the tires. The one on the left is Felipe Massa from Ferrari (all-red, pole position), the one on right is Lewis Hamilton from McLaren Mercedes (red & gray)

All geared up, but this is not the start. They will go 1 round before the actual race begins.

Video: This is the start of the demo lap. As you can see (or hear, rather), they're loud... LOUD!!!

And yes, they are now preparing for the actual race start

Video: And off they go! Notice how they take considerably less time to clear out? 7 seconds as opposed to 24 just now

I have to admit, there isn't anything much for the rest of the race, because most pictures look like this:

Now this is proof that I really tried. The picture is darker because I increased the shutter speed (ie. snap faster, but less light enters)

OK, this is 1 of the most decent shots yet. This was during the first activation of the safety car, so the racers weren't speeding at full.

Jenson Button comes in for a pit stop

I suppose many people will remember this? The part where Massa ripped off the fuel hose, costing him a 90-second delay, and thus the race

Yes, I actually saw the mechanics trying to pull the hose out!

And carrying it back to their pit...

All the way back... Disaster indeed!

Video: This is a not-so-typical lap, actually. It's the lap after the second time the safety car comes in, so you can see everyone going past at about the same time.

Mark Webber being pulled off the race, you can see the RedBull car if you peer hard enough

Video: And Fernando Alonso comes in for the win! The first-ever champion of a Formula-1 night race!

The end of the race!

People running down to the track after the race

I didn't join them as I'm not sure where I can exit, besides, I had a meeting on Monday morning!!!

And now, a glimpse of the spoils-of-war:

An official Formula-1 cap, courtesy of HSBC
Yes... official licensed product! Hee hee!

My ticket, as a whole

1 side of the pass, with all the seat details

The other side of the pass

Close-up of the lanyard, quite a cool souvenir!

And yes, my "expended ammunition"! I wouldn't have survived without this! (They're earplugs, FYI)

And so you have it: my one-of-a-kind experience at the world's first F1 night race and Singapore's first F1 race! Courtesy of HSBC and my wonderful Dad!

Of course, we had to take a photo together at the Grandstand!

You can see all the decent photos I took here: SingTel Singapore GP 2008 (28 Sept 2008)

I must say that it was a very wonderful experience. On the videos, the engines might sound like your Tamiya car, but I can safely assure you that it is NOWHERE CLOSE!!! I'm indeed very thankful and honoured to be a part of this event, and to have such a wonderful opportunity to be there.

Of course, I think Ferrari's going to curse Singapore now. There were plenty of crashes and sufficient drama, and to think someone was telling me beforehand that F1 is boring because nothing's happening. Haha! I hope you enjoyed my simple F1 coverage, and thanks for reading till this end!

"Marriage is like falling into a black hole,you only want to do it with someone that you can take a long ride with."

2008-09-21T22:45:00.002+08:00

By: Unknown

Just yesterday, I have had the honour of attending not one, but two weddings. The first was that of my colleague, Adrian, and the second was a long-time friend and former Red Cross staff Angeline.

I know of many people who go crazy over weddings. Sadly, I'm not as excited about them, although I do believe that it is a beautilful thing to see two people joined together in the sacred institution of marriage. I think it's also wonderful that both couples are Christians and I have to admit that it's also been quite a while since I attended a church wedding.

I'm not too sure about Adrian, but as what we heard yesterday, Angeline and Jeremy were together for 10 years before they are now married. I only have 1 word to say about that: WOW...

Of course, marriage is something that we want for the long-term. Certainly no one goes into marriage thinking that it will end, and I'm also glad that so far, I have not seen anyone I know go through a divorce themselves. I'm not a supporter of divorce, but then again, I'm not qualified to make such a statement, being unmarried and even single! Haha!

But the thought of taking a long ride with that special someone is very romantic. I'm sure you've experienced that time when you felt the phone conversation will and should never end, where you can just yak on and on till dawn. Or how about that time lying on the grass and just looking into each other's eyes, a special moment when you felt that time stood still and yet, moving infinitely fast at the same time. These are the times we really hope that time just flows off our back.

However, we also have to remember that getting married to someone means having to see that person for the rest of your life. Just think of all the sloppy habits of the other person, waking up to morning breath and unfolded blankets... Or having to constantly keep the toilet sparkling clean to satisfy the cleanliness freak that is your spouse... That is part of the deal that comes with it.

Getting married is indeed a great commitment to each other. It's not as simple as what I've mentioned above either. In fact, I think the marriage vows do hold a lot of significance, it speaks a lot of the promise that the couple makes to each other, the responsibility they are willing to undertake and the commitment to each other and to God (if Christian).

That said, I'm still looking forward to the next wedding. Not that I'll be jumping on the couch for it or what... but I think it is a very brave gesture for someone to be able to make such a promise to another person, and that alone is spectacular.

In conclusion, I'll once again congratulate Adrian & Dora and Angeline & Jeremy, may your lives together be filled with joy and happiness, strength of heart, body and mind, and a central commitment to God as the focus of your union.

"Cry 'Havoc!' and let slip the dogs of war."

2008-09-18T22:30:00.003+08:00

By: Antony (in William Shakespeare's Julius Caeser, Act III Scene 1)

I can't think of a better quote for times like these. Indeed, we are going through a historical period. I was too young and too oblivious previously to understand the impact of the events going on around us, but now that I do, it's really something.

What am I referring to? The eventful weekend in the financial sector! It's not everyday that we get to see banks collapse, or bought over, or a major insurer on the brink of failure. That's not including the amazing speed in which takeover/merger/acquisition talks were held and concluded.

