My 27th Birthday

No prize for guessing where I spent my 27th birthday on 13th Nov. It sure didn't kick in how old I'm beginning to get until I went for a revision class yesterday at school. I have classmates from the full-time programme. Classmates who are 10 years younger than me. omg...

Then again, I always believe that men would look better with age. e.g. Pierce Brosnan. Of course a suit and an accent might helped.

Back to my itinerary.

We checked into The Sentosa (Or Beaufort) on Saturday's afternoon. I'd stayed in the Rasa Sentosa before twice so this makes for a good change.



The place reminds me of Nirwana @ Bintan. Very relaxing atmosphere that one should just pig out in.



We checked in without wasting much time. Needed the air-conditioning.

Wa Lah!



I love the extensive use of wood. It makes the room very cosy. Maybe a little too cosy because we spent too much time on the thick, comfortable beds.

And I also found out that my wife becomes excited when she got her feet wet.



And you gotta check out the pool. You could actually just walk in and take a look. There's no closed gates or anything like that.



Who knows, you may catch some eye candy.

Can't see? Hang on while I zoom in...



Not your cup of tea? How about some nice looking trees instead.



Very quickly, we proceeded to check out the Spa Botannica. This is supposedly one of the best(and most expensive) in Asia. Needless to say, we opted to give each other back rubs instead.



They have this seemingly very interesting mud pool. Just pay $15 and you get to try it, plus get to use the pool and relax at the waterfall(picture). But skip all other. Not worth the dollar in my opinion.



The most exciting thing we did must be the Luge ride. Or rather the Skyride up to the Luge ride.

I always thought I got over my fear of heights. How quickly one's opinion can change in a matter of minutes



I totally enjoyed myself on this. So long had never undergone such adrenalin pumping activities.



**To my wife: Thank you for the thought and planning you took for this to happen.

Insurance

I had always wanted to write something about this topic but my recent schedule has not been cooperative.

And it should be worse now that I just failed my IPPT. Now I have to go for Remedial Training twice a week for a full 4 weeks before my next attempt. And I failed by 6 secs for my 2.4km run. :(

Anyway the topic is insurance, not my fitness level.

Having read Mr Wang's dissection of a typical pitch, it sure makes one think again about forking out money after money is getting higher and higher coverage.

For my current portfolio, I'm already paying about $650 per month of premiums. And somehow it never seemed enough. One of my agent recently reviewd my policy and if I were to have myself "fully covered", I need to spend another $600 per month on new policies.

I was like "Wow". And my intial $650 was only achieved not so long ago. It was only $150 per month previously.

$1200 per month!. That is like someone else's salary. This is financial planning?

Even if I'm earning $10k a month, spending 10% of it on insurance seems ridiculously high. My savings may not even be at 10%, though I must admit that all my policies are ILP, which carries a return and thus a higher premium.

Yes, the probability of you dying may add a heavy boulder over your family's shoulder. But all of us only have finite amount of money. Would you prefer to throw all $$ into insurance and let your family become overnight millionaires, or should you use that money to better the quality of everday life with your family.

Quantity versus quality.

Post Note: Many of us should be familiar with this.

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CA Burger @ Changing Appetite

Following my attempt to try all the nice burgers I could possibly find, I made a trip to Changing Appetite at the advice of my new friend Kelvin.

He tried it after reading the rave review on Asiaone. And this guy is like the burger addict. So his recommendation alone should worth many pennies.

The place was having this Halloween theme on the day I was there. Zombies, nuns, monsters would be serving instead of your normal waiter(ess)



They sure took pains to do up the decor. But it could be a bit distracting to keep having such "creatures" breezing past the corner of your eye.


If you break it, you ate too much

The burger took quite a while to arrive but looking at the presentation, it sure was worth the wait.



And it came with my fave. ONIONS!!!

One shortcoming though. It made me realised why beef pattie in burger are so dry. So that they will hold together and not fall apart when you simply poke your fork into them. So my beef burger ended up becoming Minced Beef with bread.

A.k.a. Roti John.

And I think they can do a better job at melting the cheese over the pattie for some adhesive effect.

Overall it's nice. The serving is huge and the salad carries a huge portion.

But at $11.90, I can have two Botak burgers? ;)

The Premiere Tampines

I finally got the chance to take a look at the showflat of The Premiere, the latest HDB to be built in Tampines. The area has not had any new flats for the past ten years so this excited many potential house buyers.



My wife and I had been waiting anxiously for the showflat opening. It started last weekend but the crowd was unbelievable. It was much much better this time.


How many people can you spot?

But the showflat still has too many people for my picture to tell anything, with the exception that it can hold many people.

There are two different showflats, one deck in black theme and the other in white. The theme is very gothic for the black one and very modern yuppies style for the latter.


I like the wallpaper

The design is very idealistic. Even the bomb shelter was coverted into an art piece. Who in the world would have zilch stuff to keep in the bomb shelter.


So.. sleepy

As with all new HDB, the room remains to be small. One bed and that's about all for nothing else.



The most impressive would be the balcony. Large enough for a bench and an indented section for plants.


With mirrors so big, who need walls

But the most impressive collection of props they had must be the....




...LAMPS...



VERY BIG LAMPS~~!...



Most really nice enough to distract one away from the many shortcomings..



like the plain ceiling...(the flat are supposed to be in moved-in condition, akin to condo)



the obvious power outlet...

But you can't help but wonder where they get these very impressive chadeliers..



$450k for a small HDB? No problem..



Just make sure it comes with one of these...

Debt free so easy meh...

Much as I try to be financially prudent, my efforts really look as big as a speck of dust when I see what others have managed to achieve.

On the other hand, the writer husband must be drawing real BIG bucks. Not many people I know can pay cash in full even for a Kia, let alone a Toyota.

So when I come across such letter, it doesn't really make me feel good. Need some retail therapy to help me get over this.

HDB flat, two kids, aged parents - and debt-free

Oct 13, 2006
The Straits Times

I REFER to the letter, 'Govt should relook income qualifying levels' (ST, Oct 7), and the writer's reason for buying a private property and not having children.

My husband and I have two young children and are totally debt-free. Even though we each hold a master's degree, I chose to be a stay-at-home mum to nurture our children. Despite surviving on a single income, we are debt-free.

We have paid fully for our home and car. We give our children a good standard of living and education. We support aged parents. We also set aside enough for rainy days and are saving diligently for our retirement.

The key to financial freedom is to live beneath your means.

