scrapblog

I was surfing blogs and came across this really nice collage site. I did this ytd. Nice? lol


I personally quite like it lol and its really easy to do. Those who are interested, can go here

Michael Phelps FTW !

Today i happen to be alone in office so decide to blog blog a bit :p
Well lately hasnt been playing my game but rather spending more time watching beijing Olympic.

I really enjoyed watching the swimming events and this guy, Michael Phelps from USA is really fantastic and awesome. He already clinch his 7th gold medal in beijing and still in line for a 8th at the 4x100 medley team event. USA are the defending champion and looking at the ease they qualified during the heats, the 8th gold looks promising. Too bad the swimming is coming to an end so boring boring again.

Of course there are other fascinating events such as football (my fav hehe), basketball and badminton. For basketball, i only watch team USA but badminton is rather competitive.
Lin Dan vs Lee Chong Wei should be a good one with world no.1 vs no.2, what more can you ask for right? Tennis is quite boring because maybe i miss the nadal match against djokovic.
Federer looks out of sort and i think he is going through a slump. Nadal is red hot at the moment.

Gotta go back to mug my tv for the Olympics lol.

Dinner @ Merchant Court

Today we had a dinner buffet at Merchant Court Hotel opp Central, thanx to all those contributors including my wifey :p

Nowadays old liao cannot eat too much ler but lucky got some "Da Wei Wang" who can really tackle more food to make up for the high cost. Among all the food there, i think the crayfish was the most popular and i also quite like to variety of desserts there. Afterall dessert are cheap, smart of them to design the food far in this manner. The fondue is nice but too sweety to my liking.

Devion is so cuteeeeeeeeeeee and more sociable nowadays too.

NTU graduation 2008

Today is my wifey's bro graduation ceremony and our whole family is there to root and cheer for him. It was a lengthy occasion with many many graduates and their dear families snapping video and pictures of their proud moments. I can see many happy faces that is telling me "look my son or daughter has graduate". Hmm too bad i havent been able to be the 1st graduate in my family.

Lazy to write, let pictures do the talking :)

Restructure

Well every year of this time there are bounds to have some sort of restructuring going on. Having been through so many throughout the yrs in my company, more or less should be used to it but then a hinge of insecurity also hover inside my heart.

Perhaps when one gets older the more paranoid he/she becomes? lol.

When i heard the restructure plan my immediate thoughts are pretty negative but then all in all, this is something beyond our control anyway.

I iust watched hancock over the weekend and i really think it was a good solid show with mixture of touching plots, humour and of course action :)
The action was of course rather exaggerating but i was really touch at certain parts of the show.

Anyway i booked the tix online using my credit card and to my horror, i actually booked the tix at Cathay Orchard when i was heading towards CWP. I was lamenting on my bad luck and carelessness until Cherry, a staff at CWP who help to transfer my booking from Orchard to CWP in order for me to catch the show. I am really impressed by her because in the first place i did not even make the request. She did it on her own accord and really make me feel very relieve.

Kudos to Cherry from Cathay CWP!

Note: I just send a complimentary feedback to Cathay to comment on her excellent service. I think she deserve it.

Spain the Euro 2008 Champions!

Finally the summer biggest competition is over, with Spain crowning the champion after so many yrs of failure and under-achievement. It is a bizarre euro though with many stunning results and of course ppl like us who wish to make a quick buck fails miserably :)

Luckily im just a small time player so impact to me is not serious. My heart goes to those who lose heavily and hope they recover their wallet soon.

After the season ended, the C.R. saga never ends and he never come out to clarify anything. To me it is quite obvious he is interested to join RM rather than staying on. I think its best that we sell him to get the most value rather than force him to stay and not performing. Though we may lose alot on the field w/o his absence but to me its time AF mould Man Utd into a force to be reckon with ppl wanting to come and not willing to leave. We still have a gap to fill to be a club of that stature but i believe we can do it. I believe AF will retire in glory if he manage to bring United up to the next level although i think he has been a fantastic mgr so far.

