Say NO to iPod

I don't know about Apple's other products, but Apple's iPod sucks and sucks big time. Ya I know I've posted an entry against "whining" but what's a man to do if Apple gave him reasons enough to do so??

Since I purchased the iPod last December, I've had visited the Apple Care Centre twice; and it seems very likely that I'll pay Apple a visit the 3rd time, and all for the same problem - the iPod freezes for no apparent reason.

Inexplicably, we continue to get good reviews on the iPod and Apple's latest baby, the NANO. To me, it's all commercial hype. Some may think that perhaps mine was just a case of hard luck (Victor would have called it "ARSE" luck). Apple gave me a "new" iPod each time I sent the faulty one for service, as long as the gadget is still under warranty. So, being struck by a streak of "arse" luck three times in a roll is just too much of a coincidence.

IPod may have scored on its look - and the latest NANO is no exception. But what's the point of shelling out more then $550 for a gadget that looks pretty but breaks down often?

In the effort to stay competitive, companies such as Apple has shifted their operations to countries such as China where labours are cheap. Unfortunately, the products produced are also short on quality. Indeed, the fine print at the back of the iPod has the inscription "Assembled in China". Therein lies the problem, I suppose...

Admittedly, I've been eyeing at the "iPod-to-die for" NANO until my iPod decided to act perculiar again this time round. A resolution has been made - when it comes to Apple products, it's gonna be a BIG and definite NONO instead of NANO as far as I'm concerned. Maybe it should be renamed NABEH, pardon my language. I've had it with Apple.

A dreadful time to be down with fever

I was at home today, on Child MC, spending my day nursing Junior who was done with fever and flu. With the dengue pandemic, I wasn't taking any chance and brought Junior to a doctor who assessed that the fever was probably viral in nature. There was a small ulcer at the back of Junior's throat even though Junior complained of no pain. That probably caused the fever. There were also no rashes on Junior's body. According to the doc, a person who is inflicted with the dengue virus is often lethargic and with mild temperature, quite unlike Junior who is active as ever and whose temperature was high at about 38.2. The doc also said flu and cough do not usually precede dengue fever.

It started with a runny nose on Tuesday night. The Slim Lady thinks this was because he refused to wear the sweater while he was at his Maths tuition at one of the shopping malls. She reprimanded Junior, while at the same time blaming her mum in law, my mother, Junior's caregiver, for not ensuring that Junior put on his sweater. But then again, Junior could have picked up the virus anywhere - in school, at the playground, etc. You simply can' talk sense to someone who don't see eye to eye with their in-laws ....

Then last night, Junior started coughing. It always follows the same pattern - you get a runny nose, then the mucus flows from the nose to the back of the throat, and that's how the cough begins. At least that's how my nurse wife the Slim Lady explained it to me. And at about mid-night, came the fever. It's dreadful having a fever at this time, what with the dengue pandemic in Singapore.

But one can never by 100% sure. Happily, his temperature has gone down to about 37.4 last taken at 9 PM. But we'd need to monitor him for the next few days. Let's hope the doc is right.

A city of whiners

White men have it easier in Singapore.

Being taken for a ride by taxi-drivers.

Retailers who do not know their products well.

The lack of service standard in Singapore.

A writer in the Sunday Times today griped about how Singapore is developing into a whining nation. On the same paper, a woman wrote to whine about how the MRT is not "baby-friendly". She complained about the lack of "space" to breast-feed her baby onboard the train and how some men looked at her leeringly when she was doing so. What? She expects a special carriage for mothers to breast-feed their off-springs? It also reminds me of how another woman wrote to bitch about how she was stopped by staff at the Esplanade when she was breast-feeding her baby at the Durian.

The gahmen has my sympathy - it is a daunting task indeed running tiny Singapore. In this politically-correct age, the gahmen not only must be sensitive to the "less-fortunate" (read handicapped), and make public transport friendly to them, they must also ensue that the amenities are "baby-friendly". With due respect to these mothers, I'm sure they have other resources when it comes to breast-feeding their off-springs. For a start, how about collecting the milk in the bottle in advance before they set-off in the MRT? Or, get off the station, find a comfortable and quiet spot at the platform and do what she has to do away from men who give them dirty looks.

As for white men having it easier in Singapore, I myself was at the receiving end of the "shabby" treatment at a petrol kiosk recently. The cashier greeted the Caucasian man who was standing beside me with such warm and friendliness and made me feel as if I was invisible. The white man was equally friendly, asking her, "how do you do?" I was a little pissed for being ignored at first but soon realised the different treatment was really more cultural than racial. Caucasians are by nature gregarious and friendly people. But we Chinese are more reserved and have no time to make small talk with strangers. It is true we Asians tend to look at strangers with suspicion. Admittedly, we don't have the habit of saying good morning to cashiers or sales people, much less ask them "how do you do". It's just not in our culture to do so. We also tend to avoid eye contacts.

White supremacy is a myth. So just stop WHINNING just about anything.

Presentation is a piece of cake

I can't explain it, but in a dry run of a presentation I gave to my boss, I was actually enjoying the presentation, much to my delight and surprise. Sure, I was a little nervous in the first 3 minutes or so; but once I overcame that, the adrenaline set in and I was on the roll!

I suppose the following tips found in the Internet help:

1. People are more interested in hearing what you have to say than who is saying it. The message behind the messager is what matters.
2. Treat the presentation as a form of communication to your bosses or colleagues rather than as a "performance".
3. There is no such thing as a "perfect" speech.
4. Don't think How you can survive the presentation; but think How you can do it Brilliantly?

You'll be surprised at how many people fear public speaking as seen in the photo below of a group of people having conquered that fear in a seminar. If you try hard enough, you could even spot me in the picture.



Hehehe.. Gotcha! That picture was taken from a website that generates banners for anything under the sun. Wanna protest against a policy in your office? Saying no to the cancer stick? Or lending your voice against pre-marital SEX? You can create you own banner here, courtesy of Cowboy Caleb.

Bye, little fellow .....

I had a little surgery done on 24 Aug to remove a "little fellow" from my lower abdomen.

Indeed, it's been said that as we reach middle age, everything starts to wear out, fall out and spread out. If you look up a dictionary, it will tell you that Middle-Age is a non-specific age when a person is not old, not young, but somewhere in the middle. It goes on to add that, in developed societies, the definition befits people between the ages of about 30-60. And I definitely fall between this age group :((

Back to the "little fellow" on my abdomen ... It started off as a tiny pimple. I didn't really pay much attention to it as it caused no pain and didn't really get in the way of my daily life. But it did irritate me at times for the fact that it refused to go away.

I was at the polyclinic recently, and I'd thought I might as well "introduced" the "little fellow" to the young doctor who turned out to be quite unprofessional. I didn't quite catch what he said when he told me to draw the curtain and lie on the bed. When I said "sorry?", he repeated his instruction, but this time with some annoyance in his voice. How rude. I was piqued by the flippant attitude of the doc towards my "little fellow". All he did was just took a casual look at "him", not bothering to even use his hand to touch him or examine him. Then, without missing a beat, he proclaimed: "It's a wart".

How enlightening, I'd thought and I didn't even know what a wart is, to be very honest. He didn't bother to explain or shed light on what causes a wart.

"Should I remove it?" I asked.

"You can if you want to. I'll give you a referral letter to the hospital", he said nonchalantly.

When I asked if he could remove it surgically for me, he said: "No we don't do surgery in the polyclinic."

"What about a GP?" I asked.

"Provided the GP do day surgery," he added.

In the end, he gave me a lotion, some kinda acid I think, and instructed me to apply it to the "little fellow" twice a day. He said I may have to apply it for months before the "little fellow" drop off.

About a week after applying the lotion, the "little fellow" got highly irritated. From an innocuous looking little fellow, he was transformed into a "fiery and mean-looking" fellow, waiting to unleash his rage.

I had to get rid of him, I'd thought. Taking matters into my own hand, I visited a GP that performs surgery and had it removed. The older doctor, who has surely consumed more salt then the one at the polyclinic, has a different opinion. The little fellow was no wart, he had said. Rather it was Pyogenic Granuloma- two big and mouthful words but basically, it's a relatively common benign skin growth, usually a small red, oozing and bleeding bump that looks like raw hamburger meat. It often seems to follows a minor injury and grows rapidly over a period of a few weeks to an average size of a half an inch. The head, neck, upper trunk and hands and feet are the most commonly sites.

That doctor at the polyclinic is not only unprofessional, he's guilty of misdiagnosing as well. Victor, in one of his comments to my blog, had marveled at the fact that we in Singapore receive good quality medical care with no wrong medicines being dispensed. Victor doesn't know any better.

CRIB, all thanks to Dengue

JO was down with dengue fever. Paid her a visit today at CGH with VT, Victor and OKD, a colleague of mine.

She was one of many who fell victims to the aedes mosquitoes in recent months, and one of dozen of my colleagues who did so. According to the Health Minister, as many as 550 people were diagnosed with Dengue per week and about 8% of them need hospitalisation. Non-critical surgery were put on hold to allow dengue patients for admission.

JO was resting "CRIB" when we arrived. Of course, the CRIB here stands for Complete Rest In Bed, and not the baby crib. But Victor has to make a joke out of it. I don't think JO was amused. Her bubbliness was gone. So were her make-up and that, I'd thought, made her looked kinda sweet. She also looked tired and lethargic. We bought her red roses and that sort of cheered her up a little. Other than that, she was pretty quiet and didn't laugh very much at our jokes which was a little off-coloured at times. I kept reminding Victor that there were children (JO's two young daughters were with her) in the midst of us and that we'd better watched what we were joking.

