Rash Words

The events recently has taken its toll on Wabe and I feel sad and yet proud of her for such unselfish care and concern for her grandmother.

Perhaps my words earlier was too strong and it did not get published - well too bad for that!

From my past experiences, the true faces of loved ones will come to reveal themselves as the crisis persists .. spiteful words will be hurled... accusing fingers pointed...

It takes great maturity and strength to walk this path correctly and to focus on the act of providing the best for the loved one who lie sick.

Action speaks louder than words - it is easier to rant than to offer a simple act of help.

Tis not the time to lament on the indignities of life unfairness - it is unfair anyway.

We do not shake the dust of our sandals like the apostles of old and leave the village who do not accept them - cursing "Even Sodom will be better than you in the lasy days.." More importantly, we should listen with ears to the real message behind a rebuke - we do not cuss family members with vulgarities ( vipers who caused my grandmother's misery not included:)).

Remember and hope and pray - Wai Por is sick. Keep this in perspective.

Yours truly disgusted,
Sam

A Better 2007...Hopefully

Told da that I would like to write in his blog today and he wanted me to do that after he is done with his blogging...and god knows, his access was denied (must be due to the earthquake in Taiwan)....and he was not successful in pasting over what he had been writing for the past 15 or 20 minutes. Well, told him that this is just a sign that his blog is not meant to be published then.

Anyway, this is the 2nd time that I am writing and the reason why I am writing, cos it is towards the end of 2006 and I am sincerely hoping for a better 2007. Have been going through a lot mentally lately...starting from the time when Yang appears to have learning disability to grandma not being well physically and then to office work becoming heavier and of cos, with my upcoming Paris trip and Krabi trip where both trips requires me to be very focused and will suck all my available timing...

January is gloomy, I feel...the stress from work and family....
Work - lotsa things uncompleted...and having different bosses with different expectations and half the time caught in between them...is a real pain. But I have wanted very much to show that I can perform and out-perform and am trying very hard to achieve this. Did not want to leave this place with people feeling that I am going off because I CANNOT do it, which will definitely not be the case. My egos does not allow me to have this happening!
Family - Yang's report from the therapists will be out soon and while I can't wait for the reports to be available, I fear when the reports are available. Am fairly sure that I have to start sending him for therapy sessions....
Then comes Grandma's condition. Everytime I bring her for sessions with the doc, my heart aches...she seems to have aged so much that she cannot move like before, she express fear about things like the day surgery, like having to do the various tests to prepare for the day surgery, etc. And as much as I would like to be of help, there is nothing that I can do except bring her there and ferry her home. For this, I thank Da for all his kind acts of helping me with all this driving around...with no complaints.

Seems to be more emotional lately...talk to anyone for a while and I suddenly feel like crying...just like yesterday, quarreled with Da over some small stuff and cried and the crying help...cos I realised that I have not dared to cry openly lately..and the crying help let loose some emotions...

Spoke with the other cousins today whoever is there and all seems to understand and willing to do a part for the family, which is a consolation....and of cos, the next thing is when mum joins the conversation and went on and on and on....about responsibility, about the friends around us who may not be that good, about things that all should have been doing, etc, etc. And frankly, the way she puts it across is not friendly at all...if I were much younger, i would have taken offence, but I know that she is just as frustrated and there is no point pointing fingers at each other over all these happenings. I let her be and sincerely hope that the cousins would not think too much into it...

Mum told me Grandma cried just now...saying she owed me and Sam a lot...and it hurts even more to hear that...she has been very caring towards me all the years and what I can do for her is just so little...if money can buy anything, I would have bought her HEALTH. I know she fears being a burden and does not want for us all to suffer, but there is just so much that I or we can do.

Wanted to try to bring her around as much as I can, and wonder how much more time we can do all these...she looks so tired...she slept much much more than I ever know and she has not much energy and strength like before, every step that she takes, it seems to be so difficult...walking round from one corner to another is no longer a simple chore for her...she worries for everyone at home...and I believe all we can do to help is to let her have less worries.

For once, besides my own religion, I prayed to all gods that can help her...and if you can hear me...please do all you can to make her better.

Family Musings

Family Musings

Beijing 2

So anyway, this will be a regular thing...
Next month..might be a Dallas trip to evaluate a data center...that would be steaks and beer galore :) on vendor account of course:) ....heh heh

So until then, have a merry Christmas amigos:)

From Sam, Wabe and Yangkee :)

check out the latest Yangkee!

One of the many thrones... 

majestic.... 

Beijing

Back from the trip in Beijing.

It was cold but not as cold as I thought - most days I wore only my business coat..but of course my office is like next building from Zhao Long Hotel.

Infrastructure wise - it is so much better than Bangalore and this is the first place I did not see Indian staff in a IT office! Truly my last assignments in Bangalore are hardship cases:)

I had my assistant from Accenture Beijing, Ruan Hang and he is a humble and capable chap and a bunch of Oracle account managers from Hong Kong who were US citizens. So there you have it - a motley crew of chaps working together in an ancient capital of China where Kangxi and Qianlong once ruled. :)
Ruan Hang is the poor chap - always have to make sure our logistics is ok so we brought him out when we are doing business lunches and dinners. Brought him to HardRock Beijing and introduce him to burgers where he smoked a China cigarette and called it capitalist garbage ..the rest of us ROFL for minutes! Chap is from Qing Hua Uni ok...dont pray pray...and one of the Oracle chaps is a PHD in IEEE - I feel so inadequate sometimes :)

Wrapped up on Thursday evening and so went to Forbidden City (Gu Gong) on Friday morning.

The wonder of it - the vastness...you can only ... experience it when you stand in the open court and gaze at the structure...imagine the old officials of old as they make their way up to the imperial court...these were made to impress and intimidate...

Some pictures I took...

"Wu Men"  

New Post

It's been a while eh.

Well things have picked up quite a bit at work..

The China team has requested me to their architect - so now I am feeling some load:) heh heh well compared to the old work, this is "manageable activity" - after all, I do not need to have to take of sales related activities anymore...I can concentrate fully on the geek stuff - hehe pure hardcore software engineering..I never felt so ALIVE:)

I am amazed that a company like this, being more communciations focussed are ... so imbuded with IT principles..the way of architecture...etc...it is like being in NUS again..

For one, my cuff link shirts is gonna look out of place ..i am going to start look for short sleeved shirts with pockets in front so I can stuff many pens and notes etc hehehe..I need to look the part of the geeky architect and not a business consultant:P

Sam

New Tires

JC recommended me to Hankook tires...not bad...the place has great games and free coffee and pool table and a lounge!

Got 225/45/18 and a battery. Alignment was done and damn, so many faults....

Finally, the sweet sound of silent tires....grip is quite good compared to Aspect in the rain. :)

FINALLY!

Sam

$$

Find more results for ORCL

19.66

Total Profit per share= 1.66 USD

10,000/18 = 555

Total profit to date = 922 USD = 1383 SGD

All within 1 month.......enuff said :D

Sam

$$

Oracle Corporation (Public, NASDAQ:ORCL) - Add to Portfolio - Discuss ORCL

Find more results for ORCL

19.66

Total Profit per share= 1.66 USD

10,000/18 = 555

Total profit to date = 922 USD = 1383 SGD

All within 1 month.......enuff said :D

Sam

Finland

of all luck..my luggage for stuck at Frankfurt while I am already at Helsinski...luckily the electronic tagging systems works and it will be delivered to hotel later at 9 pm.

It is incredibly cold...and I first saw snow in my 35 year old life...it is very surreal to have breakfast while seeing the flakes gentling flutter down in a big city square..the pavement was lightly cloaked in white...

Whilst enjoying this... I also heard from Wabe that Yang is not doing as well in school... invariably guilt sets in and my being away so far did not help things... I felt so helpless and wanting to go back and support the family. Well, no use lamenting ...we have to take action ..once I am back - we will need to see what is the problem - it's heart warming when a family cuddles to face adversity:)

Hmm...oh yeah ... was surprised to see a Singapore stall in a Finnish mall earlier! BEEF KWAY TIAO, I hollered. The owner was surprised and grinned..."Singapore ar? heh heh... ai harm chio mai?" hhehe damn it is so heart warming to hear local slang in a foreign country..the owner is also thrilled to see fellow countrymen :)

But still, missed Wabe and Yang Kee...can't wait to be back :)

Now watching them via webcam...:)

Sam

Yang's Performance

It's the morning before I will hop on the plane to Finland later.

