A parable of a man's clothes.

Once there lived a man who was happy go lucky and liked to go about bare bodied.
In summer, he ran about in the glorious sunshine whilst in winter he stayed snug inside his parents' cottage - enjoying hot food.
One day, he saw a beautiful shirt and was attracted to its' intricate design and wanted to buy it - believing it will enhance his look and increase his happiness.
His parents pointed out that the material was coarse although colorful but the man was adamant.
He bought the shirt and instantly wore it. The material made him itch but he ignored it and went gaily about showing it to all his friends.
During summer, when the sun bear down on the man, the shirt made him all itchy and uncomfortable. During winter when the cold came - the shirt did not help the man withstand the cold. However, the man treasured the shirt and took care of it carefully - mending it when it was torn and keeping it safe.
One day, a rogue came and stole the shirt from the man whilst he was sleeping.
When he discovered the theft, the man was heartbroken but unknowingly, his itch disapeared and he once again took to the streets with a bounce in his stride...

Let he who has ears let him hear...


Sam-in-reflective-mood.

Closing 2009

It's been a while since this was updated - we have all been caught up in the frantic facebook twittering..that I have forgotten this blog of old.
Somehow it feels like visiting an old friend - cozy familiar feeling - so many years of sharing with this old friend..:)

So 2009 - the defining year where we are supposed to be in Depression and what do we have? Booming properties...banks again having fat bonuses...shares rocketing..I mean this is like the classic IT scare of Year 2000 bug - the bark is worse than the bite.

Yang has done well last semester - hitting above 80 for the first time! Also, he managed to beat me (him using freestyle and me using butterfly) - kinda unfair but it is pretty amazing still..

So what have we achieved besides? I got my first Rolex! hehe milestone of my life...
And Wabe also got a Tag Heuer.

In short, a pretty good year given the rather negative start in the begining (Lehman Brothers etc).

This is hoping for a new start next year!

Sam

$$ !

Despite a profit 66 % down - that's actually Nokia's year on year comparison...qtr to qtr - it's 20 plus % up. Yes, the slump is finally grinded to a halt and our market share has been up again..hurray!!

Bonus as Obama keeps braying and braying..is back..and expecting a fat fat bonus come Sep ! heh heh heh

Everybody...get ready.. HUAT AR!!!

Also...Wabe's checkup is ok!!!

Huat AR!!!

Yang's homework is improving and also his Bronze training is good..

HUAT AR!!!

hehe everyone huat huat..

Ok time to calm down..

Sam in what car to buy next mood..hehehe

cheats for games

first i going to show you planet cazmo.first go to the tree and click on it. some tree dout have money.second is clubpenguin. ok you going to get me right.ok just a joke.rockhopper is coming.third is aq. no aq cheats sorry. now is cheats.except for planet cazmo.clubpenguin has alot of things.from becon there got a wizard hat.aq is a fun game just play w3ith a friend to beat king monsters. see you.

50% work from home

Nokia announced a work from home scheme starting 15th May. Actually this is a good move - most of us rarely goes to office formally anyway ...
The good news is.. we are getting paid 700 dollars (to buy desks...chairs... for our "home" office.) this time.

For once, I am stumped for what to buy....but it's nice :P

I realized Yang is telling people I am a big boss and have loads of $$!Jesus Christ...if IRAS come checking..I will know who is the culprit:)

Well, on hindsight..he didn't lie too much :P I do have a senior manager grade and so far, money is good...
I ponder on whether to teach him my Reward/Effort view of the world...Wabe will surely be mad with me....in the grand scheme of things...why always be so hard up on rules when the end game is about cash?

As a chum in NUS said b4 "The end justifies the means"

Wabe's effort in her work far outweighs mine - because she cannot "let go" - you can call it detailed...or u can call it micromanage.
Rewards wise...on last count...I made almost one third more and at less than 1/2 her effort...

Still, I respect Wabe because of her tenacity to get things done...I think she is an excellent executor.
I excelled in innovation - perhaps that's why our habits are so different..

So for Yang...let's see...he will have to choose his own rules. :)

Sam

Financial

Amidst the gloom and stress at work - I got a very unexpected email from my dear boss Mr Heikki :) The day was already fraught with many work related issues and tempers were flying ... and I was begining to wonder why the hell did I struggle so hard...then the email came ... TINK..8 37 pm - I was still discussing a project plan with a Beijing vendor when the screen briefly flashes...***Good News***.

I resisted the urge to scan the mail as I knew it will break my train of thoughts..
901 pm..I finally ended the call...details..I am awarded performance shares...this is delirious happiness not just the $$ but more a recognition for effort.

Sam in his happy mood.

Ubin Trip

The truth bites :P




Before the climb...





Chek Jawa Kee.





2nd Uncle also exploring.





Explorer Bee.





Monkey Part 2. :P




Monkeying in a chartered bus. Part 1.





Happy couple - 2nd romance :)




The Dado.






Is Kee doing what I think he is doing?






Safely in Ubin - now to look for a sumptious seafood meal!







Onboard the high seas - the Kee.




Waiting for the ferry.

It was way past its time to be uploaded but one of the rare times the Bee ventured beyond the comfort zone of a NTUC airconditioned comfort..

New Addition to the family

It's taken almost a month - but I did not have the time to write on the latest addition to the family - Lucky the Pug :)

It was something which I did not expect Wabe to accede to but I reckoned she wants Kee to have some companionship - for my part I am a bit apprehensive due to my previous experiences with dogs...the mess...smell etc

It started with a drive after prayer to grandmother-in-law to PS in the East. It was a pleasant drive and i got my Nokia GPS to work beautifully..and then we reached the farm.

the first enclosure was the pugs and Lucky (we didn't named him then) was prancing up and down and Kee and I were instantly connected...perhaps it's fate / karma etc but it felt right - can't put the feeling anymore clearly than that :)

3 plus k later - laden with cage food etc...we went home - a brand new frontier in Life's voyage!

Wabe outdid herself - the balcony was converted to a neat doggy's place and Lucky was already TOILET TRAINED! haha either he is high IQ for a dog or they trained him well ...I like to think the former:)

Kee was tasked on evening's poop takeout and washing - he is quite diligent in those and I hope he learns something from it.

I saw the average pug is around 9 plus kg - Lucky is only 2 plus now (maybe 3 now?) - he will be a fit tough PUG if Wabe don't spoil him with food too much :)

Onward ! The family embraces a new member and bravely sets forth the Sea Of Dog Ownership :)

Sam