We could have bought a private apartment with a loan but we chose to live in a five-room resale flat, paid for with our CPF.

We could have bought a BMW with a loan but we chose to buy a Toyota, paid for in cash.

The interest savings from being debt-free could be used to support one's aged parents and young children.

Subsidies should be channelled to people whose needs are greater than ours.

Allison Yeo Li Hwa (Ms)

Johor

I surprised myself over the weekend. I actually went into JB(Johor Bahru) to spend my saturday.

The last time I was there was more than a year ago. It was that long because I spent a total of 2 hours in JB that time before heading back to Singapore.

The routine was always the same. City Square, Holiday Plaza(Now called Mutiara), The Store and Pelangi.

My 2 hours trip then didn't encompass all 4 places but thinking that I have real objective of going to the latter 3, I decided not to and head home instead.

And the crowd at the custom was always a killer. Surprisingly it was very swift. Maybe the Hari Raya fasting got most people hanging at home instead. I didn't even need to queue at the Malaysia custom.



My friend and I reached there about 2pm and spent way too much time walking around at City Square. It's really a good place to go hunting for CNY clothes.



The highlight must be the thai massage. It cost RM65 for 90 mins.

I never screamed louder in my life before. She had to cover my mouth at one point.



And for those who don't know, xbox 360 can be modified. RM50 or RM100, depending on the kind of ROM chips it carried.



Despite how the hawker centre seems to make you think the food here is good, it isn't. Pretty disapppointed.



I think I can cook a better fried oyster.



My next target massage centre when I'm there again. Man Zhu Shuang!

Blur blur Singapore

The recent forest fire in Indonesia(Yes, I'm sure all of them are accidental) has created quite an atmosphere to Singapore in my opinion.

It make places look so mystic doesn't it. Sometime things not so clear may not necessarily be a bad thing. They do smell terrible I must admit

For one, it sure make the traffic condition much better. You don't see any driver crazy enough to zig zag along the highway in such visibility.



According to ChannelNewAsia, the pollutants index stands at a high of 80 today. 20 more and we can all start ordering in our meals.



It would be kinda cool if that were to happen on a weekday. Offices would be closed and schools would be shut.



And everyone could take a breather and spend more time with their family at home. Singaporeans are too stressed up, even those that are not working.

It sure would at least make Singapore more interesting in a way. Something unpredictable.

We may be one of the safest countries in the world but safe can be so plain boring when it become so consistent.

It's like those super nice guys that could give any women a safe sense of security.

These are safe people really. But no women want them. Too boring.

So please forest fire setter, do all of us a favour and be more hardworking this time. Let us have a Monday off!


Post Note: Singapore PSI hits new high of 130

Vincent's Wedding

How times fly. One by one we are all getting married liao.

It seemed only like yesterday when we were still hanging around the playground at Pasir Ris Park after our lessons at Hai Sing High.

Still can remember always bumping into Vincent playing soccer at the void deck whenever I was heading to the interchange.

To the newly weds: may you be blessed with a happy and blissful marriage.

Damn good food at a damn good price

And it sure was at Botak Jones.

Hearing the ad over and over again on the radio really got me excited about these all american food. I'm always into burgers and was so excited when Carl Junior came into town. Though I never stepped into that place after my 2nd attempt. It tasted too Burger King.

I had read about Botak Jones in the papers some time ago. It was opened by this Ang Moh. The interesting about his food is it is located at Tuas and at a coffeeshop, the first deemed by many to be the lousiest location one would consider and the 2nd you normally won't associate ang moh with.



Fast forward to present, he has two more branches at Ang Mo Kio and Clementi.

For those who had tried our current Do-&-Me standard of Western food, you are going to be surprised by Botak Jones.

Imagine having Billy Bombers kind of standard at coffeeshop and at coffeeshop prices.

They even have mustard for your burgers. That is something I don't even see at Billy Bombers.



The portion was huge too.

I had trouble keeping the fries from falling out of my plate. With sprinkling of pepper and chilli powder on it, it sure keeps your fingers busy.



You must be asking, " where's the meat?"

It's under that patch of cheese at the top. The thick pattie (close to an inch) was dipped into cheese for the final touch.

Verdict? Bagus! But will they kindly open a branch in Tampines or anyway else in the east?

OS X is cool?

Then you ain't seen everything yet.

Acting

I was walking back to my office yesterday and stumbled upon a filming in process.

Adrian Pang was there posing as a waiter. The rest I'm not really sure who they are.

The entire Ya Kun was blocked off due to the filming.

There are about 10+ extras sitting within the cafe, pretending to be customers.

This really bring back memories for me, when I was very keen in exploring an opportunity to establish myself in showbiz.

My first time was with Channel U. It was a comedy sitcom based in Ancient times. So I got to dress up like an Ancient Chinese men. That took about a whole day and provided me with an extra income of $20. And it also made me realised that I might not be suitable for this business. Because my face just look too big on tv. Think William Hung.

My 2nd and final involvement was an outdoor shoot. I get to play a Policeman this time round and acted with Kit Chan and Marco Lo. I even get to say something and sit in a mock-up police car. Half a day and $50. Come to think of it, I have it on tape. Maybe I can try to Youtube it.

But my focus wasn't on the main actors. It was on all the extras sitting aimlessly in the cafe, waiting for the whole thing to come to an end. For everyone else, they are actively doing something. The cameraman is trying to get the best shot, the director is organzing. But the extras, they just wait and wait.

I'm sure a few of them are in this for quick buck. But surely there will be a couple who are into this in hope for something greater.

Which was what I used to think too. But with the myraid and the rate that Idols/Superstar shows are sprouting, performing real badly during the audition has a higher chance of providing one with an easier path.

Technorati Profile

Customers are always right?

Customer forced out of restaurant after spat with chef

She had 'complained loudly' when told drinks from outside were not allowed

By Sarah Ng
Sep 10, 2006
The Straits Times

A QUIET dinner at a quiet restaurant in Upper Thomson Road turned ugly on Friday night when a spat broke out between the chef and a customer.

Teacher Ang Ai Min, 43, claims she was left with bruises on both her arms after the chef at the Le P'tit Breton, a French crepe restaurant at Thomson Imperial Court, physically forced her from the premises during an argument.

The problem started because Mrs Ang's two sons had brought a drink into the restaurant.

The co-owner of the two-year-old restaurant, Ms Sabrina Tan, 42, told her that drinks bought outside were not allowed in the eatery.