Temp check - minus 5 degree max... not as bad as predicted! Got even a few days of 2 and 3 degree!

Last Friday was Yang's performance. Watching the play gave me a bittersweet feeling...while my heart burst with pride as a father when I see my little boy running and dancing on stage...I also realized time indeed has flashed past almost without us knowing..

Children....why do they grow up so fast?:) Such that every action..every word becomes memories quickly...

When I first saw Yang...he was wrapped in a blanket - with eyes wide open looking at me. I just bend over and introduced "Baby..this is Papa..welcome to the family..." The experience is something I will never forget in a hurry.

Right now, my boy still sleeps with us in our bed and likes to bury his hands and feet under our bodies to get warmth. Sometimes, you get irritated when he kicks you repeatedly in the night but..sigh..one day one will look back and gives a million dollars just to replay these childhood days with your children again.

I am glad we have resisted the travelling jobs before during these formative years - truly nothing will compensate these times with your child.

Yesterday, Wabe gave me a "Ping an Fu"..I wore it during the dinner and trip home :) I am very touched by the gesture... sometimes you realized one do not need much to be happy.. happiness comes from contentment and I am blessed with my family :)

Sam

Top Joy and meet up and all

Met up Roger, Chun, Che2 and Kwang Meng over Kah Soh at Queen's Town Club. I tried my new Top Joy 5 Iron which I bought at Grand BigWin last week - it is very very good - the same quality as my 7. The new set costs 5800 - that's an amount which I think is quite ridiculous - I spied a 2nd hand one at 850...that might be a choice later.
Still, I am quite satisfied with the strokes - darn thing is ..my driver back got whacked when I swinged the iron - dented! my 400 bucks driver...but luckily only a bit at the back and not the club face.

Dinner was fun CKM got lost and there was a lot of wisecracks going on and stories of our uni days .. of weird professors and skipped lectures and the then MUDD games.
Shared some financial talk - CKM went for Masters in Applied Finance and jumped ship from IT...bloody traitor:P He too advocated paying up house loan early..his will end next year!! I must work harder!!!

Coffee at Red Hill coffee shop and then it was time to go - for some of us...it will be a long time before we will meet again..till next time..

Finland trip is confirmed ...2 trips in Nov ...wow....will update when I come back.

I bought the new Olympus miu 720 - water resistant t0 3 m!! 7.1 !! slick with audio video!! Will use it to record my Finland trip :)

ORCL latest quote:

Oracle Corporation (Public, NASDAQ:ORCL) - Add to Portfolio - Discuss ORCL
18.46

Still above 18...I heard the APAC Business Object management team has left - is this a sign that Oracle will buy up BO as speculated? Should I plunge into the BO shares? Thinking.....


Sam

Ong Saleh Dah Vader Din Din!

Ok, the round starts..


Oracle Corporation (Public, NASDAQ:ORCL) - Add to Portfolio - Discuss ORCL

18.10

10 cents above my expected price...waiting for it to dip...I sold off at 18.26.. give this a 3 year horizon....I believe this baby can rock.


Incidentally, if I had bought USD 10k ORCL shares in 1986, I will be a USD4 millionaire now....man..that's really amazing isn't it.


The China thing is more difficult...when I am in Beijing..I will do more local survey... I will think infrastructure stocks will still do well as the country is big and they are still expanding. If we hit jackpot, this will surely be the fastest ticket to Financial Freedom.

Ok...meantime, let's pray ORCL dip below 18 tonight.

Sam

Investment

There can only be so much one get reap from mere savings. Even FD just mitigate the inflation rate..as well as safeguard any unforeseen circumstances.

I bought a PaySafe insurance as one of my flexibenefits recently - this will ensures 75% of my last drawn if I suddenly cannot work. This latest safeguard frees up some worries and since we are already well covered in other safe equities like FD and bonds, I think it is time we venture into the "DArK" side :P

Briefly, I analyzed a Orchard studio for rental returns... based on Buffet's Forum advice ..dropped it almost overnight.

For a start, I will use a test sum of USD 10k to invest - and track my returns in this blog from now.

I am a rookie investor and hopefully this exercise will lead to passive income to sustain me and Wabe when we are retired and Yang is working.

For a start, I have decided USD5k to be put into a tech stock for Oracle.

Another USD 5K will be invested in a China company ( currently still researching).

Debt side, the stupid car loan sticks out like a sore thumb - a painful reminder of stupidity extreme in days of yore. The only consolation is we will ride out the stupid remaining years...sigh.

On brighter note, house loan should be cleared in 5 years or less.

Overall, the battle plan looks fine. Wabe will be the sanity check for all of us in case *ME* goes crazy again:)

Here's to financial freedom.

Sam

Investment

There can only be so much one get reap from mere savings. Even FD just mitigate the inflation rate..as well as safeguard any unforeseen circumstances.

I bought a PaySafe insurance as one of my flexibenefits recently - this will ensures 75% of my last drawn if I suddenly cannot work. This latest safeguard frees up some worries and since we are already well covered in other safe equities like FD and bonds, I think it is time we venture into the "DArK" side :P

Briefly, I analyzed a Orchard studio for rental returns... based on Buffet's Forum advice ..dropped it almost overnight.

For a start, I will use a test sum of USD 10k to invest - and track my returns in this blog from now.

I am a rookie investor and hopefully this exercise will lead to passive income to sustain me and Wabe when we are retired and Yang is working.

For a start, I have decided USD5k to be put into a tech stock for Oracle.

Another USD 5K will be invested in a China company ( currently still researching).

Debt side, the stupid car loan sticks out like a sore thumb - a painful reminder of stupidity extreme in days of yore. The only consolation is we will ride out the stupid remaining years...sigh.

On brighter note, house loan should be cleared in 5 years or less.

Overall, the battle plan looks fine. Wabe will be the sanity check for all of us in case *ME* goes crazy again:)

Here's to financial freedom.

Sam

Housing

I was mildly surprised whem my 2nd uncle in law mentioned that he did not make much from his flat - they have bought less like 20 years ago?
Granted prices are still pits now...but then I realized he was talking about opportunity cost!
You lose interest in your CPF when you use it to supplement the housing installments..
Therefore the actual gains ...might not be as hefty as you think.

This is a good lesson.

Despite all the negative images tagged to a thrifty person, I believe this behavior augurs well for the family and I believe and is glad that my 2nd uncle in law family will be the most secured financially moving into the future.

Which then spark off another argument: We will need to enjoy as we do not know when we will die....

I guess this is because we are all in this world for a different purpose.

Why do men of great standing like Dr Tony Tan stood for public service when he could well earn much much more in private? I believe we are all imbued with different values - we have a purpose to fulfill in this world and we are made to ease into the role.

I belong to a segment that believes in the Reward / Effort ratio which Wabe is strongly against. :)

Simply put, any effort I put into a job will need to have a big reward...i.e if Reward value is high and Effort value is low, then Reward/Effort will definitely be high!

Not exactly a very moral guiding principle for life but like I said, we are all born differently.:)

HOWEVER, I think it would be very unwise if I were to not make any disclaimer to this idea. Make no mistake, the Reward/Effort is RELATIVE...it's just a ratio..we are not talking absolute values here...so it is not as if you can reap much for no work coz.... 10000000000/0 has no value (IT's not infinity, smartass).
So hard work is still needed. Then we can talk about Rewards :)

Sam

New Wheels

I went to meet Justin from Poh Heng. He is as legendary as they claim...very helpful

Traded in my 17 inch and get a new used 18 inch with Federal 595..very noisy as they are performance tyres...will wait till next year then change back to Aspect db.

Damn fierce man the rims..heh heh

Will post more pics next time.

Sam

Tarot Cards & New Skin

I changed my blogskin today... jesus christ I sound like a teenager...which 35 year old dude still blogs..(please excuse commercials like mrbrown..).

But here you have it... the new non nonsense blogskin.

