* A Tablet
* Iphone 4
* Coach or Gucci bag/pouch/wallet
* A Mont Blanc Pen
* A Nintendo Wii
* A car license
* A car
* A diving license
* Qualify for Achievers Club 2010
* Reach my ideal weight of 50kg
* Try Bungee Jumping
* Try 'The Line' buffet at Shangri La Hotel
* A Man Utd Home Jersey
* Watch a Man U match live at Old Trafford
* Go Taiwan/HK/Thailand/Korea/Japan/ /USA/Aussie/Europe
Intoducing my new baby - Fujifilm Finepix F300 EXR! :DDD
12 megapixel with 15x optical zoom. Shiok max!
Ok. Honestly speaking, i saw this digicam a month+ ago and was already contemplating getting it back then. But my dear colleague, Mike adviced me to wait for the newer model which is coming out in April. Moreover, the newer model features more varieties in terms of the colour choices (red, white, blue, silver, black) instead of just black and silver for the current model. Since i am just a novice when it comes to camera, i decided to listen to his advice and wait.
And then it happened. Haha...
Apparently the guys went down to Suntec for the IT Fair while i was having my appointment with my client. The next thing i know, Mike called to inform me that he already bought the digicam for me on my behalf. Mike reasoned that the deal was too good to pass up and the differences between the newer model is not that huge anyway to justify paying a couple hundreds more for it. He asked which colour i want (black or silver) when actually he already bought black for me -_-'''. Faintz... Luckily i wanted black anyway. Haha...
So tada, out the blue i got my camera earlier than expected!
After laying my hand on the real stuff, i have to say it felt pretty solid and compact. At a cost of only $399, i think it is super value for money given the functionality of the camera + all the freebies that were thrown in :DDD. At least the black colour design exudes a classy and stylish feel, as compared to silver colour which is so common nowadays. Thank god Mike did not choose the silver colour. Hehe... Apparently, this is a prosumer camera, meaning it is a blend of professional and consumer (semi-pro). I have not really play with it yet, as it seems slightly more complex than my previous camera. I love the fact that it has 15x zoom and wide angle lens which is perfect for my Europe trip in late May. The best thing is that unlike those older cameras in the past, the newer cameras can handle higher memory capacity. Can you imagine my old kuku panasonic digicam can only read up to 1gb max!!! O_o''' I probably have to spend the whole trip deleting those unwanted photos just to free up the memory space. And i don't think i wanna do that or even have the time to do that!
The freebies - Pouch, Mini Tripod, Screen Protector, Card Reader,OEM Battery,16GB SD Card+8GB Micro SD Card.
Now i have 16GB + 8GB + 4GB(exisiting one) = 28GB memory space to utilise! Can take tons of photos and videos for my trip without deleting it. So happy! Muahahahahhahaaaaa.
I don't care if other agents wish to dress sloppily in t-shirts and jeans or even wear outrageous colours or outfit. To me, that is too casual for my liking and do not in any sense potray an image of professionalism. Dressing well and looking good for my job is so important nowadays that it is inevitable that certain money needs to be spent. Having said that, my colleagues and i decided to make a trip down to the tailor shop to tailor-made some formal workwear today. After several hours of choosing and matching, we finally placed our orders. I managed to choose one short sleeve, a 3/4 sleeve (double cuff), a long sleeve (double cuff) top + 2 work pants for myself. The wonderful thing about tailor made top is that we can customise the colours, patterns or designs according to our preference. Woo Hoo!!!! More new clothes to wear!
After placing our orders, R drove us to his friend's shop at pasir ris to shop for watches. Frankly speaking, it has been ages since i last bought a new watch. In fact, most of my watches were gifts from others. Therefore, i decided to get myself a new watch and chanced upon this watch by Seiko:
Chio right? Haha... This Seiko watch comes with retrograde day indicator which resembles the shape of a crescent moon, water resistant up to 50 m and a three-fold clasp with push button release. Other than the usual hour, minute and second hand, additional features such as the Date, Day as well as the 24 hour clock is certainly a welcome addition that i wouldn't mind having. The bling bling portion and shimmering shine immediately captured my attention. Last but not least, it comes in my fav shade: Purple!!!!! It was really love at first sight, so I just had to get this! Hehe... With the watch retailing at approx $415 + all the tailored stuff, i think i spent close to 700 bucks just for today. My goodness! And i have so many things i still wanna buy! :S
The next item i am getting soon is a digicam. The LCD screen on my existing one seems to be going bonkers and is probably getting ready for the museum (bought it ages ago). After consulting a colleague who is quite knowlegable photography, i have already shortlisted one fujifilm digicam which will only arrive in sg around late mar/apr. This time round, i should be getting either a red/white digicam. Can't wait for it to land in sg soon, which will come in just in time before my Europe trips in late may. Gonna take tons of photos there for sure! *Excited*
Gosh! I think i should stop dreaming about buying more things. Gotta work hard to earn more moolahs first!!!
Was contemplating cutting my hair short for the longest time. Already wanted to do it on my previous visit, but the lady cutting my hair advised me to consider carefully first before going back to her again (scared that i will regret???? Ha..) I think the last time i had it short was around 6-7 years ago during my schooling days. Since then, i decided to grow out my hair and kept it long. After so many years, i was already so sick and bored by the same hairstyle and wanted a new look, new change. Therefore, this time round there was no backing off.
I finally got it cut and coloured! Hurraaaayyy!!