Of course, if you have totally no idea what I'm talking about, or roughly know what I'm talking about, that means you're just like me in the past. And FYI, that is rare... VERY RARE indeed.

Undoubtedly, there's a lot of fear in the market. People are worried about what happened to their money. For those who bought the Lehman minibonds, it's not valued at only 30% of your invested value, which means for every $1 you invested, it's only worth $0.30 now. Mind you, Minibonds are NOT bonds... they're actually equity-linked investments.

Another major panic was AIG, which came within a sniffle of filing for bankruptcy. In fact, I think that caused a larger panic here in Singapore. Just look at the long queues outside AIA Tower! Despite MAS' reassurances that insurance funds are safe and separated, and I'm very certain of this because of the legal framework that insurers operate under in Singapore, people are still queueing up to pull out their money.

Why is this so? Does it make sense? The money's safe, what for withdraw? There's only 1 explanation: Fear

Yes, fear! People are scared. It doesn't matter what facts and reassurances you give them, they're just afraid, and they will not listen much to reason. They want the assurance that their money is safe, and nothing beats holding it in cold hard cash, who cares whether the amount is lesser than what they put in, all they want to know is they are holding on to COLD HARD CASH!

And who can blame them? Why are people reacting this way? It's back to another word: assurance. Insurance companies are supposed to provide the assurance that when something happens to you, you are protected financially and there's a sum of money to tide you through your hardship. Many times, I find insurance is actually more of an emotional concept than a rational one. Of course, I still encourage proper insurance planning, it's still something that one should not go without. What I'm saying is that a lot of emotions come into the process.

When this trust between the insurer and the consumer is breached, that's when people feel scared. No doubt, the credibility of AIA is downgraded in the eyes of the general public, despite their balance sheets and the authorities saying so.

And this translates a lot to us individuals too, right? When someone betrays your trust, regardless whether by his/her direct actions or otherwise, don't you find that you have much difficulty putting your trust in this person again? How then can you regain such trust? What would you do if you were the one who betrayed another's trust?

Certainly makes you wonder, doesn't it?

"When you wash your car, it rains shortly after"

2008-09-10T22:54:00.002+08:00

One does certainly have to appreciate the ironies in life, right? Just as I thought I was remedying a crack, I sustained another one, except even more serious!

Well, it's nothing life-threatening. My handphone protector was cracked, from some of the drops I suppose, and I thought it was about time to get it replaced. It was quite a bargain, actually, and the new protector fit more snugly than the old one. So that was good, all happy.

Then I saw my spectacles were a little bent, so I decided to do some "self-rectification", and no, I'm not a qualified optician or optometrist. *PIAK* the top corner of my left lens chipped off.

I nearly screamed... and I'm quite glad I didn't because I was on a bus at the time.

Nothing really critical, it was the top corner, not the main field of vision. My classmates didn't even notice it until I mentioned it to them. Thank God for rimless frames... But I still have to wait for 10 working days (of which 1 has gone by) for the replacement.

So I'm back to my old pair now. I can feel the difference in weight, I think the prescription is slightly different as some stuff look weird, or maybe it could be due to the lack of sleep. And yes, sleep-deprivation is not in-line with recovering from a flu (which I have).

Needless to say, the lenses cost more than the new handphone casing.

So this very simple experience really had me thinking about some events in life. Surely there do times where we tried to do something, in the interest of someone, to make things better. Or maybe it was a time when we had a brilliant idea and wanted to carry it out. And then, things go haywire.

Being the nice person that you are (I hope), you take remedial action, try to repair it. But alas! You've made it worse. You may have solved this issue, but in the process creating damage elsewhere. Maybe that friend doesn't want to listen to your explanation any more, or even refuses to talk to you?

These are times when we feel terrible inside. It's not so much because of the problem, but because we have tried to make it better, yet all we accomplish is to worsen the situation. It is the guilt, the feeling of hopelessness and remorse that eats us from the inside.

Like I said, life has its ironies. I have lost a friendship or two in this manner, but I wouldn't have reacted otherwise even with the benefit of hindsight. After all, we can't always win, and sometimes it may even be for the better. It is through experiences like these that test the relationship (romantic or friendship) between 2 people. In the end, you may discover that this person's attitude is not even worth putting any effort. But of course, not every case ends like this.

But we have to remember to be thankful too. Just as we are frustrated at the downpour after scrubbing the car's tyre rims so thoroughly, the rain has its blessings, such as cooling the land down. I have been blessed in that I am enjoying some new luxuries these past few weeks, passing my Capital Markets Services exam yesterday and also getting to spend some quality time catching up with some friends. Thus, a dent in my pocket for the replacement lenses may not be that bad. I was actually looking at it a few days ago and thinking maybe it's time to change the lenses too... Haha! Lo and behold!

Of course, there are still things that I want to do. Been trying VERY hard to catch up with one friend in particular, but she's VERY busy. I can only continue to pray for a good opportunity. I'm also looking forward to spending time with my study group go prepare for my coming exams. It's a rather exciting period, actually.

But excuse me in the meantime while I go sew up that big hole in my pocket...

What do you do when a rain cloud pours on you on a sunny day?

"There is no such thing as a failed experiment, only experiments with unexpected outcomes."

2008-09-03T22:35:00.009+08:00

By: Richard Buckminster Fuller, US engineer and architect

I actually wanted to write about this some time ago, just that some other topics came up.