I read the last few entries and I must say, the standard of my writings had been deplorable recently. I guessed I was too eager to show off my new "toys" etc that ... my thoughts overrunneth my speed of typing (this stupid ergonomic keyboard sucks big time btw...). Anyway I realised that the wit or if there was ever one was missing. I need to refocus man..:)

Went to a tarot card reading today in Maxell House with Zi Lin, Yang, mum-in-law, 5/3 aunties. Heck...I think I did that kinda stuff before..before my then pastor stormed my house to clear my amulets...books etc to burn in church. I remembered telling Lawrence that I can't meet him to play tennis because my pastor was exorcising me.. he was like "What the fuck ..your excuses are getting very kua zhang". I said "My pastor is doing qu mo for me.." He said "Qu ni ma de mo lar..." and hang up. heh heh

But this was indeed the truth - they struck the buddhist amulet I bought from a thai monk for 150 bucks with a hammer and burn it..
On hindsight, I could have sold it off in the bbs (no ebay in those days). They keep pressing my forehead and saying "In the Name of Jesus , get out"..
Actually, for a moment I thought they were talking to me..and tried to get up..then the 2nd priest muttered "Not you , idiot".
I felt very stupid then.

Sigh...I think they were expecting me to ..what you call..ah yes manifest...gutteral voices etc and strength of 10 men etc...they got 3 other guys to standby.

I just asked them after a while.."Finish already or not?"

They did not comprehend as ...perhaps I wasn't too grammatically correct...so I repeated "Are we done with the exorcism?"

They asked me if I felt like coughing..I said i did...I coughed once.

"YES! this is it..they have been expelled with that cough"....intoned the pastor seriously.

I was like.."Ok...so can I go back now?"

Man....very exciting times...I was told some people will vomit green stuff ..actually...from a scientific perspective, I think they had bronchitis and green phlegm..

Anyway, I am glad to be back on my sarcastic self:)

Signing off..

Sam

New Job Day

It's been almost a week in my new job. Pretty slow compared to my days in Oracle..
I was told to be "less" on the ball ... don't rock the boat, Tornado...me?...on the ball? Blokes really have it real easy as end users..haha .. no wonder I worked my ass off as a vendor previously.

I keep getting good news... we get several hundreds a day if we travel (!!?) ... they give us thousands each year to buy insurance!?!? this is getting fun man...

I still feel like in a dream.....

God...I need to buy a NEW golf set liao.....heh heh
Sam

PS: If this is a dream, God don't let me wake up!

Last Day In Oracle

Today is my last day in Oracle.

It's been almost 2 years since I joined as a TAM... strangely I do not feel anything...perhaps our nature of job made us so detached from the company as an entity.. it did not matter to me and thus did not have any emotional impact.

Incidentally, one of Siebel's last remaining VP has resigned today...so hey..I shared in his exit:)

Anyway, the new load of options just got vested TODAY...and I immediately exercised them away ..heh heh...some more pocket money..it's begining to look like the dot com days...

With that, my last assets with Oracle are transacted...I doubt I will come back again... so here's a final farewell...hope the product will grow and thus enhanced my skills value..:P

Sam

Golf

I managed to finally mastered my 3 woods...

This is one good bargain James Kong gave me... heh heh I think it was 99 bucks for this superb piece of Joy product.I think it cost 400 in its first entry.

And no wonder...the sweet ping of the contact is exhilarating..and the distance...beyond 180...this is simply too good..

I got so worked up..I went to buy a new golf bag...this Mizuno compact bag which weighs only 1.5 kg and looks really good...

I wonder if I have the time to continue this after I start my new work...hopefully..

Yang is sick for the last 2 days but he was still quite energetic ..this is probably a virus and Wabe is still working...this arrangement is not very comfy..sigh...

Hopefully, things will get settled down soon.

Lawrence is just begining to get used to being a father...I think he is scared shitless...heh heh

Come Saturday he was planning a golf trip with me...OMG~!! I think I will wait to see if Jolene kills him or not first..heh heh

Ok time to go..I am looking for a Callaway set ...heh heh..

Hmm... this feeling is very good..when I was young...I always do not have what I want ...no cool toys like Ninetedo..control cars...
Hmm...think I better stick to my thrify mode...as always it is not what you earn but what you save..

Sam

My first watch

I finally did it :) I bought the Omega Seamaster 300M Automatic - it feels so ... complete ..heh heh

And what did you know? Oracle shares shot up 2 dollars in a night!! essentially means my new watch is free! WOO HOO!!

Told you the wonders of money right...WOO HOO!!

Yang got a fever last night and we suspected a viral - Dr Low confirmed it - saying it probably emptied out in the bowel movement...thanks goodness!! Today he feels ok...probably grinning and smirking that he got a off day today...ah well...I can emphatise with that :P

Wabe will be off a few trips soon..pity we cant have a short trip before I start work... well I can probably go for some golf ... hey I just realized with my weight training and static exercise...my 7 iron has leaped to average 130m! that's 30m more!!

And in time, just that day when I was playing in Executive Golf, I was joined by an ang mo and a cocky chinese guy. Keep asking me when I started playing golf...how come carry a Sunday bag ... (I only brought a 3 and 7 iron, pitcher and putter).

When I screwed my firt tee ...he keep gloating with his ang mo fren..."Show us your best shot!"...

I just grinned and asked them how long they have played...since 94...WOw ..you guys must be pros! I said.

The ang mo took shot...the ball ROLLED beautifully......haha

"That's one way of reaching the hole .." I commented grinning.

The chinese guy took his 3 woods...and whacked...not too bad...

I took a 3 iron and whacked pass his shot by 20 feet.

BANZAI!!! lucky shot:P...but I proceed to whack their asses off during the 9 hole.

Hmm....maybe I should go and take my handicap...I might actually have it now!! heh heh

Ok ..time to sign off..

Sam
MORAL of Story: Never underestimate the guy with a 20 dollars Sunday bag and you with the PING and CALLIWAY sets.

The interest in the car stuff is dwindling...I had a feel of Yak's WRX on Wed...sad to say...I do not think I am suited to the turbo engine....the sudden acceleration is too forceful...can feel the head being jerked backwards... I do not think this is a safe car for normal drivers...

Was speaking to the mechanic..he said the driver of a CRV reverted the turbo after 3 days...said it was too fast...guess this confirms it...not all of us are destined turbo drivers. :(

Since I cannot proceed to the best of breed, might as well give up...but it was a good experience:)

Had a intense workout on Tue...till now can feel the muscles burning still like I am having fever..


Today must rest... for body to recover...

Sam

DAMAGED!

I am in a foul mood....some idiot( may he constipate for 3 days!) has banged into the side of my mean machine...my heart ached to see the dent and paint work...

Oh curse the fool ! Bloody bloody fool...

I mourned the damage by bowing in silence for 15 secs in front of the car.

Thankfully, it still roared to life with the VTEC manner.

Hmm... well MAYBE this is a sign that God wants me to khng my car more?

BUT I just found my RA6's model dont have legal exhaust (#$#$%$#)...

Body kit is expensive...saw the Wald's set...2k plus...Mugen is 3 k plus

Bloody ex...maybe i will just ask the mechanic to hammer back and touch up...hmmm...I can tell people..those are scars from battling the Forrestors?!

Ok ...that's it...I will do just that...pray I dont get tempted tomorrow and add a body kit...Wabe will kill me...

Mr Yak said there is a Blitz turbo...my god...it is too tempting..

Better go sleep.

Sam

Thanks Ah Ya Kor! 

Spider Yang is diving into the deep to battle the bullies to save mei mei ! 

Spider Yang leaps up - he is every vigilant... 

Oh no, mei mei is bullied ... where is Spider Yang? 

With Spider Yang's great power comes great responsibility - he is protecting the Ang household. :) 

My amateur attempt at special effects in photograhy :) 

Should I or should I not venture to the water ? 

Zoo Trip - the 3 kids :) 

New Job

I just deleted what I wrote earlier...gushing about the new job perks and all..

The material gains need to be tempered by humility and compassion still. Never never lose sight of the ability to laugh at oneself and the willingness to give without expectation.

Even the Bible says, "The meek shall inherit the earth."

Funny thing about this "giving" idea.... I found so many times... (it's scary) that when I give (usually on the monetary aspects) to others without any hint of expecting to be repaid (this is very important...normally if I have some hidden agenda, like expecting to be repaid etc...it gets screwed), somehow...just somehow I am rewarded many times over..