Suddenly i feel so light~ Hahahahhahaha... Actually i think i could have cut it even shorter. But in general, i am quite happy with the result and the feedbacks from my colleagues had been rather well received (maybe they try to be polite. lol...).
Hmm.... Maybe will go for a shorter layered bob on my next visit.
Just got back from a Batam and Bintan trip and half the Jan is gone already!
Still finding it hard to believe it is already year 2011. Year 2010 seems to flash past just like that. Looking back at what i have achieved so far, last year seems to be a much happening and fulfilling year compared to previous years. As i reflect back, i realised how much i have changed, especially over the last 2 years. In terms of personal development and work achievement, i have achieved so much more compared to 2009, the year that i just joined AC. Back then, i was just a rookie, a lost soul wondering around and looking for directions. Life was mundane, i live with no sense of goal and purpose. Day after day, my life goes on just like that. I was afraid to try a lot of things. I find a lot of excuses for myself. I have no confidence in myself. No matter how hard i tried, nothing seems to work out for me. I keep wondering to myself have i make a mistake, or am i just plain unlucky. I did not achieve anything major in year 2009, other than a mini incentive trip to HK which i did not even go cos i sold it off. Basically, there was nothing to shout about in terms of what i achieved back then.
Now... 2010 was slightly different.
In terms of my career path, i achieved so much more. Even till now, i can still recall how miserable it felt to be left out previously when your colleagues were happily discussing about their incentive trips which you were not a part of because you failed to hit your goal. Being a rookie back then and seeing the empty spaces in the office when they were away, you cannot help but felt left out. The feeling totally sucks. It was then that i told myself this must not happen again. I want to be part of the fun, and so i made a resolution to work hard last year. Having the incentive trip at Athens as the next destination motivates me even more because travelling to Europe has long been a dream of mine. As i make a mental recollection, i am quite proud of myself in the sense that i have achieved pretty much most of the things in 2010 which i did not achieve in 2009. Let's see...
- I qualified for our Bingo night (the only one from my team) and was one of the few lucky winners that night (won 400+ cash :D)
- I qualified for the MDRT experience (again, only one from my team) which was held in Singapore this time (Arrgh!). Last year it was in Korea and i did not qualify. Damn it!
- I qualified for our A&H challenge (only me and another gal in my team), an incentive trip to Taiwan (Ah Zong Mee Sua, here i come!) The year before was in HK, which i qualified too.
- I missed my promotion in 2009, but i managed to clear my quota last year. This means that i will be promoted to an Executive Life Planner from Jan 2011 onwards :DDD
- Somehow, i managed to create a "small reputation" in my office as an A&H/Eldershield/Cold Call Queen. To be honest, i felt quite paiseh when people call me that. Even though there were many jokes about it, the seniors told me i should be proud of it because this implies that people respect me for something which they feel i am good at. In a way, i get what they are trying to say because i know my existence creates an impact, especially for the newer agents who approach me for help. It's like i used to be a "nobody", but now i am at least "somebody" in my office. Haha...
- And finally... My biggest achievement of all, i managed to clear my Achievers' Club last year, which means i get to go Athens in May this year! I am so happpppy! After missing out on Beijing the year before, no way am i gonna miss Athens. Clearing the Achievers' Club is like enrolling yourself in the 'Hall of Fame'. You are now officially the top 20% planner in GE. Not only that, your face will appear in 'The Straits Time' to celebrate your achievement on behalf of GE. This is what every planners aspire to achieve each year. The free advertising we receive from this certainly helps in instilling confidence in us, our clients and even prospects who have doubts in placing their hard-earned money with us.
Anyway, the itinerary for our trip has more or less been mapped out. Since we will be going Athens, we will be extending our trip to the nearby countries. Dubai is one place that we will be stopping by, since it is on the way to Athens. To be honest, this is one country that i probably would have never consider going by myself if not for this incentive trip. After Mike showed me some pictures, i was actually pretty excited to go. We will probably be staying in one of the hotels along the coast of Dubai, a famous man-made island in the shape of a palm tree. It looks something like this:
Totally cool and awesome right?
Following that, we will fly to Athens before travelling down to England and Scotland. Even at this point, i am so freaking excited because we will be stopping by Old Trafford, home ground of Manchester United!!!! OMG!!! It's like a dream come true for me! After watching from the small screen at home for almost 12 years, i am gonna get the chance to step inside the place that i always yearn to go someday. The only downside is that the season would have ended by the time we arrive there, meaning there will be no matchday games being played. Haiz... So sad. But still, a stadium tour is already a dream for me. I really cannot wait to go there! We will then fly to Italy for another couple more days before wrapping up the whole tour. All in all, the whole trip takes about 19 days, plus my taiwan trip which will probably take up another 1 week of my time. That means i will be away for about 1 mth. Faintz... Gonna be super broke after that :'(
I think i better work super hard for the coming months and start saving up. This year, the goal will be even tougher, because Hawaii will be the destination for next year! This is also one place that i have not been to before and i really look forward to going there. Looks like I have to double my work rate in order to achieve my goal this year. Hopefully i can also save up enough to get a car soon and achieve all the goals which i set out to do this year. I should be able to do it if i continue to persevere on.
Shall end off with the following phrase which i feel is pretty meaningful.
"You cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore"
- Philip Stanhope, 'Lord Chesterfield' (1694-1773)
The tears just can't stop flowing. I did not know that i have already fallen so deeply into this until this sudden change of event. After experiencing all the setbacks i had last time, i thought the situation with you will be different. In the end, i still faced another road block...