I initially wanted to start with a more popular adage: "When at first you don't succeed, try and try again", but I thought this one is slightly better.

There are many times in life when we think that things are not going according to our plans. Maybe it's not getting into a school/job of our choice, not getting the desired results for exams, or not getting the response we want from other people. What happens then? Do we conclude that this isn't going to work out, and leave it at that? Do we then complain that it's just lousy and we forget that it ever happened?

My personal philosophy is that I am the sum of ALL my experiences. There is not a single experience that I've had which didn't contribute to shaping me into... well... me! My life is like a huge jigsaw puzzle, with pieces falling into place all the time, but not falling out.

I think this is also in-line with my Christian beliefs, that God is guiding me in the path He wants me to go and that everything is for a reason.

Nothing is a waste of time, but a learning experience that maybe my time can be better spent elsewhere (like NOT attending certain meetings, but focusing on other matters :D). No client I meet has also "wasted" my time, but I've learnt how to better handle them, or whether to even continue talking with them at all. Every single scolding, teardrop, rejection and slap in the face (literal and figurative) is just as important as every smile, laugh, comfort and hug that I've had. We need to be able to appreciate the ups and downs of life to realise the importance of cherishing the positive sides, whilst learning from the negative ones. It's just like without "evil", how can we know what is "good"?

This leads me to another quote which complements the title quote:

“The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' (I found it!) but 'That's funny ...'”

- Isaac Asimov

Isaac Asimov
Source: http://www.expansiveself.org

I think many of us have heard of the story of Thomas Edison, who successfully invented the light bulb after 1000 attempts. What was it that kept him going? I strongly believe "That's funny..." was always on his mind, or in the local context, "Eh? Siao liao lah..."

It wasn't a failed experiment. As Edison himself famously says, "I have not failed, I only found 999 ways that didn't work", that each unsuccessful attempt was a build-up for the next, to eventual success. There is also a Chinese saying which goes "失败乃是成功之母", which means that failure is the mother of success.

What then is the secret to success? Determination, perseverance, recognising and analysing failures, accepting and integrating them into our lives, and trying again. That pretty much sums it up, right? Of course, it is easy to say and hard to do. Hey, no one said it was a piece of cake... Haha!

In conclusion, I'd like to quote from a favourite movie of mine:

"Just keep swimming swimming swimming..."

- Dory (Ellen DeGeneres in Pixar's "Finding Nemo")

Source: http://www.fanpop.com

Time Heals All Wounds

2008-08-28T23:08:00.009+08:00

"Let's say you accidentally chop off your finger while preparing dinner. If you get to the doctor in time, the finger can be re-attached and there is a high chance you can regain most of the finger's functionality, albeit with a little scarring. However, if you leave it and take your time to get to the hospital, the finger becomes permanently severed and the damage thus becomes permanent."
By: Me

I know the above analogy is a little gory. It's actually a paraphrasing of an SMS I sent someone a few months ago, and I was trying to communicate a message, although I seriously doubt she got it.

The title-phrase is very familiar to all of us. Every time we face a huge setback, an immensely painful experience, or a failed relationship, we always tell this phrase to ourselves as a consolation. I'm very certain that ALL of us have used this before, and don't worry, there's no big deal.

I actually thought of the analogy in a very short time, definitely under a minute. I remember very vividly this story that my D&T teacher shared with us when I was Sec 1 or 2. Mr Benny Chng, that's his name, and I really respect him a lot. He was telling us how he was helping to chop the vegetables for a camp, and before he knew it, the chopping board was red: he sliced his thumb to the extent that it was still dangling, but almost severed. He was also sharing how his face turned pale with the loss of blood, but luckily for him, he was sent to a hospital in time and his finger was re-attached, except for some scarring. Maybe it looked something like this:

Source: http://pro.corbis.com

Yes yes, there's no way it could have looked like that because I remember what I said: T-H-U-M-B! That's for all the nitpickers out there! :D (Nice finger too, if you ask me!)

Coming back to the topic, I thought the analogy was very apt. Something happened between us, and the mutual relationship sustained quite some damage. Now, my opinion of a relationship between 2 people, whether it be a normal friendship or a romantic relationship, follows another common saying: it takes 2 hands to clap. Maintaining a relationship is my responsibility as much as it is yours, that's what I'm saying.

In that particular situation, I was trying my best to restore the relationship back to what it was. After all, things have happened, and we have to move on. However, in order to move on, certain issues should be addressed. Sure, things can get awkward or even embarrassing, but as mature adults, that is how I feel we should address the whole matter. We should be able to sit down, talk things out, iron out the problems and then proceed from there.

The response that I got was not very encouraging. I felt that while I was trying to make things right again, the impression I got was that she did not seem interested in doing her part. It seemed as though she just wanted to let things pass, and let time heal the wounds.

Yes, time DOES heal all wounds. I'm not disputing that nugget of wisdom, but think back to my analogy, and you'll find that it is not so much whether the wounds will heal, but the manner in which the wound heals!

Source: http://www.7art-screensavers.com

As I mentioned earlier, it takes 2 hands to clap. Just like the man who had his finger sliced off, he has to take good care of his cut-off finger, taking steps to preserve it, while at the same time heading to a hospital, where the doctors will take over and do their thing. See the mutual-responsibility at work here? Both the casualty and the hospital have to do their part. As a casualty, there's only so much I can do to help, but the doctor has to work to re-attach my poor finger!