Trust me... just make sure you do it out of sincerity - you will be rewarded.

Whether you believe in karma (Cause and Effect) or God or Robert Kiyosaki, they talk about the strange effect of money... release it and it multiply...

I guess at the end of the day.. how many of us are sincere enough to take this up?

Have you ever helped a fellow human being in their hour of need? Even without karma, just seeing the other person comforted and happy by your gesture is reward enough.

Hmm... hey don't get me wrong.. I am not all kindness personified :) If you cut me in my "khnged" car, I will floor the accelerator and race you...heh heh

Talking about that...I haven't decided on the exhaust system...listen to the sweet melody of this beautiful piece...
http://www.magnaflow.com/04sound/04sport.asp

Wit that, I sign off..in the words of the Drift King (God bless his soul) Keiichi Tsuchiya

"You brake and then turn the wheel, step on the clutch, and pull the e-brake. Release the e-brake, go into countersteer mode, then wait. Wait until you know the car is facing the corner exit direction. then you smile and slam on the gas as you exit the corner." - Keiichi Tsuchiya

Wabe & Yang in the hotel in Bangkok 

Bangkok Trip (Me & Yang just arrived in the hotel) 

New Offer

The new offer has arrived - a big....big jump. I could not believe the amount - are they serious?! Truly the income gap will grow bigger.

I had to break it to my boss - they will counter on Friday. Geez I need to play it well....Damn

For now, to hell with the decisions and morality.

Am I too ruthless in my undertaking? But would my boss cut me slack in my work? No..the level of expectation will remain high if not higher - so I need to make my expectation clear too.

One of the war strategy is "To attack as a form of defence"

I merely moved faster. Hell...they are also eyeing the pie...less of mine is more of theirs...


Jesus Christ, what have become of me?

Have I degenerated to one of the pathetic slimeballs I used to despised?

Sigh.

Even my hobbies have turned violent with "Khnging" my car.


Perhaps it is as the Lord has said: "Truly it is harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven than it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle"

Pause.

Hmmm...once I get the best deal this Friday..I will add the Remus exhaust. Muahahaha.

Sam

Same Silver Mod: The actual baby...Damn it sounds fierce at high rev! 

Latest mod: Dual Input from Silver to the VTEC engine. 

Mod 2: One of the earlier success Hurricane air filter..together with the Denso Iridium Spark Plugs. 

Mod 1: Notice the Thule Roof Rack with 2 bicyle hook. 

Khng My Car

Presenting the new mod Odyssey:
(Part 1 : Notice the Thule roof rack with 2 bicyle hooks)

New events

Tis been a long while since I last updated this site...now one of the problem is this blogskin which kinda did not have the New Post functionality and I have to go do it from the main Blogspot page.

But I love the Inuyasha pic too much to revert :)

Now where shall I start... my car naturally..:)

Went to Autobacs yesterday ... Yang wanted to buy a horrid silver Robot sticker..want to stick it in the car bonnet... Wabe went one step further..she asked the "Khng Your Car" auntie if they can do a Spiderman logo.. With True "Khng Your Car" attitude..she of coz said No problem...bring your picture..anything also can do...BUT..only mono color.

Hmm..I guess I will not bring them the next time ...otherwise it will end up plastered with Marvel Capcom charactors :)

Asked the morose assistant about the CAI...he wasn't too helpful..basket so went off...

Approaching mum-in-law's place, I got a suddent revelation...there's a old shop next to the bicycle shop I bought one for Yang... looks VERY interesting...

Went in..my god...not a bad place..all kinds of "khng" stuffs:)

Decided on a Silver's Racing Air Power - essentially another inlet to the engine for forced air.

The mechanic was quite a clown... he said in Malaysian accented Chinese "Boss, your VTEC not powerful enough meh?

Then he said, "Be careful when you step on gas ..I will adjust to mid range first ...you see if you like.."

I said "Oh whatever..just do it"

He asked again "VTEC not enough huh?.."

Maybe he was saying MPV do not need this :) Whatever :)

Then decided on Philips Crystal White Lights.

Guy said "LTA approved, Boss..but sometimes they reject leh"

Man, I need to send this guy for sales training :) But at least he is honest :)

Just install lar, I told him.

Spied a Remus Exhaust....but maybe next time :) Wabe and Yang could be too tired.

finally, drove off...WHHOOOSH! If the Hurricane made the pickup smoother...this baby felt powerful...didnt kick in till after 3kplus rev...but damn...

heheh..I will post some pics next..

Signing off

Sam in "I just start to enjoy my fruits of labour" time :)

Sam at his best

I think I am now operating at peak performance...

I just found I am the top performer in Asia Pacific (if my boss did not BS me..)...and am put on an accelerated path in my current company..Man this is really some news after putting in real effort for the last 1 year plus..AND this come at no discount in quality time with family.:)

And I still have my pending external offer.. perhaps the feng shui is really working :) Thanks Lilian Too! and Wabe for pushing the idea.

And ... after the great bonus this round...I got 2 referral offers in!..haha the money I get for this...several thousands for er..just simply sending email and mobile numbers to HR..haha this got to be the best job man...since this is easy money I will use it to khng my car hehe.

I already spurged on a Thule roof rack and bicycle fix. Looks damn COOL! Mr Yak promised to get me damn cheap air mod and body kit from his usual mechanic..haha he even ventured to lower the car and add a turbo ...I stopped at that...this is anyway still a family car:)

So anyway, now the humble Odyssey have some semblance to a yuppie car...I wouldnt get comments like "Where's ya own car...how come driving ya dad's car?"

Woo HOO!!

Enough of self glorification. I apologise for the cocky strain .. haha I need to give myself a self congratulation!

Here's to higher glory..!

Signing out. :)

Sam

Good news

Well, now I am in Sheraton in Bangalore...heck...I will incur 1/2 day charge..but heck...

First thing, PRAISE to the LORD - for He has blessed Wabe with good health! Wabe is healthy! YEAH!

Praise Praise the LORD!

Secondly, I was told my 2nd interview went perfectly....$$ is not an issue wor..

But my current boss took the time to talk to me till past midnight... it will be a tough decision...

Anyway, I also just khng my car...fitted with Hurricane air filter and Denso iridium spark plugs and suddenly my Odyssey outran a Forrestor hehe.

Damn, these performance things work !

I will be spending more on performance that I can be sure :D sans turbo of course

Ok..
time to log off...

Yang didn't want to talk to me on phone because he was playing Lego Star Wars...sigh

Wabe's operation

Wabe is going to have her op this week....
And we didn't help any better by irritating her and not helping her out ( me and Yang).
Actually Yang fared much better - he is absolutely sweet when he was so shocked when I told him Mummy is going to hospital next week - he asked in such a spontaneous concerned way "why?? will she will be ok?"
Yang, you are in moments like this, an angel who lights up the starless night, a seedling who broke forth in the first bloom of the season - who bring smiles to us when the going gets really heavy and brings strength to us.

I pray to the Lord, in his mercy will watch Wabe during the operation next week and gives her strength. And also, I pray that Lord, in your compassion, protect and bless her, so she will continue to have good health.
Jesus, I asked this in Your Name - Lord, I asked that You will be the intercessor for the unbelievers - and You will forgive us in the multitudes of times when we knowingly commit sins when we reject Your Name.
You have said the ways of the Most High are not known to men and yet we have tried to explain and refute the Word.
Lord, in your Your Mercy , hear my prayer and extend Your Protection to Wabe for her op.
In this I pray in Your Holy Name, Amen.

Sam

Musings

After all the euphoria, it's begining to slow down... the interview went well but I called the headhunter straight after it as I felt I wasn't too ready to move...the push factor is not there...neither is the pull factor very strong...I guess I am not too inclined.

Hey ! I played golf last Sat...Palm Terrace...bloody hell...190 ringgit ...gosh it is EXPENSIVE..
But my drives were very good that day...around 200 plus ...which is not too bad for me :)

Lawrence too played well....so well..he finally bought his 1k plus irons..haha!

BTW, Yang's kinderland is GOOD! He wrote the date in chinese yesterday!! I am impressed:D

VERY PROUD of MY SON...hey that's my SON!

*GRIN*

Good work Yang. One small step for the homework..a giant step for Confidence!

