Opinions

In a blink of an eye, im left with 1 and 1/2 years to go before i graduate. And now im facing with the opportunity to opt for the 6 months Industrial Attachment Programme (IAP) rather than staying in school.

I have mentioned before that im not into studies, so no point asking what is my GPA. So far, no one knows. Not even my classmates. Yet when i ask everyone that i know, all say 3.5. WTF! What i lack in my studies, i make up by answering whatever questions that lecturers and tutors have asked.

On the other hand, i have work experience. im not sure how my previous employers view me. Though the way i blog in the past seem to give the impression that im a prima donna, but i got my own reasons for doing it. That's another post for another day.

The situation looks 50-50 to me. I have no idea how the procedures for IAP is done, though the requirements is good character, willing to learn and having a reasonable GPA. I have no idea whether my working experience will help.

I have email to my academic manager to seek her advise. At the meantime, opinions are welcomed.

Done with housekeeping

Im done with my housekeeping of my blog. And i realised something. Someone have read my whole blog and applied every tricks that i have been through before. No wonder i feel a sense of deja vu. Wow. I have saw the latest picture and again, i was not convinced. Their cheekbones, noses and lips are almost the same. Nephews or cousins perhaps.

There is one thing that im very assured of. She will not find true love if she is not truthful to herself. Even if she did, it wont last long. True love does not exist if there is no truth.

She can go all the way and lie to me, there is every possibility she could lie to her friends, parents and siblings.

Oh well, lucky i cut my losses early. Not my problem anyway.

The Gingham Dress

Got this email from one of my tutors.

A lady in a faded gingham dress and her husband, dressed in a homespun threadbare suit, stepped off the train in Boston, and walked timidly without an appointment into the Harvard University President's outer office.

The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country hicks had no business at Harvard & probably didn't even deserve to be in Cambridge.

'We'd like to see the president,' the man said softly.

'He'll be busy all day,' the secretary snapped.

'We'll wait,' the lady replied.

For hours the secretary ignored them, hoping that the couple would finally become discouraged and go away. They didn't, and the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to disturb the president, even though it was a chore she always regretted.

'Maybe if you see them for a few minutes, they'll leave,' she said to him!

He sighed in exasperation and nodded. Someone of his importance obviously didn't have the time to spend with them, and he detested gingham dresses and homespun suits cluttering up his outer office.

The president, stern faced and with dignity, strutted toward the couple. The lady told him, 'We had a son who attended Harvard for one year.He loved Harvard. He was happy here. But about a year ago, he was accidentally killed. My husband and I would like to erect a memorial to him, somewhere on campus.'

The president wasn't touched. He was shocked. 'Madam,' he said, gruffly, 'we can't put up a statue for every person who attended Harvard and died. If we did, this place would look like a cemetery.'

'Oh, no,' the lady explained quickly. 'We don't want to erect a statue. We thought we would like to give a building to Harvard.'

The president rolled his eyes. He glanced at the gingham dress and homespun suit, then exclaimed, 'A building! Do you have any earthly idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical buildings here at Harvard.'

For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased. Maybe he could get rid of them now.

The lady turned to her husband and said quietly, 'Is that all it costs to start a university? Why don't we just start our own?'

Her husband nodded. The president's face wilted in confusion and bewilderment.

Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford got up and walked away, traveling to Palo Alto, California where they established the university that bears their name, Stanford University, a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer cared about.

You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who they think can do nothing for them................................A TRUE STORY By Malcolm Forbes

People will forget what you said,

People will forget what you did.

But people will never forget how you made them feel

Reliable Realist

Reliable Realists are down-to-earth and responsible-minded. They are precise, reserved and demanding. Their most prominent quality is reliability and they will always make every effort to keep any promise given. Reliable Realists are more quiet and serious persons, they do not talk a lot but they are good listeners. They sometimes seem reserved and distant to outsiders although they often have a great deal of wit and esprit. Their strong points are thoroughness, a marked sense of justice, doggedness bordering on pigheadedness and a pragmatic, vigorous and purposeful manner. Reliable Realists do not dither about if something has to be done. They do what is necessary without wasting words.