Well, either JO was truly tired or she could not respond to our jokes the why she could have for she has to put on her "best behaviour" in the presence of her daughters. There should be no tolerance for "vulgarity" in front of the kids, much less in front of your own kids.

I think we overstayed our welcome a little 'cause she kept hinting to us that she's tired. We hope she'd get well soon.

Pain and suffering ...

The devastation in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

The plane crash at Medan.

At a time when chaos, both by nature or the result of poor human judgement, wreaked havocs around the globe, it seems strange and irrelevant that I should be "celebrating life", blogging on my love for food, my fear of having to give presentation, and complaining about poor service standards by the retails industry. Surely, there is more to life then these.

In the US, New Orleans has descended into anarchy - looting running rampant; people dying, women and children being raped and killed. All under the eyes of the "law-enforcers". It's surreal that these are happening in the soil of the USA, the supreme power of the World, the very power that "could do no wrong", despite the "unjustified" war against Iraq. It's ironic how the table has turned. And not by men, but by the act of God.

Indonesia seems to be at the receiving end of much of the wrath of nature. It got the brunt of destruction during the Tsunami. Aceh was almost decimated to the ground. And now the plane crash.

Allow me to be philosophical for just once. After all, what happens to mankind does affect us one way or another. We are all part of this awesome universe by the Creator and we are all part of humanity, whether we like it or not.

Sometimes, life is so much pain and suffering .... I find little solace in this quote by Helen Keller: "The world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming it".

Me not "thinking on my feet".....

These past two days, I've been holed up in a training room, attending a course on "Think on your feet". It wasn't the best of time. Who would have thought a training session with such an innocuous title could be so stressful?

Apparently, "Think on you feet" involved more than just thinking. Participants were asked to stand in front of the class and talk about a given topic by the trainer for 3 minutes, using various methods to "collect our thoughts", "organise our thoughts" and then "presenting our thoughts". How neat. Somehow, the course ended up like one on giving presentation more than anything else. It didn't matter that some of us got "cold feet" (no pun intended). I was obviously "not thinking" when I signed up for the course.

By now, you'd probably guess I hate giving presentation. You just stand there, feeling naked and vulnerable, and when you open your mouth to speak, you think you heard a voice that sounds pretty much like yours, yet you're not quite sure it's yours. For yours surely is not one that quivers or even sounds so shrill. Then you look around the room, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone in particular. You don't know where to put your hands. They may be in your pockets. Or one of the hands may be holding a pointer. If it is, you'll find the beam "quivering" too. This is so surreal. And it seems to take forever to end....

Yet, if one is confident and sure of the subject matter, one needs not fear. I think most of us are fearful of leaving a negative impression on the audience. We worry too much about the audience's perception of us.

I've come across several tips to make one feel at ease while giving presentation. But the one that takes the cake is surely the one that tells you to "imagine everyone in the audience is naked or in their undies". I can't fathom how this would help me. Just looking at the many different sizes of my fellow co-workers, big and small, the thought is even more frightening than the presentation itself! I'm sure Victor would agree with me.

Next time before I sign up for a course, I know I'd better do some homework.

Oh. I just remembered. I've been told to give a presentation in the office sometime this month....Damn.

Food glorious food... Live to eat or eat to live??

According to an article on the Aug 10 issue of the Straits Times Mind Your Body, these are the food to avoid if one has been diagnosed with heart disease:
1. oily, deep-fried and high-calorie foods,
2. food known to be high in cholesterol such as pig's brain (yucks!) and seafood.
3. Local food like char kuay teow, roti prata, oyster omelette and fried chicken with the skin on are also food to avoid.

It goes on to add that if one is suffering from high blood pressure, these are the food to avoid:
1. Excessive salt and
2. All of the above.

Oh dear. What's there to live for someone like me who live to eat? Lest you think I'm suffering form some form of heart disease, no I'm not [TOO WOOD!], but yes, unfortunately, I do have some mild HBP, all thanks to over-eating and lack of exercising. Experts these days termed these as 'life-style' diseases most commonly associated with increased affluence. Which is absolutely crap for I'm certainly not rich. So why me???

Luckily, the experts are not always right (like when they hinted that I'm rich). For instance, scientists never fail to tell us the importance of drinking water. Then, in a back-flip, they said that too much water can kill! Not convinced? There are more here on "Why Medical Studies Are Always Wrong".

Unluckily, it would be foolhardy, suicidal even, for me to completely disregard the warning of the experts. What if they are correct this time?

I suppose Moderation is the key to my woes. We can't have too much of a good thing, (not even water). Perhaps I should take a leaf out of the book of our fore-father MM Lee, who, at 82 attributes one reason for his longevity on not always eating himself full. That means I'll go half hungry most of the time. Some food for thoughts (no pun intended). But I'm not sure if I have the will power to do so. I'll probably go half-angry most of the time too, as the saying goes, "A hungry man is an angry man". Besides, with due respect to MM Lee, he's no scientist and he may not be always right. Hmmm...

Life is what we make it....

Victor told me today that blogging serves nothing more than an outlet for one to vent and gripe about the frustrations in life. I've no idea why he said so. If you were to take a peek at his blog, you'd find Victor waxing lyrical about:

1. "Taking up the Challenge" to prove that "an old dog could still do a good blog";
2. Sharing his "Unusual Discovery At The Science Centre";
3. The Clark Quay of yore, reminiscing and remembering with fondness the nearby coffeeshop that served fabulous Teochew minced pork noodles in the 80s.
4. His hobby in photography, his "first camera" and some of his brilliant" shots on Singapore city skyline;
5. His delight and joy in learning to blog in Chinese;
6. How much more computer savy he has become following his DIY diagnostic trouble-shooting of his computer, and yes, his newly-acquired knowledge in Photoshop;
7. His adventures in Pulau Ubin with his wife and kids.

If this is not a dog, I mean a man who "celebrates life", I don't know what is.

Adventures at Green Brew.....

We brought Jennifer and Lester to Green Brew, a "swanky" little restaurant at Normanton Park today to celebrate their birthday. And what an "interesting" lunch we all had! What was supposed to be a happy and joyous occasion was turned into a trying and frustrating time for members of the Bagus team. It was quite an "adventure".

We were quite impressed with the peranakan decor upon arrival at the restaurant. VT has his eyes on the partition at the entrance of the kitchen; Jennifer loved the peranakan cloth that was being used as an ornament of sort on the walls. And I found that piece of ethnic fabric framed and hung on the wall particularly "interesting".

The ambience at the restaurant was warm and cosy. It looked set that we would have a nice time. However, a storm of epic proportion was brewing and we weren't quite prepared for the surprises that awaited us. You can say that while the cooks were cooking our dishes, we the Bagus team were cooking up a storm:

1. When we arrived at the restaurant, it was only 1/4 full. One hour later with the room 3/4 filled, we were still waiting for our food. How strange, too, that others who had arrived after us were seen munching away their food. VT rationalised that maybe they have called up to reserve the table and pre-order their food. I don't think so. How many people do you know do that? Personally I don't pre-order food even if I make reservation. But you must understand VT. He is a man not given to confrontation; very positive, law-abiding, God-fearing and peace-loving. But that day, he was about to lose his cool........

2. When the food finally arrived, the egg omelette and the chicken we ordered came in the wrong size.

3. While waiting for the dishes to be exchanged, the plain rice on our table turned cold. So were the dishes that arrived on our table subsequently. And we wondered had the food been cooked earlier, and instead of serving to use immediately, was left in the kitchen to be "cooled" down??

4. The egg omelette was just too salty; and the kangkong that we ordered could do with more "belacan". But we slurped them up anyway. :))

5. We have to ask for the bill TWICE.

VT was so irked (I told you so) that he actually walked to the kitchen to talk to the manager while the rest of us waited impatiently for our food. I'm not sure if that helped. But we began to wonder why the egg omelette was so salty... Anyway, while most of us were unhappy at the turn of event, VT was particularly vexed that day and I think I know why. See, usually when we have our lunch at the many ubiquitous coffee shops along my workplace, even if the food was served late, VT could just reached into his pocket for his "cancer sticks" while waiting for the food. Over at Green Brew which is air-con, he couldn't. And that makes him quite mad, I guess. Deny a smoker food for one day, and he'll survive. Deny him his cigarettes for a day or two, and he goes cold-turkey.

Before we moved to leave at about 1.40 pm, the waiter asked politely (what nerves) if we would like to order some drinks, to which Victor quipped, "We don't have all day". I like it when Victor is "rude" at the right time and at the right place. Unfortunately, he did that to the wrong person this time.

Granted, the service staff at the restaurant was NOT rude. In fact, to be very honest, they did serve us with a SMILE (what was lacking were the Greetings and Thank-you unfortunately). It was just that the service was pretty slow - the cooks took ages to cook up the dishes, the refilling of iced water, and even the bill. I suppose Green Brew can do with more waiters (and cooks and stoves and utensils, etc). We saw only about 3 waiters on that day in question. The food is also not very tasty. Even Victor, a critic on most things but food, commented negatively about the dishes. That would be the first and last time we ever visited the restaurant.

Before we took our leave, we were greeted with one more surprise. When the bill came, it was only $57! It transpired that there was no service charge. No wonder the service left much too be desired!

World-class service standard by Sep 2006? Mr Raymond Lim can dream on .....

一 条 好 狗

Despite being Chinese, I'm not very good in the Chinese language. Victor is better at the language as you can see how he tried to show off HERE.