Ms Tan said: 'She told me off and said that I was picky.

'She also said that her sons did not drink in the restaurant. Then she stood up and said loudly that she was not eating at our restaurant anymore.'

Ms Tan said that Mrs Ang was still complaining loudly when she walked past the open-concept kitchen in the middle of the restaurant.

'Our chef told her to keep quiet, but she continued with her complaining and was taking her time to leave the restaurant,' said Ms Tan.

Mrs Ang alleges that the chef then grabbed her and forced her out.

She told The Sunday Times yesterday: 'We were leaving when the chef waved a spatula at me and told me that I can't talk so loudly in his restaurant. He also told me to get out.

'So I asked him why I can't talk loudly, and before I knew it he grabbed my arms from behind and yanked me out of the door,' she said.

'It all happened so quickly. I was so shocked that I didn't even scream for help.'

She called the police while outside the restaurant and later went to see a doctor for her bruises.

'I want people to know that such behaviour is unacceptable. How can anyone lay his hands on another person, not to mention using brute force on a customer?' she said.

Ms Tan said: 'The chef probably grabbed her arms, but it was not for no reason.'

She said that Mrs Ang had created a scene by complaining so loudly inside the quiet, 24-seater restaurant while making her way out.

She added: 'Our restaurant is a small and cosy place with a quiet ambience and we have to consider how other diners might feel about the noise.'

The police confirmed that they received a call from Mrs Ang at 7.35pm on Friday.

They will be following up with the case.

It really saddens me to see how people practise double standards nowadays, Maybe she was showing off her argumentative queen's english or she was hoping her complaints would be sufficient to grant her a free salad as a pacifier.

But dear Teacher Ang, can you imagine if your students bring food to class?

====================================================================
Teacher Ang: "Student Tan, why you bring food into class. Don't you know that food is not allowed during class?"

Student Tan:" Ai yah. Food only mah. Why you must pick on me? Somemore I bring it in only, I never eat it lor!"

Teacher Ang: " You xi ginna, no big no more. I tell you what is stated in the rule book, you still talk back to me so loudly!" (waving a ruler)

Student Tan: "why I can't talk loudly??!!"

====================================================================

Education used to be a pre-cursor to culture & manners. Not anymore...

Modern Relationship

Kenny just posted an entry relating to, shall I say, the complication of modern relationship.

Obviously he doesn't agree well to what his ladies' friend had commented on how one should handle such relationships.

The fact of life is the relationships nowadays are so much different from the ones our parents been through. Back then, there ain't 5Cs, no TV glorifying promiscuity, no FHM and there are only men in offices.

The value in our society has totally evolved. Divorce is a norm and single parent are everywhere.

But what he got rattled by from his friends, I got rattled by his closing thought.

That's why I plan to marry late, so I could get all the fooling and flirting around out of my system before I commit to one woman and one woman only, for the rest of my life, till death do us part.

Well, this is like trying to sleep as much as one can now so that one doesn't have to sleep anymore in the future.

I'm not advocating that we should go down the road of deterioriating the few strains of makes our relationship nowadays.

Just that the approach to the modern relationship doesn't work no more.

He started to have doubts in his mind, but when he came home to his messy house, his wrinkle-infested overweight wife and his Dolby Surround Sound™ bawling child, he's gonna wonder what the hell is he doing with his life. Outside, there's a young sexy lady wanting to blow his mind, and he's turning her down for the sake of morality? Screw morality!

My point here isn't the extreme opposite spectrum of the comparision. It's how the hell so much time was given for the house to become messy, for the wife to get all crumpled and for the kid to escalate into Mega Bass mode WITHOUT any intervention in the mid of the process?

Putting this into national context and it is akin to our PAP not seeking other engine of growth back when the industralisation evolution was heading downhill.

In a company context, that would be something like continuing the service of a worker whose's productivity has always remained stagnant for the past 20 years.

More than ever before, the need to reinvent & refresh oneself has became paramount.

• Messy house? Clean it.
• Wrinkles? Botox
• Noisy kids? Discipline

Dullness set in so fast now that playing catch-up is no longer a choice to maintain or sustain status quo.

But still, many people would not just take the foot off the pedal but completely turn off the engine espcially once the marriage cert is signed.

Image is gone & manners out the window and being replaced by weight. And sometimes lotsa it.

A cynical perception that there is no need to do any maintanence. What for leh. Married already bah.

Well, try taking a laid back approach to your new job once you secure it. I'm sure your boss will reciprocate like your partner does.

Postnote - Shelly on the same topic.

Singapore 0 - 0 China

It must have been years since I last drop by National Stadium to catch a football match.

Amazingly not much has changed. The Pepsi is still expensive and diluted, crowd control still sucks and they still haven't repair the speakers that make my $30 computer speakers sound like something from Bose.

But it sure brings back the good old Malaysia Cup sentiment. For once there are so many people at National Stadium and it's not because of NDP.

Looking at the picture, you would think they are there for some freebies.

We queued for the entire first half before we could get in. By the time we could warm our seats, it was the half time whistle.

The remainder of the match was a bore. Given that it is China, one would expect much more. We sat at the Chinese fans area and I kept wondering if they would turn on us should Singapore were to score a freak goal.

The more important aspect of this trip to me is reliving my memory lane. I'd been here to catch many Malaysia Cup matches, to catch Newcastle versus Singapore Selection. It was always packed to the brim. The claustrophobic atmosphere really brings out the adrenalin which makes a match so emotional and exciting.

And I'd even participated in NDP 94 under combined school choir. And one of our fellow school member were even caught on national tv yawning to the national anthem. That surely didn't got us invited back the following year.

This place should be tore down by end of the year, to make way for a sports hub plus a nicer stadium.

Thanks for the wonderful memories National Stadium.

Our next generation

An interesting article from littlespeck.com about Singapore's pampered youth. It's pretty paralle to what I had commented after reading BlinkMummy.

Is it the upbringing? The social conditioning?

They should be well aware since their first step into school that studying well is important so that one can get a good job, which basically means good pay, can have a better and easier life. This is something that parents preaches all the time.

Somehow along the way, the message got lost and all the time spent studying became merely a past time.

And this is not exclusive to youth with deep pocket parents.

Again, the long vacation after graduation so as to prolong facing up to reality.

One lady, for example, took off for a month-long backpacking Europe vacation immediately after graduation with parental approval. "I need a break before I start my career," she told them.

