Backpacking India!

Maybeline and I will be departing for India tommorrow.

Our 3 weeks schedule spread over New Year and Christmas is as follows:

19-21 Dec - New Delhi
22-23 Dec - Varanasi
24-28 Dec - Darjeeling
29 Dec - On train
30 Dec - Agra
31-1 Jan - Jaipur/Bikaner
2-3 Jan - Udaipur
4-5 Jan - Jodhpur
6-7 Jan - Jaisalmer
8-9 Jan - New Delhi
10 - Home sweet home

Financial Talk

Went to a financial talk. I could not remember what gold price or currency price the speaker recommand to jump in, I can only remember the following:

A former president had his brain scanned. The doctor looked at his left brain and said
"Nothing right."
He went on to loko at his right brain and said
"Nothing left."

The Trainees & Ex

Had a great day today, thanks folks.

Ting "When I shop, I usually bring my bf along."
Me "I usually shop alone. Sometimes I shop with my female friends. Usually guys don't have much comments. Why ask them along?"
Ting "That you're wrong. We wear so nice for the guys. Not for the girls to feel jealous."
Me "Erm."

Okay, so the rule is to bring a guy out when you shop and ask for their opinion, not your female friends.

Did I say 8th December?

Sorry I got the date wrong, it's 6th December.

I'M FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D

Omg, there're so much to do!

Life is good, love it.

HIBERNATION MODE

THIS BLOG SHALL BE IN HIBERNATION MODE WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT.

BLOGGING SHALL RESUMES ON 8 DECEMBER 2009.

PLEASE STAY TUNE

3XXXX

Duo Le, Orchard Central

Duo Le at Orchard Central serves unique Chinese food.

Orchard Central has quite a couple of good restaurants - worth a try.

Mervyn's birthday

Mervyn "Don't take so far, not nice one."
Me "Then how?"
Mervyn "Rearrange"
*But he lazy to rearrange, so here you go, a spread out picture.*

The plates quite nice.

钓大鱼

Seafood on the Sea

We ate

hot pancake, chee cheong fan that melts in your mouth, soft bean curb with ginkgo nuts, best bat kut teh with queue that goes up to 100 tables, preserved vegetables, ,new version of Yakut, teh-o, raw big prawns, cooked prawns, crabs, oyster, fish, fish fried with sweet sour sauce, steam fish, lamb soup, vegtables, clay fish with cereal, crab with salted egg etc...

More pictures here and here.

Internship Gathering

I wonder how they get this effect...

They don't look drunk.

Mid Autumn Festival

When it comes to durian mooncake, nothing beats home's favourite durian mooncake. One box of 4 for $50 (excluding 10% discount).


"It's so nice! Taste like real durian!"
"So why not you just buy the real durian?"

Make sense. So next time, don't drink orange juice, just eat orange.

Sherni Home-Comming 2009

Thanks toot toot's mum for the food - steam fish, pineapple rice, herbal soup, cereal prawn, barley water, melon, moon cakes and banana cake.

Looks like having a Taiwanese boyfriend does help in posing.

You know there is a social support group for people who hate their jobs?


Its called "everyone" and they meet at the pubs.



PS: Thanks Ms Foo for the joke.

Me "I cut heavy fringe, highlighted my hair brown, curled and lower half of my length and layered my hair."
Mr Xie "Wow, so how you do look now?"Me"Chioer-chiobu."
Mr Xie "Why 1/2 only?U covering up the uglier part of your face? Like batman's 2 face like that..."

No need to draw eye browns liao. :)

Was reading the blog of a taxi driver who claims to be the only taxi driver in this world with a PhD from Stanford.

This reminds me of something.

Never guide a book by its cover. I spoke to numerous taxi drivers and find quite a number of them owned huge businesses previously and was declared bankrupt. We also read newspaper and saw many cases of high ranking officers losing their jobs after 50 and could not find another job; they have no choice but to become cleaners. You will never know the dish washer's husband might be a multimillionaire; she just wants to work to cure her boredom.

We may not have feel it yet, but in terms of labour, this society is very cruel to older generation. Just accompany an old folk to seek jobs and you will know what I mean.

Or even if the cleaner is not well educated, his experience in the society university may have exceeded our paper qualification.

I recalled the time when I got so upset with this Caucasian trader for barking at me machiam I'm his servant. 3 other technicians who accompanied me shared with me how this is part of their everyday life. They can change the air-condition duct and be ridiculed at. I learn how not to take your pride too seriously.

Some people says my friends varies from rich to poor, smart to innocent. I think all of them have something that I can learn from or share my joy/sorrow with.

I don't quite agree with my friends who disapprove their boyfriends for have childish friends. Don't look down on people.

The next time an uncle/ auntie clears your plate away, think twice. He / she may have fallen from grace few years back.

For Chenli

The SACO clique had a gathering for exotic food along arab street last week.

工字不出头，出头也是土。

"Come out and play lah."
"No la, I have to study. I paid so much for the fees already."
"You pass already then what?"
"Find a job with that paper loh."
"Then continue and work for other people to get rich!"

工字不出头，出头也是土。

If you remain employed, you will never suceed.
By the time you have earned enough to be sucessful, you are about to retire/die.

Calling all NUS career guides alumni!