Being Chinese and not being able to communicate effectively in the language is a point of embarrassment, to say the least. Many moons ago, I swore to master this language after having seen Caucasians engaging in a debate programme on national TV in what must have been an alien language to their fore-fathers. I sat and watched in disbelief as these Americans and Europeans battered away in fluent and impeccable Chinese, taking on native Chinese from Singapore and Hong Kong. These guys should be eating french fries! But they got me eating humble pie instead. And put me to shame.

That being said, I've always wondered how to blog in Chinese. But never really found time to go look up the internet for tips. When Senior Junior was asked to put up a blog in Chinese as a school project, he was stumped. And so was I when he approached me. Then I asked Victor. Victor wasted no time to "show-off" an entry in the Chinese language. He didn't explain how he did it in the blog. But told me later that he's used the "cut and paste" method to input the text in his Blog. That is soooo primitive. And I told him that from what little I learned from the Internet, there's a feature called Input Method Editor (IME) in XP that converts the keyboard into a Chinese keyboard that enables inputting of Chinese Characters.

I would have found the solution earlier had I not installed Chinese (Singapore) "text services and input languages". The right one to choose is the Chinese (PRC). A series of trials and errors later, I was able to finally input the Chinese text. I texted Victor to tell him about my discovery.

Then he has to SHOW OFF again and to add insult to injury, blog the whole episode of his "new discovery" of how to input Chinese characters (all thanks to me actually cos I was the one who sparked his interest, ok??)and then went on to tell me that "It was quite easy leh". What nerves.

Nonetheless, I'm glad that Victor finally figured it out (though I did it first). It proves yet again that old dogs can certainly learn new tricks! 他低低却却是一条好狗。And I don't mean it in a derogatory sort of way. It's a 称赞 that came strait from my heart.

What rotten Apple

I know this may draw some flaks from die-hard fans of Apple. But the IPOD is really full of hype and nothing else. It doesn't even come a close second to creative's range of MP3 players from my experience.

Since my purchase on Dec 04, I've sent my IPOD for service twice. Apple has a unique way of "servicing" its product in Singapore. Because it does not have a service dept in Singapore, the IPOD is sent to the US for service. In the meantime, I get a replacement. Cool, huh? What Apple didn't tell me earlier was that the IPOD replacement was actually one that have been sent to the US for servicing before and actually was the original IPOD that belonged to someone else. My original IPOD that has been sent to the US will end up in the hands of another unfortunate customers. Apple only changed the casing of the IPOD to make it look new but it's really all used IPODs. Weird and strange system that Apple has. I guess it's probably to cut down turnover time. Or else, we probably have to wait months for the IPOD to be returned from the US.

While the IPOD looks cool and chic, it's really a piece of junk. Victor said IPOD really stands for "1 PIECE OF DUNG". And that makes lot of sense. Yet, everywhere I go I couldn't help hearing people ranting and raving about IPOD, in the papers, internet, magazines, etc. I've nothing but trouble with mine. It got hung while I was out jogging with it. Then it acted peculiar, choosing to jump tracks and playing songs that it chose. I could even hear the harddisk churning when I held it in my hand.

The young man at the Apple Care Centre also told me something that made me sit up. He said I should not subject my IPOD to heavy vibration or shaking like when go jogging for the fact that the "needle" used to run the harddisk may harm the harddisk. In order words, he was saying that I should not subject the IPOD to shock. And I thought all MP3 players are shock-proof?

He also advised me to take up an Apple Extended Warranty at $110 to cover another 12 months. He said once the current 12-month warranty is up, it's not worth servicing the IPOD again cos the price of the service is good enough to get a new IPOD. I'm not sure if I want to extend the warranty. If it conks again after 12 months, I don't think I'll shell out any money to have the IPOD service. A product that breaks down thrice within 12 months is just beyond hope! 无药可救。 APPLE should seriously look into improving the quality of its products. Maybe having it assembled in China is the problem.

The day I got my driver's license.

My friend Alex sent me a sms today, happily announcing that he's obtained his Class 2B license. That's a license you need if you want to ride a motorbike in Singapore. Alex already has Class 3B license for driving a car. I don't know what he'll try next - learn to drive a lorry perhaps? Or maybe a plane? Some people simply love driving.

Unlike Alex, I don't have a Class 2B. If I'm younger, I'd go get a motorbike license like Alex, too. But I figure at 40, my reflexes and level of alertness is no where near a young man of 20 or 30. I'm afraid time is too little and too late for me to ever learn how to ride a motorbike.

But like Alex, I do have a Class 3, and it was obtained not without much sweat. The first time I took up driving, I was barely in my mid 20s. Young and inexperienced, I flunked the driving test, not once, but twice. The driving examiners who failed me all had stories to tell. One of them commented that I drove like a snake; the other said he couldn't pass me because he has a moral obligation to protect pedestrians from a menace like me! My oh my... That was so many years ago. And I was so affected by the remark of the last examiner that it put me off learning to drive all together.

As the saying goes, "time heals all wounds" and time flies too. Eleven years later, married and with two kids, I was still without a driver's license. When I decided to pick up driving again, I was past my mid 30s and the "new millennium" was approaching. I reckoned if I don’t get my license then, I never will.

So, I signed up for driving lessons again in Comfort Driving Centre and, much to my delight, passed with flying colours within a span of 4 months and at the first attempt at that! I got a demerit points of 8. A demerit points of 20 would have meant a failure. So, I think I did pretty well.

I can still remember vividly the day I took my driving test. Sitting in the waiting area awaiting my turn, my eyes studied the many driving examiners going in and out of the room. Some were with testees who had just taken their test and you know they have flunked by their crest-fallen faces. Other looked like as if they have struck lottery! You looked at these examiners, most of whom are "retired" traffic policemen, and you tried to figure out the handful that looked "friendly" or appeared benevolent. You went on to hope that one of the the friendly looking ones be your examiner, and most of the time, the odd was against you. You ended up with one that got the “Tua Pai Kia” look and you knew you were doomed!!

On the day in question, July 8 2002 to be very precise, I think God must be smiling on me. I was fortunate enough to be tested by an examiner, who is not only friendly, but who tried to make me feel at ease by making mindless conversation like "wah, the weather is very hot today hor?" I still remember his name - Insp See Thian Lye. He even gave me advice as I drove along, telling me not to run over the curb or he would have to fail me.

And failed me he almost did because I drove into the wrong lane as I made a right turn. Fortunately, Insp See was obviously in a good mood. He told me what I did was wrong and dangerous and said that I must be extremely careful when I went on the road. When I heard this, I sort of guess I must have passed; but part of me was still not quite sure. Then he scribbled sometime on the Class 3 Driving Test Assessment Checklist and told me to go collect my license. That was one of the happiest moments of my life!

Another "Koo Koo Bird"

The Slim Lady got a text message from her sister who is five-month pregnant that reads: Another Koo Koo Bird (no relation to Victor Koo, of course). She has a boy, Izaac, who's already four. Now she hopes for a girl.

I couldn't help smiling when the Slim Lady showed me the text as I recalled the time Slim Lady was pregnant many moons ago....

You see, though we are blessed with two boys, like her sister, the Slim Lady has always wanted to have a daughter. To her, a daughter is all sugar and spice. She is a mum's best friend and confidant. She is someone with whom mum can share girly secrets. And yes, you get to dress her up like cute little angels and there are so many ways you can do up her hair....

Needless to say, the Slim Lady was disappointed when our first-born was a boy. It took us six years to consider having a second child, in the hope that the next one would be a girl.

We Chinese have a few "myths" when it comes to telling the sex of the baby:

1. The more "pointed" the abdomen of the expectant mother is, the more likelihood the baby will be a boy. The rounder, the more likelihood of a girl.
2. The smoother the facial complexion is, the likelihood of a girl and vice versa.

The Slim Lady had sworn she had all the symptoms indicating that it would be a girl the 2nd time round.

Alas, she was again disappointed when the ultra-sound indicated that the baby was another "koo koo bird". I can still recall the day she broke the news too me. She sounded a little down and said that her hands were going to be "full" caring for a boy again. I told her that the foetus could actually feel how the mummy was feeling and how sad it was that even before the baby was born, it already felt the rejection by the mummy. Boy or girl, I added, it's okay as long as the baby was healthy.

I have come to realise that the younger women of our time have very different views to those of my mother's generation when it comes to the gender of our offspring. The older folks tend to favour the boys, especially the Chinese. Perhaps the thinking then was that boys are important because only boys could continue the legacy and name of the family. I remember asking my mum if she loved to have a grandson or a granddaughter. Even though she said she had no preference as long as the baby was healthy, she said something after the birth of Senior Junior that told me she still preferred grandson.

You see, Slim Lady's first pregnancy wasn't at all easy and she ended up having a caesarian. The bill came up to about 4 grands. When my mum learned this, she commented that luckily it was a boy! It's like saying if it's going to be a baby girl, then it's not worth spending that kind of money to have her.

Anyway, girl or boy, there's really nothing parents-to-be can do about it. Though of course there are books telling us the food we eat actually can help to determine the gender of the baby. There're even clinics around that promise to give you the gender you want for your baby with a 99.9% accuracy, at a price of course. Some gahmen, like those in Singapore, has deemed this unethical and has refused to allow such clinics to be set up here. They probably thinking if everyone chooses to have daughters, who's going to serve NS to protect Singapore in time to come??


That being said, we're glad to have both our boys, even though they do give us headaches and worries every now and then. But which kid, boy or girl, hasn't? Besides, how can anyone not love a boy with such an adorable face? Some of our friends said he's a chip off the "old" block. Hehehe..