That trip lasted five months and cost more than S$25,000, before a threat to stop the funds forced her to return. Some wealthier kids are provided with a supplementary credit card.

This lady obviously brushed off the thought that her parents would also want a break from her bleeding them dry.

Our social conditioning had taught my generation to embrace materialism, and the next generation to become pampered and self-centred. I dare not imagine what would the following generation be gripping with.

To Comex for an Xbox

The advertistement states only for the first 100 customers of the day. Fwah, this sure adds pressure.

An exhibition like this can easily have 100 people passing through the gate within a single minute.

Ok, must have proper planning. Have to be there by 10am to recce and monitor the situation. This is even though the gate only opens at 12pm.

Reached at 1030am only. Hmm, not a lot of people. Maybe I was a bit overboard about this.

Time ticked away and soon it was 1100am.

Why suddenly can only see heads and nothing else. DAMN! And it seems to be clear now that a lot of people are harbouring hopes of getting the free xbox 360 with a maxonline 400 service.

We went to the entrance and started to blend into the queue.

==============================

The clock strikes 12! Ready! Get Set! GO!!!

We rushed towards the StarHub booth with all our might but BANG! I got my wind knocked out by a fatso who was surprising quick.

My wife went all the way in front. Haha. With her determination, I can slowly slowly jalan there.

Hmm.. I'm sure it is

Efforts did pay off. We got to be one of the 100 and I even bought a bluetooth earpiece at a good discount.

And guess what we saw. The DJs from my weekday morning staple, Petrina & Joe.

I had wanted to take a picture with them but as usual, I'm too shy to ask.

They were playing some who-can-blow-and-burst-the-ballon first game. And no, the lady on the left didn't win.

There is Petrina although I was aiming for Marilyn who was beside her. Kekez.

I so can't wait for my Xbox collection day. I'm going to be so lifeless again.

Babies

Our government finally decide to get tough on our baby problems.

It's approach?

1. Encouraging marriage and parenthood
2. Engaging and bonding with overseas Singaporeans
3. Attracting foreigners to become Permanent Residents (PRs) or Singapore citizens.

Strangely enough, the 1030 words article had 80% of it on point 3.

I guess they had given up on point 1 after cracking their head over it for so many years. Point 2, well if someone had decided to undergo the tedious process of uprooting and move away I think it must have came with a lot of thought and planning. So most likely it won't be repeated to reverse the whole thing. (Any idea how many Singaporeans migrate out per year?)

So new intake it shall be.

Personally I have no issues with foreigners. Our ancestors all were and even if the current ones are here merely for stepping stone purpose, their daily expenses would concertedly contribute somewhat to our economy.

But just look at us. Our ancestors were immigrants. They copulate like nobody business(My grandma had 10 children and I heard this is only quite average) and gave birth to our parents. (I only have one sister).

See the funnelling effect? Now that it's my turn, I can't even fathom the thought of having even one child.

So hypothetically, the son's and daughter's of these new immigrants would eventually adopt my current mindset.

A vicious cycle.

So point 1 is really the symptom that should focus on and correct the cause, whereas point 2 is more of a sustaining issue. No point giving birth to a dozen with 11 of them opting to migrate out.

Is it so hard to realise why people are not giving birth? It's not that we don't want to. It's that we can't afford to.

No point in giving incentives to breed. Just like raising the bus fares permanently and give us a paltry ERS or NSS to pacify. It will only distract us but the problem of higher travelling expenses won't be solved. And if you don't do your sum right, it will smack you right in the face in time to come.

And giving more birth incentives ain't going to make people suddenly go," Oh man! I gotta quickly have 4 kids! Must.earn.that.incentives."

If so, then I think we have a bigger problems on hand. Stupidity.

Back to School

Urgh~~!

Tonight is my 2nd lesson of a year long accounting diploma programme. My first lesson was two days ago and I had to kick it off by entering and even sitting down in the wrong classroom. So paisay.

Retaking econs and financial accounting again sure ain't fun. It didn't seemed that bad when I submit the application form but actual thing always suck 10 times. Which is the main reason why I opt out of the upcoming Safra half-marathon.

Had wanted it to be a personal milestone but I thrash the forms. But still, it represent a baby-step for me coz I actually ask for the form this year. Next year I might even *gasp* fill it up!

2 years ago during my, I was one of the youngest in the classroom. And always depend on those older uncle, auntie to help us with the notes photocopying, etc.

Come to the present, I became those uncle! *face-palm*. I think minus me, the average age of my class is 21 perhaps? I shall keep my age a secret from the rest. If anyone asked, er.., I just turned 22.

National Day Rally's Speech

Did anyone try to catch this year's NDP Rally's Speech? Oh man, this must be the boring-est NDP Rally speech I have ever endured.

I had to flip over to the match between Man U and Fulham to keep myself awake.

The reiteration(or nagging) of what we already know. Invite foreigners, make more babies, take whatever jobs we can come across. I'm surprised he didn't rally for more Singaporeans to become entrepreneurs.

Maybe he did but I was distracted by Rooney's 2nd goal.

And like what most people predicted, yes no freebies this year (The GE was just over, what you expect). We might be having free internet but you gotta wait a few years.

It reminds me of the motivational speech we had from this speaker during high school. Oh he's good. Really make you reflect and think about making changes to your life. But just like orgasm, it lasted only so long (or til he steps out). Then it's business as usual.

And I think the same problems were mentioned last year which makes me wonder what were the government doing last year.

Before I be labelled another whiney Singaporeans who doesn't provide constructive suggestions, here's one. Rental is way too high. Even hawker has to raise prices. Add ripple effects, everything also become expensive. Everything but our salary (strangely).

And those people that they interview about their feedbacks on the speech:

Oh, I didn't know this or that was so important/existed until the speech.

Hmmm. Must they interview people who just wake up after the speech and gives just brainless replies. It's like they never read the news at all for the past year.

Or their mind was still on that Rooney's 2nd goal....

Marriage Quotes

Many a man owes his success to his first wife and his second wife to his success. - Jim Backus

I recently read that love is entirely a matter of chemistry. That must be why my wife treats me like toxic waste. - David Bissonette

I've sometimes thought of marrying, and then I've thought again. - Noel Coward, 1956

A man is incomplete until he is married. After that, he is finished. - Zsa Zsa Gabor

I'm an excellent housekeeper. Every time I get a divorce, I keep the house. - Zsa Zsa Gabor

When a man steals your wife, there is no better revenge than to let him keep her. - Sacha Guitry

Marriage is like a cage; one sees the birds outside desperate to get in, and those inside desperate to get out. - Montaigne

After marriage, husband and wife become two sides of a coin; they just can't face each other, but still they stay together. -- Hemant Joshi

Marriage is a three ring circus: engagement ring, wedding ring, and suffering.

