Witch Chronicals

Annoying google ads on youtube

2011-12-31T17:05:00.002+08:00

Its really annoying those google ads.

DAMN.

Must find a way to boycott youtube and find some youku.com or something.

: (

: )

2011-11-30T00:45:00.004+08:00

Today, my old girlfren MSN me about my ex-boyfren.

I replied: No deal.

She responded: That's all u felt?

Me: *grimaces* Just abit sad that the person I knew for so long as a friend (probably 11 years) could not tell me the truth just because ............++

Girlfriend: WHAT! Going to get married already and still cannot tell the truth!!!!

Me: Yah, i think its his upbring*** blah blah.........++

In general, we both agreed that if a couple is thinking of getting married & one party discovers financial lies before the event, it becomes impossible to go ahead with the relationship because precious trust is destroyed.

It was lucky that the lies were discovered early. ^____^

Then I wondered why anyone would need to lie about having sufficiently prepared for condo down payment etc. The weakness in the character that caused his actions was quite the stunner.

Or rather, the previous other party was simply telling lies all along the entire journey as lying becomes habitual, like making constant withdrawals from the bank account until overdraft limit is breached.

In summary, I think the ending to the previous relationship became the brightest silver lining in the entire raincloud.

The buddha on the greatest blessings

2011-11-17T12:55:00.000+08:00

Mangala Sutta: Blessings

translated from the Pali by

Narada Thera

Alternate translations: Piyadassi | Soni | Thanissaro

This sutta also appears at Sn 2.4

Thus have I heard.[1]

On one occasion the Exalted One was dwelling at Anathapindika's monastery, in Jeta's Grove,[2] near Savatthi.[3] Now when the night was far spent, a certain deity whose surpassing splendor illuminated the entire Jeta Grove, came to the presence of the Exalted One and, drawing near, respectfully saluted him and stood at one side. Standing thus, he addressed the Exalted One in verse:

"Many deities and men, yearning after good, have pondered on blessings.[4] Pray, tell me the greatest blessing!"

[The Buddha:]

"Not to associate with the foolish,[5] but to associate with the wise; and to honor those who are worthy of honor — this is the greatest blessing.

To reside in a suitable locality,[6] to have done meritorious actions in the past and to set oneself in the right course[7] — this is the greatest blessing.

To have much learning, to be skillful in handicraft,[8] well-trained in discipline,[9] and to be of good speech[10] — this is the greatest blessing.

To support mother and father, to cherish wife and children, and to be engaged in peaceful occupation — this is the greatest blessing.

To be generous in giving, to be righteous in conduct,[11] to help one's relatives, and to be blameless in action — this is the greatest blessing.

To loathe more evil and abstain from it, to refrain from intoxicants,[12] and to be steadfast in virtue — this is the greatest blessing.

To be respectful,[13] humble, contented and grateful; and to listen to the Dhamma on due occasions[14] — this is the greatest blessing.

To be patient and obedient, to associate with monks and to have religious discussions on due occasions — this is the greatest blessing.

Self-restraint,[15] a holy and chaste life, the perception of the Noble Truths and the realisation of Nibbana — this is the greatest blessing.

A mind unruffled by the vagaries of fortune,[16] from sorrow freed, from defilements cleansed, from fear liberated[17] — this is the greatest blessing.

Those who thus abide, ever remain invincible, in happiness established. These are the greatest blessings."[18]

Notes

(Derived mainly from the Commentaries.)

1.: This Sutta appears in the Sutta-Nipata (v.258ff) and in the Khuddakapatha. See Maha-mangala Jataka (No. 453). For a detailed explanation see Life's Highest Blessing by Dr. R.L. Soni, WHEEL No. 254/256.
2.: Anathapindika, lit., 'He who gives alms to the helpless'; his former name was Sudatta. After his conversion to Buddhism, he bought the grove belonging to the Prince Jeta, and established a monastery which was subsequently named Jetavana. It was in this monastery that the Buddha observed most of his vassana periods (rainy seasons — the three months' retreat beginning with the full-moon of July). Many are the discourses delivered and many are the incidents connected with the Buddha's life that happened at Jetavana. It was here that the Buddha ministered to the sick monk neglected by his companions, advising them: "Whoever, monks, would wait upon me, let him wait upon the sick." It was here that the Buddha so poignantly taught the law of impermanence, by asking the bereaved young woman Kisagotami who brought her dead child, to fetch a grain of mustard seed from a home where there has been no bereavement.
3.: Identified with modern Sahet-Mahet, near Balrampur.
4.: According to the Commentary, mangala means that which is conducive to happiness and prosperity.
5.: This refers not only to the stupid and uncultured, but also includes the wicked in thought, word and deed.
6.: Any place where monks, nuns and lay devotees continually reside; where pious folk are bent on the performance of the ten meritorious deeds, and where the Dhamma exists as a living principle.
7.: Making the right resolve for abandoning immorality for morality, faithlessness for faith and selfishness for generosity.
8.: The harmless crafts of the householder by which no living being is injured and nothing unrighteous done; and the crafts of the homeless monk, such as stitching the robes, etc.
9.: Vinaya means discipline in thought, word and deed. The commentary speaks of two kinds of discipline — that of the householder, which is abstinence from the ten immoral actions (akusala-kammapatha), and that of the monk which is the non-transgression of the offences enumerated in the Patimokkha (the code of the monk's rules) or the 'fourfold moral purity' (catu-parisuddhi-sila).
10.: Good speech that is opportune, truthful, friendly, profitable and spoken with thoughts of loving-kindness.
11.: Righteous conduct is the observance of the ten good actions (kusala-kammapatha) in thought, word and deed: freeing the mind of greed, ill-will and wrong views; avoiding speech that is untruthful, slanderous, abusive and frivolous; and the non- committal acts of killing, stealing and sexual misconduct.
12.: Total abstinence from alcohol and intoxicating drugs.
13.: Towards monks (and of course also to the clergy of other religions), teachers, parents, elders, superiors, etc.
14.: For instance, when one is harassed by evil thoughts.
15.: Self-restraint (tapo): the suppression of lusts and hates by the control of the senses; and the suppression of indolence by the rousing of energy.
16.: Loka-dhamma, i.e., conditions which are necessarily connected with life in this world; there are primarily eight of them: gain and loss, honor and dishonor, praise and blame, pain and joy.
17.: Each of these three expressions refers to the mind of the arahant: asoka: sorrowless; viraja: stainless, i.e., free from lust, hatred and ignorance; khema: security from the bonds of sense desires (kama), repeated existence (bhava), false views (ditthi) and ignorance (avijja).
18.: The above-mentioned thirty-eight blessings.

Take care of your minutes

2011-11-14T16:11:00.000+08:00

Today, whilst packing 1000 samples, I found some meaning in:

Take care of your minutes

And the hours will take care of themselves.

From :

Production Worker me

Would you do this job if you won the Lotto

2011-10-19T17:57:00.002+08:00

Lets suppose that you won the Lotto

Aside from screaming for joy like a crazy madman

Would you still wake up to go to your job the next morning?

That is the test of how much you like what you are doing now.

^.^

It took 6 years to understand the gravity of this question from my last professor

What job would you wake up to go to the next morning?

Or would u prefer not to even work at all ?

I passed GMAT !!! 690 !!

2011-10-11T23:53:00.002+08:00

Finally, I passed the GMAT IQ test.

>.<

I shall maintain my position that GMAT is an expensive IQ test that is getting harder and harder as educational standards rise.

690 points over the total of 800 points is a 88th percentile position, just 2 points away from Ivy League standard of 700 points. Awwww.

The limits of my tiny human brain have been reached. Aw.

I'd better complete my Masters before I grow too old and slow.

: ) Im really glad that I passed it without having to retake. Safety zone!

*jumps around for 5 years*

Usnisa Vijaya Mantra

2011-10-04T12:42:00.001+08:00

10.The Usnisa Vijaya Mantra
Translated by Lotus Cheng

A man by the name of Zhao Hui enquired about his destiny. When he stepped into my house I sensed a dark cloud was roaming over this person`s head, and two ghostly entities were following him. However, these two ghosts were stopped by the Door Guardian outside my door. They were raising much noise.

Zhao Hui sat in front of me. I looked at him and his face appeared greyish; a stale energy lingered around him. I sighed as I observed this person from head to toe; his skin, his flesh, his bones, and all his past lives revealed nothing that was worthy of mention. What should I do?

Zhao Hui asked, `How`s my destiny?`

I told him, `Seriously speaking, your life`s destiny is something I rather not say.`

`Its OK. Please speak frankly.`

I said, `Your parents died when you`re young. You`re raised by your relatives.`
`That`s right. Damn! You`re good!`
`You had a tough life during your youth. You left school and did odd jobs, got into fights, and was sent for rehabilitation.`
`That`s right.`
`In your youth you became a thief and was jailed twice!`
`That`s right. You even know about this.`
`Now you have achieve nothing and people avoid you.`
`Yes.`
`Are you still mixing with the gangsters?` I asked.
Zhao Hui nodded his head. When I came to this point, I spoke no further. I knew that a person like Zhao Hui could be described with a modern usage, `scum bag`. This was because he had never done something proper in his life. He fooled around, led a fast life and lived loosely. He went wining and dining, whoring and gambling. He took drugs, stole and robbed, swindled and cheated.
Zhao Hui asked me, `When will I become rich?`
I laughed bitterly inside but told him, `You may have to wait!`
`For how long?`
`I don`t know.`
Zhao Hui was not too happy and said, `People say you`re the best in divination and you know everything. Now you are saying you don`t know about my destiny. You had better be careful.`
`Sorry. But the truth is your destiny is quite challenging to predict.`
`Even a dog`s life has its destiny. You better tell me about my life. If I am pissed off, I`ll make sure you disappear from the face of this earth!`
It sounded like a direct threat! I said, `Zhao Hui, if I help you, will you do as I say?`
`Yes I`ll listen. I may be a good-for-nothing, but I can tell who`s good to me and who`s not.`
I said, `I want to help you change your destiny. In actual fact, you destiny is clouded and I`m afraid you will not have any success in your life. Only by changing your destiny then you can become rich. If you do as I say, I can help you change your life.`
`Cut the crab! Tell me!`
I said, `You have two ghosts following you. If these two ghosts don`t leave, you`ll never have a good life. Where did these two ghosts come from?`
`Two ghosts?` Zhao Hui was all confused.
`You killed anyone before?` I asked.
`Nope. I have threatened to kill, but in reality I only hurt someone, but never killing any.`
`Think. If you haven`t killed anyone, where does these two ghosts come from? Have you offended any ghost somewhere?`
Zhao Hui scratched his head and then exclaimed, `Damn! That`s it! I robbed someone`s grave twice. Is grave robbing offensive to the ghosts?`
I replied, `Of course.`
`Damn! I only stole his funerary objects. I didn`t hurt anyone. What on earth are they following me?`
`Grave robbing is a crime. If you dig up someone`s grave, the dead is not going to be happy. These two ghosts are following you and you`re doomed to bad luck all the time!`
`What then?` Zhao Hui asked.