Calling all NUS career guides alumni! I have created a facebook group. Please join and help to update! :)

PS: I'm sorry PH, I shall not block your face since you have no facebook. lol

One word to describe you

Ya Qin - Filial
Karen Tay - Polite
Toot toot - Lost
Lisye - Darling
Annabelle - Eloquent
Stacey - Married
Yan Bin - Gentle
Shu Ling - Motivated
Raji - Doctor
Sherni - Motherly
Regina - Saint
Shen Ting - Modern
Hannah - Cute
Yi Hao - Cheena
Jason Ng - Professor
Yan Suan - Fierce
Ying Shi - Understanding
Chenli - Chef
Stella - Womanly
Maybeline - Quick
Hui Jun - Secretive
Terry - User
Mervyn - Politics
Fiona - Creative
Carol - Kind
Peter - Gay
Haikaru - Shy
Micheal - Suitor
Kelvin - Malaysia
Boon Huat - Sponser
Leong Woon - Resourceful
Alfred - Adventurous
Michelle Goh - Bitch
Junainah - Humorous
Karen Ho - China
Melisa Tan - Smart
Hai Yan - Treasure
Wilson Quah - Skater
Zhi Yong - Money
Si Jia - MAS
Trung - Details
Liongis - Optimistic
Kelvin - Crap
Foreign Talent - Humorous

What am I good at?

I attended Adam Khoo's talk yesterday and I realised something.

I NEED TO BE FINANCIALLY FREE.

Adam says we can't slog for the rest of our lives either trying to make ourseleves to the top, or increasing our probability of getting retrenched if we are on top.

His model is the same as what I have proposed earlier on - To have other forms of income, while having a job that we love.

THINK. What am I good at? How can I transform that into income?

Tiny mechanical pencil from Japan.
So cute!
Thank you Ms Tang.

Technical post

I realised that young valuers seem to derive the value base on comparables and calculations, while experienced valuers seem to obtain values base on excellent judgement and understanding of the current market as a whole.

Indeed true, I have seen how my previous sales experience has help me in my valuations. I recalled one of the properties for sale: it was a big but old condominium at district 10. Enquires level were high and viewers exceeded typical levels. I asked Ms Tan and found that that such large properties in this district were rare hence the demand.

However, it is the norm to have higher per square feet price for smaller properties. If the property is big, you would in fact adjust the price lower. This definitely contradicts what is happening in the market. If I were to use the normal method to calculate, I will not be getting the open market value.

It takes lot of experience and understanding on the market to make good valuation. Needless to say, I definitely still have much to learn about this art.

For Chenli

Dano cheesecake, all the way from Japan. Beyond words. I'm sure Chenli can bake this standard, hor?
Thanks Ms Tang for the cake. Yes Ms Weng, understand that there is no mahjong in America. By the way, today is the first time a guy appeared on our mahjong session.

We know you miss mahjong. Quickly come back and bake cheesecake for us; they'd play mahjong in return.

PS: As you can clearly see, Ms Chee is no longer in hibernation mode. Had so much fun today!

This post is dedicated specially to Michelle the bitch.

Oh don't worry, that's her real name. *Har?*

Apologies missed out your name while sending the sms (refer to 11 August 09 post) few days ago *hey sorry I can't concentrate now, my brother seems to be consoling a girl over phone *distracted**

This post is specially dedicated to you *aw so sweet* PS: Can you ask your mother not to name you Michelle? I've got some other Michelle on my phone list hence must have missed you out as a result.

Hope this cheers you up .. not too much... abit shall do. Sufficient.

*Dedicate this post to the bitch? Man, looks like Ms Chee has ran out of topics to write.*

Government sector may have red-tapes, but their call centre are really efficient.

I tried calling HDB and URA, the calls get picked up after say, 5 rings.

And the employees know the answers to all questions I asked.

Well done, government sector.

Big contrast from all the mobile phone and IT call centres.

"His car is so cuteeee!"
"What's the brand?"
"It's yellow."
"No, I mean what's the brand?"
"I don't know. I didn't notice."
"That's the problem with girls. You ask them what's the brand, they say they don't know. They can only tell you it's big or goes fast cos it's red!"

Forward thinkers

Forward thinkers are dreamers; forward thinkers are planners. Forward thinkers think of their future, foward thinkers look ahead of others.

I'm a forward thinker.

Where do I see myself next month? What do I have in mind in the next 2 years? Where do I aim to be 10 years down the road? I have answers to all that.

Some focus on the current, others dream of the future. There is no right or wrong to this status, some says

"Don't ask me about the future. How am I suppose to know?"
"I don't think that far, I only enjoy the moment; the current."

Others say

"You fail to plan, you plan to fail."

How accurate are my answers? I don't know; but I know I am nearer to my aims as the path to walk has light up.

Aren't Singaporeans suppose to be best at planning?

Tuesday OT till 10pm
Thursday OT till 10pm
Friday OT till 10pm

It's not the department's culture to OT. Looks like I need some self-control to stop working too hard.

Taking one day off tml.

Went 1 day Malaysia tour for durian.

Tip - If this fruit comes from this country, don't go all the way to that country for the fruit. This is because the best fruit has already been exported, the remaining are not that premium.

The durian feast I had wasn't much of a fest; after a few you won't want to eat anymore. The variety is there - bitter, sweet, small seed etc. But you'd only get to eat good ones once in a while. Similar to chocolate buffet, everyone has quite a low threshold for durian.

Fortunately, the seafood dinner was not too bad - black pepper crab, prawns, sotong, fish etc. Shopping's great too - SGD $3 for secret receipt cakes.

Oh, no photos - I brought my camera, but left the battery charging at home.