3 Days 2 Nights in Bali

Under my previous employment with United Fiber System Ltd (An SGX listed company dealing with pulp manufacturing for the production of papers), I have to travel to Indonesia quite often to understand the operations of the mills as well as to liaise with the mill's third parties e.g. bankers, auditors, government officials, etc. The 3 usual location is Jakarta, Banjarmasin and Ale Ale (You don't want to be here!). Anyway, my point is that my very first virgin voyage on flight is given to the company and Indonesia is the very first overseas country that I have ever travelled to, thus, I am supposed to be excited BUT due to its much ladened ugly news on the Jakarta riots coupled with gorish photos, I have very bad impression of the place and believe me when I said I had this nauseous feeling when I stepped onto Jakarta's ground.

Irodori Japanese Restaurant

It is the time of the year for our department to have our annual department dinner and this time round we are having it at Irodori Japanese Restaurant. The restaurant is situated in River Valley or to be precise, the Riverview hotel. Japanese food is one of the food that I liked due to the way the japanese took pride in preparing their food by placing much emphasize on the colour and the taste (One short of the "wei" or fragrance fragrance of the chinese famous "se" "xiang" wei" combo) of the food. Of course, I will not be expecting such quality especially in a restaurant that serves it the Ala-carte buffet style. So usually the best bet is to go about food that cannot and MUST NOT go wrong ~ sashimi!

The setting is not much to rave about. For started, we were served with some raw salmon with some tangy dressing... guess my taste bud doesn't reveal the combination of the dressing. Also, they served us Hiyayako (Cold tofu), which is pretty refreshing.

Marriott's Mai Khao Beach, Phuket Thailand

Given the number of people reading my blog (If any), I guess this wouldn't go far but what-the-heck, let's do it anyway because as they say that "Treasures are reserved for the few that has the will to find it".

I have been in Singapore since July 2000 and has stayed in a number of rented places as follow:

Yr2000 Commonwealth Drive
Yr2001-2004 Jurong West Ave 1 (More precisely Jurong West St 42)
Yr2005-2006 Bukit Merah View
Yr2007-Present Serangoon North Ave 1

Prior to my current residential, I have never known my neighbours at all and mind you, that's 6years+! Thank God that my current neighbour, the Kheng family of 3 are good neighbours. The soft-spoken Uncle George is the father who is still working as a senior teacher in a local primary school despite being 61 this year (He just celebrated his birthday a few days ago). Auntie Cecilia is the full time house-wife cum mother of Teochew Peranakan descend. She took pride in maintaining the cleanliness of her house and trust me when I say you won't find a speck of dust in her house. Gerald is the young and modern son who is currently pursuing an hons degree with the Singapore Management University (SMU) and is due to graduate in end of 2010. Gerald is going steady with Joanna (JoJo) who is currently seeking a place in the NIE, which will pave her way to become a teacher one day. This family would often bring us out for makan and stuffs regularly and to cut things short, they treated us as part of the Khengs clan.

Bali Here I Come!

Its been quite sometime since I updated my blog due to the shuttling between Singapore and Malaysia to do up my house in Port Dickson. You see, I have decided to DIY most part of my house by applying the scrooge as hell attitude of the founder of IKEA, Ingvar Kamprad. It was rumoured that during his younger days, Ingvar was about to buy some furnitures and was totally surprised with the price of the furnitures and ask the store owner why such simple furniture costs so much. In replying the question from Ingvar, the store owner said that the cost to assemble, store and deliver the goods has already made its way into the total price of the goods, thus the high price and some even to the extend of absorbing the after sales support costs. Disgusted, Ingvar told the store owner that he doesn't need all that and quipped that he could assemble and deliver the goods without any need for after sales support and further asked for a discount for the goods he is about to purchase, to which the store owner said "Then you might as well go make one yourself". Ingvar took this seriously and started to think along this line as a business i.e. to strip the goods bare and let the customer choose whether they would like to assemble and deliver their own goods or pay a premium for someone to do that, thus the birth of IKEA. Also, IKEA provides a simple tag/manual so that customers can understand how the goods work, which in effect allow IKEA not to have an after sales support centre, thus cutting cost for the company as well.