At that time I was thinking of teaching him a mantra which could help turn his life around. But how should one balance all the causes and effects in his life?
To be charitable - one receives blessings.
To be miserly - one attracts poverty.
To release life - one gains longevity
To kill life - one suffers a short life.

I know that the teachings of Buddha is supreme, extraordinary and refined. The Tantric mantra functions like the Precious Mani Pearl, which can fulfill all virtuous vows and attain all matters of excellence. But is Zhao Hui worthy of receiving this Precious Mani Pearl? I reviewed the past lives of Zhao Hui and saw in one life he was a butcher and in another he ran a brothel. In this present life, apart from stealing and robbing others, there is nothing good about him.

I asked Zhao Hui, `Have you done any kind deeds?`
`Kind deeds?` Zhao Hui shoke his head.
`Do not kill, do not steal, do not commit adultery, do not lie, do not engage in worthless talk, do not gossip, do not insult, do not be greedy, do not get angry, do not be ignorant. These are the Ten Precepts.`
`Ha! I have committed all evils!`
`Can you think of one good thing that you have done?` I could not simply impart the precious Tantric teachings to some rascal who had committed all evil doings.
Zhao Hui thought hard and said, `Once, I stole many things from a Buddhist temple, mainly, the money donated for incense offering. I stuffed myself full of cash and actually carried the whole damn offering box away. They got it locked but it`s useless. I also picked a painting off the wall and when I got home I saw that it was the picture of Shakyamuni Buddha. When I realized it was the image of the Buddha, I had wanted to dump it away. Damn! How much can you fetch from this piece of work? I might as well dump it. But later, I thought it actually looked kind of nice and so I hanged it on the wall. I looked at the Buddha image, put my palms together and paid my respect to the Buddha. Is this a good deed?`

`Oh?` I was dumbfounded.
Would you consider hanging a stolen painting of the Buddha on the wall a good deed? And paying respect to this stolen painting with palms close an act of goodness? I was confused.

Zhao Hui said, `I did something really good. Hehe!`
`What great kind deed have you done?` I was surprised.
`I came to see you. That itself is a very good thing!`
`Oh!` I was again speechless.

I told Zhao Hui, `Every sentient being is born with the purity of heart. A heart so clear, it shines like the full moon. Should the hungry ghost from the Three Lower Realms recite the mantra three times, all of them shall receive the profound secret teachings and be liberated from the entanglement of all negative karma. They shall gain all merits. If I impart this mantra to you, your destiny will change and you shall have great achievement.`

Zhao Hui was overjoyed and exclaimed, `Then hurry and teach me!`
I imparted the Usnisa Vijaya Dharani Mantra to Zhao Hui:
Om Amrita Teja Vate Svaha(Heart Mantra).

I took out a copy of the Usnisa Vijaya Dharani Sutra and showed it to Zhao Hui. The sutra reads:
Then the Buddha told Lord Indra, `The above Mantra is known as the `Purifying All Evil Paths Usnisa Vijaya Dharani`. It can eliminate all evil karmic hindrances and eradicate the suffering of all evil paths.`
`Lord of Heaven, this great Dharani is proclaimed together by Buddhas as numerous as eighty-eight kotis (hundred million) of the grains of sand of the Ganges River. All Buddhas rejoice and uphold this Dharani that is verified by the wisdom seal of the Maha Vairocana Tathagata. Lord of Heaven, if someone hears this Dharani even for just a moment, he will not undergo karmic retribution from the evil karma and severe hindrances accumulated from thousands of kalpas ago, that would otherwise cause him to revolve in the cycles of birth and death - in all kinds of life forms in the evil paths - hell, hungry ghost, animal...even ants. Owing to the merits accrued from hearing for a moment this Dharani, once this very life is over, he will be reborn in the Buddhalands, together with all the Buddhas and Ekajati-pratibaddha Bodhisattvas.`

I told Zhao Hui, `Grab a handful of soil, recite this Dharani twenty-one times before scattering the soil onto the deceased and his Soul shall ascend to heaven.`

When Zhao Hui heard this, he immediately put it into action. I led Zhao Hui outside the house and instructed Zhao Hui to cast the soil in the direction as directed, and with a loud `Bang!, the two ghosts vanished and ascended to heaven. When the two ghosts disappeared, the dark energy around Zhao Hui slowly faded away.

The Usnisa Vijaya Dharani states, `When someone recites this Dharani, all his karma from a hundred kalpas shall be eradicated. He will be free from serious disease and receive peace and longevity; his destiny changed and at the time of his death he shall be reborn into the various Buddhalands.`

I imparted the Usnisa Vijaya Mudra. I imparted the visualization needed during the chanting of the mantra. One visualizes his heart transforming into a Moon Disc, and above this Moon Disc imprints a Sanskrit syllable `Kham`, emitting rays of light to illuminate all sentient beings. Whosoever connects with this light shall have his karma removed, rendering his mind and body in a state of purity. He shall attain great wisdom.
* * *
Zhao Hui was enlightened with an idea. After he had learned the Usnisa Vijaya Dharani, he practised diligently and felt that the instruction `Grab a handful of soil, recite this Dharani twenty one times before scattering the soil onto the deceased and his Soul shall ascend to heaven` was simply marvellous.

Zhao Hui told no one about this. He recited the mantra continuously with all his heart and visited the cemetery every night to scatter the mantra-empowered soil to every grave he found. It matters not whether he knew the dead. Zhao Hui felt that it was simply a meaningful thing to do.

When he completed scattering the soil at one public cemetery, he would proceed to another. Zhao Hui left his mark at many public graveyards.

Once, the sight of Zhao Hui gave me a fright. There were ghosts all over him. But these ghosts were not his debtors but rather a community of benevolent ghosts who were here to support Zhao Hui.
I said, `You have become a Ghost Keeper!`
Zhao Hui replied, `That`s the only way I know how to do good!`
Zhao Hui`s aura had changed. His countenance of dark greyish cloud of energy had faded, replaced with a reddish and whitish glow. He appeared to be very proud of himself.

The truth was, Zhao Hui`s luck had changed for the better. His health was not good. After chanting the mantra, he felt he had more strength. His immune system strengthened (due mainly to the support given to him by the benevolent ghosts). His illnesses healed naturally. They simply diminished without medication.

Zhao Hui had always been taking protection fees from stores and hawkers in his territory. The hawkers were enjoying a good business and gave him good dividends. He was not greedy and returned the dividends to the hawkers. Thus, he gained more respect.

His foster parents died and left a sum of money for him. With the money, he started a restaurant and to his surprise it made him lots of money. He went into investment and every investment was a success. He had become a wealthy man.

He got married and had a son. From being the chief of the neighbourhood, he rose to become the borough warden, and then a magistrate of a rural township, and finally a councilor today. (Many had supported Councilor Zhao. In reality, his support comes from the many benevolent ghosts around him.)
* * *
Zhao Hui told me one incident, `Usnisa Vijaya Mantra can protect one from physical harm!`
Zhao Hui related an incident when an opposition candidate sent a hit man to kill him. The hit man positioned himself at close range and pointed his handgun at his chest. Zhao Hui immediately recited the mantra once, `Om Amrita Teja Vate Svaha`.

The gunner pulled the trigger and Zhao Hui felt he was doomed. Unthinkably, a cracking sound suggested a blockage of the bullet in the gun. The hit man shouted, `Shit! Something is spooky here!`

The hit man ran away quickly. Zhao Hui said, `This is just one example of how a crisis was averted. There are numerous cases of such miracles. In the worst of times, there will always be a turn of events to resolve any crisis. It is simply unbelievable!`
I saw the growing numbers of benevolent ghosts who had gathered to help him, and he would likely rise from being a city councilor to a provincial councilor, and eventually a member of the parliament.

Here`s a verse:

Empowering the ordinary soil with mantra,
This scattering of soil over the deceased is a way of Dharma.
When one reaches the end of the tunnel and all seems lost,
A new world opens and awaits him.

Woke

2011-10-03T13:15:00.002+08:00

3 nights of nightmares

3 nights of waking up in a shock in the wee hours of the morning

++stress-related zits

thank god for the lavender-infused facial clay mask that I brought back from Seoul

It did wonders and dried out my zits with some toothpaste : )

Markets are not doing well with Greece supposedly negotiating for 100year Brady bonds

Crazy news if u ask me

Who is going to lend money with no possibility of return to Greece

On the bright side, some good news will probably arrive this week for me

Even in a rut, things will look better one day

: )

A process called atrophy

2011-09-14T23:07:00.002+08:00

Somehow I think this entire year is a process of mascular atrophy.

Brain muscle.

Somehow the train of events has given a different light in my eyes.

I feel that I got older in some part of the brain.

And better able to appreciate what life has to offer.

Perhaps going through alot of shit, makes any shit seem easier to handle.

ROFL.

Got a nightmare come calling

2011-09-05T22:42:00.002+08:00

When I was browsing through job pages,

suddenly the nightmare of a lifelong position flashed across my mind

Like the person seated in a cubicle

The hair turning from white to gray in a flash

Same job still

Same role

Just more responsibilities and a different title

OMG.

Somehow life is fated

2011-09-04T12:08:00.002+08:00

Yesterday night, even the calling card which I had purchased that very day went missing

It seems like the heavens does not want to give any chance for communication

Nothing was lost from my bag except the calling card.

: )

I will try one last time today

And if it fails, I give up

Your wing is broken, but u will fly again.

I will personally remove my shadow from your heart to let someone better fill the gap i left

Before that I could not give a blessing, but now I try again.