Source: http://gizmondo.com

After months of thinking, and sharing my thoughts with friends, as well as getting their feedback, I think it's quite safe to say that many people don't realize the role they have to play as one party in a relationship. And I remind you, "relationship" in this case can mean friendship or a romantic relationship, but not limited to either. I certainly hope that as friends, none of you will have the mentality that "Oh, I didn't ask for this to happen, so why should I have to clean it up? It's your mess..."

Like it or not, when something happens, the responsibility falls to both parties, unless one party is clearly in the wrong, as in the case of adultery, murder or other such acts. I think this is something many of us have to recognize, especially as working adults. Yet, how many of us actually realize this?

Over the past 2 weeks, my Bible Study group was also on the topic of "Forgiveness", and my discussion leader, with his experience and wisdom, shared that there's no such thing as "forgive and forget", because we can never forget, especially if it is a heinous crime like murdering a family member. Rather, "true forgiveness" comes when there is no more bitterness in the heart, when we are no longer the slave of the pain and the anger.

Source: http://blogs.psychologytoday.com

In this particular case, the issue was dragged on indefinitely, despite my attempts to address the problem. I can't say that my impression of this friend has improved, but rather the opposite. A few mutual friends also share this "shake head" reaction when we talk about it. While I have no trouble forgiving this friend, I am just sorry that my impression of her has deteriorated so much, that my faith and trust in her has dropped by so much. If she had done something about it earlier, things wouldn't have turned out like this, and this is precisely the irreversible "permanent damage" that I'm talking about: I will never be able to look upon her the same way as before. So much for wanting things to be "the same as before" eh?

So yes, things have to move on. I still talk to her, communicate with her once in a while, but even if she chooses to address the issue now, the damage is already made permanent. The wound has closed up on the finger stub, and the nerve ends on the finger have already died, and I can only feel sorry for how things have reached this stage.

Are you in such a situation with a friend now? Are you doing anything to help the wound to heal with the finger intact?

"Like fireworks, this universe is a celebration..."

2008-08-24T23:37:00.006+08:00

"Everything is created from moment to moment, always new. Like fireworks, this universe is a celebration and you are the spectator contemplating the eternal Fourth of July of your absolute splendor."
By: Francis Lucille

I thought this is a good quote for now. Indeed, fireworks is a major form of celebration, and I have had the wonderful opportunity of seeing 2 magnificent fireworks displays again.

First-off is the Closing Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Once again, China has proven that they will not go out without a bang, which also reminds me of another wonderful quote from the movie "Independence Day", but that's another time. The fireworks was nothing short of spectacular and jaw-dropping! It's really recent, so I doubt I can find the pictures to prove it, but I think you will be seeing it shortly.

Indeed, the Olympics is a celebration of human ability. This Games, we have seen wonderful athletes like Usain Bolt and the greatest Olympiad thus far, Michael Phelps. It has also seen many world and Olympic records broken, as mentioned by IOC President Jacque Rogges. Of course, we Singaporeans will also remember this as the Games where we won our second Olympic medal, our first one post-independence! Once again, congratulations to Team Singapore!

Secondly, this happened yesterday. Unless you haven't been reading the newspapers, and your friends are really not speaking to you, and you might even be one of those staking out near Marina Bay trying to catch a glimpse of the show, I'm talking about the Singapore Fireworks Celebrations 2008!

Source: Me

This was the performance by the South Korean team. The French team was performing on Friday, and I somehow thought that would have been better, but the tickets I got (Thanks Dad!) were for Saturday's show, and I can't really complain. It's still better than nothing.

I've always loved fireworks, so I guess that makes me more normal, like the rest of you, haha! It could be the explosions, the bright colors in the night sky, the amazement of the patterns, the choreography, or maybe everything added together.

But one thing I've noticed, choreography seems to be an optional package, especially for our NDPs! Haha! I've seen extremely well-choreographed displays, like Hong Kong Disneyland and previous Fireworks Celebrations/Festivals, and I still think that NDP has much to learn. Maybe it's the budget... it's ALWAYS about the budget...

But enough talk for now, on with the show:

Link: My Photobucket Album

It was still drizzling then the display started, and thanks to the combination of water and soot from the gunpowder explosion, the rain turned black... yes... BLACK RAIN! Didn't help that I was wearing a WHITE tee... glad my mini-umbrella came in useful! Haha!

However, in my opinion, I still felt that last year's display by China was much better! Somehow the Korean display lacked the grandeur, or the multi-bursts and simultaneous flashes that never fails to awe. To prove my point, here's one picture from last year's:
It's a little blur, but you can see the rest of it here:

Link: 2007 Singapore Fireworks Celebrations Photobucket Album

I actually have more to write, but maybe next time, yes?

世上只有妈妈好

2008-08-21T00:30:00.003+08:00

世上只有妈妈好
有妈的孩子像个宝
投入妈妈的怀抱
幸福享不了

To my non-Chinese readers, the above, along with the title, is a Chinese nursery rhyme praising motherhood, saying that children with mothers are like treasures, and when in your mother's hold, happiness is plentiful.

I'm also quite surprised that I chose such a simple phrase for tonight's post. This is a song that many of us have sang since we were young, in nursery or kindergarten, maybe even before that. I was about to write about my state of affairs, but I found something more meaningful to write about this evening.

I actually just got back from visiting a friend. Her twin 1-year-old sons were warded at KK Hospital for quite a range of ailments. A common friend asked me along, and I thought I'd drop by to see how she's coping.