This personality type not only expects a lot of himself but also of others. Once Reliable Realists have set their mind on something, it is difficult to persuade them otherwise. They do not like to leave anything to chance. Planning means safety to Reliable Realists, as well as order and discipline. They have no problem respecting authorities and hierarchies but do not like to delegate tasks. They are certain that others would not deal with them as conscientiously as they do. In management positions, they are very task-oriented - they make sure that things are well done; however, they do not have a great deal of interest in personal contacts at work.

In relationships too, Reliable Realists are reliability itself. As partners, they are faithful and consistent, well-balanced and sensible. Security and stability are very important to them. They have little time for extravagances and flightiness. Whoever has them as friend or partner can rely on them for a lifetime. However, it takes quite a while for Reliable Realists to enter into a relationship or friendship. They have little need for social contacts; they therefore take great care when choosing partners and friends and limit themselves to a small but exclusive circle which meets their high demands. They tend to show their closeness to people who are important to them by deeds - their partner should rather not expect romantic declarations of love.

Adjectives which describe your type

introverted, practical, logical, planning, tradition-conscious, organised, persistent, objective, tidy, conscientious, cautious, loyal, peace-loving, sensible, down-to-earth, responsible-minded, reserved, careful, independent, punctual, precise, demanding, ability to concentrate, trustworthy, pedantic, reliable, persevering

These subjects could interest you

literature, technical activities (model-making), voluntary work, music, trekking, camping, hiking, cooking, drawing/painting, handicraft work, writing, strategy games, politics.

iPersonic Test

Dream - Funeral

Recently there seen to be some dreams that i can remembered after waking up. I have dreamt about airplane crashing infront of where i live.

I also dreamt of people who vomited wherever they went. Is like they vomited non-stop for no apparent reason. It wasnt an issue to blog as i didnt think of anything unusual. But it does have a relation to my incident that happened last month.

And now, i dreamt where im attending a funeral. All seem scary to me or the dreams that appeared to me. Yet i still can remembered it. I must be crazy already.

Anyway, here are the interpretations of the dreams that i had.

Vomiting

To dream that you are vomiting, indicates that you need to reject or discard an aspect of your life that is revolting. There are some emotions or concepts that you need to confront and then let go.

To see others vomiting in your dream, signifies false pretenses of people who try to take advantage of you.

Funeral

To dream of your own funeral, symbolizes an ending to a situation or aspect of yourself. You may be repressing some of your feelings or parts of yourself and the dream may be a signal for you to recognize and acknowledge those feelings. Instead of confronting a situation, you are dealing with it by burying it and trying to forget about it. If you are nearing death, a funeral dream may relate to your feelings/anxieties about your own death.

To dream that you are at somebody else's funeral, signifies that you are burying an old relationship and closing the lid on the past. You may be letting go some of the feelings (resentment, anger, hostility toward someone) that you've been clinging onto.

To dream that you are attending a funeral for a still-living parent, suggests that you need to separate yourself from your parent's restrictions and confines. The symbolic death may give you the courage you need to take the next step toward your independence and autonomy.

To dream that you are at the funeral of an unknown person, suggests that something in your life is supposed to put to rest or put aside so that you can make room for something new. You need to investigate further what aspect or component of your life you need to let go.

Sources taken from Dream Moods.

After seeing the interpretations, i have no idea which aspect of me will be buried for good or which person whom i still have a grudge with. I really have no idea.

Cleaning up

I will be doing some housekeeping to my blog over the next few days. To those who have RSS feed to my site, please bear with me if i didnt update, yet still receive notifications.

Great, now i have to read my own thoughts from the start and to see whether i have change for the better or for the worse. I also can see how i could handle better in past situations and incidents from my current point of view or angle.

I wont erase anything even if im in a losing end. What had been done is done.

Now is also a good time to re-evaluate as the year end is just round the corner.

For a day

Today was the first tutorial and i pass a piece of paper around the class to get contacts. The piece of paper only returned to me at the end of the tutorial. I didnt take a look as i was rushing for time.

After reaching home and have done my daily ritual in front of laptop, i take out the piece of paper to type and pass it back to everyone.

To my horror, i have became a nurse or an invigilator for a day. 18 wannabe doctors trying their best to scribble their contacts and expect me to know what they are scribbling. Good thing was, i know some of my classmates. Bad thing was, none was online to help me to verify the contacts. I did what i did best: Try my luck.