Choice? What choice?

How many of you have woken up on a monday and think to yourself "What? I have to work today?" then reluctantly dragged your body out of bed leaving the mind sleeping on that oh-so-cozy bed? Well, it seemed like a regular routine to me but nevertheless, today, I actually sleep past the hour by 15 minutes and that will definitely causes me to be late! So then, I would have to take a cab to work, which I did and cost me S$10, not that I have a choice.

However, the ride somewhat was enjoyable and the can driver was nothing short of entertaining. We were talking about the economy and the taxi market & players when I suddenly popped out a phrase "NO CHOICE" and the cab driver retorted me saying that there are always choices. Now let me put this forward to you, if you are in a situation whereby a thug with a knife on your belly saying "Give me your money or I stuck this knife into your belly!", what would you have thought? Notice that I ask you what would you have THOUGHT and not DO. I personally would not think much but have my mind automatically command my hand to reach out towards my wallet and give the thug the money. There is really nothing much to think of right?

The cab driver almost instantaneously said "NO!". You still have a choice in a situation like that. "WHAT CHOICE?!" you may ask and here is what the cab driver said. "Well, in a situation like that, you could ask the thug the following:

1 - Do you really wanted to stick that knife into my belly if I don't give you my wallet?

2 - Sticking a knife into my belly will do you any good?

3 - IF I won't give you my wallet, does it means that you will have no other choices?

...basically, YOU can choose to give the thug doubt and that IS your CHOICE."

Well, sounds a lil bit unorthodox but it does have its own kinda wisdom. However, I guess I would still give the thug the money EVEN if after all those questions. The reason is simple, I don't carry much cash in my wallet and my ATM card does not have that much money anyway. I usually transfer all the dough to my savings account without an ATM card and the money available in my ATM account is only good enough for my monthly basic expenditure e.g. transport card money and meals, which only works out to be a minimal sum. ;)

Dream vs Greed

GREED

"An excessive desire to acquire or possess more than what one needs or deserves, especially with respect to material wealth".

Many of us are taught to not be greedy since we are young. Remember the last time your parents scolded you for hoarding and hogging your favourite food on the dining table? Well, I do. During my childhood time (Not really that long), chicken are kinda like a luxury food and to have Kentucky Fried Chicken (That's what they called KFC in old days) is like having delicacies such as Abalone and Lobsters in modern terms.

I lo~~~ve KFC even till today and naturally, I will try to take as many as possible without having any thoughts that I have another 3 siblings to share it with. That was when the word greedy being labelled on my forehead. My wife used to tease (and still does) me whenever she browse through my childhood album because there are plenty of evidence of my greediness in my photo. I have a few photos showing me blowing the candle off my birthday cake (I will upload the photos later) and my brother, Samuel would beat me to it and in the photo, you can see that I am really pissed! So, to cut the article short, I am taught not to be greedy since young.

DREAM / AMBITION
"A condition or achievement that is longed for" / "An eager or strong desire to achieve something".
I am also taught to have dreams and ambition by both my parents and teachers in school. My mum always wanted me to be a "professional" when I grew up. When she said "professional", she meant profession such as doctor, pilot, scientist, lawyer and the like. She can be fickle as I grew up because she changed her mind on my ambition from being a doctor to a pilot, from a pilot to a lawyer and on it goes. In school, my teacher would ask the class to aim as high as possible because the sky is the limit. Well, eventually, when I grew up, I became an accountant and this naturally is largely due to my mother as she is an accounting person. Seeing her single-handedly brought us all up with the income she earned from being an accounts executive and all the assets she has massed up, I salute her for that and mind you, she started working only in her early 40's.