Just to give you some background: This friend of mine is my age, so you know she's not that old. She's a young mother, and is bearing quite a heavy responsibility at such a young age (whoever said taking care of 2 baby boys is easy?). We've actually known each other for quite a while because of common activities, and she confides in me sometimes, before her marriage, but that's not to say we're very close too.

The sight when I first got there was quite shocking. She was there alone, having to take care of both her sons. She was looking rather exhausted, having to take leave from her nursing job for the past 5 days to take care of her sons, which is really quite a handful. When she carries one, the other starts crying, so she has to swap between the two, and both don't like it when she sits down while carrying them.

Throughout the whole duration I was there, I didn't see her husband around. Quite unusual, seeing that 2 of his sons are admitted into hospital, and I seriously doubt the SAF holds regulars back any later than 7pm! I seriously doubt he even called his wife to inform her about his whereabouts, nor ask about the latest updates on the boys, but let's not discuss this for now.

While we were talking to the mother, she said one thing that made me know she had really embraced motherhood. Her words to me were something along the lines of "I don't ask for much, all I want is for my sons to be well. Seeing them in this stage really breaks my heart."

Yeah yeah, I know some of you may be saying this is very cliche, but I think it's really a different experience seeing someone I know as a friend say this to me. For her, being a young mother is not easy. She had to give up a lot of opportunities and possible-experiences to take up this heavy responsibility. Whilst many of us are still out there enjoying our singlehood, making the best of our paychecks behind bar counters, here is someone who has joined the ranks of those in another phase of life.

And that got me thinking, is motherhood really that much of a life-changing experience as they all say it is? This is truly one of the most personal experiences I have had with an individual I knew pre- and post-expectancy. Well, I've seen many of my cousins growing up, getting married and having kids, but I can't say I know them very closely as a friend, although I have observed some of these transition signs.

It does lead one, especially a single person, to wonder. I obviously don't have the opportunity to know how my own mum was like before she became a mother, but I have seen the many sacrifices she has made over the years bringing us up. Of course she's not the best in everything she does, but she still scores beyond an A+ for effort. And then I ponder upon the need for a second Sunday every year in May to be declared a special day to honour mothers... Isn't every day already a Mother's Day? And that leads me to my concluding thought:

When was the last time, if ever, that you truly and sincerely thanked your own mother for every single thing she has done for you?

"Cool Runnings"

2008-08-17T22:17:00.008+08:00

"Feel the rhythm! Feel the rhyme! Get on up, its bobsled time! COOL RUNNINGS!"
By: Sanka Coffie (Doug E. Doug in "Cool Runnings")

Source: Wikipedia

A very appropriate quote at this time. In this 1993 movie, the titular quote "Cool Runnings" is said to mean "Peace be the Journey".

This delightful comedy is very suitable for most occasions. It's too bad I don't remember who I lent my DVD to, because I can't find it! Argh!!!

The story tells of 4 Jamaicans trying to make it for the Bobsledding event in the Winter Olympics. One thing you have to know: Jamaica is a tropical country and doesn't snow. Their journey to the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada is indeed hilarious and I do not wish to spoil any of it for you. As with many other "real-life" movies, it's quite loosely-based and not entirely factual, but it still makes for good entertainment.

But it's still an inspiring performance. The determination and the dreams of young individuals who have high aspirations mirror many of us. Like us, the team faced much rejection along the way, including being ridiculed and having to raise their own funds to compete. Yet all they needed was a single opportunity, and they were granted this chance.

It's just like how we are looking for that simple chance to come along, right? Sometimes we just hope that someone will take a leap of faith and trust us with an opportunity. And even if the opportunity is granted, we may face other challenges that take us out of our comfort zone.

What happens then? We are faced with something unfamiliar and "unusual", and this of course provides for the numerous belly-hugging moments of the movie, but our real lives may not be this enjoyable. It takes a lot of courage to move along, despite the resistance faced. Many of us may not even end up where we want to be, but an important part of sportsmanship, of the Olympic spirit, is that we must "finish the race". In the end, as in the titular quote, the journey is an important part of the experience and indeed, "Peace be the Journey" to us all!

Source: www.granitegrok.com

The Olympic dream has a strong significance. It symbolizes the pursuit of excellence, a key human quality. To be the best we can, to push the limits of human achievement and ability. So this leads me to congratulate our Women's Table Tennis Team at the Olympics. It is indeed a proud moment for Singapore and the country is proud of the 3 ladies, helping us to earn our first Olympic medal since Tan Howe Liang in 1960, which makes this Singapore's first medal since independence!

I think regardless of all the talk and debate about our sportsmen and sportswomen, no one can deny that we are feeling proud to be called Singaporean at this time.

How will your own "Olympic journey" be like?

"You can't direct the wind, but you can adjust your sails"

2008-08-15T01:11:00.008+08:00

By: German Proverb

Oh what a very apt quote for my current situation. I'm sure each of us has gone through a crazy time in life, when we feel that things are just going haywire and that situations are spiraling out of control...

At every point in life, we may not be able to see our directions clearly. Even more so for the younger ones like myself. We want to move forward, to make full use of our youthful energy, zest and enthusiasm to achieve the best that we can. But how often do we know what is the path to walk?

I remember something that my dad told me when I was starting my job search: We never start at where we want to be. More often than not, we bump around here and there for years, while slowly drifting towards where we are supposed to be.

Along the way, that's where many of us seek guidance. We turn to friends, family members, bosses, and even to religion for answers. However, at the end, the decision is still in our hands. When the world is collapsing around you, what will you choose to do?