Ok signing off..
Sam

Interview

Got a call yesterday - hey what do you know... the headhunter told me the prospective company wants to meet me.
Jesus Christ... this time round..I really have no intention to move out..anyway, let's see...I might not fit their needs anyway...will ponder more when it is more firm up..

Hey on the bright side, Yang has enrolled in his new school - Kinderland(?) Really good...I wondered how come I got convinced to let him go PAP in the first place...there is really no comparison when it comes to the myriad syllabus and the field trips etc.

He told of his role play in the Speech and Drama class when he acted as the Father Bear and how he could not stop giggling and his teacher told him Father Bear is supposed to be gruff and grouchy - not the happy chap Yang was protraying to be.

Ah but the youthful exuberance of the young...

When every step is an adventure...every scent a fragance to be savoured... every dream a hope to be realized..

Er the photo has no relevance...I just realised it is not necessary to upload using a third party tool...wonder if the blog has a limit of file uploaded...makes sense then to upload to 3rd party site for hosting - guess this answers my own question..

Sam

Let me show you the might of SUPER MATTHEW!! 

Just try me, Wolverine....heh heh 

The backview of the Boy of Steel! 

Yang in the new Superman Returns... 

The new TATAMI look - complete with OSIM massage and scruffy beanbag :D 

Headhunted

After so long, I finally have been lured into a serious consideration for a outside opportunity again...

This is a real fix..... this potential offer is much bigger in pay and responsibility...dare I make another jump?

I need to think cool and be rational....but how can I? I keep thinking of the new Saab the new pay can buy ! heh heh

Anyway, I think I might just stay put...the last few adventures outside had taught me that $$ isn't about everything.

But...then again....Saab or the 320 is REALLY tempting...I need to find Wabe to give me a wake up call before I do anything stupid again...

Sam

Headhunted

After so long, I finally have been lured into a serious consideration for a outside opportunity again...

This is a real fix..... this potential offer is much bigger in pay and responsibility...dare I make another jump?

I need to think cool and be rational....but how can I? I keep thinking of the new Saab the new pay can buy ! heh heh

Anyway, I think I might just stay put...the last few adventures outside had taught me that $$ isn't about everything.

But...then again....Saab or the 320 is REALLY tempting...I need to find Wabe to give me a wake up call before I do anything stupid again...

Sam

Headhunted

After so long, I finally have been lured into a serious consideration for a outside opportunity again...

This is a real fix..... this potential offer is much bigger in pay and responsibility...dare I make another jump?

I need to think cool and be rational....but how can I? I keep thinking of the new Saab the new pay can buy ! heh heh

Anyway, I think I might just stay put...the last few adventures outside had taught me that $$ isn't about everything.

But...then again....Saab or the 320 is REALLY tempting...I need to find Wabe to give me a wake up call before I do anything stupid again...

Sam

Best Of Luck

During the last week, EDB finally went live ... after 1.5 years...this is really unbelieveable. It is finally done...and I hope this is a testimony of the great struggle I had with this account - it bespoke of the titanic efforts I took to bring this relationship around.

Still, when one door closes, another opens...the next target is Tata Sky and I have greater heights built on the account - the potential is greater and I want to make it a stepping stone to greater heights. Perhaps this is what the astrologist said about my opening step to success...funny how this year I have awakened my old ambitions...now I am gunning for bigger rewards.

I realised I have always taken family as an excuse for my laziness..I now think it is possible to be a ideal husband/father and also a great career.

Anyway, today I had the best luck..my specs was a bit bent after I slept on it yesterday night..and I took it to my optician in Orchard ..guess what he has a EXACT pair which he sent back after he discovered a small scratch in my original..so now I have a new pair..heh heh...
Japanese QA never failed to impress me....that was 1000 bucks worth of spec anyway..heh heh


These few days I had MC for 2 days for my wisdom tooth and it was great rest days after the grilling EDB upgrade.


So now signing off...

Sam

PLASMA

Today my plasma TV came :)

God...with the DVD playing King Kong and the Harman Kardon amp with Infinity speakers..soft lights of the standing lamp...the tatami mat..I feel like in a mini cinema...
SUPER SYSTEM!!! HOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Next ...I gotta get me some HD DVD set and sign up for Starhub HD.

I am so tired after this week offsite meetings..but there was much to learn...I feel really energised!

Today my boss told me the promotion is a done deal...so like ..ok...but he refused to tell me how much is the $$...bloody hell...but this is the first time in a few years that I strived in work and it feels good to feel rewarded.

But I am so tired man..

Signing off....
Sam

JC & Val Wedding

JC & Val got married yesterday.

The last few weeks of frantic preparations have not disappointed - the thing was a big success IMHO :)

Starting with the convoy of Mit Lancers (22!) to the dressing up of everyone...to the dinner and stuff.

I'd rate it a good one :)

Here's wishing them a harmonious marriage!!

So there's that - it seemed only yesterday we first saw Valerie and then during the initial JB trips when we spoken on the wedding, it was like so far away. Goodness and now it is over...time really flies.

Life indeed is a funny thing as Margaret Thatcher once commented to LKY.

So anyway, back to WC...it seems England decided not to be to risky and managed only a 1-0 win over Portugal - bloody hell...I lost 120 for that.

Wait till my new plasma...hey!!! SAY SAY SAY!!!

*Music aka Hard Gay*...ole ole ole!

I almost forgot - I am getting the 42 inch...double HDMI..PC input 10000:1 contrast etc etc Panasonic plasma this Friday :)

so maybe when it comes, I will bet somemore. Maybe on Brazil - I got to buy 2 Brazil shirts for me and Yang..dont think Wabe will be too interested...!

So wait for Friday for the next episode of Sam gets his PLASMA and win World Cup bets :D

Signing off..

Sam

Food Poisoning

It just had to happen - just a matter of when.

IT being "food poisoning". Just came back from India and WHAM....was racked by stomach spasms whole afternoon yesterday.

Now I am still weak like anything...jesus christ.

Signing off....this is really a bad time

Eye problem

There is a spate of unlucky events in the last few weeks.
Foremost was my father-in-law got his retina detached like me. Problem is - he got 12 tears and the centre detached. From what I know, this is damn serious shit - there will be a lot to adjust to after the operation and he has to face down for 4 weeks!
Jesus Christ....I thought we had the feng shui stuff protected and all.

It doth be a trying times - especially with some of the renovation results not exactly turning out well - guess everyone will be in a pretty dour mood.

I remembered when Wabe and I were getting married - god...I think we had to survive on 200 bucks per person per month - that's how thrifty we had to be - of course we had to...my parents had openly asked me "So how do you plan on getting married / house?" - meaning to say "Don't even think of asking us for money". That avenue was closed - I knew I had to depend on myself. Which makes it all the more sweeter when we built it up step by step. I only regret Wabe has to suffer with me during the lean time but she said then it was a very sweet time for her though we don't have a car....we don't eat in restaurants every week...we wore cheapo bought from market apparels:)

But I guessed the whole process is designed to make us all grow up and view life in a different light.

We have after all just made a commitment to spend the rest of our lives together and this commitment requires a certain discipline to look at things from a different perspective. We had mountain of debt to clear then so our priority then was not to have the best of everything but to channel resources to fix the most pressing.

Remember, it is not what you earn BUT what you save that maketh a rich man.

Sam

Siak's Wedding and How to break bad news

In case you are wondering, the 2 events have absolutely no connection to each other :)

Today is Siak's wedding - I met up a lot of old comrades from Accenture and HP..even Foo Lin whom I worked with in Virgin Mobile in ...2002?
Lots of laughter and back slapping belies the underlying mellowing of charactors - I can see nuances of subdued temper...laid back air...no longer the youthful exuberance of the old days. We have all travelled extentively for some of us...sharing the funny stories...

It was a good session - I am glad I did not missed this night.

Congrats, Siak - welcome to the club:) And say goodbye to drinking days :)


Next topic - my boss gave me the task of breaking a piece of bad news to a important customer.

I pondered over it - his exact words were "You need to prove you can sell ice to Eskimos"

Well it was a direct challenge - I do not usually back down from one - so I spent the afternoon crafting the entire battle plan of how to tell the news to the customer that he is not getting the fix from us in time and his timeline is screwed and yet at the same time, maintain the moral highground and walk out a winner.

I decided on HONESTY.