Why???
Why can't things be easier???
The feeling was there, we both kinda knew how we felt about each other, though we never explictly say it out. After the other night, i realised the possibility. The chemistry was there, the feeling was right. It felt good to hold you up close. It was something that i had not experienced for a while. I started to miss you when you are not around. Seeing you put a smile back to my face. I wanted so much to tell you how i feel but i am scared of saying it. Things appear to be going through the right motion, yet at the same time there was a small lingering doubt, a slight confusion which prevented me from moving ahead. I just had to know the answer somehow. I do not want to repeat the same mistakes again.
After clearing things up with you, i finally know the reason behind those doubts.
I know family issues is holding you back. It is more complicated than i thought. Until that can be resolved, i know it is hard for you to move ahead. I really appreciate your honesty in telling me the reason for your hesistation and what is preventing you from moving ahead. It is good that you have already mapped out what could possibily happen in future. I guess in our situation, it is the case of possibly the right person but the wrong timing. I don’t know if I should stick it out with you now and wait till things get better (which is 3 yrs later), or is it better to break it off now and maybe try again later when things are better? I know that if i choose the first option, you may feel that it is unfair for me. I wish i have the courage to tell you that i do not mind, but the thing is even me myself is unsure if i really have the courage to do that. I wish i can be stronger. After telling me what happened, i know you are exploring the possibility of starting a platonic friendship for now. But it hurts to see you and yet we know that things arent gonna happen between us anymore, at least not anytime in the near future anyway. It's like so near and yet so far. Cutting you totally off the picture is another option. You lead your life, i lead my life. We will be stranger from now on. This thought pains me equally, or could be even more because that will mean that any link between us will be completely broken from now on. Other than the chances of us possibly bumping into each other during company's event, we will be total strangers.
That is why i am crazy enough to be blogging at this hour in the middle of the night.
Life has been pretty hectic recently. Year end is approaching soon and i am still busy chionging for my sales. Time seems to tick by so fast ever since i join this industry. In the midst of all these, i realised that i hardly did any shopping nowadays. Or simply put, i became lazier to shop. Wahaahhaa.... But then again, x'mas season is here again! Listening to those x'mas carols and songs playing everywhere is like a hidden poison subtly hinting you to just go out and join in the festive spirits. Oh well... What to do? Since joining AC, X'mas season is another story altogether. To others, it is a joyous occasion that everyone looks forward to. But to us, it is like an alarm bell warning you that the end is near and you have only that little bit of time left to finish up whatever you need to do.
Blame it on our culture! Haha...
Truthfully speaking, we are rather "famous" for slacking in the first part of the year and only began working in the 2nd half of the year. This year is no difference. In fact, i should say we officially started working only in the last quarter of the year. Lol... Strangely enough, our whole agency force somehow still manage to match up with most, if not better than the other agencies in the whole of GE even though we started late. You know what that means? It means that playing hard and working hard is our culture too. Wahahahaa... That is the strength of our agency and I love AC because of this! After a rather disappointing year in 2009, i hope this time round i will have a happier ending at the finishing line. Last year at this stage i have given up. This time round it's different. I am so close already, almost smelling my goal. I believe i will be able to make it through this time!
Anyway, i just did some x'mas shopping with JC at orchard yesterday afternoon. Again, that's the beauty of our job. We can go shopping anytime in the afternoon without applying leave or asking for permission :) Embarrassed to say, i hardly been to Orchard Ion. Everything appears starngely unfamilar to me, making me seem as though i am a tourist in my home country. Lol... JC also wanted to get a x'mas gift but since he has already gotten most of his gifts a few days before, he accompanied me to go get mine first. To be honest, sometimes i hate shopping in orchard. It is so big that i do not know where to start. Maybe once in a while, shopping with a guy is good because they are very focus and straight to the point. Haha... So JC gave some suggestions and we decided to proceed to CK Tang to have a look. After some quick browsing, JC and i saw something quite interesting. So i decided to get that for my gift exchange. After we were done, we proceeded back to Ion to get some other gifts for my friends and colleagues. I hope they like it. We went to City Chain after that to scout for JC's gift. Fortunately or unfortunately, i saw a solvil titus watch which i kinda like. Haha... It belongs to one of the newer range costing about $300 plus...
Hmm... Should i get it? I am soooooooo tempted! Haha...
Just to sidetrack a bit. I did not know that all City Chain's house brand comes with 5 year warranty for batt replacement. To think i even got my watch batt replaced at a small stall along bugis street for 5 bucks recently. The sneaky uncle still wanna charge me 8 bucks intially till i bargained it down. And what's the best part? The batt seems to last only for a short while and i have to constantly re-adjust the timing. $#^%+*&@. Arrgggghhhh!!! At least now i know where i can get a free batt replacement next time. Hmph!