My dad was again sharing his experience with me earlier: In everything, we must always have our Plan B. Sadly, there's no such thing as "company loyalty" in this modern world. No company will consistently put your interests above theirs. As such, no matter how selfish it is, we have to maintain our own way out.

As part of a group, there should be a Plan B, an option to exercise when things don't go according to expectations. We can't expect everything to be smooth-sailing always, it would be naive to do so. As individuals, we also need to maintain our own Plan B. The plans of the larger group may not always be in-line with our own interests. Of course, I'm not saying that we should rebel against corporate structures. As an employee, it is YOUR JOB to protect the interests of the company... while you're still employed.

What I'm saying is that we should not wait for the organisation to think for us, because very often, they won't. The entity with the greatest interest in your own life is you and you alone. If so, what's to stop us for planning for ourselves? Why SHOULDN'T we plan for ourselves? Should we not direct our sails in the direction which we want to move towards?

Now that we've established that, it brings us back to the beginning. Many of us are still drifting around, not knowing our directions in life, floating from A to B, then B to C...

Source: http://www.schattauersails.com

The real challenge then presents itself:
Where do you want to adjust your sails towards today?

"Life is but a dream"

2008-08-10T23:54:00.005+08:00

By: Eliphalet Oram Lyte (credited) in the song "Row, Row, Row Your Boat"

I bet many of you didn't link this common phrase to one of the first songs we learned to sing in our lives, but maybe that's where the line many people commonly use is planted in us.

But first of all, Happy 43rd Birthday to Singapore!
A job well done to all RCY volunteers who participated, as well to every other participant. I thought the whole thing was much better than last year's (when I was involved), and definitely spectacular. I think the impressive fireworks display must have been due to some pressure from a slightly earlier celebration, which brings me to...

Congratulations to Beijing on a smooth Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Olympic Games!

Source: Mangalorean.com

I rushed home after my meeting to watch it. Definitely a grand spectacle, and their fireworks is fantastic! I have never seen such a wide area of fireworks before, not to mention the continuous bursts! I almost thought that a single salvo is equivalent to our entire NDP fireworks budget, but thankfully, this year's NDP ExCo failed to make my statement true.

So anyway, back to the topic: Life is but a dream. Sometimes we do feel that way, don't we? For better or worse, in happiness and sadness (OK, that's maybe a nightmare instead), joy and sorrow...

Some people take life to be like a dream, just cruising by and not paying much attention to things happening around them. Others take life to be a dream that gives them the opportunity to achieve, to be what they want to be. Yet there are also others who literally dream through life, dreaming about the people they could have become, the things they could have achieved...

Each of us differs in our opinion of this line. There are some who outright say that life is NOT a dream, even many times in the movies. And there are those who are like me, people who feel that Life is the dream where you make things happen, where you define the boundaries and the limits of your own potential, where you are able to determine the extent to which you can make a difference.

What sort of dream do you want your life to be?

"I'm building my city people, on rock 'n' roll!"

2008-08-07T00:20:00.003+08:00

By: Arthur (Justin Timberlake in "Shrek The Third")

OK, this is something not many people know: I like Dreamworks and Pixar animations. In fact, I got most of their movies on DVD (yes, including Shrek The Third). For Dreamworks, my favourites are Shrek and Madagascar (to be precise, only the Penguins!). For Pixar, basically ALL except for "Cars" and "A Bug's Life". The crappy thing is "Cars" is the second movie after "Toy Story" to have a sequel.

Now I won't say this is a very fantastic quote, but basically an opening for Rock 'N Roll! Haha! Been into retro + Rock&Roll music recently. It started with "Paradise City" (Guns N Roses), then suddenly at my colleague's wedding on Saturday, my table was talking about the oldies, and my manager wrote me a list of oldies songs to search for, so that's where hits like "Together Forever" (Rick Astley) and "Love in the First Degree" (Bananarama) came up!

I don't really like modern English songs. I don't like the lyrics, neither can you even hear the lyrics properly. Somehow, I think all of us have an affiliation with the songs that we grew up with. I heard many of these retro hits when I was a small boy, waaaaayyyyyy before MOST of you knew me.

One of the conclusions we arrived at that table was that when you reach a certain age, your taste in music is confined, boxed-up. We won't really listen to new songs as openly as before, but rather, we won't mind just replaying "the good stuff", which is based a lot on the era which we grew up, and our own personal preferences. That's where our MP3 players are just filled with that range of songs.

And very soon, we'll find our "good stuff" playing on Gold90.5 / Capital 95.8

To end off, bringing things back to full circle: Hands up, who wants a sequel to "The Incredibles" instead of "Cars II"?

Children of Heaven

2008-08-05T23:50:00.002+08:00

Thanks to this bout of free time I've been having lately, I managed to watch the movie "Children of Heaven" just now. No, it's not a movie about religion, it does not even have anything to do with religion! It has won quite a number of awards, such as the "Best Picture & Audience Award" at the Montreal Film Festival (seen in poster) and was the first Iranian film to be nominated for the "Academy Award for the Best Foreign Language Film" in 1999.

Source: Wikipedia

I find it a very beautiful movie. It illustrates the innocence of children and the simplicity and pureness of thought that they possess, uncorrupted by "adult practices" and ways of the world. Its Iranian origin (yes... Iranian) also highlights its simplicity, given that Iran isn't a very modern country. I shan't say too much because I seriously recommend you watch this movie!