So Mr Customer, we goofed.

But...here's how I think we can mitigate this....etc etc

Status update 6 hourly....etc etc

Assurances on changing the process to ensure nothing like this will happen etc etc


..........3 calls....he said ...busy call me later

I persevered.

Then....bingo. Delivery time.

What do you know?

He thanked me for my effort in helping him mitigate the risks and thanked me for working on my public holiday to help him. !!

What do you know?..ahha sometimes...not winning the battle does not necessarily means you do not win the war.

Excellent lesson.

Signing off.
Sam

Poor Dado

Dado went for a massage at Jurong East yesterday and my god, his condition is terrible. He had just so many spots that are so "red" which signifies "wind" and fatigue and lack of rest. I counted, there are at least 20 of these.

And while going for the massage, i told him to park near the rubbish chute and guess what, his car was knocked and there was a big dent. I can see that he feels upset about it but he does not want to tell me.
I woke up early this morning to search the web for nearby repair shops for dent. Hope they will be open today. The one at Capitol Building does not open on Sunday.

Poor dado even had to work today. Felt so bad about it. Am I not taking good care of him? He is so tired and yet I always call him to do this and do that. Hmm, will do things myself next time. The night before, he was doing work until past midnight.

Let's hope he will have a good day today and both of us are not working tomorrow, hurray!

Had not seen him working so hard except during those times in SCO...thereafter, he has always compare the rewards to effort before he will work hard. He has changed...and I like this change in him!

Ode to my Wabe

To the Greatest Wife

Sometimes, you forget to notice the most wonderful things you have in life - because you are so used to them and you take them for granted.

To my wife Wabe, thank you for being the greatest wife.
don't forget when we are retired, I am going to hold your hands and go to Genting again...exactly like the first trip we made together - remember the frantic search for the red haversack before we board the coach? :)

So between now and then, let's continue to remind ourselves of how important we are to each other and to Yang:)

Sam aka Dado

Yang's injured hand

Feeling Terrible

Today I felt like a jarboney piece of monkey crap.
Sighh...

This morning, I accidentally closed the car door while Yang's hand was still along the groove.

He cried in pain so pitifully. My mind went blank....jesus christ...I felt like killing myself for such an idiotic act then.

I cancelled my EDB appointment - this is a crucial quarter where we are trying to make the numbers...but heck..my son is more important...I brought him to First Care..was scolded by the nurse..sigh..

Fortunately, Doc Low said he is fine...but I was given painkiller for Yang...?? So he thinks it might be too painful?...jesus christ..I started my self blame again then.. felt so bad...I brought him to MacDonalds...cheap conscience soothing...Wabe was worried..I called her...she tried not to sound too "blamey"...thank you Wabe:)

Jus came back from Grandmother in law place....given aloe vera by 3rd uncle....my god...i was chastised by many of them...guessed I deserved it for being such an idiot.

Hope Yang will be fine..

Sam

JB Trip

Sale

Jolly good trip to JB with Wabe and Yang.

Fantastic sales in Jusco - bought loads....contributing to the Malaysia economy - Yang contributing to Japan as well since he bought so many Ultraman stuffs!

Bought some VCD on Buddhism - I guess Yang is tuning in to this - I will let him learn and choose - if he is like me, he will probaby explore a dozen paths and yet remain doubtful..heh heh

Watch the first VCD..it wasn't focussing on Buddha attaining Nirvana...none of the giant cobra shielding him from rain etc - it did not emphasized on his fruitless search amongst the asetics and his realization of the Middle Path. I would thought that would be an important point.

But the gory details were there...very surreal ... like watching Haw Par in movie.

The similarities were uncanny.

Buddha's temptation under the bodhi tree vs Christ's temptation in the desert.

The old woman's single lamp vs the beggar woman in the bible who gave 2 copper coins.

One more thing I thought why Buddhism did not take off in India was probably Buddha rejected the caste systems.

I guess the passing of Buddha in the last scene left me thinking of the great difference in both religion.

It is written that Christ has risen from the dead. Buddha was cremated and his ashes divided among the disciples.

Do you ever wonder how ants think? Would they comprehend 1+1?

Or let's say a monkey...

If you see one insisting that 1+1 = 2 and another saying no...you are wrong ..it is 3-1=2...would you laugh ?

Sam

New Parable

Jar of Water

Today I will tell the story of the jar of water.

Once a man decides to make a journey to another village across the desert.

He decided to buy a jar and filled it with clear water to keep him refreshed on the journey.

On the first stop, the man drank from the jar and was refreshed. The man is pleased.

One day, he noticed a crack on the jar and water kept spilling on his clothes. He is struggling with trying to balance the jar of water and walking and getting his clothes wet from the constant dripping of the leak.

During the day, he is refreshed by the cool water but in the night, he is troubled by the aches and damp clothes and pondered.

He remembered in the early stage of his journey, the jar kept him refreshed and he is touched.

He did not sleep that night but went in search of clay and using it to patch the small crack.

He kept watch all night to ensure the crack is perfectly filled and fixed.

By dawn, when he starts his journey, the jar is as good as new and the man is pleased.

The moral of the story is never think a tiny crack would not cause problems but one should also know that cracks are only opportunities for us to reflect on the imperfections in the imperfect world and constant nourishment and love is needed. :)

Sam

Emotional Baggage

Bought a trolley.

Yes, after walking from City Hall MRT to Tower 4 in Suntec, I felt like dying. It's a cool 30 mins walk with a heavy laptop bag...man I could SERIOUSLY have Monday blues everyday when I think of walking to and BACK...omigod.

Thank goodness I have customers to visit.

But I bought a trolley ...to put my haversack..so I can pull it along like a wussy.

I used to laugh at the sales people...calling them gu-niangs dragging the laptop bag like air stewardesses..it has all come back to haunt me...haha..

Henceforth, I will be pulling a trolley with my haversack from CH MRT to Suntec and back. Heck, call me a wussy but at least I wouldn't get a strained back.

And God rewarded me for my fortitude :) When 3rd uncle came to help us move the cabinet from mum-in-law house, it was put to good use.

So there you go :)

Talking about baggages, I was thinking of also the emotional ones.

After reading the past posting where I got a little too carried away - I got to thinking....after 7 years...I still felt so bitter and angry.
Why? This is the emotional baggage I carry .... nobody asked me to..I just did.

And what do we have to do to remove these baggages? In my case, I must learn to forgive.

Unconditionally.

Can I forgive them just as I forgive Yang when he apologises for his mistakes? So that there is no traces of anger left?

That is unconditional forgiveness which springs from unconditional love.

Like my lesson learnt in India, when you spent less time finding fault with a person, you have more time finding the goodness in him/her.

No one is born evil. (Let's not delve into the DNA semantics...perhaps in time, we can prove this hypothesis)

I suddenly remembered the Lord's teaching again.

"Judge not and ye would not be judged"

I guessed I do not have the rights to so .. righteously put people down. The Lord did said "Let the first man who have not sinned throw the first stone.."

I think I just walked a step towards putting down my emotional baggage.

Sam

Khng Houses

Renovations!

Next next week, my parents-in-law, Jun Chee and Valerie will be busy with their khng of the house.

Boy, this year seems to be the year of Khng.

May the renovations we all did bring fruits of happiness and prosperity to our life :) .... from harnessing the essence of feng shui of course:D

This seems to be a year of change...Wabe change line of business..I change to Oracle..Pee Luh changed job...Jin Hen change school ... JC/Val get married...parents-in-law khng house..we also khng house...

So what's there to look forward to? Do we see a land of opportunity beyond? or do we see a straight road in predictability?

Just spoke to Wabe...what if Yang decides to do a non conformist path in life? Like be a chef?...a arts designer or some of these less conventional sort which are deemed to have less of a market value?

I remembered I wrote ...sorry started a novel about a Conan like character in Sec 2..I was told off by my father that it was useless - Arts have no future...

Well I don't deny the opportunities were higher in my case...so we got to thinking would we impose (YES IMPOSE BECAUSE EVEN AS PARENTS, WE HAVE NO BLOODY RIGHT TO RUN YOUR CHILD'S LIFE) our views on Yang?

Well unless he tells me he has a burning ambition to rob a bank etc, we would encourage him on his path - we just have to make sure we have some backup savings to ensure he will be comfy :D

The most important thing is a man must uphold a moral standard - a kind heart - a filial soul. The rest are bonuses.