Somehow some part of my heart is badly damaged

But I know it will recover

Mabbe I will recover along with it as well, it seems some part of me is badly damaged

The lessons in life will be learned for the greater good

: )

An offer letter

2011-09-02T00:13:00.002+08:00

Today the much awaited first offer letter came along.

Finally.

Now for the rest of the other letters to follow suit.

It is time to end the nonsense.

No matter how difficult it is, there will be ray of light in the darkness

As long as we continue to hope

There is always a better tomorrow

: )

One day at a time

2011-08-31T11:14:00.004+08:00

Today someone posted on FB

That we should worry less for tomorrow

And live for today

For tomorrow may never come so why worry in advance

But what if tomorrow really arrives?

Ha-Ha-Ha

I do agree, live for today, moment by moment

Finally I realised why he could not sleep well at night for many years

The lies bothered him

Perhaps now he will sleep in peace

After all each day comes only once.

On a side note I saw something at a Japanese restaurant that reminded me

Chosen

2011-08-30T01:01:00.002+08:00

There is always a choice in life

Whether it is a difficult one or not

I cannot tell

But once the choice is taken, there is no turning back

Mayhaps Time has given some wisdom

That wisdom has helped to clear the mind

That my friend said the right words: I had loved you more than u had loved me

Its hard to come to reality;

The person I loved , had loved fortune & the dreams that wealth could bring above the person who had loved him

To decide to sacrifice everything for fortune

Perhaps is the worst choice in life;

For fortune is a fickle goddess, its favor randomly granted

But I still give u my good blessings, that the future see you happy

That u may walk on further even if I cannot accompany u

I have given up

You could not give up your dreams for me

Neither could I

So its a fair square game that only ends in tears

Someone will understand my difficulty one day

Perhaps his choice will be astute & his wisdom sufficient

That fortune & love would bless his life

To neutralize the deadly curse

To love fortune above all, it is indeed a deadly curse.

: )

2011-08-23T23:29:00.003+08:00

I deleted the montage that I made in Year 2008

Stumbled across it inside my pictures folder on my laptop

Realised that i had overlooked a surviving remnant of the last relationship

Stared at the happier times

I remember I saved the MSN message because it made me very happy

Then pressed the Delete button with a smile

If its fated, life will give happiness in the end

If it ain't fated, no point being sad over the past

Happiness will arrive for each person one day

The fortune teller said you weren't a bad person at all

Just that your problems were a domino effect that would topple on me

I just didn't tell the fortune teller that it was already history

Grapes or Wine?

2011-08-20T21:08:00.004+08:00

I have this memory of my mother cooking instant noodles for me

Much of my breakfasts were instant noodles if prepared by my mother

I remember trying to eat before the school bus arrived, often without much success

I was a naturally slow eater in my childhood

It wasn't that my mum could not cook.

The lack of culinary skills was due to fact that she was in charge of the household affairs instead.

My aunt was in charge of the kitchen and was a good cook

There was always fruits in abundance in our diet

The expensive ones like grapes were always bought in damaged form

I remember helping to cut off the damaged parts of grapes.

Frugality was my aunt's strong advantage

The grapes were not rotten, just crushed or slightly pressed during delivery

Often, I wondered why the grapes were not bought at the supermarket like the other groceries

It was as strange as the washing powder that suddenly arose one day to replace the handwashing liquid MAMA Lemon.

Even today as I purchase grapes for my father who loves this fruit

I am hard pressed to place grapes anywhere on my list of favourite foods

Wine is a different case of course.

Ha-ha-ha!

Unfortunately I inherited little culinary skills

Becoz I always got into accidents in the accident

Including cutting my finger with a knife and dripping all the blood on the kitchen counter

Ew.

Nearly exploding the pressure cooker by releasing its signature catch and causing the steam to rise explosively

Had to hide in my room coz I was sure my mum would go mad

Getting splattered by oil when throwing something wet into the deep fryer

........

Finally my aunt decided that for the safety of my skin

I was to avoid all cooking so that my skin would remain beautiful without any oil burns

>___<

I did try to cook but somehow remain at boiled instant noodles standard forever........

One day I know I will improve to some extent without blood loss I hope

^___^

In hate, we can hardly think

2011-08-17T23:34:00.003+08:00

It is better to hate a choice

That to live a life of regrets

To have made the sacrifices

And realized that the sacrifices were for the unworthy

Than to be unable to sacrifice

I think the trauma of realization turned my hair white at the roots

Just the psychological stress

Could never have thought it possible

Perhaps the process is reversible

: )

Cannot stop thinking of food

2011-08-15T19:08:00.002+08:00

Excellent rentals in a bull market

2011-08-08T01:00:00.002+08:00

Oh how i wish i was a retiree collecting rental in a bull market

^^

A 3 room flat is going for nearly $2K /mth in rental income

Seems like property is always excellent except in a recession

: P

Byebye Fountain

2011-08-06T20:23:00.001+08:00

The light bulb killed itself

When replaced, the light shone for 10 mins

Then the fuse blew and the pump died

Just like that, the fountain died.

The right thing to do

2011-08-01T21:48:00.002+08:00

Sometimes I wonder what is the right thing to do

.
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It was a happy sunday

2011-07-31T23:30:00.003+08:00

Lady luck must have missed me out lately.

I searched my laptop and found what I needed.

^___^

It seems like magic that the weekend flies

And I am glad that no matter how good or bad the days are,

Time & tide waits for no man.

It was a real good weekend by the seaside.........

Update: Lady luck didnt miss, I just blew a fuse out.... >.<

: ) I feel like udon

2011-07-30T00:34:00.001+08:00

Somehow the habit still stuck.

I mean the udon habit.

Its a favorite, I dunno why.

: )

Just a craving, its a good thing that these saturdays, I keep getting free japanese lunches sponsored by the cousin.

I wonder why the sudden generosity though.

Tempura udon, bacon asparagus, california maki, edamame......

: ) Lets see if it happens tml

一生事業總成空，半世功名在夢中。

2011-07-28T01:26:00.002+08:00

I want my passport back.

>.<

Specifically, I shall threaten to sue for damages if this drags on.

What a waste of time.

I have come to the realization that civilized educated ppl like doctors and lawyers are the most likely to sue each other at any provocation.

A say, B say, C say, nobody can confirm.

Our taxpayer funds are spent on useless trivial in Singapore, investigating such trivial.

A better solution would be to determine the selling price of shareholdings in the event of any dispute.

Which is to say - Let the M&A of any incorporation be amended to include the clause to enable an independent valuer to issue a valuation of the shareholdings and suggest a sale based on the valued pricing.

A restrictive clause will be there to prevent the closure of the firm by any shareholder. No shareholder is to undertake any destructive actions to affect adversely the business of the said firm in any way or other else the penalty constituting forfeit of shareholdings will be imminent.

That way, all shareholders are protected & the skill and methodology of the valuer should be proven in court, with the valuer paid fully for his time to undertake such troublesome cases.

This brings business to certified accounting firms and there is no reason to reject highly paid business. The valuer should have no relationship with either shareholders and must undertake a declaration of independence.

Then business disputes are less likely to be trashed out in court, wasting taxpayer funds. Just throw to the list of independent valuers, certify and settle. I remember this discussion with the ex-credit except that the point in contention was whether the clients had an exit strategy mapped out in the event of discord.

Fight on

2011-07-25T21:48:00.004+08:00

Tdy I woke up sleepily because last night I was helping that WL assemble her IKEA table and chair until 2am.

As usual, staring at the computer screen for half an hour each awakening helps to wake my brain.

Then came the news that a Norway killer had massacred close to 90 teenagers on an island.

Staring incredulously, I thought it was some historical killing news until I read the article

Life is very short.

Youth is no guarantee of longevity.

The insurance statistics were wrong on the possibility of death for these kids.

Perhaps a variable excluding coverage for activities like camping on a remote island is not covered under insurance would be a better clause for the insurers.

一生事業總成空，半世功名在夢中。死後不愁無將勇，忠魂依舊保遼東
from: Yuan Chonghuan (General to Emperor Chongzhen of Ming Dynasty)

Hope

2011-07-21T22:21:00.002+08:00

Stoopid fraud case

2011-07-19T21:01:00.003+08:00

Kena passport confiscated by CAD for a case in which ex-clients turn on each other & allege fraud by forged signatures.

Stoopid shit.

Of all the most unlucky cases, it has to happen to me - the suay bird ex-banker.

Haiz.

Its like alleging that I committed fraud in tandem with ex-client but I didnt !

Feeling very aggrieved....yuan wang lor.

Somemore I suspect this stoopid ex-client doctor is purposely creating this police report

So that he doesnt have to pay up his own loans & can escape scot-free.

Now I kena investigated for being in cahoots for fraud >.<

Its' like I try my best to be very careful in my work & ensure that the clients are doing well

I even go by to ensure that there is really renovation going on and a new clinic is setup.

Then now, the client messes up & doesnt want to pay & now say other ppl tempered with his loan docs.

WAH LAO !

Worse is the client doctor say he doesn't remember he sign a single document at all lei

WORST is that I vaguely remember I saw him sign very fast on the document.

A consolation to my lousy 2 years ago memories is that even if I really saw him signing in front of me, if he really wants to cheat, he also can say that he never remember signing before.

Mood very bad, now my family lawyer has to defend me.

Spend money defending my own reputation.

I hope this stoopid doctor didn't say I forged his signature or what.

I hope he doesn't get away with this crap shit coz I remember I financed his new machines & machines do not drop out of the sky.

Besides the fact, the doctor has to be trained to use the new machines so he cannot say that the machine drop free from the sky right.

And this doctor will assure his client that he has experience with the new machine & new treatment is very safe etc etc.... so how did the new machines walk into his clinic ?

Somebody has to pay & accept the delivery. And I identified the doctor's signature on one of the machine Delivery Order. : )

So curious that the loan payments for the machines went smooth for nearly 2 years before this "fraud" was discovered.

So curious that the fraud tallies when the time that the 2 directors of the ex-client fell out.

What a coincidental fraud, so convenient an excuse not to pay up.

This is a tricky case because only a polygraph test can prove the innocence of the ppl involved.

If the police cannot trace the funds, then only a polygraph test can prove if the doctor is wasting the civil servants time with his cooked up story.

And I bet u that the doctor will NOT take the polygraph test becoz he is damn guilty.

