Have a Healthy Christmas! The Great Korean Workout

Amidst gorging ourselves with turkey, log cake, mince pies (whoever invented this nonsense? And what rubbish to eat 1 everyday for 12 days consecutively??? To hell with this stupid tradition cos mince pies are the worst thing I have ever tasted... There are better things to occupy stomach space) and lamb, let's not forget to keep healthy.

Don't forget there is another round of feasting on Jan 1, and another one coming up on 25 Jan -.-

Increase HDL and lower LDL please....

During my leave I watched this super cool exercise on KBS World... My greatest wish now is to be able to do it together with like-minded people (never mind the age - so long as the coordination of movements look the same, it should be alright). No wonder the Koreans are so good at spreading fads... Don't you think there is something ethereal yet dynamic about this workout.

Whoever wants to do it together on an open space let me know!! I am going to watch this video again and again so that I can master it hahahah...

Singapore Flyer

Err... I know this comes in a bit appropriately after 173 people were stuck mid-air - resulting in wet pants, flying tempers and missed flights. But I just wanted to tell everyone that the Flyer was really enjoyable when I took it in November - and am proud that Singapore has such an attraction. Probably some of our neighbours are laughing their @#$ off, but no one is flawless. There is bound to be some glitch, at some point in time.

Of course you would say that, oh come on you idiot, you were not the one stranded up there, frightened, hungry and in bad need of a leak. Sure, point taken, noted and etched - but life surely must go on. To be honest, I feel sorry for them to falter at this all-important festive season - probably the last time to get the money rolling in before the ubiquitous recession hits us fully in 2009.

Here are some of the happy pics I took at Flyer - I must say it's really nice. I especially enjoyed their rainforest - it looks totally beautiful when it's raining. Rainforest is sponsored by Yakult - quite an interesting sponsorship I must say (and so they have Yakult vending machines at the Flyer too :D) DB and me also had a good time feeding the carps at the fish pond.

Yes, they even have ear sets to explain to you the significance of each precinct in detail. I learned quite a bit from the interactive video actually.

This was funny - they had this art exhibition going on - pics drawn by children. Hammy has 2 meanings for me: 1) Reminiscence of the departed hamsters dudi, chuk chuk, lulu, siew mai and har gao, 2) Bright-eyed, talented Lewis Hamilton :pppp

Separately I went to an roadshow by AVA where they promoted responsible pet ownership (in view of crystalice's post on responsible pet ownership. My posts, though late, seem to be strategic in terms of time-to-market :P)

This one's for geetz.... :D I am sure it reminds of a certain creature that used to stay at FD's place :p

Last one's also for geetz.... Of course J4s know I am now in close working relationship with a certain mag. This was featured in the Nov issue I think - William and his composer brother... Ke cheesy....

靚人靚相

哈哈。。。不是誇自己，但只是借用TVBblog的tagline罷了。

D&D pics 終于upload了。。。希望大家會喜歡。

未去D&D之前，當然須要set頭。。。我非常喜歡這個style...

與同事及舊同事一起合拍：

集體部門合照：

我還贏得獎呢！

其實之前的一個function我們的部門也相當出色。。。公司的newsletter都有登我們的照！

Singapore F1 Grand Prix

Photo courtesy of Reuters

It's here!

I have to admit I wasn't much a fan to begin with. Every time DB, geetz and FD crowd around the TV screen to watch F1, my adrenalin rush wasn't that high... Well yes, fast cars they are and eye candy every where, but still, I wasn't moved.

But kudos and special thanks to FD who got us all tickets and then made me a convert.

Let's get the facts right first. The Singapore Grand Prix is the first night race in the world, but the 5th street race after Monte Carlo, Melbourne, Valencia and Montreal.


Geetz called up on Wednesday night. "Eh FD got us F1 tickets! Why not you go and watch with DB on Friday and I watch with you on Saturday?" Thinking that I may not appreciate what the hell would go on, I told geetz it was alright and I would just go for the qualifying race.


So DB and I started our F1 day out by driving out at about 5.45pm, and DB made a clever decision to park at Kallang and we took the train and city hall.