So here's to our wish - that Yang would grow to be a upright, honest, kind and filial man. Wabe added he must be confident ..but not arrogant.

Wishes from PaPa and Mummy...

Still the 2nd Biggest

Outta our way, Google!

Sorry but I just had to do this...I just read .. Oracle is still 2nd biggest software firm in world :D

Nah Nah Nah....heh heh

Have You Oracle Yet?

Sam

Project XXX

Energy Renewed!

I am back. :)

No more complaints. Airline this time was on time..clean.

Chose a nearer hotel - no more traffic horrors :)

I went to Leela Hotel - this is a damn majestic structure...lush palm trees...streams and ..... LOADS of high end shops..Hugo etc..

Damn...because I look foreign and wore a suit... the salesmen all thought I was the Gucci loafer sort:) If only they see me in Singapore with market shorts and Ts...heh heh

I managed to look arrogantly bored as I waved them off...I was actually trying hard not to laugh. heh heh

I found a life lesson in this small little trip - when you spent less time complaining about how bad the situation is - you actually have more time to think about how good it can be.

And that I did.

Going through the meetings, the entire business of setting a digital TV - satellite business in the country is simply ... damn exciting. You get caught up with the excitement of it. The people are of extreme intellect - these are industry experts brought in from a media business in Europe - the technology consultants are visionaries - their ability to see end to end solutions is phenomenal - you can almost hear the brain waves crackling in the air.

This is what consulting is about. Value Add. Not like in some projects where consultants are mere glorified programmers.

And again, I worry for Singapore....Singaporeans in general. The generation needs to be afraid - dont not take chilling out in pubs etc as a foregone - we need to know ...relearn our ancestors' gungho spirit and hardworking attitude.

Work HARD ALL!!!

Sam

Life again

Experience

Today, I went to the Qing Ming with Wabe and all...even helped painted some of the oraments on the tomb..
I had the chance to visit my own grandmother tomb in the church in the afternoon. Thinking of the pain she went through before her passing filled me with deep grief and I barely could control myself. She who went through so much hardships..she who braved so many untold humiliation in front of relatives to save the skin of her sons who only knows how to gamble - for what!? To suffer in a stuffy 6 person ward as the sores on her back itches and she cannot bear it ? For the noble sons and daughter who can whine if they themselves are not in a private 1st class ward for their own ailments - them - these brood of vipers - they are concerned about the cost. "Oh you don't understand...this is to keep the cost down..you dont know how long she will last...money will be gone very quickly"
Hello?
Just what the fuck are you talking about? This is your mother - my beloved grandmother.
My grandmother used to tell me when she was living with me and my parents - she will stay till quite late in the void deck so she would not need to see my mother's face and endure her acid tongue and thus she will sit in the cold downstairs before coming back.
What is this?! From a long time ago, I lost my respect for these vipers. Truly, it is more difficult to forgive such ... animals than it is for a leper not to scratch his sores.
How I wish I had the chance to be filial to ah ma now. I no longer need to bow before our relatives, Ah Ma...we have broken through the hard times....if only you are still alive, I will provide you rich food, comfy bed and attention - not give you 2nd rated cheap goods like some.
You would love the 15 bucks/kg durians...the last time we bought ? I only can afford the 3 for 10...but you are so happy also.
*Pause*
What to do...this is all I can wish but the time is gone - I only wished I spent more time with you then.

I hope you like the Chrysanthemum flower - Wabe bought it- the An Kuay bride you said :)

Signing off,
Sammy

Johnny Zhng Your Car 7

Election Jokes?

Haha....Johnny is back with his hilarious dig at the coming elections.

Political sattire at its best :)

Go Johnny Go Go Go!!!

Turbo GRC - the best pun......hahaha....see if you can catch the joke.

Lightning sticker....hahha....

Sam

Growing Pains

Growing Up

Today Yang graduated to the next step in "I Can Read"... we actually had a conversation in English the whole journey to the class - which is pretty amazing. His new coach is an ex principal of a Canadian school - Wabe said his ENUNCIATION is pretty ok - I hope that means it is easier for Yang to understand him. My worries are unfounded :) Yang told me Teacher Bob asked him how many pages of homework he wants..Yang said Just One...but Bob gave him 3 pages anyway. This guy is a comedian :P

Hey in the midst of all, I forgot to update - I have lost 6 kgs to-date....quite bloody amazing...this Reductil thing.

More to come - onward the healthy plan...although Wabe has slowly gained back some of the 8kg she lost...this is so demoralizing...I kept asking her to stop and what did I find? she gorging on french fries after a buffer Korean dinner....tsk. Hope she can find the determination for her work to apply to her diet - I think the whole priorities are all messed up.

Hmm...we were just talking about when Yang grows up..hmmm never never let the sands of time flow too fast you forgot to notice your child is getting taller everyday.


Sam

Si Bei Sian AR!

Going again

I hate myself for making the "tomorrow going you know" wisecrack.

I am going again......not to the cruise ...but Bangalore.

Sibei Sian AR!!!

Sam

Alone

A Man's Cave

Sometimes, a man doesn't have to have a reason for keeping quiet.

It just happen to us sometimes.

We just plain do not want to communicate - we are battling our inner demons. No amount of sarcasm can incite us to do otherwise.

We are in our caves...brooding.

In the days of yore, cavemen are pretty much left alone when they are in this state - they are luckier in those days.

Bagging a game is sufficient duty due to his role.

We urban city dudes have it harder - tis not supposed to be the way. We have upset the entire balance.

I guess I want to say, I do not want to feel guilty for the occasional foray into my own domain.

Hmm... usually in the fantasy stories, the most lethal combination is a warrior and a magician (mage) team. They have complementing skills to defeat their foes. However, if the warrior wants to cast spells also, it upsets the balance. The mage will - might slouch.

Tis the nature of things.

As Jesus said, "Let he who has ears, let him hear".

I rest my case.

Sam

Army Daze

Just watched Army Daze.

It was a good show - certainly brings back many memories. Suddenly faces from long ago came back to my mind...the Tekong island...grubbly food...sun...dust...

More importantly, the bond between the platoon people - so much you know there's always a helping hand to adjust ya SBO...to help you take rations..to share the instant coffee packet amongst 4 of us..etc.

I wonder where those jokers are now anyway?

sigh...guess I am too sentimental ... these thoughts make me feel kinda sad - they are in another dimension in another time where I can no longer go to but can only relive in dreams.

Oh hey, did I mention the tatami makeover is almost complete save for a slight piece for replacement?

I will upload the pics once they are ready. The sliding windows - we found a less than 100 dollars version of the glass design compared to the 3000 dollars version :) This is simply marvellous!

Sam

Zodiac

Finally

Today finally the 12 Zodiac VCD is released!

Yang is thrilled to bits! We just finished the show - he is over the moon as the dragon is the one who saved the animals and do not care for being Number 1.

Therein lies a lesson. They used to say "It's not about winning.."

I used to believe that.

But if it is not about winning....why call it a race?

I think I must impress upon Yang that whilst sportsmanship is important - one should never lose sight of the goal - that is to be the best.

M. Ali - considered the best boxer through the ages once said "If you want to be a champion, you must believe you are the best"

THE BEST.

I hope this value system is helpful to him later on in life.

Sam

PS: some institution still claim their best is yet to be...how sad :)

Principles

Customer Facing

I feel really driven these days - perhaps Wabe has taken a slower pace and I feel less guilty about doing more in my work as I felt Yang has her attention.

There's no such thing as work life balance - it's a myth perpetuated by workaholics who want to soothe their consciences or lazy bums who wants an excuse to idle.

I don't mind working hard. If it be I am still a single - I'd be practically working 15 hours days and enjoying every minute of it. The truth is I enjoy my current work but I think in the grand scheme of things, some things you just need to make a decision on and making my family a priority has always been my number goal.

Talking about customers - they are the focus of my work - me being in a relationship role.

Sometimes, I feel so lousy having to compromise my principles to pander to some people who .. typically I wouldn't give no hoot about.

Morally....Intellectually...they stank like putrid garbage.

The company motto : "It's all about the customer."

So I stand up to the challenge and act like the professional I am paid to be.