You can't please everyone

I was reading mypaper today online and came across this interesting article. She was writing about the St James incident on the cover charge waiver for foreign students. There were mentions about globalism and our hostile reaction to ft in our country. She even highlighted the ladies night event in most clubs but i feel its not that appropriate as comparison. I believe foreign talents are already viewed by many as direct competitors be it in jobs or other fields. Since they decide to settle in our nice country, they should not be given more priority against our own fellow countrymen. Though i know nuts about globalism or cosmopolitan but i do respect their business directive.

Though its important to make foreigners feel at home, we must not forget to appreciate our locals. We are the people who love our country the most isn't it? I do not think it is a case of prejudice but our ppl are brought up in a democracy manner so we expect the same treatment with foreigners at least if not more afterall we are the ones who help to make this place a better one to live in which in turn attract foreign interest.

Maple Update

Every Year Affair

For those working in my company, June/July is the month we all look forward to.
Needless for me to elaborate but it is also a time where a few souls will be dishearten. I have been there before but after that so far i have been very very lucky. The last few bosses has been quite good to me so far and im very grateful for that.

I think my work adherence has been pretty bad but im trying to correct that.
But i find it difficult to motivate myself to work nowadays, seriously lacking direction and ambition. The team seems like steering in an aimless direction.

I heard my TL did not seems to get what he deserved and i really feel sorry for him. I think its an insult to him given that he contribute so much to the team and company for the past 1 yr. It is really interesting to know why his banding was moderated.

China Earthquake

This has been the biggest issue happening around Asia for the past few weeks and to be true, i was deeply touched by the unity and generosity displayed by ppl around the region such as HK, Taiwan and even SG staging several charity shows to generate funds for the Si Chuan victims.

Anyway i have donated a small token via AXS machine. I think i will donate once more when i get my next pay. Hereby i plead with all my friends to do their part and donate generously. No amt is small because its the thought that counts :>

Ok recently in office there is a small buzz going around on a job opening at our side. It is quite obvious every1 is aiming that post but chances are very very slim because another candidate is in pole position to get it. She is my ex mentor and i certainly have no qualms of her rejoining our family but on a personal note, it is a disappointment to me despite 5-6 yrs of hard work. Maybe i'm still not good enough for that post 0r probably due to other factors rather than my incompetency.

Man Utd - BPL champions for 2007/08

It was a long season to many of the Man Utd fans. It is quite unusual that the title is decided only on the last day itself.
But to the neutrals, it is of course a fascinating campaign down to the wires. To the red devil fans, we are virtually biting our nails and pray hard there is no show stopper from Wigan. Well there is an unexpected twist though, Bolton actually equalize in injury time which means their fate is sealed. Actually from the moment Giggs scored the 2nd goal, we all knew that the title has been decided. We are 50% there and hopefully we can go on to claim the Champions League.
There are talks abt Fergie quitting if Man U win the double this yr and quite frankly, this is what we all hate to see.
I doubt there are good enough candidate to take over him and continue the legacy. I think Man Utd need a few seasons for the new manager to achieve anything decent.

I am finally level 145 on Sat hehe. My target is lvl 150 to go HT.

Red marks on foot after pedicure session

I was reading this post on STOMP and i just feel very disappointed with the behavior of the stomper.

Well its true she was suffering instead of enjoying after a pedi session but she is just trying to make things difficult because of a trivial matter. She claim from reimbursement of her doc fees (which i feel reasonable) and she got herself some freebies like cream and voucher. Later she still want to ask for black & white, ask for refund of the balance of the package and re-painting of the nails. Ask yourself, if you are so unsatisfied with the svc, why would you still ask for the re-painting?
She still dare to confess she is also in the retail biz, i really keen to know how she manage her biz.

What comes around goes around, rem this.

Gunners Bye Bye

It was labeled the clash of the TITANS for the match yesterday and true enough, i felt that the match was thoroughly exciting and entertaining. I do agree and empathize with the Gunners cos they played really well and Man United manage to win through sheer guts and stroke of luck. Well at times, you do need luck to win the premiership title besides playing consistently well. Man United took their chances while Arsenal squandered more chances than they took.

Though Wenger persistently declared his team is good enough to win silverware, it is quite evident that the team lack depth and strength. He only have Walcott & Bendtner to change things around. You can see that Adebayor, Hleb and Fabregas are mentally and physically drained as the match wore on. Football at this level require high tempo and 100% concentration. If they have enough rest, i believe they would have score much more and even beat Man United with such irresistible display.