I just made another new discovery at ION (shit... i am starting to sound like a mountain turtle). They have Royce chocolate there! Woo hooo... I am so excited. Royce chocolate has always been one of my fav chocolate and to see one anywhere is like discovering a gold mine. I know some people claim that Godiva is the best, but to me, Royce still triump because it is more value for money and the taste is simply heavenly. The melt-in-your-mouth sensation is enough to give you an orgasm. Wahahahaa... I know it sounds gross. Anyway, that same night happened to be Mike's birthday feast at his house together with a couple of people from my group. So i decided to get him a box of the champagne flavour Royce chocolate for us to go along with the rest of the food. Yummy~ :)
Oh, i am also delighted to finally get a new pen for myself recently! This thought has been playing in my mind for quite a while. To some people, a pen is just a pen. As long as it is able to write something, it does not matter how much it costs. Unfortunately, being in this job somehow makes me a bit brand conscious at times. After a while, it became not what i think, but rather how other people perceives you. I know it sounds superficial. But being in sales and service job, it is inevitable that most people like to work with people who are successful. And normally how do people judge whether a person is successful? The sad truth is, first impression counts. Personally i have first hand experience on this, having encountered so many different people as part and parcel of my job. That is why the way you dress, speaks, and the things you use or carry around became important. Especially for someone like me who is doing mainly cold markets, i only have that little bit of time to make an immediate impression on my prospect whom i met for the first time. Given a choice between an agent who wears singlet,shorts and slippers and another agent who dresses up in suit and tie, assuming all other things being equal, who would you rather get your policy from? I guess the answer is quite obvious here, isnt it?
Anyway, here goes....
Mont Blanc - When style meets substance...
My first Mont Blanc Pen - Starwalker Resin Black Rollerball =)
Rollerball with spring mechanism at the tip, barrel and cap made of black precious resin, Montblanc floating emblem in transparent cap-top, ruthenium-plated clip and rings
I really don't understand why some people just don't get it.
I thought i have made it perfectly clear about the whole situation and that things will never be the same again. What is the point of hanging on when you know things are impossible? So many chances have been given in the past. In the end, what happened?
YOU WASTED IT!!!
No point telling me that you regretted your decision or how you love me so much. You should have said that in the past. There is also no point telling me that you have "grown up", which ironically sounds hilarious to me coming from a "grown up" man who is almost reaching half a century. And stop trying to do silly things or said stupid things to get my attention. What is the point? You only make yourself look desperate. So what if you told me you are ready to settle down? The thing is, i am not ready to settle down with you. Stop begging me to give you one last chance. I am not a charity organisation. The only person i care about is someone else, not you anymore. Don't you GEDDITTT?
"He" is the only person whom i wish to be with right now "He" is the only person i think about all the time
How i wish it was "him" and not you who called that night.
I have moved on.
What about you?
Maybe i should have told you the truth and things could have been easier...
Ok, i admit i am very hungry now. That's why i am crazy enough to blog about this in the middle of the night. Yes, that's right. I am suddenly craving for the "Raisin Cream Cheese" bread from Barcook bakery!
Being a "West-erner", finding good food around my area is always a challenging task. Luckily, working at Raffles Place does have one advantage. Good food are in abundance! Hurray!!! The fact that Hong Lim food centre is just 5 mins away from my office simply put a smile on my face. I don't care if some of my colleagues complain that there is no aircon and it's quite warm in the afternoon. By nature i do not sweat that much, so the heat is still bearable to me. Having the option of good and cheap food is more important to me. It's definitely worth the sacrifice :) The famous Outram Park Char Kuey Teow, Clayfish Horfun, cheap and good wanton mee and many more. OMG, now i am even hungrier!
Back to the main topic.
To be honest, in the past whenever i walked past this Barcook Bakery shop just opp the old Hong Lim food centre (under renovation now), i always noticed a super long queue. Naturally i got quite curious about this bread shop. What exactly is so special about it that some people don't even mind queuing more than 10 mins for it? And the funny sight is that most people don't just buy 1 or 2. They bought in 5s or 10s. Some even swept up almost the entire tray! The fact that it's not even situated in a super crowded place like shopping centre makes it even more puzzling. Then again, even though i was curious, i was put off by the long queue and did not even bother giving it a try until one day...
I FINALLY KNOW WHY!!!
Thanks to my colleague, Karen who happened to be in the queue one day when i walked past that shop again after my lunch. Upon seeing me, she excitedly claimed that the bread is a MUST TRY. Their speciality is apparently this bread call "Raisin Cream Cheese". So she volunteered to help me buy one to test it out since it's almost her turn.
After taking a bite, i felt as though i was in heaven at that moment! My god,what have i been missing out on all the while? The texture of the dough is unbelievably soft! The cream cheese fillings is distributed with the right proportion. They are so precise about it that i even witnessed the chefs weighing each dough with a weighing scale. Even though it's cream cheese, it's not too jelak. And the best part? It's freshly-baked from the oven. Imagine the warm creamy cheese oozing out from the bread after every single bite... How often do you get to eat bread that are still warm when you eat it? Like a child who just received a new toy, i happily share the wonderful news with the rest of my colleagues upon reaching my office. To my surprise (actually i shouldnt be), they already tried it before. To quote their words,
"It's the beeeeeesssssst thing in the world"
I felt so dumb. Wahahhaaa... I am the real "mountain turtle". Instantly, my manager passed me some moolahs and plead me to buy some back to share with the rest. And it was "my fault" cos i "tempted" them and made them crave for it too. Lolz... Being a new fan of this bread shop, i gladly offered my service to share the goodness :) In fact, it was so good that i told myself if i have the capital, i probably would have bought a franchise. Funnily enough, maybe the god is secretly listening in to my wishes. Shortly after i discovered this new-found delight, i found out that they decided to open up another outlet just above raffles place mrt! Now it's even easier for me to land my hand on one of those buns since i will definitely pass by there on my way to work. How convenient! Wahahhahaha... Another outlet in 'The Central' soon follows, also within walking distance from my office. 3x the convenience! How lucky is that! :P
Secretly took this pic while i was queuing up for it at the raffles place outlet. Needless to say, another long queue is expected. When was the last time u see people queuing up to buy bread? Coffee bun? Nahhh... It's history!