Marriage is the triumph of imagination over intelligence. Second marriage is the triumph of hope over experience.

Marriage is when a man and woman become as one; the trouble starts when they try to decide which one.

Before marriage, a man yearns for the woman he loves. After marriage, the 'Y'becomes silent.

Easier credit may not lead to overspending? Sure?

Easier credit may not lead to overspending

Aug 15, 2006
The Straits Times

I REFER to the concerns expressed in the letters by Mr Leong Sze Hian and Madam Chan Wai Han on the proposal to lower the minimum pay for bank loans (ST, Aug 11).

The proposal to lower the minimum income requirement for personal credit from $30,000 to $20,000 may not necessarily lead to overspending.

Even now, those with annual income of less than $30,000 can borrow from other sources, such as GE Money, which charges interest rates as high as 18 per cent.

On the other hand, some banks offer loans at a much lower interest rate than 18 per cent. Hence, borrowers may actually gain from a better rate if the minimum-income requirement is reduced.

In addition, setting the minimum annual income at $30,000 denies a substantial majority of the working population access to unsecured credit granted by financial institutions. This group of individuals may have a legitimate need for unsecured credit which, at modest levels, they would be able to afford.

Also, even at this lower threshold, not all will have access to easy credit, as approximately 44 per cent of those employed full-time will continue to be ineligible for unsecured credit as they earn less than $20,000 a year.

Credit often has a negative connotation but the truth is that credit, while a double-edged sword, can be a useful instrument to manage our purchases. However, before taking up a loan to purchase something, we should ask ourselves the following:

Do we really need it? Or is it something that we merely want?

Are there cheaper alternatives?

Must we buy it now?

If we decide that it is something we really need, we should assess if we need to borrow to purchase it. We will be better off saving up and paying in cash to save on interest charges. Alternatively, we could take a smaller loan so that we do not overstretch ourselves financially.

We should look at the total borrowing costs, including the total interest payable. We should borrow only if we are sure that we can afford the loan payments.

Jag Kuo Soon Yong

I'm not sure where Jag Kuo was when the following article came out in CNA. With min income requirement at $30k, we already have 471 Singaporeans with $34mil. Somehow I can't think of anyway this figure will improve should the min income requirement be relaxed to $20k.

The truth is if you need credit to buy something you can't bloody afford, you shouldn't be buying in the first place. Even if it's on interest-free instalments, it will just make you think that you have surplus to spend on even more things.

Yes, you can blame it on the holders' ill-discipline but the card companies are surely also aware of it by coming up with ways and means to encourage you to swipe their Visa and Cashline.

Our ever materialism social conditioning doesn't help. We are still not taught money management in school.

So what makes Jag Kuo think lowering $30k to $20k would not lead to more overspending???

Title	:	Credit counselling organisation helps Singaporeans restructure debts
By	:
Date	:	27 October 2005 1748 hrs (SST)
URL	:	http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/175597/1/.html

SINGAPORE : Not-for-profit organisation Credit Counselling Singapore has helped 471 Singaporeans restructure their debts amounting to some S$34 million.

But it said this could just be the tip of the iceberg, as rollover credit in Singapore has nearly doubled in five years to S$2.7 billion this year.

Forty-three-year-old "David" found himself drowning in debts amounting to S$200,000 five years ago, after his credit card bills snowballed.

He said, "My work involved a lot of traveling, so I spent it outside. My company does reimburse me, but my mistake was that I sometimes didn't pay promptly."

Not wanting to be declared bankrupt, he started driving a taxi part-time and with the help of credit counselling, restructured his debt with seven banks.

He now has some S$40,000 to repay and no longer carries a credit card.

David represents a typical debtor in Singapore -- male, between 35 and 45 years, with a family, and an average debt of S$72,500.

His average take-home pay is S$2,600, which means he would need 28 months to pay off his debt, at S$1,500, or nearly 60 percent of his income, monthly.

Besides ease of credit, car loans are an increasing problem, as they are cheaper to buy upfront but not cheap to maintain.

Credit counsellors call this group of debtors the "new poor" -- they earn more than the bottom 20 percent but after deducting their loan repayments, their little remaining disposable income sometimes puts them in dire situations.

Some can't downgrade their flats as they can't get another housing loan due to poor payment records.

Others have even pleaded with their banks not to deduct their loans directly from their salaries credited as they would not have enough to feed the family.

But while they acknowledge individuals are responsible for their debt, they say creditors should also go by an ethical code of conduct, and not make incessant calls.

Said Kuo How Nam of Credit Counselling Singapore, "The other practice we would like to see stopped would be letters from lawyers to the debtors' employers asking about particulars. This actually forces the debtor to reveal the state of his indebtedness to the company, and in many instances, companies are rather unhappy over that, and some people have been threatened with termination of employment."

A total of 940 people have been counselled since 2003, but some walk away with debts too huge to be restructured. - CNA /ct

Up, up and away~~~!

I really have no idea why they even bother to check with those commuters. Typically what will happen next is a group of good writers will have their letters published on the ST Forum, voicing their dissent against the price hike.

A few days later PTC,SBS,SMRT will reply and insist that the formular is fair, the oil prices are going up, etc.

Next, everyone still have to fork out that extra few cents. And there will surely be a few(ST will make it seemed like the majority) who actually favour the hike.

I really hope they could just do away with these yearly event. Please, save us the time and trouble. Just one time jia lat jia lat one. Sure, it will be more painful but at least it's only once.

Yah, people will make bigger noise but so? As if our "noise" has ever affected any decision.

Postnote: As I predicted, the first letter came out, titled "No reason to raise fare". Got reason what. The reason is to make more money lor.

SBS Transit and SMRT apply for bus, train fare hikes

It is confirmed. Both SBS Transit and SMRT have applied to the Public Transport Council to increase their bus and train fares.

The application came just hours before the deadline to do so expired at the end of Tuesday.

The proposals for the fare hikes, if accepted by the PTC, will be announced next month and will kick in by October.

This year, there has been a slight change in the dates.