While i was typing out all the email address to send, i was also praying hard that what i type were able to go through, and no bounced mail. Clicked "SEND" and next thing i knew, 2 email address were bounced. Tsk.

An inevitable task, no thanks for that.

BaZi - Four Pillars of Destiny

Personality and Character

Integrity is a word to describe you. You are luxuriously loving and have a great capacity to accumulate wealth and very good in conserving them. You not only know how to appreciate them but also truly fascinated by its conservation and perpetuation. An emotional person, you are in pursuit of physical pleasure and luxuries. Tenacity is your trump card and nothing can prevent you from holding to your ideas and ways.

You are very gentle by nature, and can be quite obsessive with the idea of justice and fair play. You are bright, easy to get along with smooth and diplomatic in your dealings. As an innovative person you always promote new ideas, introduce new things and have a creative mind. Even though you may be gentle but you are often considered cynical, critical and can be eccentric.

Romance and Compatibilities

You're extremely sensitive, dutiful and traditional thus making your sexual and sentimental life satisfying. However, there is one thing funny about you, your self-denial or restriction of pleasure nags your thoughts. You need to be seduced. Your most compatible partners are Scorpio and Pisces born in the year of Rabbit/Ram.

You are practical in love and careful so that you will not get hurt. You are not clear of your intention and leave others to do the guessing. You like to deal in an indirect way of attracting the opposite sex like sending flowers, remembering birthdays or giving gifts to show your thoughtfulness and to show how much you care. As a status conscious person you are always constantly looking for a partner or lover who holds high position, social standing and accomplishment.

Profession

With your imposing and graceful manner, you will never turn back once you go forward. So it is quite difficult to see that you cannot succeed in life. Whatever you do, you will not only do it well but with excellent results. You enjoy giving to others and so it is difficult to see you holding high position.

As a creative and sensitive person you are likely to get yourself involved in a profession related to beauty like fashion, jewelry, art galleries and specialties like a boutique, florist or even in theatre. Fashion designing, photography, arts and crafts, modelling or new technologies such as animation are also your best picks. You are good in fields that require details, creativity and appreciation of arts, music, play, ornaments or any profession that involves beauty.

BaZi - Four Pillars of Destiny

MacRitchie Reservoir (2)

Today i pass by MacRitchie Reservoir and memories of that place makes me chuckle for a moment. This place is famous for 2 things - cross country run and a hangout place for couples. I browsed through my archives and found out that i did blog about patrolling that area during my NS time. The post abit vague but im going into details how fun it was. And also going to touch on how we treat cross-country run during practices and actual competition differently.

During my secondary school days, it was a single session so after lesson ends in the afternoon, we were required to go for practices for the cross country at MacRitchie every week during a 2 months period. You all could imagine the bus we board from our school to the destination, we can reach there in 30 minutes. Why? Because the bus is so full and the driver cannot stop until we reach the destination. And the bus looks so empty after that.

Practices for cross country were very lax, there were no time keeper or a person to flag off. Officially there were 2 routes to run, a shorter route for girls and a longer route for guys. But we got 1 more unofficially route, which is the shortcut. Once run into the forest, we go up the hill and reach the pavement already. Again, we have to see our mood whether we want to have a serious run (boy route) or cut short the time by going through girls route. Teachers know about it and when the actual day comes, there will be "guards" stationed at the designated spots to prevent any cheating. Anyway, this is one of the many memories that i had in secondary school.

Fast forward a few years later, im in NS already. And i get to patrol with my colleagues in Bishan area which covers MacRitchie Reservoir. I did bring my dog out to patrol but he got car-sickness that he vomitted during the trip, and we have to bring him back to let him have a rest. This is when the real fun begins.

We went back to MacRitchie Reservoir again to patrol. We didnt use any torchlights to disturb the environment. But in order to show our presence, we have to switch on the blinkers when we patrol. That's a standard operating procedure (SOP). I remembered very clearly it was on a Saturday as there were too many cars with air-con switch on to full blast. The cars have been there for quite long due to the cold mist that is form on the windscreen.

We also cannot act like chee-ko peks that peek into the cars and see what is happening inside the car. We never get to see and we never know. We were only there to patrol but to have fun as well.