Taken from their website, which took me by surprise because i did not know they have so many varieties. Normally i only see the raisin cream cheese and 2-3 other types of bread on the counter tray. I don't seem to recall seeing so many varieties other than the fact that the raisin cream cheese is selling like hot cakes. Though i tried some of the above before, but nothing beats the best seller! The closest in terms of those i ever tried before is probably this cream bun called "Milkpan" from 'Provence'. But the one from Barcook is so much softer and is much more addictive.
Again, taken from their website showing how it looks like when it is freshly-baked from the oven.
Somehow, the dough flattens if you do not eat it on the spot. On surface, it looks just like any other bread...
Man... I wish i have more time for this. Nowadays i feel so frigging tired after a long day that i don't really feel like blogging anymore. I used to love pouring out my thoughts here, i used to love posting up pics of all the funny and "happening" moments in my life. There are so many backlogs which i will probably post up next time (if i have time). I really need to remind myself not to be so lazy because ultimately, i put a lot of effort into maintaining this blog. I really don't wish to see it die off like that...
Yes, many things and events took place during the past few months.
- I got to know a "kiwi", who soon became an object of my affection. - I was involved in my first roadshow. - Unfortunately, i also lost my iphone during one of those roadshows :'( - I revisited Malacca with my colleagues for the first time in a long time. - I went to Bintan again for my course training - I ate raw moving octopus for the first time in my life O_o - I almost blackout in the train for some unknown reason last week - I met people who taught me things and enlightened me through their life experiences. - We shifted into our long awaited new office (finally!), with a marine tank proudly guarding our entrance. - New colleagues joined my group, bringing more "gal power" to it now. Ha... - Someone from the past came back to haunt me once again and i boldly took the step of letting it go.
Despite all the changes that took place, the main thing that concerns me is still my job. What i do for a living taught me a lot of things. I faced people from all walks of life. I've seen the "ugly side" of people. Yes, even people who are supposedly close to me, yet behind my back throw all sorts of unkind remarks. What's wrong with doing what i do?
Do i kill people? Do i steal from people? Do i hurt people in anyway?
I know many people still have misconceptions about financial planners. They think we are a bunch of blood suckers trying to squeeze out every single cent from them. To them, we are like parasites. In fact, the only place we are welcome is probably at the funeral! Yes, it's sad but true. People only see the true value in what we do when something serious happens to someone close to them. But even if they don't wish to take up anything from me, is it necessary to insult my job? So what if i have a degree? Yes, even an 'O' level grad can take up this job. So what? To me it's no big deal. Do i have to follow the so call "rule" of the society, find a 9am-5pm job, have a stable job, stable income, get promoted, married, have kids, make use cpf monies to buy house and retire from there for the next 20 over years?
Sadly, many people did not realise that they are living in a "non-realistic" world. 9am-5pm job hardly exist anymore. In fact, some even have to work 5.5 or even 6 days week. Stable job, stable income? What the hell is that? Jobs where you work like mad, complain about the bosses, complain about the colleagues and some even complain about the cleaning lady! When it comes to month end, one will probably wonder, "where is my next pay rise gonna come or when can i find a better job?" And then when you get promoted, the higher you climb, the more stress/danger you found yourself in. Gossips and rumours start to fly all over the place, you found invisible darts on your back, you worried about recession and the company not doing well, and then you worried about where the company is gonna cut cost from so...
"BANG!"
"SORRY WE HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO DO THIS, BUT WE CANT AFFORD TO HIRE YOU ANYMORE. THE COMPANY IS NOT MAKING ANY PROFITS AND WE NEED TO CUT OUR LOSSES. THEREFORE, WE HAVE TO GET RID OF OUR "BIGGEST LIABILITY", WHICH IS...
YOU!!!
So much for being a loyal servant and spilling your guts out for the company huh? So what if you are the president or VP of XXX company? Does that mean your job is secure, stable and safe? So what happens now? You are back to square one. Even hawkers earn more than you. And what is their qualification? For god sake, many of them are holding on to O level cert or PSLE cert. And yet some of them are earning so much more than the so call "degree holders" out there. So what say you?
And talking about CPF money, WAHAHAHAHAHHAAAA...
C'mon, seriously? Does everyone really think that cpf money is suffcient to buy you a nice house and let you retire in comfort? Get a life! You either get a dream home or a dream retirement, but NOT BOTH. Unless of course, you are from the golden goose. For the average income earners out there (by that, i mean those who earn less than 5 figures per month), do they realise that some of them may never see their cpf money again for a long long time based on the "stable job stable income" belief that they are holding on to. For one, the cpf minimum sum scheme is gonna increase over the years. And if unfortunately you do not accumulute enough to hit that minimum sum, what is the next step? Oh, don't worry. There is an annuity scheme by the government. Great! So now the money which i worked so hard for my entire life is being lock-in once again and i will be control by how much i can withdraw from it each month. Hurray!!! Dream holiday? More like dream on!
So is this the way we want to play out our path?
To put our future on what we can't control.
Back to what i do.