When we reached Kallang MRT, I could already sensed that everyone was on tenterhooks - Gate 1 is within walking distance to Kallang station, and MRT personnel and policemen were all on walkies. There was quite a mad rush. DB and I thought, hmm, looks like everyone was serious about this.

Only when we reached City Hall MRT - that was the real thing. Police were on raise platforms, Singapore GP staff in black t-shirts and more boys in blue. The sight of police on raised plaforms suddenly reminded me of dear old Jakarta, where they usually had such a sight at hotel lobbies.


Then the thrilling sound of the car whizzed passed.


That was it! I was an instant convert. The sound of speed, excitement and glamour, all rolled into one. And yes, how did I regretted not taking up geetz's offer to go today for the race day.

Looking at the mad crowd towards Gate 7, DB and I decided to get some Gio-Gio hot dogs to walk and eat at the same time (never a next time cos they were totally insipid).

I pitied the Marina Square tenants as hoards of people were trampling on the floors of the mall but cash registers were just not ringing - everyone just used it as an aircon channel to get to Gate 7... But Raffles City was rather bustling.

While walking towards Gate 7, DB and I also saw lateral views of the cars passing by during the practice session. Many other cheapos parked themselves next to the fences along Suntec to peer through the mesh screen too, putting their ears to risk.

And finally, we were in!



Don't think they are just mere tickets... I can imagine the hard work behind the design, material, placement, barcode and even how to acknowledge used tickets (see the punched hole in the centre) would have sparked quarrels and many politics behind these.... I cannot help but feel for the people who were behind the race, and having a concurrent feeling of pride surged inside me for Singapore (at this point in time, patriotic values preceded the hatred of our rude and insolent orang Singapura).

Practice session was just over, so DB and I decided to talk a walk around the park to soak in the atmosphere. The crowd was amazing:



DB also took a shot for me at the free standing area :D




More interesting sights caught my eye:

My favourite club of the moment :p I thought it was not quite worth the while for them to be here... Having the booze brands would be more exposure... well.

And this... was more interesting:


I thought Dr George Quek was pretty smart - not only was it a good chance to introduce Breadtalk and Din Tai Fung (yes, DTF was there too) to an international audience, but it was also a good opportunity to interest potential franchisees. Interestingly we saw him taking pictures of the booths and monitoring the ops rather closely, but after a while strolled off to enjoy the race. He was smiling, but of course he would be, as 2 Flosss buns and 1 iced lemon tea cost S$8 -_- DTF was selling 6 or 8 dumpling and a drink at S$15 -_-


And here is sucker/victim no. X (interpretation in the eyes of the reader):



Well I reckon rental of these tents would also be expensive, hence the nice prices....
Didn't have much a choice as I wasn't in the mood for indian food or secret recipe or squeezing with the race of the crowd to head to hawker village.

Got an sms from CY that I should go for the pit lane walk, but the ushers shared that it would take about 30 minutes to walk there (near Flyer), so we decided against it since the race would start in 30 min by the time we finished the buns it was 0910 hours, and qualifying started at 2200 hours.

Talking about the ushers - these kids were really good - they were patient, sunshine-y, and friendly to the guests, despite the heat and long hours of standing. They were also articulated and ready to take questions any time :D So proud of them was I that I had wanted to take a picture with one of the young girls... Anyway their positive attitude must have rubbed off on Fat - cos he went to ask the usher how much did they earn per hour when he was there last night..... -_-

There were different t-shirts for ushers, ticketing, porters and housekeeping. And I thought the housekeeping kids were great too! They held on to black garbage bags and even had genuine smiles on their faces :) this was a part I had never seen in Singapore and it really touched me. And I dutifully handed my used cup to them too with a smile.

About time that we went up to catch a view, DB and I thought.

We were seated at Marina grand stand... Keep your eyes on those bozos in front.

See how they were blocking the damn screen!!! Ok so the race hasn't started but come on! You didn't have glass as your main diet when you were growing up so get off and talk somewhere else.... #$%& even made me squabble with DB for that. DB and I always have different views about such matters.... soon to be aligned but either one of us will suffer since it is a compromise of values... Ok shall not digress.