Synopsis: A young boy accidentally loses the shoes of his younger sister. Due to a lack of family resources, they are unable to buy another pair for the girl, and both siblings end up sharing a pair of shoes, until the brother finds a way to acquire a new pair of shoes.

Sounds familiar? Then you may have been quite a supporter of local cinema because this is 90% similar to the plot of...

Source: Wikipedia

For the record, "Homerun" was BASED on "Children of Heaven"... not the other way around. I don't see why the Iranians have to plagiarize Jack Neo's work, haha!

I thought the title of the movie was very thought-provoking. My first reaction was "Why heaven?" It's not a religious film, so why invoke the terminology? Then it struck me, it's not pointing to any religion in particular. Not Christianity, not Islam (seeing that it's Iranian)... Rather, it's trying to say that children are created innocent and pure by nature. Every child is born fresh into this world, none are born evil or scheming (OK, I know not everyone will agree with this, but I believe majority hold this view).

This reminds me of my primary and secondary schools' motto (yup, affiliated schools): Pure & Honest. I suppose the heart of purity and honesty is indeed rare to come by these days, but it is indeed a wonderful thing to have. Despite the frailties of the world and all our concerns, shouldn't we aspire to have such a heart?

What would be your definition of "Children of Heaven"?

"I find your lack of faith disturbing."

2008-08-03T22:55:00.009+08:00

By: Darth Vader (Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope)

(Cue "The Imperial March")
Well well well... One of the most famous villains of all time (ranked No.3 in AFI's 100 Heroes and Villains). Movie fan or not, you're bound to have heard who this "asthmatic" guy in the black suit and the flowing cape is.

Of course, this line can sometimes be heard from religious zealots, but let's not go there, shall we? :D

I think most people will be mesmerised by this character. In the History Channel documentary "Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed", Film critic Elvis Mitchell has this to say about the character of Darth Vader:

"He owned everything.Everybody was afraid of him. What kid isn't seduced by the idea of COMPLETE fearlessness?"

I think everyone's thrilled by the idea that we can do things and not give a damn about what other people think. This thought is probably just as thrilling as being able to go back in time and change something. Very much like a childhood fantasy that all of us had at some point or other.

Underneath that simple line, the message is conveyed: "I don't care what you think, I just don't like it and I'm going to let you KNOW I don't like it."

Don't you want the opportunity to say/do something without fearing the consequences?

"I find, that if I just sit down to think, the solution presents itself!"

2008-08-01T23:21:00.006+08:00

By: Professor Henry Jones (Sean Connery in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusdae")

Ahh... Welcome back to the movies! Indiana Jones is another 1 of my fave trilogies! Sure we've had Lara Croft along the way, but no one beats good ol' Indy, that's why there's the fourth movie that came out, although that messed up the Indy vibe a little...

And yes, Sean Connery! Other than his most famous role as James Bond, the legendary Sir Sean has also had many iconic roles, one of which is the aforementioned. There's a reason why "The Last Crusade" is a strong fan-favorite, and that's due to the wonderful Chemistry between Harrison Ford and him as father-and-son.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, back to the WORDS! Haha! (Fanboy here, as you can see)

I couldn't find the clip on Youtube, so I guess only those of you who have seen the countless reruns on TV or who have the DVD are able to remember it. It's one of the more comical moments in the show, when the Joneses were trying to escape from the castle, but were trapped. Indy's searching frantically, but Jones Sr. just decided to plonk his rear on a chair, which turned out to be the switch to the much-needed escape route.

Sometimes we are so preoccupied with problem-solving, with firefighting, that we tend to forget the bigger things. Some of us get quite tense, and the focus is just on that problem itself that we fail to pull ourselves back and utilise other resources to fit into the picture. During NS, we call a person like this a "kan-jiong spider". For those who are wondering, that's the source of the infamous "F**k spider" that enciks always use.

In such cases, when we rush into things, and in the midst of our panic and hassle, we're just not able to think clearly, right? Logical solutions come through peaceful reasoning of the facts presented, which is NOT the situation if you're jabbing furiously on the huge red button below:

Do you tend to be more like Henry Jones Sr. or like a "kan-jiong spider"?

Luke 9:25

2008-08-01T14:38:00.003+08:00

What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?
- Luke 9:25

I'm trying my best not to put 2 Bible verses in a row... But I read this "accidentally" while doing my Bible Study today, and it doesn't take much to see how generic this verse actually is.

I was sharing with Yongkai and KT the other day: now that we are working, what else are we doing with our lives?

Surely we have to do something, right? Or else our life will just be full on monetary pursuits and fretting over our jobs and careers, mean bosses and that nifty little gadget (for gentlemen) or that awesome (insert favourite brand) handbag (for the ladies)...

For me, I chose to do more with my spiritual and social life. Over the past years, I've done a fair bit of volunteering, cooped up with studies (not that I did very well in school), and am now in the workforce.

Just like in proper asset allocation (sorry, 职业病), it is always advisable to diversify our assets across multiple asset classes (ya-da-ya-da). For the layman, the previous sentence means "Don't put your eggs in 1 basket".

Life is so vast, with so many things to do. We're young, energetic, eager to see the world and experience what it has to offer. Why then are many people just being cooped up in a narrow view to earn money? But there's also a Chinese saying that goes "钱不是万能，但没有钱却是万万不能" (translation: money isn't everything, but money is also a necessity).

How far will you go before you start to be afraid of losing your soul? Or will you simply sink into the abyss without knowing it at all?