The deadline to apply for adjustments was pushed back from May to August because the PTC said it needed time to implement changes to the Act, such as introducing new service standards.

Fuel costs have been rising for the two big bus companies, by as much as over 40 percent just in the last year.

SBS Transit says that diesel is its second biggest cost item after manpower.

So it has decided to ask for a fare increase after much deliberation.

With the formula imposing a 1.7 percent cap, SBS Transit says that most adults travelling on its buses and trains would see a one-cent to two-cent increase in fares.

If the maximum is approved, that will yield SBS Transit almost $10 million a year.

SMRT is also planning an increase averaging two cents, affecting mainly adult and senior citizen stored-value EZ-Link cards.

In many ways, the fare increase was widely expected.

When the new formula for calculating fare increases kicked in last year, the government said small and regular increases were preferred to big jumps every few years.

So, fare adjustments will probably be annual affairs now.

And both SBS Transit and SMRT have already hinted they would do so.

Both companies also say that they are mindful of the problems the fare increase would impose on the not so well off.

Hence student fares and concession passes will be unaffected.

Both companies will also have funding schemes for the lower income groups to offset any burden posed by fare increases.

But will commuters accept these arguments?

"They have the reason for raising their fares. Because of the oil.....they have to have a coverage. So I think it is ok," said a commuter.

"First, it was the oil price increase, and then the bus fares, and then the taxi fares. It all came so suddenly. It's not the amount, it's like all at once. It kind of adds up for us," said another.

"What will be, will be. But when fare increases, there will be upgrading of services and it's useful for upgrading," said a third commuter.

"Students, older people and the poor people would probably need more help," said a fourth.

The new head of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport, Cedric Foo, told Channel NewsAsia that the companies should also consider discounted rates for poor school children, off-peak rates for retirees and issuing a limited number of free passes for the unemployed who need to commute for job interviews. - CNA/ir

Naked boss

This is interesting, considering that I chair a sales team meeting every week.

But of all the things that you can day dream about, why your boss naked? What if your boss is a old hag with wrinkled skin? There goes the lunch appetite.

When did you last imagine your boss naked?

27 July 2006 12:21

Nearly half of workers (47%) imagine their boss naked to get through boring meetings, according to research into what staff think about when they should be paying attention.

The survey of 4,000 adults identified the top 10 preoccupations that workers are most likely to have during business meetings. Sex came on top with 57% of respondents saying this was their favourite subject for daydreaming, the poll for Sky TV revealed.

There were notable variations between men and women. While a similar percentage admitted to thinking about sex, more than half of men admitted they have imagined having sex with a co-worker (58%), compared with just 21% of women.

A quarter (26%) of women admitted to staring at colleagues with a discerning eye for fashion, paying more attention to what colleagues were wearing than their sexual attractiveness.

Women were most likely to be planning their next holiday (33%) or their evening meal (29%) whereas men were more likely to be planning their TV viewing (27%) or thinking about household bills that need to be paid (16%).

The survey also noted the concentration levels of different professions. Lawyers rated themselves as the most professional with 100% of respondents reporting that their concentration in meetings was high or very high.

Those working in sales rated their concentration as the lowest with 22% admitting that they pay little attention during meetings and always drift off.

Teachers and those working in the media were the most likely to be thinking about sex, with 27% reliving their most recent night of passion and a further 10% planning a future sexual encounter.

Membersof the Police or Fire Services were the most likely to be dreaming about sex with the boss or a colleague (51%), followed by accountants (34%) and engineers (21%).

Regional differences were also apparent. London workers were most likely to be dreaming about having sex with the boss or a colleague (13%), while those in Scotland were most likely to be planning their next holiday (33%) or preoccupied with office politics or gossip (31%). Nearly half of Welsh workers (47%) daydream about being at home watching TV.

Professor Cary Cooper from Lancaster University said the research showed that long, boring meetings are neither productive nor inspiring.

“The best way to keep all minds focused is to keep meetings short and to the point, with plenty of interaction between participants,” he said.

Author: Michael Millar

Inline skating

I was at East Coast Park on Saturday waiting for my wife to join me for dinner. I was beside the beginner's rink,  watching & admiring people rollerblading, and there are people blading along the park too.

It was about 12 years ago when I first picked up this sport. Roller blade was just introduced (or invented even) and there was only one brand - Rollerblade. I got my first pair and it cost about 400 bucks.

Yes, it was a killer price tag when one is 15 years old.

But I never regretted it. Whenever I put it on, I just feel so "free". Gliding along places you would otherwise never discover. I had even went blading alone in the wee hours from Tampines to Pasir Ris. Via the highway somemore. Somehow the possibilty of me tripping and rolling down the road never occured to me.

Anyway, it stoked my passion for blading again on Saturday. I realised it is the one sport that I truly enjoy and need not go through the frustration of coordination(football).

So I've decided. I'm going to pursue this to the next level. I'm going to get myself certified.

And this should keep me occupied enough to stop grumbling about how boring my life is for sometime.

Lessons anyone?

Zhng your babies!

Now you can really zhng your babies!

Singapore's very own self-styled sex guru, Dr Wei Siang Yu, also known as Dr Love, is at it again.

The man who launched Singapore's first sex-edutainment show on TV and runs a Love Boat for singles on the high seas has just launched an egg and perm "detox programme" for couples and singles, which he claims is a world first.

Called BabySmart, the programme employs a "multi-disciplinary approach" to enhance the egg and sperm quality of clients even before conception takes place.

To do this, Dr Wei has teamed up other doctors, nutritionists and a range of lifestyle companies including a gym, a mattress manufacturer and a milk formula company.

"The problem we have is much more important than just having a baby," said Dr Wei. "It is all about the whole conception process — it is also the ingredients of a baby."

He argues that the average lifestyle of most adults is not conducive to producing babies, citing studies which show that stress and diet can affect egg and sperm quality.

BabySmart is targeted at those aged between 28 and 40, especially couples who are making plans to have babies.

A customised programme is expected to cost a few thousand dollars.

Dr Wei is investing $2 million in a BabySmart medical centre located at Orchard Road, where 15 consultation rooms will house doctors, dieticians and an embryologist.

Also in the works are a range of BabySmart products such as beverages and cosmetics that are baby-friendly.

"Take a 33-year-old single woman for example. When they buy mineral water or makeup, they will buy a BabySmart one - if they are concerned about their egg quality," said Dr Wei.