The race started and oh my god, was it exciting! No pictures of the race did I take cos I was just too busy turning my neck and checking out the main giant screen to keep tabs of who was in front. Bimbo it may so, but after this pole and podium definitely take on new meanings for me... Branding association is so damn important too... I have this warm, fuzzy feeling about Mercedes since I know that is Lewis' team :D

Photo courtesy of Reuters

You must win tonight! :-* I pray for you that it will rain so you will shine shine shine... :D

*********

I salute Ong Beng Seng for having the patience and being steadfast in his desire to bring F1 into Singapore... Despite being rejected so many times due to concerns by the Singapore government, his friendship with Bernie Ecclestone had helped to push many things, and F1 was finally brought into Singapore. Seeing that so many tourists have come to Singapore to witness this history in its making, and contributing more tourism receipts and visitor arrivals to Singapore, it really makes me feel happy that my ex-colleagues are doing such good work for the economy, which is really much needed in the midst of meltdowns as witnessed by the crash of Lehman Bros and gang. To all those who thought F1 was frivolous and does nothing for the economy, shame on you... Just take a walk along Orchard Road and see how many tourists are buying stuff - this was a rare sight before F1. I haven't seen that many ang mohs and japs recently until this weekend.

Kudos and cheers to all heroes and unsung heroes in F1's involvement - if we get extra ERS or dividends from the government next year we know who to thank :D

家好月圓慶中秋 - 公公作風

為什麽稱爲公公作風——因爲照片不是八月十五拍的，是八月十六。

When I came home on the actual day itself, it was already 10+ and wee was asleep... Was a tad too late to celebrate together with her... I went to the balcony and then saw a lone lantern dangling at the balcony, with a used candle. Obviously wee had played with the lantern but alone.

The next day she then told me that she had joined the kids at the temple for a celebration, and she brought the lantern down... Well what to do when fat is sick. There could be a slim chance that he may go together if he was not, but the word to highlight is of course "slim".

That night wee and I were watching the Adrian Pang show and was telling me about the temple celebration, and she suddenly asked if I wanted to play with the lantern. To recap, this was 八月十六。I was a bit surprised, but delighted that she asked. Any way wee had already proceeded to the balcony and started to light the candle for me, and placed the candle into the lantern.

While trying to dangle the small paper lantern on a wooden chopstick, I started to reminisce about the Pei Chun days with geetz... Mid-autumn was never really it unless we had a whole pool of melted candle wax somewhere.

So where did salmo have a role in this? Actually it was when I wanted to take a photo of the lantern, it was wee that quickly brought salmo over for the shot :p I thought it was really cute.

There are only so many of such moments that one would have with their loved ones... When I get married there would be less of such opportunities to spend with wee. I guess TVB had always been right...珍惜眼前人.

Home Decor

Nice isn't it? As part of my pai ka respite I looked for ideas for our new home... I think this is lovely. Maybe take away the Chinese screen since that will be difficult to clean and maybe the rug... but setup and lighting is just so nice...

Will continue to put nice decor pics here so that I will remind myself that I have a home to renovate... not just work and work...

my wish list for Singapore

我报 had this article few days ago. A teacher wrote in, sharing that MPs should conduct walkabouts in trains as opposed to coffee shops, as the former is now a better litmus test of 民情。I totally agree... as you would know I am a 6-day per week train commuter, and because of the kaypoh I am, the conversations, Public Display of Affection and rude behaviour to fellow commuters strike me as an interesting observation but increasingly, because I am in the know, bit by bit I am getting disillusioned and jaded by whatever is happening to Uniquely Singapore.



Ms Teacher shared 2 anecdotes, one in the bus and one in the train. She was brave enough to step out to tick off two youngster who were eating biscuits on the bus, who subsequently swept crumps on the floor. She reminded them they were not supposed to eat in the bus but was only responded by a challenge to her that says "我就是要吃哩！" and they sniggered off.....



Anyway by the rate our society is progressing, where dual-income parents are the norm, and either with maid or in the lucky scenario, the grandparents taking care of the kids, you have no control of children behaviour and they become, simply one word, like ANIMALS. Sure, it is easy to say that one should be contented and if needed, 看破and dedicate yourself to be a mother and make do with lesser income... Then with rising costs of education and all that nonsense, who is going to bear? Gahmen? I am not sure... DPM says "to bring the proverbial stork back to Singapore".... It is really easier said than done. I am really looking forward to PM's national day speech this year.