The buck stops here.

This is getting exasperating. As expected, Courts didn't call me about my sofa, despite reassuring me that it would get its service dept to call me about exchanging the cushion covers with the rightful colour.

It took me five calls, each time speaking to a different girl today and yesterday before being told that they would exchange the cushion covers next Thur. The time has yet to be confirmed, though. The girl told me that she could only confirm the time with me two days before the appointment date. Unbelievable .

It's interesting how the staff at the sales dept and the service dept tried to blame each other for the mistake. The girl at the sales dept told me that the display-set colour has been discontinued. The girl at the service dept said that the salesgirl has given her the wrong code. It's quite clear that Courts has an internal problem with its staff and management. It's NOT my problem. But unfortunately, whoever is at fault, we consumers always end up being victimized by the inefficiency of the merchants. As it is now, the cushions and the backrest are all thoughtfully wrapped up in plastic bags and sitting pretty in the storeroom for fear that the children might dirty them inadvertently. Perhaps Victor is right. I should just use them like my own and without the fear of putting my personal odour, stain and what have you in them. After all, if Courts chose not to honour my instructions, why should I honour theirs?

Come to think of it, I never really had any problem with other megastores such as Best Denki or those individual stores in the shopping centres. Doing business with these establishments has always been hassle-free. But with Courts, things just get topsy turvy for me. Aaarrgghh!

Can I bring COURTS to court?

I have to take back what I said about not being disappointed with the service rendered by Courts in my last entry. I'm not only disappointed, but angry as well.

Well, when the sofa arrived at my house yesterday, it looked all fine and dandy. But the colour of the cushions and the backrest looked fishy and something told me court must have made a mistake. The existing shade of yellow-brown looks deceivingly similar to the earth-brown colour that I've wanted. Though feeling slightly suspicious, I chose to push it out of my mind. Part of me hate confrontation, and another part of me also wanted to believe that service standard of Courts really must have improved over the years. Alas, it was not meant to be....

My suspicion was confirmed when the Slim Lady and I made a trip to Courts at Tampines today, with the intention to buy another set of cushion covers. We have ordered exactly the same colour scheme as the display set. The mistake was obvious when we viewed the sample of the fabric available at the store.

I spoke to one of the sales girl, and upon checking, she said that the display set colour has already being discontinued and has been for a while. It seems that Courts has taken the liberty to choose the yellow-brown colour on my behalf. How nice and considerate! Why don't they pay for my sofa as well?

Frankly, I wouldn't have minded the colour if only Courts has taken the initiative to call me and tell me that the colour that I've wanted was no longer available. This is what service is all about. After all, I'm the one paying for the sofa, and the one who will be "living" with the sofa for many years to come. It irks me that the retail industry could take things for granted, assuming that consumers are blind and that they can make decisions for the customers at their every whimp and fancy. Well, with this customer, they don't! Why should I put up with their inefficiency?

As it turned out, I insisted that I want the colour of the cushions changed, and have chosen another shade of brown since the one that I wanted is no longer available. Courts said the factory would call me to make arrangement. Let's see how bad the service will continue...

In the meantime, I've been told not to "dirty" the cushions. Or else, the factory will reject the exchange. So, I've told Junior and Senior Junior not to lean on the sofa (my pal Victor would think it's not just me, but my whole family has gone insane now, sitting without leaning..). This must be a joke, having paid for something and not being able to use it the way we want to. Slim Lady took one step even further - she has wrapped up the cushions in plastic bags and kept in the storeroom.

Customer service in Singapore? Don't make me laugh....

Out with the OLD and in with the NEW

The new sofa I ordered from Courts arrived today. It's one of those L-sharp modular sofa that I've been eyeing for quite sometime. The time is ripe to discard the old and acquire the new.


The previous cowhide leather sofa, though durable, was stained, worn-out and downright dirty. The photo on the right was how the sofa looked like when I first shifted to my house 5 years ago.


Back to the new sofa.. As you can see, Junior wasted no time in making himself comfortable on the new sofa. It's spacious enough to be used as a bed. Unfortunately, the sofa is not meant for me. Being bare-chested most of the time at home, I can sit on the sofa but have been banned from leaning on the sofa by the Slim Lady. Otherwise, the sofa will begin to smell like me in no time. I can't argue with that. Which sensible male in "pig paradise" Singapore will put on a shirt at home. The weather can kill you.

While waiting for the sofa to be delivered, I couldn't help recollecting my past experiences with Courts, mostly bad ones. I once ordered a dinning table and it arrived with wobbly legs. The deliverymen had the audacity to suggest that maybe my HDB floor was uneven. Then there was the time when a sales woman sold me a grill oven when I specifically asked for a convectional oven. These happened many moons ago and I sworn never to patronise Courts again. This time, I went back to Courts for the sole reason that it offered the modular sofa at a price more resonable then the other retail stores. The delivery of my sofa today has restored my confidence in the retail industry somewhat, my pal Victor's recent bad experiences notwithstanding.

Service standard in Uniquely Singapore ....

My pal Victor Koo is feeling extremely vexed of late. It started when his computer began to act quirky, taking a life of its own and refusing to log on the Internet when commanded to do so. An extremely determined man who conducts diagnostic tests to get to the root of a problem, Victor soon found out that the problem to his computer lies very likely in his residential telephone line which emits noise and static in the wee hours of the morning. The problem is so bad, that it even left the Singnet technicians clueless.

At his wit end, Victor took up a flexi broadband plan with Starhub. Starhub is kinda like his second wife. He can't just abandon Singnet for he's got another 4 months to the 2-year contract that he had signed up. Unless Victor doesn't mind paying a 4-month alimony to Singnet for breaking the contract. For reason only known to the sales staff of Starhub, Victor was not told of an on-going promotional plan that allows new flexi surfers to surf the net free for 6 months when they pay for the $99 modem. They also get a free gift in the form of a Disney haversack.

Victor was irked when he learned of the promotion from the Internet. Never ever under-estimate the fury of a man "conned". Victor demanded that Starhub return him is money for the time that he's surfed the net and be given the freebies advertised in the promotion.

I can empathise with Victor. Time and again, I've been disappointed by the service standard in our Uniquely Singapore. The sales staff are either ignorant of their products, or they simply couldn't be bother to serve you. Even at the hawker centres, there are food sellers who provide services so shabbily that it makes you wonder if they are really in the business of making money. In the now-defunct Seletar Hill Market, I've had at least three hawkers whom I've sworn never to patronise again; all because they chose to pick quarrel with me. Nope, I'm NOT the problem lest you're wondering.

The chicken rice uncle told me to "go and report lah" when he said he would not deliver my plate of chicken rice to my table. This happened even though I was quietly waiting for my chicken rice in the queue and fully understood that it was 'self-service".

Then there was the ice kachang seller who very politely asked me where I was sitting when I ordered a bowl of "cheng tng". When I said I would carry the dessert myself, he retorted that he was not going to serve me my dessert to my table but merely wanted to know where to collect his utensils later!

The last straw was the "Char Kway Teow" stall who took ages to return my change of $10 when I ordered a plate of the "char kway teow", even after I've devoured the food. When I approached her for my change and asked if she's forgotten about my money, she quipped that I should have paid up first when I ordered the food.

Thankfully, I'm more fortunate then Victor. If I don't like the service of the "Char Kway Teow" stall at Seletar Hill, I can always choose to eat at Ghim Moh Market. Hawker centres abound in Singapore and I'm really spoilt for choice. But Victor may not have much choice over the Internet Service Providers in Singapore. He is through with Singnet, I'm sure. If he's not happy with the service by Starhub, there's only one last ISP to go. Pacnet. But PACNET is sooooooo yesterday.... I'm not even sure if it can measure up to the high service standard of Victor.

Poor Victor.

Slim Lady's special day....

The Slim Lady gets a year older today.

Unlike most families, we don't usually celebrate birthdays, not even for the kids', other then giving the kids presents. The Slim Lady simply hates party because party messes up the house. Dine out? Oh, it's too troublesome I might as well stay at home, she'd usually say.

Well, this year, I decided to do things differently. I bought her flowers (why waste money? she had said)and it's not as if I'm buying her flowers for the first time! Treated her lunch at Phin's restaurant with Senior Junior. I also gave her a Flash-Disk MP3 players to store all her Korean songs.

She was happy; or at least she appeared to be....

Living simply ........

I don't care much for planning the future. I live today for today. Needless to say, I don't have much saving. Whatever "little" I earn, I spend it all. My philosophy is quite simple - how to save for tomorrow when you're trying to eke out a living today? The cost of living has skyrocketed. The fare for public transport has gone up. So has the price of petrol. It's unbelievable the kind of money I fork out each time I pump up petrol for my compact car. It seems to be spiraling up, never coming down, a sentiment shared by all motorists, no doubt.

Other than some insurance policies I bought from friends-turned-insurance agents when I was much younger and none the wiser, I'm really as poor as a church mouse, unless you consider insurance policies a form of 'wealth'. Okay, so I have a car. Technically speaking, it belongs to the bank from which I loan huge amount of money to drive it. The last time I went on a tour of leisure was more then 10 years ago with the slim lady in New Zealand and that was before the arrival of the storks.