And when BabySmart's all up and running, Dr Wei plans to set up a "clothing-optional fertility resort" in Thailand or Vietnam, where couples will get the most conducive environment and lifestyle for conception. - TODAY/il

To discover yourself

I got this from Blinkymummy's blog.

It's so true isn't it. I know many people who do the same thing. People who just wanna extend their student life via a very long trip to discover oneself.

Those less active ones will consider taking a Master degree instead. One of my friend told me he "just had to take a Master". That's a good reason. *roll eyes*

"...my disgust with Singaporeans doing their month-long backpacking thing upon graduation from university.
Those trips to 3,000 cities in Europe within a month, or that 'Discover-Myself-Trip to Tibet'.

Just because you stuff your clothes in a backpack (not a suitcase, mind
you), buy a Euro-Pass, and walk around more than you ever do in Singapore, then lose weight in the process, doesn't mean you have discovered anything about yourself.

It just means you learn about the European train system very well. That's about it.
Apart from its name, I doubt one can learn about a city at all, when one merely allows a half to 2-day stay per city.

And then when one gets back to town, the photographs are developed and shown to friends as a trophy of conquest.
"I've been here... I was there... I saw this... I ate that... I sat on the freaking rock which some dead guy once pissed on."

It's like the wedding pictures and video.
The experience is incomplete when consumed by oneself only.
It has to be exhibited.

And I still don't understand the obsession with the idea that this trip HAS to be carried out before work starts.
As if the big WORK MONSTER will chain your ankles and swallow your passport henceforth.

This stupid backpacking thing is just... STUPID. =)
It's the start of the BBQ LIFE.

Just another western experience an insecure Singaporean middle-class
kid/person hankers after, to become a 'complete and learned' individual
with the 'alternative' dose of street credibility.

"Hey... City Boy...
Live it out rough and tough... To become a real man!
Go Backpacking!! Discover your true self!"

"Hey... City Girl...
Live it out rough and tough...
To show the guys and, of course, the usual gu-niang girls that you are just as good, if not better!
Go Backpacking!! Discover your true self!"

And when one gets back to Singapore?
One has 'graduated' to the next level.
Like some sort of Great Walkabout in the World.

HO HO HO...

Guess what?
Everyone does it the same way.
Buys the same airticket, same guidebook, takes the same route, stays in the
same backpackers' hostel and sees/eats the same shite from the same
hotdog stand.

Comes back, and starts on the same shitty job.

So, what's so special about your backpacking trip?

And about 'the self' which you have discovered during the trip?
How different is that from 'the self' which all the other Singaporean Backpackers have found discovered along the way?

How different could it possibly be?"

Not welcome

Came back from my usual soccer game at Tanjong Katong. Normally I'll go alone but today, 5 of my friends came along.

By default, there would usually be at least 12 players there. Thus today we had about 18.

We were hoping we could play a league or something but alas it never happened. The 12 just kept playing by themselves. How come? Well, something like the following incident.

We had a couple of games on weekdays over at AMK. During the first time, one of the guy there even welcomed us with open arms as most of them are in their 40s and couldn't possibly play for 2 straight hours. More people = more chance to take a breather.

The 2nd time we were there, we were playing a league of 3 teams. With the winner stays format, we were on the court most of the time. After the game, I heard the same guy saying that they should implement an age category. Sore loser. But then again, they booked(and paided for) the court so what can we say?

My skin is only so thick so I guessed there won't be a next time at AMK.

Something similiar about both incidents. The other teams are people who are double our age and in most cases, we would be dominating.

We can't do much about the age but it got me thinking. If we were losing and losing badly, would it be a different kind of reaction?

If the way we lose makes them look good and impressive, would they actually welcome our participation instead?

Haiz....

People's Prawn Noodle

We reached this place around 2pm at Joo Chiat. My wife had tried it before and was very adamant that I do so too.

Having tasted the excellent(albiet a tad expensive) Big Prawn Noodle along East Coast Road, it is really hard to imagine anything could adjust that benchmark.

But adjust it sure did. The soup was fragrant and tasty. And there's self-service chilli powder, a trademark of all excellent prawn noodles.

If you do intend to try, don't forget to order their mini prawn rolls to go along with it. Simply heavenly. The bak kut teh was quite good too but for $5, I was hoping for at least better spruced presentation.

And you may like to give the wanton noodles a miss. Pretty normal IMO.

The irony of women

1. The most important thing for a woman is financial security.


2. Although this is so important, they still go out and buy expensive clothes and stuff.


3. Although they always buy expensive clothes, they will still say that they never have something to wear!


4. Although they never have something to wear, they always dress beautifully.


5. Although they always dress beautifully, you hardly care .


6. Although you hardly care, they still expect you to compliment them.


7. Although they expect you to compliment them, when you do, they don't believe you!

Accident may not necessarily be a bad thing

Especially when you are well compensated for the it

My wife got $1,650 and my mum close to $1k. Not bad for being sway.

I can imagine how happy I'll be the next time some car bang into mine. Hee Hee.

Utmost admiration (and envy)

Once in a while, I'll come across stories like this. Someone who abandon their lucrative, stable, fairly risk-free job/life to persue a passion, a dream. To cling on to the strains of hope that might lead them into another country, another culture, another life.

I've always admired such people. They possess what I don't. Guts. It ain't easy making that move. Dumping everything you have and accustomed to, head over to strange land (with people who speaks in foreign language no less).

All in hope that they can live a fulfilling life. A life without regrets. A life they can reflect grinningly upon on their rocking chair when they are old.

A life that you only live once...

Would you want to be where you are now, or rather somewhere else?

THIS engineering graduate said sayonara to his job here to be an English teacher in Japan.