Put it this way, I think people have kids is not just about enjoying the process, but really having to be a parent and to be there for the children. I want to bring up my children the way my mum has brought me up - to be there for me after school, to teach me my 1 to 12 time table, to teach me to do housework, going to the market with her, watching TV together, going shopping together, cooking for me, giving me the extra support during exams, etc. Mum has dedicated a very large part of her life to raising Gee and myself, and there is nothing short of gratitude and indebtedness to her.



In this time and age, how to be the "proverbial" mother like her????



Before PM announces his (hopefully) goodies and sentiments to the nation, I would like to share my wish list for Singapore:

1. Rethink if there is a need to be #1, all the time - Because the top is obsessed with being the "leading", "key" and "strategic", these top-down directives cascade down to organisational levels and down to individual KPIs. National competitive advantage is important, but so is citizen welfare - employee fatigue has been empirically proven to decrease productivity and eventually lead to loss in sustainability. And all that employee welfare programmes are bullshit because it is employees themselves that take on extra burden to organise that. Quitters then become a natural phenomenon when people get exhausted with living in the "now" everyday. We never chose to be second-class citizens elsewhere, but honestly, neither do we want to slog to death in a place we ironically call home.
2. A gracious society - say sorry when you bang into someone. Say thank you when someone holds the lift for you (not everyone is under the payroll of SMRT/SBS Transit). Say thank you when good customer service has been rendered, and at the same time, don't give ugly stares when a customer politely asks you to change an item (Dorothy Perkins at Raffles City is guilty of this - It was my 1st purchase at this shop and I will never step into this branch again... Thanks to the rude team lead)... It leads to a vicious cycle when the society takes niceties for granted. Those who have no manners and public decorum should be sent to exile.
3. Pro-human workplace - mean it when you say it. Shut office power supply at 6pm (or whatever time you knock off). BUT at the same time, set realistic corporate directions so people do not need to slog their lives away. We all have different roles to play in our lives - children, parents, spouse and employee. With all the multiple roles we have to play, why does work have be placed on a pedestal? (Read #1 for the answer) It is only so because we spend more than three-quarters of each day at work...

I think I only have 3.... It is not much to request for in terms of quantity, but I am not too sure if there is any framework in place to champion the quality of these requests and to stand by its side to make sure it takes place....

I chose to be in public service when I graduated because I want to contribute back to my society, but to see that what my society has turned out to be, I am questioning myself whether do I see the returns.

Happy birthday, Singapore.

Singaporeans are just lazy dressers

Yesterday's post was just a slight teaser for what is coming on today :D

Gala dinner was not too bad, but with some stupid people giving stupid remarks:

" Wah you 881 ah?"

"Wrong event leh you, this is not Star Awards!"

My answer was simple - you never read the dress code in the invite ah? It says "formal", and that means for ladies, the gown must touch the feet. If you are wearing anything shorter than that, then sorry - you are in the wrong place. In any case, you must at least give Shangri-la some respect. It is because of you losers out there who don't give 2 hoots about dressing up that dress codes are never kept in Singapore... So if you ask me, yes, you should reserve your cheap Japanese flip-flops for the beach and not bring them all around town...

So my answer to the person who asked me that, I replied specifically:

"It is not that I am in the wrong event, all these people are {polite smile, pointing at those wearing cocktail and sun dresses - yes! even sun dresses...faint}"

Anyway I must thank Chris for giving so much effort in my make-up and hair...Especially the hair, it was fantastic. Ok I know the make-up is a little too much but the hair is actually not too bad... But the make-up matched the dress!

Twisted seat belt... stupid.

Full length pictures - had to take it back home because as you know, people always take forever to send pictures to you.

It is only times like this I much prefer ex-company... because all of us will go all out to dress up and have fun... Why want to spoil the mood? Gala dinner leh!!!!

And guess the number of pins in my head that night.... I think it must have been about 50!