Shit thing is that a polygraph test may take 6 hrs, is not 100% accurate & if the parameter of the test is set skewed (e.g. did u admit every bad thing u did?), it will frame the test-taker & some more the polygraph results is may not be admissable in SG court.

>.< Investigator wasting my time. If got evidence , already charge the fraudulent party in court liao, no need waste time ask me 221 questions.

If I take the polygraph test and the police investigator purposely set the parameter skewed , then will I be framed if the results show that I lie when I am telling the truth? My reputation can never recover then.

In Colorado courts, polygraph evidence is not admissable. Is it due to the fact that the evidence has been proven inaccurate before?

I dun wan to be the next Ismil Kadar , jailed for 6 years for a crime that he didnt commit & then freed because there was no evidence that he was at the scene of the crime. Stoopid police blunder put this poor low IQ victim on the death row for 2 years, and there was no restitution made to this victim & no compensations.

*sobs*

Strangely, ha-ha-ha

2011-07-18T14:26:00.002+08:00

I was renewing some HSA applications when I accidentally stumbled upon an american blogshop.

http://www.i-beautyshop.net/index.php?main_page=contact_us

Guess what ?

It copied all the descriptions of those beauty products that I posted on the website

: )

Woah

: P

Feels hilarious

Heeheehee, oh well, the more the merrier I am sure.

I suddenly feel better

2011-07-15T20:49:00.001+08:00

: )

I feel better

Somehow one day I woke up

& I know things are gonna get better

& I dunno why I feel that way

: )

I hope things are better for you too

Whoever you are out there

In this life

2011-07-13T21:51:00.000+08:00

Artist: Collin Raye
Song: In This Life
Album: In This Life

For all I've been blessed with in this life
There was an emptiness in me
I was imprisoned by the power of gold
But one honest touch could set me free

Let the world stop turnin'
Let the sun stop burnin'
Let them tell me love's not worth going through
If it all falls apart
I will know deep in my heart
The only dream that mattered had come true
In this life, I was loved by you

For every mountain I have climbed
Every raging river crossed
You were the treasure that I'd longed to find
Without your love I would be lost

Let the world stop turnin'
Let the sun stop burnin'
Let them tell me love's not worth going through
If it all falls apart
I will know deep in my heart
The only dream that mattered had come true
In this life, I was loved by you

In this life, I was loved by you

Collin Raye - If You Get There Before I Do lyrics

2011-07-12T20:09:00.001+08:00

I read a note my grandma wrote back in 1923
Grandpa kept it in his coat and he showed it once to me
He said boy you might not understand
But a long, long time ago
Grandma's daddy didn't like me none
But I love your grandma so

We had this crazy plan to meet
And run away together
Get married in the first town we came to and live forever
But nailed to the tree where we were supposed to meet instead
I found this letter
And this is what it said

If you get there before I do
Don't give up on me
I'll meet you when my chores are through
I don't know how long I'll be
But I'm not gonna let you down
Darling wait and see
And between now and then â€˜til I see you again
I'll be loving you, love me

I read those words just hours before my grandma past away
In the door way of a church
Where me and grandpa stopped to pray
I know I'd never seen him cry in all my 15 years
But as he said these words to her
His eyes filled up with tears

If you get there before I do
Don't give up on me
I'll meet you when my chores are through
I don't know how long I'll be
But I'm not gonna let you down
Darling wait and see
And between now and then â€˜til I see you again
I'll be loving you, love me
Between now and then â€˜til I see you again
I'll be loving you, love me

Tit for Tat

2011-07-12T16:39:00.002+08:00

A Tit for a Tat (321)

Tat: I think she’s disappointed with me.
Tit: And…
Tat: And I’m disappointed with her too.
Tit: Why?
Tat: For not telling me why she’s disappointed.
Tit: Why not ask why? Maybe she’s disappointed that you didn’t ask why she’s disappointed?

From: TDE Newsletter

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKZ-mSVM8VA&feature=player_embedded#at=51

Ziweidoushu

2011-07-10T01:52:00.002+08:00

命宮主星：天梁

Things happen for a reason

2011-07-08T13:50:00.004+08:00

Tdy I opened the 2009 Shiraz cherry/chocolate oak

It was good

: )

Sometimes I think I drew the long straw in life

Even when there are truly bad times

These bad times pass & I always had enough to eat

Enough for food & clothing & a safe refuge

And I am grateful

Even now I look at the white kitchen that I designed

A pity that my cooking is at best boiled instant noodles

& chinese boiled herbal soups limited to thy unique style

BUT

I am feeling grateful for the things that I have been given

&

I will try my best to give back to the world

My contribution in my own style

: )

I mourn your loss

2011-07-07T20:36:00.006+08:00

Tdy i had to clarify something with u

As in the few days past, i think we r careful to speak less

lest we run into arguments again

How mocking that best friends could turn into animosity

Over the years that we were friends

From my mother's death

To your father's death

I must have been blind to have ignored your difficulty after your dad passed on

And u being proud, would not have wanted to admit the strain

Ignorance is really bliss

We had happy times in the past

Now, looking back, I wondered if those were happy holidays for me but not for you

The secrets you hid in your heart of hearts

The strain of your family's finances, I never knew the actual situation

Even when we were viewing apartments in Surabaya

U assured me that u had enough for the down payment

Until u recently told me everyone in your family knew your finances except me

Until u recently told me that you were afraid that if you ever told me the truth, I would never choose u

Until u told me what is the point of telling the truth since the outcome is the same

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It should have been through hard times we shared

Through happy times we also shared

True friends share all these

And I must have been foolish also

Not to have realized how strained your monetary situation was

My EQ and my IQ must be very low

Because I cannot even sense it when my friend was in trouble and couldn't tell me

I did try my best to help you whenever you needed help

But today, the situation is of anger
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Perhaps I should sign up for classes to improve my communication skills

For more tact

For more understanding

For more forgiving

Maybe it wouldn't have turned out into this animosity

Maybe I could have been more capable at handling the situation

If another person was handling the situation, perhaps it would have turned out better

I would never know

But for now, I am glad that things are much better

Even if we are both hurt by each other

At least we can talk even as favorite strangers

Things wunt go back to the way they were

But at least, for now, it is better than rock-bottom even as friends

: ) Every day is a blessing

2011-07-07T16:29:00.002+08:00

Sure enough today was really good

Found a new chair for my desk at $88/-

My old one's followed me for more than 10years

But the cushion's all gone

Im gonna miss u old chair

U accompanied me for all the important exams & assignments

Through the good times and the bad

Bye old chair

I am grateful for the times of support

Nails in the fence

2011-07-07T10:22:00.002+08:00

Each time the nail gets driven in the fence

It leaves a hole

When enough nails are driven into the post

The post made of sturdy hard wood weakens

人为什么要活着？

2011-07-05T18:36:00.003+08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKXwwEH_ahc

The old have courage

The young have dreams

I just checked the comments & realized that in Year 2007

Life was more optimistic

Was it the problem of my rosy-tinted glasses

Or the foolishness of youth?
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Today I am 29 years 7 months and 2 days old

Its been 10806 days since my birth

OR

259344 hours

OR

15560640 minutes that I have been on this planet breathing

WITH

151 days left for your next birthday

: )

I see a vision fading

2011-07-04T02:36:00.005+08:00

In the past, there was always a vision

Someone waiting at the front of the road

The times we joked about our children

Today I saw the vision fade

Suddenly like a passing stream of images

Right before my eyes

I blinked & it was gone

There are other futures waiting ahead

Not you standing in front of my life's path

Waiting ahead with a little child

It seemed to be a little girl

I blinked and it disappeared forever

And with a smile, I walked on

Sometimes I wonder why I got angry

Perhaps it would have been better to let go with a smile on the face

Coz one day we just stopped doing whatever it takes to make the r/s work

The end of conversation

2011-07-03T00:57:00.003+08:00

A terrible fight

2 barbarians at the gates

Cannot form a civilized world

Due to no respect

Potshots, sticks, stones all hurt the bones

Words hurt further right thru the ears

The true character shows

But I choose to forgive

Coz to love myself, I have to forget u

Then life will grow better

and better

The happiest moments of my life have been the few which I have passed at home in the bosom of my family - Thomas Jefferson

Sell off

2011-06-29T17:13:00.005+08:00

Today I finally opened my mouth

Never expected that I would make this request

But then, what has to be done is inevitable

So that nobody would think badly of you

And that the debt slowly clears off

It will look better for you then

Let the memories fade totally

The one who once stood waving at the airport

Fades out of life totally

Trust is eroded

2011-06-27T22:11:00.007+08:00

When a friend isnt honest

it just depends on the intention of the lies

If the intention is selfish

Then the friendship just collapses

Becoz it wasnt built on the truth

Trust is lost

Credibility lessens

Everything becomes questionable

Angry birds fighting

Feathers flying

I wish you had been honest from the start

So that I could still wish u the best

For now, I just feel like digging out your heart

To see if its totally black or issit a normal heart

Becoz all the lies cross your face

And I cannot tell where's the truth anymore

I wish none of this could have happened if u had chosen another path

Bye my friend of more than a decade

Shit happens

I'd see u around somewhere

U'll always be my favourite stranger

I wish I had a better way of handling the issue

But no matter how I tried, the lies just irked right in the face

It wasn't the lack of money

It was the intention to create the untruths

To be the person to agree to share happiness & sadness, it seems so hard when the lies pop up

Wii is in hospital

2011-06-09T17:44:00.003+08:00

After inserting a Super Mario Brothers original disc, it was discovered that the Wii's software is out-dated & causes hanging errors.

It was hospitalized today & will hopefully have CPR administrated to it.

Let's pray for its recovery.

Amen.

The three legged faceless journey

2011-06-06T14:28:00.004+08:00

The thing about working from home is the hours are erratic.

4am at night is a good time to be awake.

The bad part is the eating hours gets topsy turvy

Eat when hungry

Else do other "important tasks"

On a side note, I recently decided to embark on a healthy food diet

Those blacklisted foods like fishy salmon, alfafa etc are now back on the plate

: )

Back to my faceless three-legged journey again

My thoughts

2011-04-19T15:00:00.000+08:00

It is impossible to fathom how deep the depths of disappointment reach until the loss of the last ray of light causes one to give up.

The process of self-discovery

2011-01-23T19:22:00.001+08:00

Parcel broke

2010-09-27T17:59:00.000+08:00

I received a parcel in the post.