By Veena Bharwani

20 July 2006

THIS engineering graduate said sayonara to his job here to be an English teacher in Japan. Mr Yap Teng Wui (above) said the only way to really improve his command of the Japanese language is to immerse himself in the culture. So he quit his job as a sales executive to go on a one-year attachment programme in Japan. ADVENTURE CALLED Mr Yap will be teaching English to Japanese students under the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) programme, one of 23 Singaporeans going to Japan this year to do so. 'If I don't do it now, I never will. I'm not getting any younger,' said the 28-year-old. Mr Yap started out like many Singaporeans, opting for the safe choice of studying engineering in Santa Clara University in California. He said: 'When we were younger, we didn't really know what to do. So after my O levels, I chose the course that would earn me a decent salary.' He said he fell in love with Japanese culture after he served as an international student orientation advisor at the university. 'A group of students from Japan had come to California for a year on an exchange programme (and) I had been in charge of taking them around. So I got to know them and learnt more about their culture,' he said. After graduating in 1998, he got a $2,000-a-month job selling electrical instruments, but his heart wasn't in it. 'I was always so responsible. I always saved money and did the 'right' thing. But I became very jaded. 'I saw people around me doing what they really wanted to. Life became a drag as I was doing a job for the money and not because I enjoyed it.' In 2001, he had a stable but staid job as an engineer but his love for Japanese culture led to him seeking out adventure. So, in 2003, after two years of work, he quit his job and took a year off to devote himself full-time to his passion - learning Japanese. JAPANESE LESSONS Mr Yap had already been taking language lessons at the JCS Japanese Language School, but he found it hard to concentrate when he was working full-time. And he was not satisfied with his proficiency in the language, although he had been studying Japanese since he was 18. He said that there are four levels in the Japanese Language Proficiency test, 4 being for the lowest proficiency and 1 for the highest. Mr Yap said that he is 'somewhere between 3 and 2'. He said his command of the Japanese language hasn't improved because there is little opportunity to speak the language here, adding: 'I do not hang out with the Japanese community in Singapore.' So for him, the JET programme was a good opportunity to immerse himself in the language he loves. 'It's a one-year programme and I'll be there among Japanese-speaking people the whole day - that is the best way to learn how to speak the language.' It is also a way to break free from an ordinary life, he said. THIRD TIME LUCKY Getting into the programme was tough - he had tried twice before and failed. Applicants do not have to be trained teachers, but they have to be graduates under 35 years old and have to pass a written English test at the Japanese embassy. They also have to go through an interview with a four-member panel, which includes one native speaker. Being able to speak Japanese is not a prerequisite, but is an advantage. While teaching students how to speak English, he will also play ambassador to Japanese students, to introduce Singapore culture to the Japanese.

So feel like a holiday...

Went to Hong Kong only in May but already I feel like I need another one real soon.

The routine life in Singapore is just so so boring once you lived long enough to realise. Although people also go through work 5 days a week anywhere else, the afterwork entertainement here are just so limited.

Even with a car now, it merely makes it more convenient for me to reach the same old boring places.

Katong dinner? checked.
Movie at GV Grand? checked.
Dining at Mount Faber? checked and reminder to bring a fan along next time.

What else can one do?

I'm sure glad my school is coming up soon. Took up an accounting course to gain some knowledge on this area. But my first module is Economics *$%^. Til now I still have problem understand the stupid curve. The only curve I can comprehend are the ones on the body. heehee.

And I was thinking about trying our dancing too. Ballroom dancing seems cool although my wife would insist she be my only dance partner. Which would certainly negate why I wanna join in the first place *KIDDING!*

But these dancers, they are so slim! They have clothes that is like painted onto them. I can't even scratch my back in those tights without becoming the incredible hulk.

For once I hope my reservist would come soon. Break me out of my b.o.r.i.n.g. routine.

Free food, constant napping. Now that is a routine I can never get bored of.

Rhinestones Nail Stickers

My friend just started to sell these rhinestones nail stickers.

If you're a fan, do check it out.

I love it when I'm right!

From a loss of $150 to a gain of $89. The wonder of gambling.

Stardom

Ever since Project Superstars and/or Singapore Idol, there have been a myriad of reality singing/acting contests raining upon us.

We had Star Idol, Campus Superstar, Superband, Singapore Idol 2 and not forgetting the lesser known spin-off organized by shopping centres and KTV chains.

You even have company's D&D have idol theme, giving bosses(judges) another chance to be an employee(contestant) critic.

Rea! Talk on CNA was on this topic too. Doing my best to concentrate on the views of the panelists inspite of Maia Lee's cleavage blocking most of my view, the general consensus is, well, that's life...

Personally I feel that there are really nothing wrong with these programmes. It provides many with a channel to highlight their otherwise hidden talents. Mix in hard work plus a bit of luck, you may be the next big thing.

But things may be a bit wrong when stations are rolling out similiar programmes off the mill like a factory. To meet deadlines, they just grabbed whoever they could round up within that one/two days of auditions. So audience are shortchanged of good quality contestants.

And not counting the sms, pre-final albums, t-shirts, buttons. With income like that, which producer would want to stop rolling out such programmes.

But I believe the worst part of it is it hasn't found us the next JJ Lin, A-do or Stephenie Sun. It is not improving the industry or expanding the pool of talents.

Just look at winners of all the past shows, where are they now? Could you envision anyone of them having the chance to hold their own concert?

The woes of gambling

After close to 2 month of agonizing betting on World Cup, I'm quite happy that it is coming to an end.

It has been a roller coaster ride. From a high of close to $500 in the pot to the recent less than $100. Btw, I gotten the $250 prepaid card.

As of now I have about $190 with $60 belonging to my friend who bet through me.

So that means I have made a nett loss of $120. And tonight's final will be D-Day for me. All my balance will be going to ----->


Italy - France DRAW!!!!


Wish me luck!

Blinker-less car

I have reason to believe that there are major defacts with most of the high end luxury cars in Singapore.

For any one who has been on the road long enough, you will realise something. The BMWs, the Mercedes, the Audis all doesnt have blinkers!!! *gasps*

You see them weaving in and out of traffic, zero signal!

It can't possibly the fault of the driver. They went through the same driving school as the rest of us. The blinker switch doesnt weigh a tonne. So it must be the car!!

I must write a letter to their distributors. How can the gahmen have this oversight. Alamak...

You sure you want feedback?

With the Mr Brown incident still lingering in the air, the government still wants our feedback?

I think I will just unsubscribe. It's beginning to feel like those lousy restaurant service. You won't even bother to make a complaint or write a feedback. You just don't go back there and hope it closed down soon.

Wait they write letter to rebuke me how. I also cannot take criticism one leh.

Healthy lifestyle

Lately I feel healthier, despite all the unhealthly food that I still normally takes.

I go to gym often, I'm gonna start a weekly jog from Tanjong Pagar to Marina South and I play soccer every sunday morning.

Recovery from these exercise also seemed to be faster. Gym-ed yesterday but don't feel any obvious ache or pain. The last I remember, a Satuday soccer session would drag til Wed before I could feel my legs again.

Does this mean I'm fitter now? =)

Don't go to Sentosa with your newly waxed car...

Or it'll be screwed... literally.