An article I read in the TODAY newspaper about our CPF monies has sort of jostled me from my muddle-headedness in financial matters. The HARD FACTS:

Minimum sum at 55 years old-
We are required to keep a minimum sum of $90,000 in our Ordinary Account when we reach 55. This sum will gradually increase to $120,000 by 2013. This means that we can only withdraw anything in excess of that amount. Woes to people who take up 30-year mortgage loan for their house. Well, I happened to be one of these people! By 2013, I'll be 54. If I remember my maths, I'll still be paying for my HDB flat, until the age of 63 when I retire! Forget about the minimum sum of $120,000!

Contribution To The Ordinary Account Does Not Grow With Age:
As we grow older, in line with the lower CPF contribution rates, the amount going into our Ordinary Account will drop from 22% (35 years old and below) to 20% (35-45 years old) to 18% (45-50 years old) to just 12% (50-55 years old). Also under current rules, any excess above the Medisave contribution ceiling ($32,500) will flow directly into our Ordinary Account. However, from July 1, 2006, this money will be transferred to our Special Account instead (for those aged below 55 years), or our Retirement Account (55 years old and above)

Lower Salary Ceiling
From Jan 1, 2006, the salary ceiling from CPF contributions will be lowered to $4,500 per month, down from %5,000 currently. Thus, if we earn $4,800 a month, our combined contribution from the employee and employer for the month will only be based on $4,500. This means more take-home pay but also dwindling Ordinary account contributions for Loan repayments.

These are quite sobering facts. I'll probably work till the day I drop unless I'm too ill to work. I foresee myself begging for handouts from my sons.... Perhaps it's time for me to get rid of my car and start saving now! I hate to plan long term. Because you never can tell what tomorrow may bring. Some will argue that's the precise reason one should start saving, because we never know what the future holds.... But I've grown quite used to driving. Taking the trains and buses just don't sound very appealing to me. And the fact that trains and buses were blown up in London is not helping much to convert me to taking public transport .... We cannot rule out what has happened in London may never ever happen in Singapore... If it happens, what's the use of the money that I've amassed? Might as well enjoy it now... and live today like there's no tomorrow...

The youth of old age ....

VT turns 50 this Thursday. The BAGUS team, comprising JO, MJM, Victor Koo and myself bought him lunch today at Blooie's, a cozy little restaurant just across our office. Though 50, VT looks good for his age and claims that he can still make any women "meow" like a pussycat.

There is no running away from "aging". None in the BAGUS team is below 40. I was just commenting, during lunch, that time really flies and that a lifetime is really quite short. Even if one lives to the ripe old age of 80, time is really not quite enough. There are mountains to climb and rivers to swim. And how many people do we know who have gone through life and said that if they were to die today, they would die a happy and contented person?

I know I would not be able to say so, because there are so many things I want to do; such as learning to roller blade, play a musical instrument, travel the world, doing community work, the list goes on ... Most people have the fear of mortality. The fear intensifies as one approaches middle age, and by most account, 50 is definitely way pass middle age, I reckon. But you know how the human spirit has a way of "denying the truth", always conjuring up excuses to defy the truth. How else do you explain the phase "40 is the old age of youth; and 50 is the youth of old age"? Something coined up by someone in the 50s no doubt and probably someone who is in self-denial about his age.

Anyway, to make VT feel better for having hit the big 5 "O", not that he needed it because he sure looked cheerful enough, I quoted the exact phrase on the birthday card we bought him. Members of BAGUS each has their story to tell. Victor Koo wrote to tell him to make a trip to Hawaii, the backdrop for the detective series Hawaii 5 "O" which was very popular in the 70s. I love his wry sense of humour. He's not called a wordsmith for nothing.

Can't remember much of what MJM and JO wrote other than MJM telling VT to take life slow and easy ... As if VT is not taking life easy enough...

Charity Fair

The word "charity" raises a stink these days. All thanks to the unfortunate events surrounding NKF. Nonetheless, we were reminded, time and again by ministers, newspaper commentators that "two wrongs can't make a right" and that if we stop giving to charity altogether, the only group of people who will really suffer would be patients in need of dialysis. While some people have been swayed to reinstate their monthly donation to NKF, others choose to wait until NKF puts its house in order under the new CEO and the Board of Directors.

My office held a charity fair today. This event was planned long before the NKF saga and the committee decided then that the beneficiaries would be MINDS or Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore.

I was worried that the bad publicity resulted from NKF would dampen the charity fair somewhat. But my fear was unfounded. The fair turned out to be quite successful. Business was brisk in my team’s hotdog bun stall. The buns were sold out within two hours. There were other stalls offering games, souvenirs and IT gadgets. The foyer was just bustling with activities. Basically, there were three groups of people - those that make things happen, those that watch things happen, and those that wait for things to happen. It was an event like no other in my office.

At the end of the day, my team collected more than $350 for MINDS. In our very humble ways, I think we can measure up to NKF, if I may say so. At least we are transparent. Though it was a lot of work, the charity fair has been fun. Looking at how we worked as a team, cutting onions, slicing the bun, toasting the sausages, taking orders and playing waiters delivering the orders, I can't help but feel a sense of comradeship with my co-workers. It's a great way to build a team culture and it feels great to be able to contribute to charity in our small ways. We achieved quite a few "firsts" today:
1. The first time a charity event was ever organised in my office;
2. The first stall to sell out the the hotdog buns; and
3. The first time we saw MJM, a colleague of me, wear jeans to work. It made him look 10 years younger. Ha!

A betrayal of a charitable act?

Victor Koo is absolutely right. My stress level does have an impact on how often I post entries in my blog. It does seem that my posts go up proportionately when I'm feeling the stress. The past week when I was on course in the SAF, I was totally spent and yet found time to write on my blog. Only because a blog, to me, is really a therapeutic outlet to vent my grips and frustrations... And now that my life has gone back to civilization and my stress level has gone considerably down, I have less need for this outlet. :)) Or so I thought....

These past two days, my attention, and many of those in this tiny island state, was riveted on the NKF CEO's high salary and bonus, all played up in the court room. This followed the CEO's lawsuit against SPH for what it considered was a defamatory article on how how NKF lacked the transparency on how it was being managed, and how public fund meant for kidney patients are being used to pay the ridiculous high salaries and bonuses of the staff in NKF. The charges also included expensive fixtures like gold-plated taps and $1100 toilet bowl being installed in the shower room of the CEO's office.

Even as I write, more than three thousands people are terminating their monthly donations to the NKF. Fifteen thousands have gone on line, signing petition and demanding the CEO to step down. The NKF Headquarters was also vandalized with the word "Liar" spray-painted in red.

Sadly, the real victims of this saga are the beneficiaries of the NKF. They are none other the kidney patients undergoing dialysis and awaiting transplants. It would be sad indeed, if the patients who can ill afford the treatment are denied the financial aid, all because of the doing of one man.

The making of a chef .......

Daryl, my senior junior, announced today that he would be preparing dinner. Apparently, he has been taught how to whip up a mean plate of spaghetti during the home econs lesson in school. The feedback he got from his teacher was that his spaghetti tasted better then most of his classmates. So proud was he that he couldn't wait for us to be his guinea pigs.

See the chef in the making at work.... It's really cute he even don an apron while preparing the food. Quite clumsy I must say, but this is his first attempt and I'm sure he'll get better next time.


I think our educators have done a terrific job trying to make "house husbands" out of our boys. In my time, only girls needed to attend home econs lessons. I suppose with most families being duo-income these days, the power that be recognises that the men can no longer be spared the household chores... How clever of them to make the boys learn cooking!

Take a look at the final products of Daryl's first attempt at cooking dinner. I know what you're thinking ....The photo does not do justice to the actual food.... The proof of the pudding is really in the tasting.

On a scale of 1-10, the slim lady and I gave Daryl a 7. It taste quite good. And yes, he made us proud. After all, how many of us grown man can claim to have cook dinner for the family??

POP loh ......

Day five.

Moral was high today. End of course. Graduation! "Passing out parade" loh!

Most of us felt like zombies for lack of sleep. I have no choice put to assist to present today. And guess what? I felt great after the presentation, not because I've finally done it, but because I felt I've contributed my share to my team, and being a team player.

Almost all the presentations went through smoothly. Not so much grilling by the instructors this time.

After the course debrief, there was a small reception. It's crappy that both kwan and myself have to contribute $2, just like the rest of the army participants for the reception. What? Do you ask your guests to pay when you invite them to your house for dinner? That's what the SAF did to kwan and me! What's more, we have to pay $4 for the group photo too! Unbelievable!

Was glad and happy to say goodbye after the debrief. Oh, got a cert too. Maybe I'll have it framed up and hang it in my cubicle, just to make a mockery of it....

What a week it's been for me.......

The little old man ........

Day four.

I did not present today. The presentation started from 1000H and lasted until 1430H. After each participant of the group finished their presentation, the instructors wasted no time throwing questions and grilling them. This is done with the best intention, most of us understand. They merely wanted us to learn, to apply the tools that they have taught us in presenting our findings on the exercise. But one instructor in particular, Keith Hutton, is less diplomatic then the others. His jabs can be quite hurtful to people who aren't used to his sarcastic way. He likes to quote the example of the "little old man". The "little old man" being the lazy man sitting on your right shoulder, telling you not to do things which you should.

Right after the grilling, more woes followed. We were told the 2nd part of the presentation were to commence tomorrow. We had to fine-tune or redo our slides.

This time, we stayed back until 2300H. When I hit my bed, it was already 0030H the next morning.

What a life.

Damn those slides! And where's my night snack???

Day three.