Unfortunately part of the contents broke due to pressure.

Aww shucks..

Anyway it was good clean fun.

: )

Yangon & KL

2010-08-05T11:48:00.013+08:00

It was with some curiosity that i embarked on a 3-man travel trip to KL & Yangon.

First a flight from Singapore Changi Airport to KL International Airport.

Followed by a transit to KL's LCCT (Low Cost Terminal).

A mad scramble for the airplane bound for Yangon occurred when the gates opened.

The entire situation reminds me of a wet market.

Thankfully, the 25th July 2010 Airasia flight to Yangon was one of the smoothest flights I ever had.

The pilot had an excellent landing that was worth praises.

When the aircraft door opened, we scrambled into a glass covered terminal building.

Yangon's new airport is a very modern glass filled architectural structure.

From the modern building, we took a USD 4 cab to the Inya Lake Hotel in the sub-urban area.
It was remarkably less expensive than the Strand Hotel (@usd 550 to usd 1000 per nite).

The interior of the Inya Lake Hotel is pretty woody & well maintained OLD-SCHOOL (see below)

The hotel's telephone in the lobby is super antique:

The reason for the hotel's name is the scenic lake that boasts some of the more wealthy families living around it:

Ps.The house looks pretty modern

The pool area of the hotel looks like the below:

The exciting part about the Yangon food is coming up:

This is a dish that seems quite common. I seem to find similar versions in Surabaya and Malang (Indonesia)

Some interesting garnishing:

The above is all added to the below noodle dish which makes for quite a delish spicy mouthful:

The nearly 29years journey of the witchdoctor

2010-07-17T16:59:00.008+08:00

(Pic taken of the sunrise on top of a dormant volcano in Indonesia)

July 2010 marks the new milestone and the start of a transition period in life.

Five plus years of working life after achieving a degree in mechanical engineering, my working life has been an adventure by itself.

From engineering to banking, I made a rare switch in Year 2007 when an opportunity came along.

Then it was goodbye sales & field application engineer, hello banker.

Now's its goodbye banker, and time to say hello to something else.

All I know is, I bought an apartment so its hello NEW HOME soon... : )
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Straight hair phase now

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Below was my curly short hair phase when I was prowling bangkok with the girls.

Oh my, the curly hair was a real comment provoker @ the foreign bank where I worked.
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Yet, it didnt seem so long ago when I was taking my picture after graduating from NUS below.

Ahhhh, the naivety of a fresh graduate walking into the working world. Hahaha!
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A trip to Malang

2010-06-05T20:15:00.014+08:00

Greetings for the new year

2009-12-27T09:52:00.002+08:00

2009 is going to end

2009-12-26T14:21:00.001+08:00

10,000hours of practice

2009-12-20T12:49:00.005+08:00

Snapshot of paintings that I saw in Taiwan's museum
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The idea of 10,000 hours:
I read an article on blinkymummy's website on this speaker elaborating about the 10,000 hours of practice that someone needs in order to be proficient at something. Considering 24hrs per day with a normal practice session being 2hrs, 10K hours technically translates to 13.69 years. This is like 14 years of life ^_____@

So, if we started young, is that how talent is created and why late bloomers stand disadvantaged?

Is the below how you feel now? hurhurhur

A side note that digresses from the above:

If certain reliance is placed on fortune tellers and the believers found out that one day, their time of birth was wrong on their birth certificates due to typo errors, would it justify the self-proving accuracy of their personal beliefs?

The Medicine Buddha Mantra

2009-12-13T12:37:00.001+08:00

Long ago, a Rinpoche taught me this mantra.

A quote to last us through those days

2009-12-08T21:06:00.000+08:00

It is not the critic who counts, nor the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows great enthusiasms, great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.
- Theodore Roosevelt

A lil thired out wondering where the direction points

2009-12-07T23:15:00.005+08:00

Some pics from happier taiwan times:

......thired...zzzzzzz....

One nite in Korea

2009-11-17T22:19:00.016+08:00

Seoul airport - freezing hands in pockets

I tot it was an omelette - o__O ended up it was a sushi omelette!

Loads of shopping

Hot food from the street vendors

Break out in the cold wind

hee

Nice decor

Which direction are you going?

Cupuccino ?

Ginseng chicken soup with sea salt

Kimchi ? pickled vegs?

beans

Sesame oil + green cucumbers = yummy!

Sea salt for taste

One full day of shopping

Robbie William - Angels

2009-08-22T00:20:00.001+08:00

I wonder

2009-07-19T19:36:00.003+08:00

I wonder what life would be say 20 years down the road

Whether the decisions we make tdy

Are the same ones we would have done, looking back in retrospective.

Travel magic - Taipei

2009-06-27T17:15:00.005+08:00

2009 is a year for travels

2009-06-27T17:10:00.006+08:00

All the above pics are for the Jiufen area of Taipei which is a rather quaint old town type area.

I rem there hearing an annoucement of a fund raising for a local primary school

And the request for all parents and families to attend the fund raiser.

So small town kind of closeness

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I set my footprints on Taipei (Ximenting 1st nite)

2009-05-24T22:27:00.006+08:00

Pic of the backpacker hostel cum dirty bedlinen

Wired laptop provided with chair

Bathroom of the backpacker "mini-house" room

My first stop @ Ximenting was this famous mee sua stall

The first night impression of Ximenting (shopping galore)

A blurry view of Ximenting

Insomnia for one whole week

2009-04-19T04:41:00.006+08:00

This whole week has not been really good for sleeping.

I miss my old big ass room & my nice queen sized bed.

Am currently downgraded to sleeping on the mattress to save space in a downgraded room.

Today evening after I sent Jy home, I purposely routed to see my old house.

Somehow, the lights are on, the new buyers are at home.

If the house could talk, perhaps it would say: DUN WORRY, I AM WELL LOVED.

: )

My old room below which is part of a pair of Jack & Jill rooms with a toilet:

My new spending spree

2009-04-05T22:19:00.006+08:00

I recently went on a shopping spree at Far East Plaza... :)

The following is the partial damage to my purse:

Miu Miu dress with lace (should I remove the lace? )

Aint the skirt gorgeous? Its rather fitting so I kant grow fat if I want to wear this.

Anna Sui white shimmery jacket:

No label satin shimmery top for $30

Gosh. Heavy wallet damage kkekekkeke!

I am overwhelmed with inefficiency

2009-03-22T13:25:00.002+08:00

Either its too much work or its too much inefficiency at work

I feel that its the inefficiency working like the BOG MONSTER

bogging me down while i desperately try to concentrate to finish the work.

Luckily nobody has discovered that I have a problem sitting still for very long.

A normal human concentration span is 30min~45min.

Mine involves movement even when I was studying for my major exams.

Pacing around the living room floor whilst memorising geography is a trait one can do without.

Esp when my living room floor is so downsized to pathetic.

I have resorted to secretly pacing around the office at work.

Ahhh, work, when will thee ever be finished with thyself?

Photos galore

2009-03-08T15:36:00.006+08:00

When life throws events at me, I churn out photo montages:

2008-2009 Hendra's visit to Sunny Singapore
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Followed by historical wedding of Ukey & Ahui

From left: Ahui, me & Jy
Wah, my hair never look neater before...

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The typical photo with the bride in one of her gowns
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The typical photo with the groom.

My teeth hurts

2009-02-13T23:45:00.002+08:00

This week, what did I do?

I thought of keeping a record for tracking whatever done this week.

1. Went to work, went back home to sleep.

2. Everyday, I read news on forex market but I still kant comprehend the risk magnitude and direction of the world economy. That takes min. 5 minutes/day and I have been reading for like 4months.

3. I sat in a market update on call options and put options and knock-ins but I dun comprehend the entire idea.

4. Got angry and angrier at work.

5. Brought the anger home and thought for a long while on how to resolve the situation for a solution. Found it.

6. Decided to bear with the frustrating job until I have finalised the purchase of my ideal home/s. In event of bank loan requirements only.

7. Drank kopi with Wai Leng & her fren Grace. Both ladies have changed cars more than 10 times before 40. Mental note to self: car nuts & almonds...

8. Took a cab to work on Monday (first day of the week) coz my calfs hurt so much after gym on prev Sunday with JH. Exercising once or twice a year is not going to cut the grade with my body condition. Mental resolution: MUST try harder to keep fit

9. Nearly fell alseep during work due to lack of interest in what I am doing. Or issit that I cannot sleep well at night, hence the insomnia......MALADJUSTMENT TO NEW LIVING CONDITIONS!
Ohgod, I am so thired every day.

10. Drank 1 cup of kopi or 2 cups of kopi daily. That must explain the headaches that I get to stay awake and pretend that my pay is not given to me FOC.

11. Eagerly awaiting to go for a WII party tml at JY house.

12. Would feel much better if i went for a jog in the morning. Pounding the treadmill in the gym makes me look at my own reflection....... abit strange?

*Yawn....goodnite....

Evidence

2009-02-08T19:56:00.001+08:00

Agency
Judgment
5 February 2009

Judgment reserved

Choo Han Teck J:

1 The first plaintiff, a businessman, is the husband of the second plaintiff. They owned a flat in a condominium known as Riverside Piazza at Keng Cheow Street. They decided to sell the flat and by recommendation from the first plaintiff’s mother, sister, and brother, they asked one Ang Teik Soon, known to them as “Jeremy” to help them find a buyer. Jeremy was a “Senior Marketing Director” of the defendant company although the latter asserted in its defence that none of the agents or directors named or involved in this suit were its servant or employee. It claimed that they were independent contractors known as “associates”. I shall return to this point shortly.

2 Jeremy was regarded as an agent of “ERA” (as the defendant is more famously known). The plaintiffs understood ERA to be a company that provided the services of a housing agency; and that a person carried an ERA calling card or who advertised himself as a housing agent under the banner of ERA was an ERA agent.