Normally i don't react this way. As long as people leave me alone, i will not bother them. But it is starting to irritate me, BADLY... I hate it when they tried to put me down and poison my mum into those negative thoughts. They are the ones putting a strain on our relationship. Suddenly my mum is becoming one of them. And the funny thing is, the same people who talks behind my back are not neccessary living any better either. Yet they go on and on about how unstable my job is, there is no basic pay, how i waste my time and money studying uni, basically comparing my degree cert to a worthless piece of paper blah blah... What they fail to realise is that by talking to people about what i do and how i can benefit them, i can easily earn in a couple of hours what some people earn in a month. Of course, nothing comes for free. Every single cent i earn is the result of my sweat and pain. For every deal i close, i breathe easier knowing that i help to bring someone closer to their dream. In times of claims, i am glad that i indirectly help my clients tide over their financial burden. I do not expect any gratitude from them. All i know is that i have done my part.
So what if i don't a basic pay? I control how hard i want to work. I reap what i sow. I can go for holiday as and when i want without taking leave. I can go shopping or do my own personal stuff anytime of the day. I do not have to wake up at a fixed timing every morning. Heck, i can even don't go office if i don't feel like going. I do not have to worry about getting retrench. My bosses are great. My colleagues are fantastic. My working environment is wondeful. We work hard, we play hard. Life is Great!
Tell me, what more can i ask for?
So in actual fact, while those people are talking behind my back, they are the ones making a fool out of themselves. Eventually, i will prove them wrong and make them eat their own words. At this point, i don't really care about what they think about anymore. All i care about is those friends and clients who believe in me. Yes, i am truely grateful to have people in this world who still appreciate and respect me for what i do. Even if they may not know this, all i wanna say to them right now is a big
Seriously, i don't know what's wrong. I tried all ways and means. Things just isn't happening the way i expected it to turn out. I keep telling myself things will change but it never did. And it keeps getting worse. It's just like the domino effect. It just keeps falling and falling and falling. Normally, it's not as bad. But in recent weeks, EVERY single time (and i am not exaggerating by saying that) it turns out to be nothing but empty hopes. Things got so bad that i started to suspect that i am put under some kind of curse. How could it be possible that EVERY single time, the outcome was the same??? I tried to keep my hopes up everyday, only to be shattered the very next day. I wanted to help, but help is often out of my reach. All i want is to be given the opportunity.
IS THAT REALLY TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR?
Why can't people keep to their words?
Why can't they be more responsible?
Are they really that heartless that they don't even care how others feel about it?
Don't they even have the basic courtesy to give advance notice?
I hate this feeling.
I hate being taken for granted
I hate being the "standby option"
I hate it when it makes me look as though i am desperate because i am not.
I really really hope things will get better soon. Maybe this is the challenge i have to face along the way to make myself stronger. I like this quote by Orison Swett Marden that says:
'Success is not measured by what you accomplish but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds'
And I will strive on because i know sooner or later, things WILL get better.
It was only till yesterday then i realised i got M's name all wrong the whole time! His first name is M....., not R..... I always thought M..... is his nick in msn since he put R...... on his fb. Turns out R..... is his middle name. Feel like banging my head! No wonder Eugene gave me the "Kancheong Sotong" nick. Haha...
Anyway, this week has been a week of lows and high for me.
I just can't believe almost every single person fly my kite this week! It's either they are not feeling well, they forgot, they have extended meeting, they cant make it last min or blah blah.... And what's the most ironic thing? Me and my colleagues were having dinner together a few days ago and we were discussing about people flying our kites. One of them joked that we might as well fly a real one! And we did just that! So that night, we really drove down to Marina Barrage to fly kite after we finished our work. Very Onzzz right?????? Haha... Since it was a spontaneous decision, we had to stop by the 7-11 around that area to get the kites. To our major disappointment, there were kites but no kite spool & lines!
Even the "kite" also fly my kite! =_='''
Yaya... Stop laughing. I know it's funny and stupid.
We ended up playing basketball at the nearby basketball court till late into the night. Total madness! Wahahahaa...
To rub salt into the wound, today is actually M's bday, but he informed me a few days ago he won't be available as his parents are flying down from London today for a biz trip. Double sianzzz~~~ To think a few days ago i even cracked my head over where and how i should celebrate for him. He was nice though to suggest meeting a day earlier. So i sought Pea's help to customise a birthday card for him. After some discussion on what to draw for the card, this is what we came up with based on M's interest - Wine and Swimming.
Funny right???? Pea found an online cartoon image of a man trying to dive into a gigantic glass of red wine and we agreed to use this concept for M's card. Love it! :) Since i am talking about her customised card, i shall shun bian help her advertise again. Haha.... --> http://peanutos.wordpress.com/
And for what it's worth, M nearly fly my kite yesterday! We were discussing about the possibility of going Fort Canning for an outdoor band performance by this group, "Placebo" when he suddenly sms me to inform that his parents will be arriving 1 day earlier! So thurs night is out too! Can anyone get Suay-er than that??? I was already feeling down when one of my prospect fly my kite earlier in the noon. So my heart practically sunk right to the bottom when i heard the news from M. No doubt i am happy for him that his parents are coming down, but at the same time i just couldnt hide my disappointment. And i don't even know what to reply back...