The first three quarter of the day was occupied by military lessons - lessons on various tools to assist us in preparing slides on a case study on naval exercise. At 1500H (that's the military way of writing the time), my group started preparing the slides for the presentation for tomorrow. It was not easy. We only have two computers each group to work on. The case study was based on a military exercise. Being extremely military-centric, both Kwan and myself found the going rather difficult. And we were also told that we would have no choice but to stay back to complete the slides for the presentation tomorrow!

The guys in my group, including two officers, were ok. There was Richard, the potential "best trainee"; Isabel, the typical SAF "blur" queen; Fabian, the officer who is quiet and unassuming; John, the other officer, who is loud, spontaneous, smart and a joker. Jaime, the rather aloof (I think stuck-up is a more appropriate word) gal who called up today to day she's running a fever and is on MC for three days!

We worked till past 2240H. As team players Kwan and myself have no choice but to stay back, just like the military participants. I jokingly told my group that I may decide to sign-on after this course! It was just like my active army days when I've to stay-in for duties. The only difference now is I'm a civilian. And the lack of night snack!

Working with the SAF people, it's inevitable we get to know each other better as days go. Richard, though outstanding, strikes me as someone not very willing to share the knowledge that he has. John, the officer was the "happy-go-lucky" one whose idea of a presentation is to blabber on and on with plain looking slides, screening the room with so much smoke that both the participants and instructors alike felt like choking to death.

Though I hate presentation, I felt tremendous pressure to assist in presenting. After all, my team is down with only 5 men, all thanks to Jaime!

The daze thinkens...

Day two.

The lectures were getting heavier and the exercises more complex. They gets so military-centric that I wanna to just give up at times.

Thankfully, I was not asked to present. Instead, Richard, one of the soldiers, volunteered and I thought he did a terrific job, more so then the participants from the other two teams. I don't think I or kwan should be presenting in all honesty, and if we're asked to, we should resist. The presentation is really a vehicle for the regulars to shine, and both kwan and myself, being "outsiders", won't want to outshine them in anyway, do we? Hee!

The instructors were a bunch of sadists. They took great pride and glee making us stay back until 1850 hrs today. They told us the "night training" is inevitable. How else are we gonna find time to prepare the slides for the presentation to be conducted during the course? We expect to stay back even longer tomorrow. Rats.

Trying to stay awake during the lectures is a challenge. It's not just me. Many of my course mates experienced intermittent attack by the Z monsters as well, especially after lunch. It's quite funny, the way how Ang Tat's (another participant) eyes sort of squinted as he tried not to doze off. I realised that observing faces like Ang Tat's help to keep me awake! Haha.

Army Daze

Slept badly last night. I was awoke at 4.30am, tossing and turning, then 5.15am and finally decided to get up at 6.15am.

It was raining cats and dogs on my way to the SAF camp. Ate just a piece of measly bread and a cup of coffee. Tummy felt funny. Maybe it was stress.

When I reached the lecture room, almost all the other trainees were already seated. I wasn't late. All were in army uniform, and all eyes were on me. Scanned the room for Kwan, a colleague of mine attending the same course but failed to see him. Felt like such an odd ball. Thankfully, by lunchtime, has made acquaintance with most of the participants. The 18 of us were divided into groups of six.

The lectures were pretty concise and good. The fundaments behind the topics were basic but the exercises were quite complex. Lots of unfamiliar military terminology was used.... This created a slight problem during discussion with fellow trainees. However, "army dazed" I certainly am not. After all, I've served years in the army before... Still, am not sure if the course is totally relevant....

Honestly, I'm beginning to enjoy the course, but that doesn't mean I'm not counting though... one down and four more days to go!

Peaceful slumber....

Surprisingly, I slept well last night. No nightmare about the SAF. No waking up at 5 with cold sweat. I was determined not to let it spoil my Sunday, as it did on my Saturday...

The morning and the day started well enough. Had lunch with the kids and the slim lady at East Point. As the evening creeps in, so did that "sinking" feeling...

Singapore's Dads evaluated

According to an article in the July issue of Readers' Digest, Singapore's men fared badly in a survey on fatherhood by their children in the region, lagging behind their counterparts in Hong Kong, Indonesia and Malaysia. We only managed a C. The C also stands for "clueless" and the report suggests we fathers in Singapore are not interested to know our children, do not attempt to remember the names of our children's best friends and do not know what goes on in our children's life. Basically, the report implies, in Beng language, that we are "BOCHAP" fathers. The only "consolation" that came out of the survey is that we fathers are a lot more funnier than the mummies, even though the survey did not go into specifics what "funnier" means. Does it mean that we fathers are the "clowns" in the family? Always playing the "fools"? Or what?? Maybe it means we're more fun-loving, which is not entirely a bad thing. But that's at odd with "BOCHAP" fathers. So I'm inclined to think either "clowns" or "fools" are what the report implies...

Seriously speaking, it's not easy being a father, or a mother these days. Readers' Digest should conduct a survey on how WE parents rate the kids of today! When our children came along, the hospital didn't issue us any instruction manuals. Much of what we do to raise them is through trial and errors, some common sense and yes, from hearsay from my parents and the KPOs. And we're still learning everyday how best to bring up the kids! It's a heavy responsibility! In my time, kids were only seen, and not heard. Kids these days want to be heard, and heard lound and clear. And they also come in L or XL size. Senior Junior is already hovering over me half a head and he's only 13. Soon, he'll be stronger then his old dad...

Weekend blue...

Feeling rather lethargic and tired today, even though it's a Saturday. And I don't expect it to get any better tomorrow. My mind is pre-occupied with the 1-week training in the SAF camp next week. It's really not something new to me, having served in the army for 10 years and the last 13 years as a reservist. The buggers in the camp - they're not people whom I've not met before. And I'm all too familiar with the way these buggers run the show. Nothing is ever on schedule. When they say meet and assemble at 1000 am, the regulars would show up at 1030 am or later. Waiting games is the order of the days (and the nights) for these buggers in the SAF.

Nothing in the army surprises me anymore. So I can't quite figure out why it's pulling me down. I suppose it's the break in my daily routine life that eats into me. Instead of starting work from 7.30am to 5pm as I normally do at work, I'll have to start my day from 8am to 6 pm during the course. What's more, we're expected to stay back for some night training. That's the SAF way. And it seems that I've no choice but to abide by the rule....bringing inconveniences not only to me, but also to the slim lady, junior and senior junior ...

More somber news on the young men who collapsed while jogging. An article in the newspaper today suggests that high cholesterol may be the reason behind the death of these seemingly healthy men. The writer quotes the chairman of the Singapore Heart Foundation as saying....

"...Apparently healthy youths may have high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure or be pre-diabetic - putting them at risk of sudden heart attacks and stroke. Such problems could cause plaque to build up in their arteries. Ironically, exercise could have ruptured the plaque, leading to their death..." unquote.

He also advocates that young men be checked for cholesterol and blood glucose levels during their pre-enlistment check-up. Treatment for affected men could be as simple as taking an aspirin a day. More importantly, these measures will save lives.

Clearly, there're larger issues in life than my "Weekend blue" brought about by the SAF. Trying to stay positive....

Seems like old time ....

I no longer served my ICT, having completed my 13-year cycle in 2003. I guess most males in Singapore, whether we like to admit it or not, view the army and the ICT as a complete waste of time. But being able-body and fit like a bull, most of us have no choice but to be enlisted for National Service. The joke that went round during my time was just SAF - Served and F***** off. It was with great pleasure that I kissed the SAF goodbye in 2003.

Sometimes, life can be stranger then fiction. By a twist of fortune (or misfortunate), I have been selected to attend a 1-week course in an army camp - the very one where I used to served my ICT no less! It was a collaboration of sorts my company has with the SAF. Man, it was like going back to an old girl friend whom I parted ways in less then friendly term. It seems like old time ...

The trip to the camp today brought back nothing but bad memories about my army days. The smell of the lecture room which still looks very run-down, the regimental manners which some of the officers adopt when talking to their "men", the few recognisable faces of my army "baddies" (as opposed to "buddies") who were guilty of "tekaning" me one way or another when I was a "little wet behind my ears", and yes, even the army food though the food has improved slightly over the years.

I was however, pleasantly surprised by some of the baddies' hospitality. Perhaps age does mellow people down somewhat. Alex, the skinny fox who used to be the ICT RSM and has seemingly put on some weight in the middle, was one of the firsts who greeted me. I never could see things eye-to-eye with him. But hey, he was quite nice today; telling me that life in the army was so good that was why he put on weight. The kind hospitality could also be due to the fact that perhaps I'm no longer there as a reservist but rather as a guest... Still I can’t get over the "military" style of management in the camp. That's one reason I resigned from the army 16 years ago....

I have no doubt I'll have a "swear" time with the SAF next week ....

A generation fed on hamburgers and french fries...

Since my entry "damn if you do, damn if you don't" about how young and seemingly healthy men collapsed while exercising, there have been at least two more cases of such incidents in recent weeks and both involving young NS men in the SAF.

The latest casualty was only 19. A reader of the Sunday Times wrote to suggest that these casualties were victims of a heart disorder known as arrhythmogenic right-ventricular dysplasia (ARVD), a genetic condition in which the muscle of the right ventricle of the heart turns into fatty or fibrous tissue. He added that ARVD affects about one in 5000 people but may cause up to 20% of sudden cardiac deaths in people under 55. A series of non-invasive tests can determine if one has the disorder (more information on ARVD can be found in ARVD)

My colleagues and I have another theory. We think it maybe due to the food we eat. Fast food to be more precise. After all, such sudden death seems to be pretty uncommon during our parents' time where food are usually cooked and consumed at home. These young people belong to the generation of hamburger-munching kids.