3 Jeremy had just prior to his engagement by the plaintiffs, found a buyer for a flat owned by the mother of the first plaintiff and was recommended to the plaintiffs as a competent agent. Jeremy worked as a subordinate to one Mitul Ratilal Parikh, known as “Mike”. Mike had at all material times, about 200 agents working under him, all of whom used the defendant’s ERA name and logo. The arrangement in place was that whenever an agent under Mike has successfully helped a client to complete a sale and purchase transaction he would share his commission with Mike and the defendant. There was some discrepancy in the evidence as to what the applicable ratio was, and it seemed that a flexible formula was used. In this respect, the evidence of the defendant’s former Legal Manager Tan Keng Yong’s account differed from that given by Mike. The exact ratio, however, was not important but the fact that the defendant and Mike shared in an agent’s commission was relevant in establishing the nature of the relationship between Jeremy, and Mike, and the defendant. It was a relationship in which the defendant could not be heard to say that it had nothing to do with the conduct of Jeremy or Mike.

4 The first plaintiff was frequently away on business and he therefore left it to the second plaintiff to manage the sale of their Riverside Piazza flat. The second plaintiff was the one who appointed Jeremy as the agent for that purpose in June 2007. Jeremy reported to her sometime in mid-June that the OCBC Bank had valued the flat between $650,000 and $700,000. He told her that he would soon place an advertisement for the sale of the flat. Jeremy telephoned the second plaintiff about 4 July 2007 and told her that he had a Chinese client who wanted to buy the flat for $650,000. According to the second plaintiff, Jeremy described this client as a “regular” client of his. This “client” turned out to be one Natassha Sadiq (”Natassha”), who was (and still is) Mike’s wife. The second plaintiff asked Jeremy why she was not offered the valuation price of $700,000. Jeremy told her in reply that it was because she had recently renewed the tenancy for the flat, implying that a tenancy encumbered flat had a lower value. The second plaintiff then asked Jeremy to make a counter-offer of $688,000. Natassha, who later testified for the defendant, said in her evidence that she had offered to buy the flat at $650,000 after a discussion with her husband, and that they decided on this sum because it was the serial number of her identity card (which was in fact “6500003”). This was not a crucial piece of evidence in itself; it was useful only in my assessment of the witness’s credibility. Jeremy then told the second plaintiff that the seller had accepted her offer. The second plaintiff’s evidence was that she then granted an option dated 12 July 2007 addressed to “Natassha Sadiq or nominee(s)” for her to buy the flat at $688,000, and also signed a commission agreement also dated 12 July 2007 agreeing to pay a commission of $6,880 (1%). The commission agreement was on the defendant’s letterhead, and the addressor was identified in the phrase “Yours sincerely, ERA REALTY NETWORK PTE LTD” and signed by Jeremy in his proper name “Ang Teik Soon”. Between 5 July 2007 and 12 July 2007 there were some negotiation concerning the price and the completion period but this was not relevant to the issues before me.

5 Jeremy claimed that the option and the commission agreement were signed on 5 July 2007 and not on 12 July 2007. I have no hesitation in preferring the second plaintiff’s version. In any event, in my view, it was not a major issue although Jeremy’s point was that the second plaintiff knew as at 5 July 2007 that Natassha was likely to sub-sell the property because of the words “or nominee(s)” appearing in the option form. What was significant was that the defendant filed a claim against the plaintiffs for the commission due from the sale of the flat. That claim was made in the Small Claims Tribunal in the Subordinate Courts by the defendant; not by Jeremy.
6 Natassha exercised her right of option on 26 July 2007, thus contracting to buy the plaintiffs’ flat for $688,000. The plaintiffs did not know at that time that Natassha was Mike’s wife; and they also did not know that Mike was Jeremy’s superior in the defendant organisation. Neither did they know that Jeremy had known Mike for a very long time and was employed by Mike personally when he (Jeremy) was retrenched in 1999 by his previous employer. Mike subsequently suggested that Jeremy join the defendant and that was how Jeremy became an “associate” of the defendant. More importantly, unknown to the plaintiffs, Mike had placed newspaper advertisements for the sale of the flat; and conversely, Jeremy did not place any advertisement. The second plaintiff thought he did because he told her that “no one had responded to the advertisement”. When cross-examined Jeremy told the court that he believed that telling his regular clients (which was in fact Mike, who used his wife as nominee) constituted advertisement. That clever answer did not explain why he had said to the second plaintiff that no one answered the advertisement. Perhaps Jeremy did not think that counsel knew the difference between a tip-off and an advertisement. I think that it is fair to say that most people know the huge difference between those two words. The plaintiffs subsequently discovered that Mike had placed at least two advertisements in the Straits Times; one on 7 July and the other on 14 July. It also transpired that Natassha granted an option to purchase the flat to one Teo Su Kee on 18 July 2007 for the price of $945,000. Teo Su Kee exercised his right of option on 25 July 2007, the day before Natassha exercised her right of option granted by the second plaintiff. Teo Su Kee testified that he bought the flat through Mike in response to a newspaper advertisement.

7 The plaintiffs were puzzled when they received a query from the Central Provident Fund Board (“the Board”) asking them why they had sold their flat below valuation. They asked Jeremy whether that was so. Jeremy told them that it was not true and helped them draft a reply to the Board. The reply was not entirely truthful but that was not a major issue and adds only to the court’s assessment of Jeremy. The plaintiffs received no further communication from the Board after that but they sensed that something was not right. They then searched the newspapers and found the advertisements placed in the Straits Times by Mike. They also discovered through a search made at the Registry of Marriages that Natassha was Mike’s wife. On these facts the plaintiffs sued the defendant for breach of contract and specifically, for the breach of the implied terms that the defendant would use its best endeavours to obtain the best price for the plaintiffs and not act in conflict of interest, or obtain any secret profit.

8 The defendant denied the claim and its counsel, Mr Leonard Loo, made the following two arguments on its behalf. First, he argued that there was no wrongdoing on the part of Mike or Jeremy. Secondly, even if there were any wrongdoing it did not amount to a breach of contract between the defendant and the plaintiffs because neither Mike nor Jeremy was a servant or agent of the defendant. Counsel argued that even though Jeremy (and Mike) had used the defendant’s name, they were independent contractors whose actions did not bind the defendant. It was not disputed that Mike and Jeremy had signed what was titled an “Associate Agreement” with the defendant in which the defendant was known as “the Broker”. Under that agreement, the associate was appointed as the defendant’s agent in terms stipulated as follows:

APPOINTMENT
Subject to the provisions of this Agreement, the Broker hereby appoints the Associate as the Broker’s real estate agent to sell, lease and provide other real estate brokerage services, to solicit additional property listings and customers for the Broker and to otherwise promote the business of servicing the public in real estate transactions, and the Associate hereby accepts this appointment. The Associate agrees to work diligently and to perform his services to the best of his ability. The Associate shall at all times conform to and abide by all rules, regulations and policies of the Broker for the performance of the Associate’s obligations hereunder, as the same may be amended from time to time at the Broker’s sole discretion. The Associate agrees to conduct his business and regulate his habits, so as to maintain and to increase, and not to diminish, the goodwill and reputation of the Broker. For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this Agreement shall constitute or create a partnership or employment between the Broker and the Associate.

This agreement also provided for the commission to be charged to clients or customers for services rendered by the associate. Although it declared that it was not a document creating a partnership or an employer-employee relationship between the associate and the defendant, I am of the view that the defendant had held out the associate as its agent. In the circumstances, unless the associate’s client was expressly told otherwise, the client was entitled to regard the associate as a servant or agent of the defendant. I am satisfied that such disclosure was not made to either the first plaintiff or the second plaintiff.

9 Mr Loo attempted to show that the second plaintiff was an experienced businesswoman with a real estate agency company called Katz Realty Pte Ltd. Counsel thus wished to persuade the court that she must have not only known what was going on, but also knew that the defendant was not bound by Jeremy’s conduct. The evidence did not support Mr Loo’s argument. I accept the evidence of the first and second plaintiffs and find that they were not professionally familiar with the real estate business of Katz Realty Pte Ltd; and, further, that they had unreservedly relied on the services and expertise of Jeremy. I accept the second plaintiff’s evidence that her business was that of a personnel agency.

10 I accept the evidence of the second plaintiff that had she known the full facts, that is, that Natassha was Mike’s wife; and Mike was not only an ERA agent, but also a Divisional Director and Jeremy’s boss, she would not have agreed to sell her flat to Natassha; and that she would have asked an agent from a different housing agency to act for her. She voiced what I think would be the sentiment of any reasonable vendor, namely, that she would not have trusted an agent who did not disclose that the purchaser he procured was actually the agent’s boss. I also reject Mr Loo’s argument that the plaintiffs sold at the price they wanted therefore they should not be unhappy that the purchaser made a larger profit. That argument missed the point. Jeremy was not entitled to act as he did, namely, placing himself in a position where he might have to act in conflict between his principal’s interests and his own. In any event, the second plaintiff had stated that she would not have granted the option had she known the concealed facts.

11 Chua Khee Hak (better known as “Jack Chua”) was (and still is) the president of the defendant as well as the president of the defendant’s holding company. He was not called as a witness for the defendant and was thus subpoenaed to appear by the plaintiffs as a witness for the plaintiffs. He testified that understanding the facts as disclosed he did not think that Jeremy or Mike had acted unethically. He also testified that by reason of the Associate Agreement, Jeremy and Mike were independent agents whose actions do not bind the defendant. He stated that the defendant’s agents need not disclose the identity of the buyer unless the agent himself has a pecuniary interest, or the defendant would have obtained a financial benefit for itself. He confirmed that no disciplinary action had been taken against either Mike or Jeremy. When Mike and Jeremy gave their evidence they likewise declared that their conduct was not unethical. Their evidence were consistent with that of Jack Chua. Ms Gan Kam Yuin, counsel for the plaintiffs, drew Mike’s attention to the Code of Ethics of the Institute of Estate Agents (“the Code of Conduct”) and showed him that they had provisions that would have required Jeremy to make the appropriate disclosure to the plaintiffs. Mike expressed the view that since Jeremy was not a member of the Institute of Estate Agents he (Jeremy) was not bound by the Code of Conduct. Mike admitted that although he (Mike) was a member of the Institute, he was not in breach of the code of ethics because he was not the plaintiff’s agent. That was the thrust of the defendant’s case – Mike and Jeremy did no wrong for the reasons given by Mike, and in any event, they were independent contractors whose conduct did not bind the defendant.