Fortunately, there was a twist to the ending. I dunno if he sensed my disappointment or i am lucky. He left a msg subsequently to inform me that his parents flight was delayed! Hence, he suggested dinner together after i am done with my night appointment (ended up to be another kite -_-'''). We went for dinner at this chinese restaurant by the name of "China Club" on the 52nd level, the highest floor of Capital Tower. Pardon my sua ku-ness, but when i heard the name "China Club", i thought it is a bar outlet that serves chinese food and and most probably hires a lot of chinese staffs. Wahahaha... Turns out this place is surprisingly atas, cos it is open exclusively for members only. Thank god i was in my work attire yesterday, otherwise i will look totally out of place.
The view there is nothing but spectacular, overlooking the singapore skyline. I wish i brought my cam along, but on second thought, i think i wont dare to use it there anyway. Lolz... The dim lightings and soothing music provides for a nice and quiet ambience, ideal for a romantic date or even as a venue for business appointment (provided the client is worth it lah. Haha...)
Food wise, it is pretty decent, and for the month of March, they are having some kinda Australian Pear Promotion for the Ala Carte items. We ordered a few dishes, one of them being the 'Tea-smoked Duck with Australian Pear Jelly'. I kinda like it cos it has a wonderful smokey flavour to it. Each portion comes with 2 pieces only. A bit pathetic for that price. Ha... The other dish i like is the 'Baked Fillet of Sea Perch Topped with Black Truffle & Australian Pear'. Sounds very atas right? Lolz... And indeed it is. In fact, i only learn to appreciate truffle after Eugene intro me to truffle salt and truffle butter (good stuff!) Before that, I didnt know that truffles are difficult to find and hence, tend to be quite expensive. The black truffle and the sauce totally adds extra kick to the food, the aroma alone will make you wilt with pleasure. Love it!
No pics to show but i managed to find the pics of these 2 dishes on their webby:
Tea-smoked Duck with Australian Pear Jelly
Fillet of Sea Perch Topped with Black Truffle & Australian Pear
We ordered 2 more dishes - the 'Braised Homemade Hor Fun with Sliced Abalone and Bean Sprouts' and 'Fried Asparagus'. The latter was good but the Hor Fun was so-so only though.
One thing i notice is that if you are a big eater or if you are feeling hungry, the portion may be a tad too little, almost sample size (see pic above). Yes, that is the exact portion we were given per pax. So for the price conscious, i gotta warn that the price here is not exactly wallet-friendly.
M was particularly curious by this item on the dessert menu - "Hashima". I told him i THINK it is toad's sperm or saliva & he totally got this look of disbelief (!?!?) on his face. So cute! Haha... None of us dare to order it so we ordered something else. Actually i tried this Hashima dessert before in a chinese restaurant. I rem it tasting like jelly. Don't ask me why i tried it that time but i recalled my mum emphasizing that it's "good stuff"!
SO....... As usual, I did a search on google (my best friend. Hee...) and to my horror, it's actually the FALLOPIAN TUBE OF A TOAD!!!*Totally Stunned* I told M about it later on and he was equally amazed by it.
Found a pic online and it looks something like this:
Apparently, it has nutritional content and some say it is a cheaper version of bird nest.
Any takers???
The night ended pretty well though. His parents arrived in sg half way through our dinner. Though he assured me it's ok, i felt bad for taking up his time to spend with his parents. He did stopped by to visit them for a short while before rushing back to accompany me again. So sweet right? Totally made my day after a bad week of "kite-flying". And for once, in fact i should say almost everytime when i am with M, i felt glad to be in the company of someone who don't rush through every lunch/dinner or movie date. I guess for us, having a slow, casual dinner while engaging in a decent conversation is a sign of respect and appreciation for the other person. This is what i meant by quality time! :)
*Ps: M said he likes the card :D Thanks to Pea for rushing the card out for me! :)
FIRST HE INSULTED ME, MAKING PERSONAL ATTACKS ON MY CHARACTER AND ACCUSED ME OF HORRIBLE STUFF WHICH IS ENTIRELY NOT TRUE.
THEN HE WENT ON TO INSULT MY FRIENDS, ACCUSING THEM TO BE THE SAME AS ME.
AND FINALLY, HE INSULTED MY COMPANY & COLLEAGUES, CLAIMING THAT THEY TRIED TO CHEAT HIS MONEY JUST BECAUSE HE PAID A LOT FOR IT (BIG DEAL, I HAVE CLIENTS PAYING MORE THAN HIM AND NONE OF THEM SAID THE SAME THING)
AND GUESS WHAT'S THE BEST PART?
HE ACTUALLY SAID THIS:
" IF NOT FOR THE FREE GIFT, I WOULD NOT HAVE SIGNED UP WITH YOU. ALL OTHER COMPANIES GIVING SOME GIFTS, YOURS IS THE SUCKIEST!"
WOW WOW WOW!!! CAN'T BELIEVE HE'S ONE OF THOSE GIAM PENG AND CHEAPO ASSHOLE! I THOUGHT ONLY KIASU PEOPLE BEHAVES LIKE THAT??? HE TOTALLY BEHAVES LIKE THOSE TYPICAL AUNTIES WHO WILL JUST KNOCK YOU OUT OF THE WAY JUST TO BE THE FIRST IN THE QUEUE TO GET A FREE SAMPLE! AND FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH, I DON'T THINK OUR GIFTS SUCKS AT ALL. IN FACT, HE'S THE FIRST CLIENT I HAD WHO COMPLAINED THE GIFTS SUCKS. IN NORMAL CASE, MOST PEOPLE WILL BE APPRECIATIVE TO RECEIVE IT COS IT'S A BY-THE-WAY THING. CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IDIOTIC BASTARD HAS NO SENSE OF APPRECIATION AT ALL. ALL HE EVER DOES IS TO COMPLAIN ABOUT EVERY SINGLE THING UNDER THE SUN.