Such death seems to go against the fact that life expectancy for men and women has gone up. According to the Singapore Ministry of Health, the 1998 average life expectancy was 75.2 years for men and 79.3 years for women. Today in 2005, the figure should be higher. So, it really does not make sense when some of my colleagues said that with the kind of life we're leading and the food we're eating, we’d be lucky if you can live past 60. You see, some of my close friends are already in the 48-50 age group. It's depressing to think that there're only 10 or 12 years more to go before hitting the bucket, a sentiment shared by Victor Koo. A lifetime is really short. So little time.... and so much things we want to do ........

The pre-war houses I grew up in......

My pal Victor Koo waxed lyrical about the Clark Quay of yore in his blog and how the old Singapore River brings back fond memories for him, memories of precious relationships, and memories of teochew minced pork noodles sold in a coffee shop at the river.

Though we're almost 8 years apart, I realise Victor and I have something in common. We love to reflect on the pasts.

I grew up in the vicinity of Chinatown, in a small lane known as Club Street. So did my Dad who is in his mid-70s. We stayed in the pre-war houses, in what was called "wu jiao jie" in Chinese or "5-foot path" houses until the government decided to develop the area and resettled us in a HDB flat at Ubi Avenue. The house (the one with the red arrow in the pix; the blue arrow on the highest level was where my family of six lived) where we used to live has been preserved for its historical value. The whole stretch of Club Street has been converted into a street of pubs, restaurant and advertising agencies. I'm glad about the preservation but some of the other buildings and landmark worth preserving have not been spared - the National Theatre is one and more recently, the National Library.

Anyway, back to my childhood in Chinatown. Life was hard then, but simple. The extended family of my father, totaling about 30 people, young and old, lived under the same roof, together with hordes of annoying and irritating rats and cats. There were only two toilets and two kitchens, one each on both level of the house. With so many people, it was hard, if not impossible, to live in harmony. I remember the squabbles, the shouting and screaming among my relatives. My grandma, the matriarch, could not keep the family intact when she was alive. It was only after her death, that Dad and his siblings started talking to each other and to these days, they remain close. My grandma would have been so happy. But I couldn't help wondering how much happier she would have been had her children bury the hatchet while she was still alive....

I remember the good times too. The whole neighborhood would be bustling with activities whenever the various dialect clans organised a wayang show to appease the gods. That means at least 4 days of wayang show staged on man-made wooden stage. When the stage was up, kids like us in the neighbourhood would start pushing wooden crates from some of the sundry shops nearby, sticking them high in the front of the stage to "chop" the area for a good view. As the days wore on, stalls after stalls would line both sides of the streets selling food, such as Char Kway Teow, satay, and stalls selling toys, and offering games such as tikam tikam.

Though we were quite poor then, we were quite happy and contented with what we've got. For a mere 30 cents, my mum could buy a bowl of prawn noodle from a cart stall on our side of the street in the afternoon. Without fail, she would order a bowl each afternoon with the 30 cents she kept on top of the kitchen cabinet. Once, my sis and I stole the money and treated ourselves to some sweets bought from the "ah por" whose cart was much further down the road. Needless to say, Mum gave us a beating we never forgot upon discovering the theft.

I know my Dad is also full of memories for that house. He told me once to drive him to Club Street just so that he could take a look at the changes made to Club Street over the years ......

"Counsellors" know best....

My colleagues and I are not lacking in lunchtime activities since moving to our new office in Science Park. We can work out in the gym; sign up for yoga lessons; and for the less physically-inclined, catch a movie at the auditorium. My office also organises lunchtime talks by professional trainers and counsellors on improving the quality of family life. Such was the attitude of the management. These days, family seems to have taken precedent over office. I'm most glad.

Last month, we attended a talk by a speaker on "Why women is always right and men are never wrong" during lunch. I sat enthralled, as the speaker talked about the differences between men and women and how men and women should recognise these differences, compromise with each other, and learn to live with each other. Easier said, then done, I must add. But I thought the speaker was entertaining and funny. His depiction of daily-occurrences between a wife and her husband and the way he brought the message across almost always left us in stitches. Perhaps what he said has struck a chord with both the women and men in the audience. And what did he say? That how men are always wanting sex, even if it's just a quickie, and how women are always complaining that we men are in the room physically, but our mind are so far away in "lala" land, always nodding our heads in agreement while burying our heads in the papers and never really listening and understanding a word spoken by the women. Hilarious.

There was another talk today by another speaker. Today's talk is about the different style of parenting and it's no less entertaining. The speaker spoke about three parenting styles - Sgt Major style (aka "Do-as-I-say-dun-argue" style), the Jellyfish style ("I'll-do-everything-for-ya style") and the Busy Bee style (aka "I'm-very-busy-fend-for-yourself style).

It got me thinking of my parenting style. I suppose most parents, like myself, don't stick to a particular style but adopt different styles whenever the occasion calls for. For instance, when imposing a curfew on the kids, I'll use the Sgt Major style. When I'm teaching my kids how to fish (as oppose to giving them the fish), I'll use the Busy-bee style approach. Again, it's really easier said then done...

The speaker also spoke of the WOO or Window of Opportunity. The WOO phase occurs when the child is between the age of 6-12. This is the time to nurture the kids. Once we miss the WOO phase, so the speaker went, the kids have pretty much been moulded and it will be difficult to get the kids to change for the better. Senior Junior is now 13. It makes me wonder ... have I missed his WOO? Can I not "nurture" him any further? Oh the angst of parenthood!

Junior's Birthday

Junior turns 7 today. The slim lady surprised me (and Junior) with a cake she's bought for Junior yesterday. It was about 9.30 am. We lighted the candles and sang happy birthday to Junior. Senior Junior was still staying over at Grandma's.

Junior has already received lots of presents and "ang pows" from the grand parents and yiyi and ah chek. The cake is really something extra. We don't usually 'celebrate' birthday for him. The slim lady has this notion that too many birthday celebrations ain't good for the kids, in a superstitious sort of way. Whatever.

Lynn's Wedding Reception

Today is also Lynn's wedding. The wedding reception was held at Goodwood Park Hotel, one of the finest in Singapore. Lynn looked radiant and pretty today, as most brides do on their big day.

Though we were split into two tables with some of us having to sit with total strangers, the food more than compensate for this. Here's wishing Andy and Lynn everlasting matrimonial bliss .......

The upgraded lifts that take us to a new "HIGH".

The flat-dwellers in my mum's block are ever so happy. For almost half a year, they had endured the dust, the noise and the inconvenience that have resulted from the lift upgrading works on the block. It's part of the HDB interim upgrading programme for matured housing estates. And now, as from yesterday, the spanking new lifts that have been built at both corner ends of the block have finally sprang alive, breathing a life of their own, and bringing great cheers to the folks living on the "non-lift" landing.

I was happy too, for my mum and especially for my Dad who, in his mid-70s, has to endured descending two floors to take the lift on the 6th story every morning on his way for breakfast. It's hard for him, being a former stroke patient.

On the two occasions that I've taken the new lift, total strangers simply broke into conversation with each other, all expressing gladness that finally, they have a "personal" lift right in front of their unit to call their own. The conversation goes something like this.

Scene no. 1
me : Wah, shiok hor, the new lift? (talking to a man with me in the lift).
man : Ya man. Makes our live so much easier. Er, which floor you going?
me : 8th please.
man : oh me 2nd floor.
me : oh (expressing surprise and trying to hide my comtempt for his
laziness). Er...I guess 2nd flr also take.After all you also paid for it
right? (sounding a bit unsure)
man : of course, everyone who stays in this block must pay. Oh, my floor's up.Bye
me : bye (looking at him with even more contempt as he turned to exit the lift).

Scene no 2
me : Which floor ?(I asked upon entering the lift with a tudung
Malay woman right behind me)
woman : 5th floor please. Wah so happy finally got the lift.
me : Ya, I'm happy too. But this is not my flat. I'm visiting my mother.
woman : Oh, not your flat ahh...

Before she could go on, the lift door opened and she said "bye". So you see? Everything about the new lift is positive. Besides serving the elderly and the "lazy", it's also an icebreaker, helping the shy and the uninitiated to open up to each other. Haha.

Sad to say, my flat which is just a stone's throw away from my mum's, was not in the line-up for the upgrading exercise, and I wonder why and when? Must I wait till I'm in my 70s, like my Dad? Never mind the new housing estates. On a more serious note, whoever was in charge of HDB constructions decades ago, was obviously myopic. Didn't they see this coming? The graying population? The aging workforce? To add insult to injury, we flat-dwellers have to pay for the upgrading. It's like admitting you made a mistake and making others pay for your mistake. I come in peace and no offence to the "gahmen". No logic leh....

Batman Begins (not to make much sense) ...

Caught "Batman Begins" today with the kids. Turned out that the latest movie of the comic hero by DC Comics is actually an adult movie. Yes, definitely an adult movie -without the sex parts.

The movie attempts to trace Batman's origin, devoting a good half of the movie on the slaying of Bruce Wayne's parents in a robbery, how Bruce went missing, and how he finally emerged, 7 years later, showing off his "ninja" (can you believe that?) moves. It transpired out that while missing, he was being trained by martial arts mystic. There was even a scene of him in a Chinese prison, speaking Chinese and proclaiming that he's not a criminal, "我 不 是 犯 人". Films critics on the paper commented that this movie was much "darker" compared to its predecessors. Darker because it has, or rather Batman has so much negative energy in him, and being pre-occupied with revenge in his mind. I agree. It was so dark that I've have difficulty trying to follow the movie. Somehow, I have problem coming to terms with a Batman showing off his high kicks and ninja moves.