After that, we head to Bishan Stadium carpark to have an official break and rest. When we reach there, we saw only one cab in the carpark. Feeling strange, we decided to have fun again. Bear in mind, the blinkers were on throughout the whole night. But before we wanted to have fun, one lady sit right up and stare at us. We didnt get frightened, but we get out of the place after we drove around the stadium premises. 20 minutes later, we went back again and the cab was still there. Again she spoil the fun by sitting up and stare at us. We left the place without having an official break yet. But my colleague was so tired from driving for the whole night that he suggested going back to Bishan Stadium carpark to take a rest. However when we got back, the cab is nowhere to be seen. Maybe we have scare them away instead.

This is my most memorable patrolling that i had in my NS life. I have nothing but wonderful memories of MacRitchie Reservoir.

Catching up

I think i have some serious catching up to do to make up for the last 2 years. Most of the time that i spent during that period of time were working in weekends. But with the current situation at the work place, I have decided to quit. Good thing, i dont have to serve any notice before i quit as im just a part-timer.

Anyway, intend to use the free time on Saturdays to do whatever i want. Haha.

- Going to beaches
- Explore Singapore
- See how Sentosa have change
- Going to zoo, birdpark
- Picking up a new interest or hobby (Got people ask me whether i know how to ice-skate =.=)
- Go to neighbouring countries.

Ok, i may sound cliche at the moment, but this is the best time that i could find to do things that i intend to do. If not, i donno when is the next free time i could find.

Dont say i no good hor, at least im helping Singapore economy lor.

An Afternoon with Jim Rogers

On Monday, I went to NUS Cultural Centre Hall to attend a talk by Jim Rogers, organised by NUS Business School, NTU Business School and Action Community for Entrepreneurship (ACE).

It was a short and interesting talk by Jim Rogers. He mentioned two words throughout the hour long talk.

China - In the 80s, it was London. In the 90s, USA. And now, in the 21th century, China is going to be the next big thing. Though it is a communist country, they are opening up to international trade in a rapid pace.

Commodities - This investment area is currently the least investors will invest in. People still dont understand how commodities works. Actually it works in the most basic way of life. Global supply and demand of commodities. Yet it is the highest return among all the investment products if you invest in the long-run.

Love Me - Collin Raye

I read a note my grandma wrote back in nineteen twenty-three.
Grandpa kept it in his coat, and he showed it once to me. He said,
"Boy, you might not understand, but a long, long time ago,
Grandma's daddy didn't like me none, but I loved your Grandma so."

We had this crazy plan to meet and run away together.
Get married in the first town we came to, and live forever.
But nailed to the tree where we were supposed to meet, instead
Of her, I found this letter, and this is what it said:

If you get there before I do, don't give up on me.
I'll meet you when my chores are through;
I don't know how long I'll be.
But I'm not gonna let you down, darling wait and see.
And between now and then, till I see you again,
I'll be loving you. Love, me.

I read those words just hours before my Grandma passed away,
In the doorway of a church where me and Grandpa stopped to pray.
I know I'd never seen him cry in all my fifteen years;
But as he said these words to her, his eyes filled up with tears.

If you get there before I do, don't give up on me.
I'll meet you when my chores are through;
I don't know how long I'll be.
But I'm not gonna let you down, darling wait and see.
And between now and then, till I see you again,
I'll be loving you. Love, me.
Between now and then, till I see you again,
I'll be loving you. Love, me.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This country music was first heard in my attachment place. And i thought it was the latest song. Tsk.

Bad management

I have never seen anything like that before.. no, is not the current economy crisis. But im referring to my workplace where i worked part time. I have not went back to work for 2 months due to my attachment and my own incident. Yet, there is more happening at the workplace than the economy crisis.

Firstly, there is this particular manager that no one likes to work with. Even when there is alot of orders or large crowd to dine in, he will sit down doing his own things without helping. The thing is, the schedule have put enough manpower to handle the volume of expected sales to be met for the day. So, we cant help each other to cope the unexpected volume as every individual have to rush the orders. In order to make him realise his mistakes, whenever he work, there will be a high number of absentees.

Complaints make to the boss were either meet with logic and reasoning, but no action. After awhile, we realise that the boss was not interested in making the workplace happy, as she was more interested in profits just like those American bankers do.