Chris even mentioned that he was actually pissed while doing my hair - with the pins being black and hair even blacker - he can't see a damn... and he

Anyway I experienced more bozos along the way during the dinner. Some people went up to VIPs and introduce themselves.... Stupid move. Even better, took the chance while I was away introducing my guest to fellow colleagues, stole my seat and spoke to my guest - which of course totally appalled my guest.

Yucks... How ugly and un-poise some people can do for attention..

And talk loudly over the table.... Yucks.

The quality of food was good, but not to my liking. Cod fish in truffle sauce... Didn't take much. Anway I was busy chatting with my guests, not much time to chew. Though theoretically speaking you dont need to chew cod fish. But truffle sauce was just too heavy for me... Fortunately mum still had some potato, carrot and onion soup with chicken, which I thought was definitely better than poser cod fish with truffle sauce. In any case I had to reward myself - after fighting with hair spray and 50 pins... Anyone sane would need to recover from that..

Bun

Chris says next time during my wedding he must come earlier. Cos my hair is jus too unruly..

Moonlight Resonance

A super kek seh, meaningless english title but nevertheless embellished with a solid cast. Something dat we have all been waiting for and now is on my desktop :-D Crispy Cheang, this is the one you should be looking out for - in case you are reading... Sian my ebay post still remains quiet and no one wants to buy the skype wifi phone. Seems like i have to eat dead cat and keep the phone.....nb.

New Skype phone!

See.. Sticker on screen not removed even..

Buy brand new Belkin WiFi Skype phone!

Cheap cheap! S$220 + free delivery within singapore. Have to sell this cos boss says its the wrong specs. Not used before! Leave me a comment if you interested..

I hate IBS

Interesting isn't it? These are nasi lemak cookies. Dear secretary treated us to it. They tasted heavenly. But i can no longer have them- neither can i have anything that is sold at hawker centres, except for bee hoon soup. The list goes on- nothing oily, nothing fried, nothing too sweet, nothing too rich, nothing spicy. And no pig offal, no raisins, no chocs, no nuts, no bananas, no fruit juices. How many days/weeks of bee hoon soup must i take man??! Apparently the magic cure is probiotics so i have been loading up on yogurt and yakult and vitagen.. Lets all pray it works..at least its a more worth while cause than praying for cheaper fuel. . Stupidos.

VS #1

See wat i mean.. Around the waist its a tad loose and cuffing at sleeves also loose..

Online sprees

Hahaha.. Turns out dat moblog wasn't dat expensive- bill for last month was about $67. Anyway while doing strategy planning, i cyber-loafed for quite a bit- eventually resulting into a S$200+ loss. I went shopping on victoria's secret and bot 2 dresses and 2 shirts ;) must say their shirts are really luxurious looking but needs to be altered- bot small size petite range still too big! But to me its worth the trial. Next on my list would be pants! I know its even more adventurous but i think it can always be altered :-P anyway turns out dat sis and DB's sis also shopped victoria's secret recently.. Haha. As wat i told sis their website prob has gong tao..

职场上没有永远的敌人，只有永远的榜样

我真的须要把这句话牢牢地记在心里。

今天《我报》的Ms Shenton和大家分享了这番话，我非常有感触。

其实我手上一拿起《我报》的话，其中最喜欢的专栏就是Ms Shenton 的。

内容不算是每天都精彩，但是多半都是有意思、有人生学问的。

有时候读的时候，好象是读到了自己的情况。

今天她的标题颇为有趣。

生理上我应该是还没到更年期的阶段，但是她所写的内容，可以取到我的共鸣。

我虽然不算是她所称的“元老” （其实论辈分或资格或经验我都配不上），但是这些东西我也有见过。

Murphy's law

It happens, esp when you want to catch a cab at the most urgent of all times. This phenomenon manifests particularly in the context of an infrequent cab user, ie, yours truly. The road suddenly turns into a ghost town, and a 5-min wait becomes the most unbearable thing on earth. I have to run frantically all over the precinct and finally i caught one, with the previous passengers giving me dirty looks when they came out from the cab.. Iiiidiots.

Sturdy heels too!