12 It transpired in the trial that this was not the only instance in which Jeremy, Mike, and Natassha had been involved in a sale and purchase of property on behalf of clients without disclosing to them the identity, connection, and the interests of each of them. I think that the facts as I found above indicated that Jeremy was utterly wrong not to have made full disclosure to the plaintiffs. I find that Natassha was only a nominee, and the person who had wanted to buy the plaintiffs’ flat was Mike because he was the one who was acutely aware of the true state of what Jeremy described as the “crazy” market at the time. I am of the opinion that he was the one who wanted to make a profit from a quick subsidiary sale as he had done. However, had he done so himself, he would have been in breach of the ethics set out in the Code of Conduct. He thus created a little more distance between himself and the plaintiffs by using his wife Natassha as the purchaser, and Jeremy as the vendor’s agent. I think that any reasonable person would hold such conduct to be wrong, and I was surprised that Jack Chua, the president of the defendant, as well as Marcus Chu, the defendant’s Senior Vice President, both thought that there had been no misconduct on the part of Mike, Jeremy, and the defendant. It was only during the cross-examination of Marcus Chu that it became clear to me why they thought so – Marcus Chu admitted that he and others in the company as well as agents from other companies in the housing agency business had been doing what Mike and Jeremy had done in the transaction of the plaintiffs’ flat.

13 I am of the opinion that the Mike and Jeremy were ethically wrong and in breach of contract by reason of creating a conflict of interest between their client and themselves. Jeremy was the contractual link between the plaintiffs and the defendant, but Mike was person behind the scheme, and his position in the defendant rendered Jeremy’s breach even more reprehensible. The misconduct of Jeremy, Mike and the defendant in question is a matter of such importance that I feel bound to explain as simply and as briefly as I can the reasons as to why I think that the agents’ conduct was wrong so that no property agent can claim ignorance after this. When a property agent is engaged to sell or buy real property, he (the agent) is the agent of the person who engaged him. That other person is his principal. The property agent has professional as well as specialised expertise and knowledge of the market that the property owner or buyer may not have. When he is so engaged, the agent has a responsibility to act in his principal’s interests – not his own, or his friends’, or his relatives’ or his boss’s. When a person has been appointed an agent of another, he becomes an extension of that other and so far as his endeavours are for the benefit of his principal he cannot create benefits for himself or his friends without due disclosure. That is the law of agency. This responsibility that the agent bears is the foundation of the ethical rules and contractual principles that prohibit an agent from acting in conflict of interests, and reaping secret profits for himself or his friends. The relationship that an agent has with his principal is fiduciary in nature; that is to say, it is one founded in trust. When a farmer negotiates with the fox on behalf of the chicken for its safe passage the farmer cannot have a personal interest in the deal or the chicken might be doomed for it has given its trust to the farmer and placed its safety in his hands.

14 The evidence showed that the option form had the defendant’s logo printed on it. The agent’s commission agreement was in fact executed between the second plaintiff and the defendant. All the advertisements were made with the object of persuading the public that if they engaged an ERA housing agent they would have the backing of ERA Realty Pte Ltd, ie, the defendant, and its network of clients and agents. This was exactly what the plaintiffs’ believed. I do not accept that Jeremy and Mike had acted as independent contractors. They were agents of the defendant and their conduct binds the defendant. The result of the concerted efforts of Jeremy, Mike, and Natassha resulted in the plaintiffs’ selling their flat for less than what they might have had they been properly and honestly advised. The profit Natassha made from the subsidiary sale is what the court regards as a secret profit even though Natassha herself was not a housing agent. She was a party to the plan made and carried out by two agents of the defendant.

15 In his written submissions Mr Loo referred me to the Privy Council case of Horace Brenton Kelly v Margot Cooper and Another [1993] 1 AC 205. The principle against acting in conflict of interests is a principle of law. Whether the circumstances of a given case amount to a conflict of interests is a question of fact. In Horace Brenton Kelly v Margot Cooper and Another, the agent was acting for two independent home owners. He owed duties of confidentiality to both and there was therefore an implied term not to divulge information regarding one principal to the other. In the present case the Jeremy acted in the interests of his friend – assisting Mike in making a profit from the plaintiffs’ property when both of them were directors of the defendant. That was the conflict in this case. Furthermore, in Horace Brenton Kelly v Margot Cooper and Another, the court found that there was no element of dishonesty or bad faith on the part of the agent. I cannot say the same in this case. I find that the evidence established that the conduct of Mike and Jeremy amounted to a breach of duty and fraud. This case differs also on the facts from ERA Realty Pte Ltd v Pushpha Rajaram Lakhiani and Anor [1999] 1 SLR 190. I agree with the court there that where a housing agent acts for more than one potential purchaser he may not owe the duty of fidelity in the same way to all of them the way he would if he were acting for only one. A buyer is entitled to use a nominee when buying a property, but when the buyer is closely connected to the agent as to give rise to a situation of conflict, the true facts must be disclosed. The conflict of interest before me was a conflict between the agent Jeremy and the vendor. In addition, Jeremy’s duty to act honestly required him to disclose his boss’s interests in the sale and purchase. The arrangements made and carried out by him in collaboration with Mike and his wife Natassha in the transaction depended on deception. The fact that there was no exclusivity of right of marketing was not relevant. The duties in contract express and implied depend on the facts.

16 For the above reasons, I give judgment in favour of the plaintiffs and order that the defendant pay them the sum of $257,000 being the profit made by Natassha, as well as all disbursements and expenses incurred by the plaintiffs in uncovering Natassha’s relationship with Mike and Mike’s relationship with Jeremy; all judgment sums will carry interests at the rate of 5.33% from the date of the filing of the writ to final payment. I am also ordering the defendant to pay costs to the plaintiffs on an indemnity basis to emphasize the gravity of the misconduct and breach of duty in this case. Mike has 200 agents working for him and we do not know how many agents the defendant has, nor how many housing agents there are in all. This kind of misconduct is never easy to discover because it is carried out in stealth and in breach of trust; and far too many homeowners and potential purchasers are at risk. The defendant and its two agents had done a grave disservice to the honourable and honest members in their rank.

Gong Xi Fa Cai from SG

2009-01-26T20:50:00.003+08:00

Another CNY, another round of relatives visiting that just ended.

Hooray, Round 1 is done.

Tml is Round 2 ! *cymbals*

On the drive home, I thought of what I really wanted to do in this coming year

and it ocurred to me that I should plan a trip to Bhutan, Nepal, Tibet and so on

These are the countries I wanted to go but somehow or rather couldnt make it to.

And Paris and New York and London and Melbourne.

:)

Time to save up all my angbao money for my trips !

Gong Xi Gong Xi !

My fortune telling

2009-01-17T19:03:00.000+08:00

运程

一世荣华事事通

不须劳碌自亨通

弟兄叔侄皆如意

家业成时福禄宏

2008-12-20T09:49:00.003+08:00

Lookee what I took with the blackberry 9000 camera!
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Heh heh....
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May I present the super bladder man!
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LOL ^___^ I took this pic in this in Indonesia - Surabaya (Hotel TS)

Now, what do u think of my photography ? LOL

Photo update

2008-12-17T23:11:00.004+08:00

My firm's new blackberry BOLD has some good uses:

Random posture

awww...so sweet...I caught it on my blackberry!

Photos !

2008-12-16T22:09:00.006+08:00

I proudly present - Sinister Partner in Crime & Witchdoc

SAWADEEKUPPP .... actually i was in a Cleopatra costume

But didnt know how to do any Eyqptian pose.

Thats me & my dear colleague Agnes who is very funky!

My trip to Indonesia - Surabaya

2008-12-07T18:11:00.006+08:00

I had a weekend trip over to Surabaya & managed to stay at a shopping mall hotel!

Behold, TS suite photos !

Check out the bed design with the softa and the coffee table...

i lurve the bath tube, modernist style with sliding doors BUT no lock. :(

Found some huge ass durians in a supermarket, check out the sizes!

Nearly . died. of. nail. polish. poisoning.

2008-12-01T21:43:00.004+08:00

It would interest you all to know what nail polish is from Wikipedia:

Nail polish or nail varnish is a lacquer that is applied to the nails of both the fingers and toes, usually cosmetically, but also as protection for the nails.

Most nail polishes are made of nitrocellulose dissolved in a solvent (e.g. butyl acetate or ethyl acetate) and either left clear or colored with various pigments.

Basic components included are: film forming agents, resins and plasticizers, solvents, and coloring agents. Adhesive polymers (e.g. tosylamide-formaldehyde resin) ensure the nitrocellulose adheres to the nail's surface. Plasticizers (e.g. camphor) are chemicals that link between polymer chains, spacing them to make the film sufficiently flexible after drying. Pigments and sparkling particles (e.g. mica) add desired color and reflecting characteristics. Thickening agents (e.g. stearalkonium hectorite) are added to maintain the sparkling particles in suspension while in the bottle. Ultraviolet stabilizers (e.g. benzophenone-1) resist color changes when the dry film is exposed to direct sunlight.

Nail polish makers have been under pressure to reduce or eliminate potentially toxic ingredients, including phthalates, toluene, and formaldehyde, from their nail polish.[3][4] In September 2006, several makers agreed to phase out dibutyl phthalate, which has been linked to testicular problems in lab animals and humans, in updated formulations.[4] Though some makers recently agreed to eliminate formaldehyde from their products, others still use the chemical.[3]

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>.<

SI BEI NOT DiGESTIBLE LOR

considering that i *sheepishly* bite my finger nails & haven outgrown that habit even now.

I dun want to die from some lousy china brand nail polish with formaldehyde inside.

Isnt formaldehyde the stuff that is used to preserve Egyptian mummies btw?

YUCKS!!!

Today my work day is BLAH & I got angry..

2008-11-25T20:49:00.002+08:00

At work I sometimes feel like this cat. And its not even close to funny.
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Or like the comic below. :) I lurve dilbert!!

Chow Mugger

2008-11-22T14:58:00.003+08:00

I am trying to study hard for my tax exam.

When I pick up the pen, it scares me coz I never stop writing.

My studying habit is to rewrite all my notes in points that I can remember

It reminds me of the days in Secondary 4 when I was sitting for GCE O Levels

During the one single month before the GCE O Levels

I woke up at 530am sometimes to study until 10pm at night

And i dared not skive coz I was very sure that I might screw up some paper if I did

Turns out that I scored enough to pass.

Phew.

Dun u miss the days when you were a chow mugger screwing your books upside down?

The 10 year series exam books that I had were dog-earred from frequent usage.