2 Timothy 4:3

2008-08-01T00:19:00.007+08:00

"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear."
- 2 Timothy 4:3

I'm trying to diversify the source of my quotes here, so I hope I'm not offending anyone by quoting from the Bible. I'm a Christian, so that's one book I should be very familiar with, right?

This verse really struck me. I came across it during my 1st week of BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) and it left a strong impact on me.

The topic for that week was of Jesus' parables and how believers are mixed with non-believer and false believers, until the End of Days when we are judged.

Referring to my previous post about looking for teachers, I think this is very apt to introduce this verse (or quote, if you like) here. When looking for the person to seek guidance from, are we really learning the right thing?

This reminds me of that Gold 90.5 commercial from sometime back:

Many times, we just choose the things we like to hear, which the commercial shows to a very entertaining extent. How then are we making sure that what we learn is what we OUGHT to learn?

At work, we more than often tend to ignore our boss' advice. Many of us prefer a boss who can sayang us, tell us good things, even though we know we're not performing. On the contrary, people hate bosses who like to kick their arses around.

I'm not here to judge, and situations do differ from one person to another, but the thinking point here is "Could he be doing the right thing by kicking my arse?" Sometimes, we just need a push. A push to get ahead, a push to move up, a push to better ourselves. Just a push.

Of course, we prefer this push comes from people we like, friends, family, spouse/significant other, but how about the people we don't like (eg. many of our bosses)? They could be doing the right thing for us, just that maybe perhaps we fail to recognise it?

Back to the Biblical implication. This is a warning about our individual faith, and how we fail to place seeking God as the foremost goal. When this happens, people turn away from the true Word and listen to what they want to listen.

There are many debates out there, especially among the Christian community. Some may be viewed as being secular by having rock concerts as worship sessions, some claim traditional churches are too strict in their traditions that they do not conform to the Word, quite a lot of finger-pointing, if you ask me... But who's to judge? You? Me? Or should we defer judgement to a higher entity?

Christian or not, what about yourself? Are you the type who listens only to what/who you choose to listen to? How open-minded are you really?

"When the pupil is ready to learn, the teacher will appear"

2008-07-31T23:52:00.007+08:00

By: Anonymous

Those of you who have me on Facebook might probably have noticed that my list of Favourite Quotes is very long. Too long... yet not enough space for me! Cos the quotes that I love are wayyyy too many! So I aim to cut down the quotes on Facebook, rather, I'll post a link in that section to this blog!

I came across this quote while reading a book on financial planning. As with many aspects of financial planning, people don't listen! We only like to hear the latest buzz on how to make money by playing stocks & shares, but we refuse to think of our other financial needs such as insurance, cash flow and loan financing. But that's for another time...

When we think of "teacher", I guess most people of Chinese heritage will think of this guy:

Or maybe something a bit more casual?

(PS: This guy is Confucius, for the uninformed)

My take on this quote is that we need to open our hearts. Only when the heart is open, then our ears will be open too. Many times we are told many things, but there are times when we simply refuse to listen, like when our parents nag at us, or when a Citibank guy asks you to sign up for their latest credit card, or even when our lecturers just drone on and on... and we find ourselves "played out" in the exams! Haha!

Only when we are seeking someone/something, then we will have the thirst, and only then will this "teacher" appear and we will be willing to listen.

So we know that we need to open our hearts, but have you thought about how can you be a TEACHER to someone else instead?

"You can't HANDLE the Truth!"

2008-07-31T23:04:00.015+08:00

By: Colonel Nathan Jessep (Jack Nicholson in "A Few Good Men")

Ahh... to me, this is THE defining Jack Nicholson moment.

Now I've always admired Jack Nicholson as an actor, though, sadly, I have't caught many of his movies. He isn't exactly the very top of my list, but somewhere near there.

What the character says from here on actually speaks a lot about a country's defence. Having served my own country in the military, I can empathise with his words, although the approach taken was not the best.

You might want to catch this clip available on Youtube:

But theatrics aside, how often are we able to take the truth? Every time things don't go our way, or when things go messy in love and relationships, or when we're told that we're simply just NOT GOOD...

How many of us have the strength to handle truths? Are we able to handle it by ourselves? Or do we surround ourselves with friends?

I think, at the end, even if we opt for the latter option, we'll still need to face the issue some day. Take things in a positive light, nasty people can also be trying to help you, but the real question is whether we're able to better ourselves! :D

Do you think you are able to handle The Truth?

Welcome

2008-07-31T22:42:00.008+08:00

Hi everyone and welcome! It took me a while to get back to blogging, given some bad experiences and holding myself to high standards.

I had rave reviews for my Photoblog back then, but this is something different altogether. The lesson I learnt from my Photoblog is that a theme is very important for a blog's success. With that in mind, the theme I chose for this is "Words".

Now words are a very important part of our lives, and there is just sooooooo much potential for expression in them. Personally, I'm a fan of quotes, so that's another motivation.

So let's start off with the title quote:
"But good words. That's where ideas begin."
- David Marcus (Merritt Butrick in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)

OK, those of you who know me long enough know how much of a Sci-Fi fan I can be, but rest assured, this is not the reason for choosing this as the title quote.

I think this resonates with me because of how true and how simple it's put. Indeed, the power of words inspire others. They plant thoughts into people, ideas, dreams, aspirations...

I think a very good example of this is the most well-printed book in history: The Holy Bible. Through simple words, the Christian faith has spread across the world and continues to inspires thousands, if not millions, of people each moment.

When was the last time you really said/wrote something that made yourself go "Wow..." at the end?