ARRGH!!! I REALLY FEEL LIKE KILLING SOMEONE NOW!!
I FELT SO UPSET AND GRIEVED ABOUT THE WHOLE SITUATION. IT'S TOTALLY NOT WORTH IT! ALL THE EFFORT I EXPENDED IN RETURN FOR ALL THESE KINDA SHIT! I SERIOUSLY REGRETTED TAKING UP HIS BIZ. GIVEN A CHOICE NOW, I WOULD RATHER GIVE IT A MISS.
NOW I AM SO GLAD THAT I MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE TO WALK AWAY...
THE HYPOCRISY & FALSE PRETENSE ALL THESE WHILE HAVE FINALLY REVEALED THEIR TRUE COLOURS.
YOU ARE JUST A WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHINGS, THE LEOPARD THAT NEVER CHANGES ITS SPOTS!
NO WONDER PEOPLE CANNOT STAND HIM IN THE PAST.
NO WONDER PEOPLE WALKED AWAY FROM HIM.
NO WONDER HE IS STILL AN ANGRY SICK OLD MAN TODAY.
NO WONDER HE DID NOT GET PROMOTED AFTER SO MANY YEARS.
BASICALLY HIS ATTITUDE SUCKS AND HE JUST THINKS TOO HIGHLY OF HIMSELF.
SINCE YOU THINK WE SINGAPOREANS ARE TRYING TO CHEAT YOUR MONEY, JUST FUCKING GO BACK TO YOUR FUCKING COUNTRY. YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO PEOPLE IN YOUR COUNTRY. DON'T MAKE IT SEEM LIKE WE ARE LUSTING AFTER YOU! YOU ARE JUST PLAIN CHILDISH ! AND I THINK YOUR MORAL CHARACTER DESERVES A THOROUGH EXAMINATION SINCE YOU ARE NOT EXACTLY THE MOST HONEST PERSON I HAVE SEEN. YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID. IT'S JUST YOUR NATURE. NOTHING WILL EVER CHANGE! EVERYTHING IS YOUR FAULT SO DON'T KEEP BLAMING IT ON OTHERS !
AND FOR SURE, YOU ARE DEFINITELYNOT A SAINT, SO DON'T MAKE YOURSELF SOUND LIKE ONE!
FROM NOW ON, I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP ANYMORE!
YOU KNOW WHY?
BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE LEFT IN THIS WORLD. AT LEAST I AM LUCKY TO HAVE PEOPLE AROUND ME NOW WHO KNOWS HOW TO TREAT ME WITH LOVE & RESPECT.
DO YOU?
SADLY, I DON'T THINK SO.
AND YOU CAN CONTINUE TO BE AN ANGRY, LONELY AND PATHETIC MAN FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!!!
I HAD ENOUGH OF YOU AND I AM NOT GONNA BE CONTROL BY YOU ANYMORE!
HURRAYYYYYY!!!!!
*Ps: Sorry for all the CAPS cos i have so much hatred for this BASTARD right now that i just wanna vent my frustration here!
Happened to come across this song while i was browsing the web one day. It's been playing in my head for the past few days. In fact, i fell in love with it the first time i heard it. The video is kinda cute, so i just wanna share it here :)
I don't know but I think I maybe Fallin' for you Dropping so quickly Maybe I should Keep this to myself Waiting 'til I Know you better
I am trying Not to tell you But I want to I'm scared of what you'll say So I'm hiding what I'm feeling But I'm tired of Holding this inside my head
I've been spending all my time Just thinking about ya I don't know what to do I think I'm fallin' for you I've been waiting all my life And now I found ya I don't know what to do I think I'm fallin' for you I'm fallin' for you
As I'm standing here And you hold my hand Pull me towards you And we start to dance All around us I see nobody Here in silence It's just you and me
I'm trying Not to tell you But I want to I'm scared of what you'll say So I'm hiding what I'm feeling But I'm tired of Holding this inside my head
I've been spending all my time Just thinking about ya I don't know what to do I think I'm fallin' for you I've been waiting all my life And now I found ya I don't know what to do I think I'm fallin' for you I'm fallin' for you
Oh I just can't take it My heart is racing The emotions keep spinning out
I've been spending all my time Just thinking about ya I don't know what to do I think I'm fallin' for you I've been waiting all my life And now I found ya I don't know what to do I think I'm fallin' for you I'm fallin' for you I think I'm fallin' for you
I can't stop thinking about it I want you all around me And now I just can't hide it I think I'm fallin' for you (x2)
Finally i got both my iphone and fujitsu tablet already! Another 2 items striked off my wishlist :)
I just wanna say Iphone is freaking fun and cool to bring around!!! Now i finally understand why so many people is holding one. There are so many cool apps to download, and you can practically surf net anywhere on the go with a data plan. For a 路痴 like me, the bus guide and street directory is worth a total gem to me cos from now on, i can just use my iphone to seek for help. Furthermore, with a capacity of 32gb, i can download all the rubbish i want. Woo hoooooo!!!! I am so happy!!!
Ha... I think i shall stop here since i guess by now, 8 out of 10 people is carrying one. It's nothing new already and i am in fact, a late adopter. But i don't care...
Again, taken from their website showing how it looks like when it is freshly-baked from the oven.