SMILE! DINE! DRINK!

Make merry.

And then while driving back, I removed the smiling mask and ponder on the irony of it all.

You must understand - smiling might just pay the bills.

Reality bites.

Sam

Meaning of Life

Life?

Wabe just mentioned to me that I am in a daze recently and did not respond well to her questions.

Well, I always thought I was like that :) Too often lost in imaginary World Of Warcraft battles....golf games.. But I suddenly realized I had been too involved with work matters recently. Ever since the merge, the pressure has intensified - to put it in words of Warcraft, it would seem your monsters has suddenly increased in their levels and you have dropped your best armor.

So I got to thinking .. what's the meaning of life?

Why are we working like dogs only to crumble to dust in the end?

Why procreate if the end is still death?

Suddenly, I got a revelation - if all roads lead to Rome, would you walk the flower laced road or the rocky road?

It's a bit neurotic I know but I do go on these manic daydreams once in a while - helps to bring the perspective back in life...

See .. I was thinking all matter are made of the same particles - at the atomic level....we are what we are ...because of the different kinds of bondings - covalent bond and what have you..

Now we know electrons jump in and out as they lose charges....so technically we lost a wee part of ourselves to the universe and gain a wee part of the universe every single blooming nanosecond!

Scary isn't it?

Makes you want to kiss the stone u see on the street next time...it might have parts of you:)

So anyway, back to reality - no matter how much the theory makes sense...aint no way those crisp dollar notes gonna materialize due to the electrons movement...heh heh

Chou Kang Lar!!

Sam

Content

Tsk tsk

I just want to lament the people of Singapore - why be so KS??

When I was young, they told me I did not go to Swim school - no Marlin, Shark, Killer Whale certificate....so ? I joined ACJC school water polo team....

When I was young, they said you didn't go phonics....your ENUNCIATION sucks...so big deal...I topped my GP in my nerd class..

When I was young and had no money to buy a computer, they laughed at my computer literacy - so? I specializes in stuff they probably didn't dream of...

Am I gloating ?

No - it's just ... I dunno...

Anyway Wabe is whining....go to go.

Remember, the story of the hare and the tortise.(?)

OPS!

Forgive me

Damn.

I commited a sin so vile.

I broke my promise against racial jokes..

I did not mean it that way - all in good fun.

Call me a Chink - it makes us even and ease my karmic conscience :)

Bangalore Trip

Adventure

I had wanted to lax lyrical on the cruise trip but I found Zi Tong has practically written the entire iternary on her blog - so we shouldn't double our efforts yeah? Except to say, gambing actually brings the realism of statistics to true form. :) Try observing the pattern in a Big/Small game - you then realised why in statistic class, they emphasized on the sampling size - haha - I digress - lest I be known as a loony geek.

Ah why don't I regale the tale of the Bangalore trip?

Started when I tried calling a rental company 1 day before my trip in India.

"Yes, tell me" intoned the agency boss.

"Yes, is this XXX rental?"

"Tell me..Tell me.."

*Thinking* "Tell what you !#@$@$@#"

Much later....we resolved the differences between English spoken in 2 ex British colony.

"And your good name, sir?" (another thing, everyone has a good name there)

"The honourable Ang..."

And it went downhill again from here...

Morning - stupid ..... delayed by 1.5 hours.

The airline was reeking of stale urine and there had to be air freshener burst every 15 minutes.

Was it all that bad?

Well, actually it turned out better than expected. The people are invariably friendier - perhaps this is what we termed Asian hospitality.

Looking at the blooming buildings and all, it is a marvel - truly the opportunities are back in the East - you can literally sense this other giant awakening besides China and it is awesome...scary.

With that, it's time to go sleep.
Sam

Cruise

Cruise

Tonight going you know? :) BRAAABAAABAAA...Holiday time!

This morning had a superb pitch - a good start.

BTW, just read Oracle is 3rd largest ..not 2nd anymore...omigod...Google is that big that fast....

Signing out,
Sam

Aftermath

Whatever will be will be..

It has been a while since I last penned my thoughts but hell, the world doesn't wait for this blogger... So many things have happened..I doubt if anyone can ever keep up with this relentless tide.

First thing - the passing of our founding father, Mr Rajaranam. I find it so ironical that one only begins to know the greatness of a person ONLY after the passing. The clips showed how he reached out to the man in the street - using simple words to bring out the impact of his words.
"Regardless of race, language or religion". How many time have we recite that in our school days - and yet paying scant attention to the importance of the words.

Have we achieved this multiracialism? I wonder....

Henceforth, for my small part as a citizen, I resolve never to make small jokes about nationalities and race - one small part of what a single citizen can do to help :)

Next, Wabe is still mired in all her work - and getting stressed.... She is always in a perpetual frown ...sigh
This is why when she suggest a cruise this weekend, I was more than happy to oblige - it will be a welcome break and it's high time the 3 of us bond w/o the loom of office work! :)

Tatami! The platform is done and waiting for the tatami next week ! YEAH!!! Funny, I think once we decided to not purchase a private property, we go all the way out to "khng" our house with multiple luxuries.. I think I should call it "Wabe Khng Your House" ... heh heh

Next week I will be travelling to Bangalore for 2 days. The days of my Singapore playground is ending ...welcome to the region...BUT I thought can start with KL right?! Sigh

Ok ... signing out....
Sam

New Offer

New path

It was with some trepidation on the day - 15th Feb 2006 that the whole Siebel office waited in the boardroom for our fate.
The Oracle HR have given us a brief on their benefits - not too bad! Things are getting rosy!
But what about the $$...
One by one, we were called and given our letter..
Praise be with God! My base and OTE remains unchanged!!
With this, all the months of uneasy uncertainty ended... of course some did not made it...life goes on...law of the jungle..

And thus ended my relationship with Siebel ... I remembered when I was still a rookie just 3 years after my DSTA days, travelling to US ... driving on 106...going to mega malls...that was pretty awesome to me then.
I recalled being extremely alien to the concept of even conference calls then..haha
And who can forget the heady days of the stock options....
and it has accepted me ....3 times back ..
And now itself, it has returned to its roots...when 14 years ago, in a little laboratory in Oracle, a ambitious man decided to strike it out on his own and created a legacy.

With that, I salute you "Siebel" and thank you for everything.

Sam

Transition to parent company

Reading the oracle

I have to ask you to excuse the pun on the heading :) I'd rather not get sued on using my new company's name ..heh heh

The gods have gathered last week and hath spoken - puny mortals like yours truly can only meekly await our fate on 15th this month when the celestial decree will point to our fates - damn...they better not adjust my base ....mutter mutter

Well on the other hand, I can always look on the bright side - consolidation is a finality in the software world and the most important thing is you lean with the winners.... I'd like to think the big O is a big winner - afterall the 2nd biggest sofware company tag in the world is quite a feat.

It will be a different ball game and I have to step up to another level - this is necessary and thus brook no discussions or whinings. It has to be done - time has to be sacrificed - more work need to be done. Just do it.

On a lighter note, I have begin to train Yang on the academic stuff.. setting goals and all. The trick is to set goals for Yang as well as myself. Objective - to read a ladybird book by end year and add and subtract. Let's have a checkpoint this Dec. If this is achieved - I will get Yang a trip to Tokyo Disneyland and myself a set of Joy irons.. heh heh

Alright, need to go.

Sam

Back to Reality

Work Work Work

After the euphoria of the last few days, it was a bit of chore getting back to the momentum again.
Lots of catching up - got a 38 bucks hong bao from the company which is not that bad.
Emailed customers and kept abreasts of all the happenings.

Oooo....merger to finalized and confirmed this week so I will probably know the results next week.

Hope the big O doesn't cut our base.... that would be a shame.

Sam

CNY 2006

Traditions

Today is the culumination of the efforts the past weeks to prepare for this day.
All seemed to flash past so fast...I ended up wondering if the effort is worth it. Well, it pretty well darn WORTH it.
Adherence to the traditions might seem a chore but the "togetheress" in doing the prepartion goes a long way in bonding the family. At the end of the day, it is the family that counts. What I did not enjoy as a child, I certainly hope Yang would learn and feel the toasty feeling of being in a knitted family.

Sam

Check out the handsome pair *GRIN* 

Family portrait .... all of us decked in glittering new year spendour!