In order to nick the bud, the boss should have either transfer the manager out to another place or put more manpower though there might be less profits to be make. At least there is service standard been maintained and who knows, there could be more sales and lead to more profits. She never see this in the long run. And the virus spread to the whole workplace that more and more staff have no morale to work. They basically go and work just for the sake of money.

Secondly, a trainee manager was caught for stealing money right under the nose of CCTV and in front of the boss. When i heard how the trainee manager steal, i was astonished that she exploited a loophole that we have never think of it. She is just like a book that cannot be judged by its cover. Last i heard, she disappeared into thin air despite numerous calls to contact her for an explanation.

Thirdly, another female manager have resigned because the boss did not handle the second situation professionally as it should supposed to be. And because of this, she literally lose respect in the boss and tender her resignation on the spot.

Lastly, the boss herself have requested to look for a new job in Subway.

All in all, i have not step into the place at all for the last 2 months. I still in contact with the female manager and other colleagues who told me the news. The bud is not nicked and the boss is looking for a new job, who would want to work at this kind of place?

New chapter of life

7 weeks of attachment over!! *throw confetti*

I dont have to hound someone week in week out liao.

Tomorrow marks a new beginning of school term and a new chapter of my life. Just cant wait for school to start despite having no rest during the holidays.

Seed Planted

A few days back, Jaywalk asked me this question, "How come you have a sudden interest in US economy?"

The only answer i could come up with, "I dont know, maybe my tutor have planted the seed that got me interested in global economies issues."

Before that, if anyone ask me about current affairs and economies issues, i will give a dumbfounded face and say, "Huh?"

After one year (which is 2 semesters) of hearing the same tutor talking about economies issues, asking us to read the papers daily, surf the internet to catch the latest news just so that we are able to, at least, answer the questions that she have set in the exams paper. I think that how the interest comes about.

I may not get the full picture of the whole situation though i try to understand as much as possible. I understand what sub-prime or credit crunch have caused to the US economy especially to US banks to go under or bought by the government. The bailout was an intervention from the government although the US promotes free trade. There is no 100% free trade or having laissez faire system, again quoted by my tutor. If i dont understand, i sms my tutor. I dont think she really mind about it.

Oh, she was also the one that made sarcastic remarks when i first attend her class. How time and impression changes overtime. Hope you are not annoyed when i sms or mentioned about the past.

The Blame Game

Initially when i read Jaywalk's post where Tan Kin Lian blames everyone including MAS, i felt uneasy and troubled. I was not prepared to blog without research or finding out details. But after reading today's newspaper article featuring Dr Money where he touch on structured products, i decided to go ahead. Do not hesitate to correct me if im wrong.

It was widely reported where Lehman Brothers are still selling Minibonds one month before filing for bankrupty. Does anyone foresee that Lehman Brothers was one of the banks to go under?

Dr Money stated that the products were sold in mid-2007 and was given a good credit rating by S&P. And where are we now? Oct 2008!! That's like 15 months ago. And Mr Tan Kin Lian stated in his blog, "Blame MAS for not vetting stringently the products before allowing for release into the market."

Forgive me, but i have some burning questions waiting to be answered.

1. Did MAS foresee that Lehman Brothers is going to be in trouble in 2007?
2. Does Singapore banks, financial companies or sales personnel know Lehman is going to be bankrupt in 2008 at that time?

If MAS, local banks, financial companies and sales personnel knows about it, and still sells it to investors, then yes, i believe that MAS have neglect its duty.

My jaws dropped when i saw reports where investors put in their life-long savings into it. I think the sales people must have say these magic words, "Uncle/auntie, you should invest more, you get more in return. Besides, if you invest more, you get a free laptop/LCD HD TV."

These products are not low-risk, low-returns. It's high-risk, high-returns. You could lose 100% of the principal sum for the worst case or earn interest more than fixed deposits interest rates. In order to earn more commission, sales people go for the more complex products to sell in order to hit their sales targets. I wonder does the sales people teach people not to put all their eggs in one basket. Perhaps both the company's and the sales people's integrity were to questioned?

In conclusion, i take a quote from Jaywalk's post: If want to blame, blame yourself also. But if i have to blame, i will lay my fingers on US banks.

By the way, Dr Money have break down the details of structured products to layman terms. But even as a student, i have to re-read in order to understand even in layman terms. I wonder how the investors are able to understand the complex terms of the products.