DREAM vs GREED

Now enough of greed, dreams and ambition. I was thinking in the morning on my way to work, what is the correlation and distinction between greed and dreams/ambition? Dreams and ambition are supposed to be something really BIG because if something is not really that great in proportion, then it will not qualify to be called a dream. When Martin Luther Kings Jr (MLK) said "I have a dream...", it is something that is feasible albeit difficult and near impossible. Would someone actually called MLK a greedy person? The answer is a straight and prompt "NO", because greediness is a situation when someone is the only person benefiting. Well, if everything is so easily defined as the only person benefitting or otherwise, life would be a lot easier, aye?

Supposed that a kid aims to be a doctor when he/she grew up one day, would we call it greed? I guess we needed more information to be able to establish a judgement because it can be a different story altogether. Given that the kid was told by the parents that "You have to study hard, ah boy/girl and becomes a doctor when you grew up so that you can earn a lot of money and buy a big house for daddy and mummy". So is it greed if the boy/girl grew up having that mentality? Sounds like a "No" right? What if we change the scenario to the boy seeing another kid, Ah Meng, having a toy robot and thinks to himself "I want to be a doctor so that I can earn a lot of money to buy more and better robots than Ah Meng!". Now, without knowledge of these, when the boy said "My ambition is to be a doctor" or "My dream is to become a doctor", no one can really tell right?

I guess the thin line that separates Greed from Dream/Ambition is notion and yes, it is hard to distinct between a good notion and an evil notion and everything in between. My take is that greed and dream/ambition ARE related to a certain extend be it the notion good or bad. So what then? Should I teach my children (If I have any) that they should not have a dream/ambition because by doing so, they are greedy? Certainly not! But one should have dreams/ambitions so that one can be a blessing to others be it family, neighbours or aliens and if having dreams/ambition is to be greed, then let my children thirst and greed to be a blessings to others.

Better than Nothing

Well, after the news that we (or "me") are not allowed to take leave during the CNY period, I voiced out to my superior's superior("SS", ironically it can also be read as asses since we have double "S"s, BUT my SS are not asses lar...) of my concern and distress. The reasons given to her for consideration are as follow:

1 - In Terengganu, transport are not abundant;
2 - I've already purchased my flight tickets;
3 - Its a once in a year thing; and more importantly
4 - If I couldn't get a ticket back to Singapore, there's really no point going back AT ALL!

Oh well, my voice and grievances were heard and my superior's superior call a meeting with the rest of the managers. After discussion and deliberation, they agreed to allow all of us to take a one day leave on the 28th. Good news but doesnt really help much... since it doesnt allow me to carry on my initial plan. Oh well, its still better than nothing. Managed to get a bus ticket back to Singapore on the 28th night itself from Kuantan, which is 65km approx from Kemaman.

Well, Kemaman, here I come!

Chinese New Year

How inconvenient

I've an old injury sometime ago on my right knee and it happened during a badminton game with my ex-colleague in United Fiber System Ltd. Being someone competitive, I always strive to give my best when it comes to competitive sports and ever since I hurt my right knee, I kinda exercise lesser as I could not participate in competitive sports any longer as most of them would require me to utilise my leg.

Of late, I have cycled to work on a daily basis and it was truly fun albeit not a competitive sports. However, it sorta gave me the impression that my knee is ready for other stuffs and boy am I wrong! I tried to pick up skate boarding again and you've guessed it, bad choice! I tried to do some stunts and there it goes... I sprained my right knee again >_<>

Baked Salmon

I am currently staying with my wife, sister, Pooi See (My wife and my common friend) and Catherine (My wife's ex-colleague). I am assigned the task of being the chef of the house with my sister being the sous chef. For the last dinner of the year 2008, I have decided to prepare bake salmon as I always have salmon craving once in awhile. Oh by the way, the pronunciation for the word "Salmon" is not "Saal-mon" but instead without the "L" sound, which will make it sounds like "SAA-MON". So remember not to order "SAL-MON" next time.

The preparation is simple and in fact everyone can try this as it doesn't requires much complicated stuffs.