And just in case i fall and result in a code blue, i dont think i will fall so badly.. Thanks to the sturdy but elegant heels of everbest shoes :-P hmm.. I come to realise why i have gotten A+ for retail mgt in my uni days :-D

Positive effects of retail therapy

People who think dat hard core shoppers actually get dat 'instant kick' whilst shopping are just so wrong. There are many latent effects of shopping sprees- a good example, for my case, is decreased absenteeism rate at work :-P I had actually wanted to get an mc today- flu, diarrhoea and sore throat. Wat a lethal combination. But the mere thought of not wearing this pair of new shoes and my fav black dress as planned makes it a worse dimension to be in.. Having my new shoes as motivation to go to work today, i sprung off bed for my mundane routine of hair and makeup.. But alas, i am late again. Nb..

Check out the colour tones! Woot B-) according to Susan this is one of their best selling models. Comes in beige and brown tones too.

I love GSS!

Monday blues.. Wat better way to beat it with a pair of sleek, chilly red shoes B-) got this from plaza sing's everbest.. And of cos, darling GSS made it cheaper to boot- 20% storewide. I went there yest early noon.. Yes, it was a dreary, gloomy sunday morning but the shopping pilgrimage had to be done, lest i miss the sale amidst the busy work schedule. Sales person Susan made the trip worth it with her polite demeanour and sound recommendation. Did regret a little though, declining her offer to expand the front. A little tight now. .

FD's birthday

Today we celebrate the birthday of Mr FD.. Gee and me at kintamani- simple but genuine indonesian food :) but the mie bakso is nowhere near di warung nya jakarta...

Ready for decon!

That's me! Mask isnt as bad as i tot...

Space suit

Today i am on decon training.. And decon=decontamination. We will be activated the day when there is a chemical attack in SG. Hope and pray dat there will never be such a day.. Not only because i dont want my fellow country men to be affected but i dont i am well- trained enough on the protocol :-S

Why doctors are such great people

This is Dr Quah Boon Long.

I have not consulted with him but our patients have. Of course, many may think he may not be the best doctor but I think he is an example of a good doctor. Surely it is, because I spoke to an overseas patient today, as usual. I asked the parents, did you come all the way to Singapore to see Dr Quah? They said yes. Below is a discourse of what we talked about.

A: How did you get to know about Dr Quah?
B: Through a doctor referral, from a hospital at our country.
A: How do you find Dr Quah?
B: Very good! He is really very good.... I have never met a doctor like him before, so careful, so precise and caring for his patient. 我觉得他很厉害。

A: Would you recommend your facility to your friends?
B: I already had! Some of my friends whose children have eye problems I already recommended for them to come here.... I think they need to know.

Of course, being the marketing personnel that I am, and having a nose to sniff that they are true converts, I asked the million-dollar question.

A: Erm, let's just say if your child's outcome is really good, would you consider to be featured in the media to share your experience with others?
B: Of course!!! I must share! Only through sharing would other parents know about this kind of condition and where they can seek treatment...

........

I was truly humbled when the family said that. I think to myself, if I am in their shoes, I may not do as such. But it is only working in such an environment, with patients as my source of inspiration, I find true meaning in my work and continue to share hope and inspire confidence for our patients.

I left the ward thanking them sincerely, leaving them with my contact to say that we will be in touch for this. As I close the door behind me, I heard the entire family and patient talking happily and chatting.

As with what another doctor mentioned before, these are parents that are ideal parents - they do not take the doctor as God, but hope for the best and trust the doctor to do their best. They co-operate well with the doctor and are more than wiling to share their stories for people with similar conditions, just for the reason that they don't want people to follow their initial journey, having a difficult time to source for a treatment facility.

And because doctors have the ability to cure the sick and heal the pain, they are semi-gods. Some of them know they are semi-gods and hence abuse that.... Like it or not, they are truly semi-gods because they can change your destiny at crossroads and give you the hope and confidence that you never had before.

So if the doctor is God, I'd like to think of myself as an angel - since I am the messenger/PA/sidekick of God :)

MRT Pests 2

Here's another one.. Might as well jus sit on the person sitting behind the plastic panel! And yes, the irritated person behind the panel is none other than me *#@!

MRT pests

These are ple who think they own the damn train. They live in a world of their own and think dat only they experience fatigue after a hard day's work; the rest of us are the real pests at work. Expect more MRT posts from me as i have so much more to say...