I bought a roll of mahjong paper and stuck it on my bedroom walls before GCE A Levels

On the mahjong paper were all my economics theories in bullet form.

Every day I woke up, I would read the mahjong paper ! : - )

Needless to say, Economics was a definite A grade.

How many of you were chow muggers? Own up!

The 10 year series practice books brought solace to my soul coz all it mattered was to be able to complete the questions.

Then, life got harder with open book exams in university.

Muaaahahhaha!

Lots of wedding bells

2008-11-18T22:01:00.002+08:00

Recently, there has been a never ending spate of wedding bells around me ringing.

Here is my korean friend Eric Jung and his wife's wedding photos :

http://www.cyworld.co.kr/singlory

Click on the photos, the rest is all in korean words.

Its elegant photography for the couple.

Reminds me of the song that plays: My life is good, my life is beautiful....

Except that I keep thinking where I am heading.

:)

My life is good also.

The sweet taste of wine

2008-11-09T00:48:00.002+08:00

Its been a long time since I blog.

Im trying to figure out the meaning of life meanwhile.

Working round the clock to find a payslip

Only to wake up today and find that DBS is retrenching 900 staff

Although I dun work for DBS

Its sad to use the USA style of hire and fire on the Asian employees who do not have any access to unemployment benefits.

We are not USA or France or UK

Our retrenched employees do not collect unemployment benefits

And they all have bills to pay and families to feed.

Get this clear, the ivory tower leadership does not glance sideways and feel anything painful

Afterall, the ivory tower is a cool place to hide inside.

Random

2008-11-03T17:26:00.003+08:00

I am off work early today! :)

My mood is like so high coz Im in my shorts already at 5PM.

KEKKEKEKE.

A meeting of old friends

2008-10-18T13:04:00.008+08:00

I met up with my primary school friends last night.

There's Ginny from Denmark.

cc Hendra: Ginny said her name is not funny coz I showed her the msg u sent me. LOL

There's SengOn who's working in his dad's toy firm.

There's JY who is an EY auditor.

There's Grace from HongKong who is taking her Masters in Art History & Sociology.

There's Joe from Australia who is an electrical engineer.

We bumped into Xiaowei at Dempsey Hill's Ben & Jerry's.

It's the United Nations gathering all over again.

I like the diverse culture and the different thinkings.

..

On the random note, I used the new Blackberry 9000 to take these pics:

In my room

Toilet

The view

Oh ya! I found some pics to share with you all :

Wei Ling & her friend Gary Doctor

The ice-cream tub was rum & raisin chocolate from the shop at Serene Ctr.

3 of us were digging in the same tub with our spoons.

Then Gary Doctor was saying that in order to be hygienic, there should be a sterile zone.

Ta Da!

This makes me want to laugh coz its so telling of his personality....

My eyes hurt alot

2008-10-15T20:03:00.002+08:00

My eyes start to hurt alot with my lens.

I think its the thired at 8pm syndrome daily.

Monotonous & repeating.

On a lighter note, JY terman me home today so I had company on the 174 bus.

As usual, I kept talking and talking.

Maybe its the familiarity problem.

How many familiar faces can u see in a new office?

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And still must smile day in day out

Maintaining the disguise while working as efficiently as possible.

Camouflaging under make-up

Until friday arrives.
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I am the office commando. LOL.

: ) Aint that life

2008-10-14T20:28:00.002+08:00

Was fighting for clients today with my colleague.

Haha!

I wish it was clear-cut but it aint.

Good training for me to react faster next time.

Its life. Probably would come useful in the business world as well.

Keep on the radar ! ^______^

The inability to face the truth

2008-10-07T23:04:00.002+08:00

Do humans have the inability to face the truth?

The fact that Lehman was in trouble was already in the news in the USA in July 2007

However, the layman on the street did not monitor his investments

Or rather, the laws governing money were not followed.

Not understanding the investment risk, the fool is separated from his money.

Time & again I learn this lesson.

It's nature's way of telling me to learn to survive.
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On a lighter note, Meishan is getting married on 3rd Jan 2009, Meiyi on 1st March 2009, Limin on 15th June 2009, Suyi in 2010.

Seems a flurry of activities on-going as the girls approach 30.

Is it the biological clock ticking or have they found the right partner for life?

That gives some thinking.

So long as love is in the air, lets pretend life is allright.

:)

Mid-life crisis

2008-10-02T21:33:00.003+08:00

Joke of the day: Is your mid-life crisis at 30 years old?

Wow. I thought mid-life crisis was at 40years old. :)

I feel older already.

Hahaha!

If the purpose of life is living, then what is the purpose of living?

2008-10-01T21:47:00.004+08:00

How does one find security in life when the ups & downs occur?

The collapse of Lehman is a joke.

I was told that one day we will look back & our grandchildren will ask us how did we survive the greatest financial turmoil that caused the collapse of so many great financial institutions.

There are 75,000 banks in the world & only 18 of these are rated triple A. Or at least there were so much before Fortis bank was nationalised...

Countdown to the next landmark in history begins right now.

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Anyway, I think 2010 will be a good timing to hold my wedding.
By then I should be 29years old, close enough to 30years old.
Welcome to Witchdoc's life planning! Hahahha!

Inspiration for a new week

2008-09-28T22:42:00.003+08:00

Image from : http://www.quotexite.com/thumbsw.php?page=15&catId=265

Wanted to share some nice wallpapers with all of you.

I got it - My new office is like DILBERT's office

2008-09-24T21:09:00.003+08:00

There is the stereotype Dilberts - ppl (like me!) who go to work & try to work.

Dogberts - Ppl who talk alot & do the crucial money-making efforts....

Laughs!

Aint that life.

If only I could turn back time

2008-09-23T21:06:00.004+08:00

Once, my colleague asked me if there was such thing as a space travel machine

That could turn back time.

I said: Its impossible. The dead would overpopulate the earth.

Yes. If only we could have our lives to live all over again.

I would make a difference.

If only.

If only....

If you could live your life over again ... what would you do?

2008-09-22T19:55:00.002+08:00

Hi all, I've juz returned from Surabaya & Lombok in Indonesia.

I found that Lombok is a small island with only one city center at Mataram and only 1 city mall.

It was pretty deserted coz this is the timing for muslim fasting - Puasa.

The restaurants are mostly active at night after "breaking" the fast (buka puasa) @ 6pm.

Its not a cheap island, one meal costs more than 10SGD for a dish, comparative to Japan.

On the bright side, it has less touts than Bali and the beaches are mostly private to hotels.

Novotel Lombok is a pretty good place to stay and the area is very much designed like a

desert as it is located in a dry part of the island where cactuses grow extremely well.
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On a slight note, i juz started my first day of work at the new workplace today.

Its pretty much settling in after 3 years of working experience & running for numbers.

I only hope that this challenge will be exciting and fulfilling.

My clothing needs to adapt to the environment coz plenty of private bankers sit near me

There goes my clothing budget.... :)

Yeah, I went inside the trading office today! Pretty cool huh.

Hahahaha!

There are other roads ahead

2008-09-08T22:24:00.004+08:00

One step up the path

Another foot followed suit

I looked behind me and saw the path I left behind

Regrets too late to express

Wondering what lay ahead

I walked on in my life

If you look back 30 years later, did you do the right thing now?

2008-09-07T11:26:00.003+08:00

Sometimes life can be stressful.

Sometimes we make decisions that 30 years later, we might regret.

Sometimes a colleague juz remains a colleague

2008-08-21T23:45:00.002+08:00

I juz realised that no matter what, your colleague of the same rank will be your competitor.

Its still a fight for the same promotion etc.

I had a older person say that to me once, but it didnt make sense coz I was still schooling.

Now I understand because amongst the salaried workers, all are fighting for the same promotion, your good colleague may do the most unbelievable things to get ahead. It's true.

:)

No matter how much these colleagues fight, its still not on the million-dollar level isn't it?
Can that much-desired promotion bring them SGD1-2 million dollars?

Nope. Sorry, thats real life for you. That promotion will juz get the hopeful poor rat further into the rate race. Juz those workers struggling along to get the few thousand dollars every mth running like a rat whilst some businessmen unblinkingly pay $60K/mth in premise rental or even higher.

The differences in life cannot be even more glaring. So what do you really want in life?

im sick ....

2008-08-09T22:36:00.003+08:00

im so sick that i think i could curl up in a ball.

Its the flu virus that hit me on a Friday

What a waste of a great weekend in sunny Singapore.

DAng.

Today someone stared at me

2008-08-04T21:52:00.002+08:00

Today some atas dressed lady from Julius Baer stared at me

And juz looked away.

ARGHHHH!

*damnnn

Stress- My teeth hurts

2008-08-03T21:08:00.002+08:00

My teeth start to hurt again.

On the right side of my jaw.

Seriously, the ironic thing is that my mouth-guard (that thing that stops me from grinding my teeth) is worn out on the left side instead.

I juz started reading the synthetic CDOs and I get this huge mouth ache and headache.

Damn.

My brain has started to rebell at the thought of advanced learning.

Lazy braincells.

On a brighter note, its another Monday and another recurring event week.

Sometimes I wonder why I think its like a movie clip.

Play. Repeat. Play.

The strength to move on

2008-08-01T21:16:00.002+08:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_(book)

This book is about humanity in the Halocaust & the behavior of mortal men.

Found a solution

2008-07-31T22:10:00.001+08:00

A mailbox solution to my problems has arrived.

Haha.

Finally, the grueling wait is worth it.

Every problem will have a solution.

Just hang in there k .

JB Visit

2008-07-28T23:10:00.004+08:00

I visited this place in JB with Wei Ling today.

We tried to visit this Senibong area for nasi lemak but it wasnt open on Mondays.

It was a creepy tale getting to the JUSCO area coz we nearly had an accident at the Permas Jaya Bridge. The car couldnt stop in time and we hit the curb and stopped short of the fence.

Oh Boy. This is the last time that I am going to that Permas Jaya Bridge coz I think its haunted. :(

The Malaysian neighbors of Wei Ling told us tales of how ppl used to worship at that Bridge everytime its the 7th mth coz there was a couple that died there. It gave me the creeps....

EEekkk. Blacklisted Bridge. I am just glad that we are safe and sound.

Zhen

Dear god - from 5 year old kids

2008-07-27T13:33:00.002+08:00

Awwww... Kids are so dumb.