I'm not a film critic, so I'm not going to comment more. Junior was getting fidgety, asking me several times "when is Batman going to appear"? And I bet many kids in the cinemas were asking the same question. Should have watched Madagascar instead. Hmmm....

Table for 12

Dinner at my mum's place is usually not a "get-together" affair in the strict sense of the word. This holds true even for reunion dinner. Firstly, the dinner table can only sit 8 people. Secondly, it's difficult to get everyone to arrive punctually to have a decent meal together, hectic as we are.

Today's being Father's day, my sis-in-law, May, decided to play chef for Dad, and gave mum a "day-off". What's more, she has thoughtfully extended a small table next to the dinner table, just so that all 12 of my extended family members could have dinner together.

May did quite a commendable job, whipping up dishes such as fried chicken wings, fish balls and sotong balls, pork-rib soup. I was impressed, and wonder how the slim lady might have felt. She did muttered how redundant mum would have felt. This statement, coming from her, is understandable, considering she's the other daughter-in-law. She also happens to be "not a very good cook". I told her to just eat her food.

Of late, Nick, my bro and his wife have been trying to open up communications in the family. And what better way to communicate then during dinner? I've always said, food is a great way to bond with your friends and loved ones.

Today is also my day. Senior Junior gave me a card, a VCD(ocean twelve) and a friendship band which has my name "Chris" stitched on it. He asked me to wear it to the office, and I said I would. Not to be outdone, Junior also gave me a card and has drawn a picture of his Dad bald-headed (???!!).

Now, I wonder why Senior Junior gave me a friendship band. It seems he wants me to be his "friend". Was it because a friend won't yell at you to study hard, tidy up the room and be sensitive to the needs of others? A friend also won't stop you from spending hours on the PS2 and computers? Some people subscribe to the thinking that we parents ought to be friends with our kids. I agree, but with some misgivings. We can't be friends with them all the time. If not, one fine day, you'll find them sitting comfortably on the top of your head.

I'll wear the band, kiddo. But don't expect Daddy to be your friend, always.

A trip of family togetherness...

I brought the kids and the slim lady to the Mainland Fish Farm at Pasir Ris today. It's a trip I've been wanting to make since Victor Koo told me about it weeks ago. Since the school holidays started, I've yet to take the kids out. So, more than anything else, the trip is really about making me feel less guilty for not having spent enough time with the kids during the hols.

I was surprised that the slim lady wanted to tag along too, cause I was quite sure she would much prefer to settle in front of the tube with her Korean VCD. What's with those Korean "auntie killers" anyway? They look like a bunch of sissies to me, to say the least. This is so politically incorrect, but what a heck. Anyway, the slim lady decided it was time for some family togetherness, too, and so off we went.

The farm wasn't that impressive. It has various ponds built into rows, housing mainly fishes such as the Japanese carps. To make the trip more exciting for the visitors, fish food at $1 per pack can be purchased over the counter to feed the fishes. Junior wasn't that excited. He was more so eating the ice-cream we purchased at the farm. Needless to say, "senior junior" (as my pal Victor would have called my elder son who is 13), was equally bored, though he assured me that the trip was certainly "not lame". There are some fishes on sales, mainly gold fish. Out of sheer boredom, I bought 4 guppies at a dollar each. Not exactly cheap, but just wanna inject some fun and excitement for the kids in the trip. Ya, they help to choose the guppies and fish them out of the tank. Still, the trip is not a total waste. If anything else, the kids did bond with me and the slim lady in that 1 and half hour we spent at the farm.

Damn if you do and damn if you don't

I'm getting back to my exercise regime again - slowly but surely. Never an exercise freak, my exercise regime usually comprises a 10-15 minutes jog about two to three times a week. Sometimes, I simply "brisk-walk", and if my wallet is with me, I sometimes ended up at Tampines Mall to do a bit of "shopping". So you see, I'm extremely adapt at multi-tasking - walking, jogging and shopping at the same time! If I'm in the mood, the jog will be followed by a couple of sit-ups and that's about it. I used to jog to get fit for IPPT (Individual Physcial Proficiency Test), always aiming, at the very least a silver award which means a reward of $100. Happy that I was no longer liable for my reservist training, I thought I could "kiss" exercising goodbye and for a year or two, I was happy and "carefree". That happiness was short-lived, for I soon found out that I'm suffering from hypertension. Daily medication followed. The slim lady (my wife) told me to stay positive and think of the pill as an M&M. How sweet! I was also told to watch my diet and exercise regularly by the doc. My daily lunch with my colleagues adds to my woes. These lunches can be quite elaborate at times -roast duck and pork, kway chap, oil-dripping-mee-pok tah and yes, char kway teow with lard cube. It's extremely difficult to resist such food; more so the company of my colleagues. You see, we love food and food, I soon discovered, is a great way to bond with friends.

So, I reckon exercising is the only way to go, if I were to continue enjoy eating my food; and to "prevent myself from eating to death". For a while, I was quite "happy" exercising. Then, two guys from my office collapsed while exercising, both within months of each other - the first, in his mid 20s was working out in the office gym when it happened, and the other, in his early 40s was out jogging at his housing estate. Both men were reasonably healthy and both death were said to have been caused by a sudden heart attack. I was shocked and saddened by their untimely departure; so were many of my colleagues. Exercising is not suppose to take away lives. If it does, then why bother? I was spooked, and put of exercising altogether.

I went for my routine checkup at the polyclinic recently. Other then the hypertension, the dear doc told me that my cholesterol level was a little wee bit high but that, he added, should not be a cause for concern and no medication is needed. Otherwise, he continued, I'm fit as a fiddle and should start exercising to keep the cholesterol level in check. When I related the incidents of my colleagues to him and expressed my fear of exercising, he said that sometimes, there are genetic factors behind these incidents. One should be able to monitor one's condition during exercising and to slow down or stop when one starts feeling uncomfortable. It doesn't feel right not to exercise with the kind of food I'm indulging. At the same time, it's also insane to deprive myself of those food that I love. Because you only life once. Becasue I've stated exercising again. And mostly because "I LIVE to EAT".

A new hobby....

I have taken up a new hobby - keeping fishes and aquatic plants. Like keeping a blog, rearing fishes can be rather therapeutic. I can sit in front of the aquarium, admiring my fishes for hours; and if I can take my fish for a walk, I would. I've added quite a number of fish in my aquarium, among them - cardinal tetra, rummy nose, guppies, green-eye tetra. Sometimes, I feel like a retiree, whose only pass time is keeping fishes and washing his car over the weekend. But my good pal, Victor Koo reminded me that I'm luckier than most retirees, many of whom may not have the means to own a car. Victor never fails to make me feel how lucky I am, to be born in the "lap of luxury".

Last weekend, Victor brought me to a fish farm. I've never seen so many variety of fish for sales. Colourful ones, and dull-looking ones; huge ones and big ones. And the price are all dirt cheap too. The lady who owns the farm was extremely kind and helpful and I bought so many fishes that I had to stay up late to care for them until the wee hours. Needless to say, I ended up with dark circles under my eyes the following day; all thanks to Victor Koo.

Here, take a look at my aquarium. Ain't it pretty??


My aquarium 


My fishes and aquatic plants..... 

Not over the hill, and certainly not off (nor on) the pill ....

It's that time of the year again, when you see people emerging from the Boss' office, some with happy faces, some with smug faces, and yet some with crest-fallen and angry faces. It's the time when all around you, people were seen hurdling in one corner of the office, whispering in hushed tone, and time when emails from the office computers were flying across the room, faster then the speeding bullet.

It's promotion time in the office. Today's entry is not about me not being promoted. It's about those colleagues of mine who did and did so deservedly. Today's entry is a celebration of sorts, for their promotion.

VT, an outstanding colleague of mine 9 years my senior was one of those promoted. He bought us lunch at Sakura Thai restaurant today. The food was good; the company even better. VT's promotion is important to many people his age. It gives them hope with the message that men and women of 50 are certainly not "over the hill" and off the pill (for the women) nor on the pill (for the men). My good pal Victor Koo was most pleased and encouraged. You see, Victor has the notion that people in his age group have no more room for advancement in the office. Mind you, Victor is not your average employee. Fast approaching 50, he is a consultant in my office. VT's promotion has offered a glimpse of hope to Victor, and many others, I'm sure.

Victor, if you're reading this, I look forward to your treat in the very near future. Cheers!

Me and my new toy .....

I bought myself a toy today. Ok, so it's not exactly brand new. It's a 2-month old nokia phone - Nokia 6260, a phone which I've been lusting after for sometime. I just love the look and feel of Nokia 6260. It costs me $240 from a Yahoo auction where I placed a bid and won. It would set me back by at least $300 if I were to get a brand new one from a retail store, without a line connection. Now, sitting in front of my computer, writing this blog, I wonder why I bought it at all. Firstly, the phone has too many features which I don't think I'll ever need. It features a camera with a lousy resolution, a radio which is not even in stereo, and Bluetooth connection which allows me to hook up a wireless headset and roam the earth looking like some kinda alien from Mars. The best joke of all - the gods in my office have issued strict directives stipulating that camera and video phones are not to see the light of day in the office premises. Well fine. It would be my weekend phone.

This is not to say that I regret buying the phone. There's no time for regrets. Let's just say I love to give myself bonuses sometimes. After all, the time is right for some retail therapy. It's The Great Singapore Sale, of course!!