As a United fan, nothing is much precious than a hard-fought victory over our arch-rival. More importantly, its a big march to retaining our premiership title. Chelsea Avram Grant is being bullish again, trying to strike up a physiological war with Fergie. Wait till you win the next 2 games before talking big. Who knows Wigan may just crush your title hopes tonight hehe.

Farewell Ric Flair

To all those WWE fans out there, im sure you know this legend. He finally bow out at the Wrestlemania XXIV last sun but as i was watching his finale against HBK i was actually quite touched. I believe the atmosphere there must be even more amazing.
To have so many supporters seeing you off, i think you cant ask for more as a professional athlete i guess.

To me, he is really a true legend and a role model. Adios Ric!
Woooooooooooooooo

Dad's Birthday

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Why sporean are so "Kiasu" ?

This topic have been discuss many a times so i believe we are no longer disputing the question of yes or no but rather
thinking deeper, why are we so kiasu? Hmm maybe i quote a few scenarios to further illustrate my POV:

1) Waiting for train:
Ideal: We are supposed to wait for ppl to exit before we step in right?
Reality: Everyone dash in to cheong for seats even kids. I have no idea why they are doing that but i guess its the influence of the parents.
Rationale: Everyone paying the same price, why i cannot get a seat? common mindset (not all though).

2) Travelling on the train:
Ideal: It should be a peaceful and quiet journey and we are often taught to give up seats to the elderly/preggy.
Reality: Everyone pretend to sleep or read newspaper or ACT BLUR. I do admit at times i also nvr give up seat but most probably because i was too tired and sleep all the way.
Rationale: Same as no.1

3) Registering for primary sch:
Ideal: Most of the kids getting a place in their neighborhood schools to reduce traveling time
Reality: Parents camping overnight at the famous sch premises just to get a slot for their children.
Rationale: They think that by putting their kids at a better sch can be top student so don't waste.

4) Buying flats:
Ideal: Every couple/family getting a roof over their house within their affordable means.
Reality: The application ratio against the available flats is ridiculously unbalanced.
Rationale: Everyone wants to get the best flat even if its beyond their economic means. Even ppl who are not ready just pay $10 to try their luck. It is like try no harm mentality but if you are not ready, why apply wor?


I think the culprit is our social values. We are brought up in a world set by guidelines, rules and regulations. When we are pursuing our studies, we often have to rush to meet deadline for our assignment or projects. This culture even extend to our working life and even in our personal life. I can accept deadlines in our working life but not on our personal needs though.

When we apply flats in the past, it is first come first serve basis so thats why you can see long queue when new flats are introduced.

When we are waiting for bus/train we cheong for the door when it comes. Why? Because we hate to wait for another 10mins or more for the next trip. Why do we behave this way? Because time wasting is deem as inefficient.
Saving 10mins is better than wasting 10mins, every sec count in this world.

With our increasing standard of living, we become more calculative and tend to neglect on the human touch. I find that our passion for $$$ are increasing everyday but somehow our love for our fellow comrades seem to be diminishing.

Public Transport Service

Well today after reading mypaper, it seems alot of ppl are complaining on our bus service. I have to admit that for a long time, i dont really fancy taking BUS because of their irregular timing But sometimes when BUS is more convenient, you have not much choice den.

Even MRT also can be unreliable at times but more often, the usually is overcrowding. You can see the no. of ppl packing the train even at normal hrs (perhaps due to hike in taxi fare?) They should have forecast more commuters to be taking MRT / Bus and increase the frequency of their services. Increased in passengers means more revenue right? Somehow they are quite poor in predicting or anticipating the passenger travelling frequency and traffic volume.

More often then not our fares and cost of living keep increasing but the standard service is doing the other way. We can understand the operation cost may increase gradually but they failed to take care of the basic needs. I am still puzzled that during morning train ride to work, i realised i was sweating profusely in an air-conditioned train. One possible reason is overcrowding but i somehow feel that the aircon was switch off at some part of the journey because the air become stale and stuffy. If you are also taking train to work, you should be able to empathise how i feel.

Everyone in sg is working hard for a better future and i hope our transport system will really improve soon Although looking at the direction we are heading i am seeing no light yet.

Legolas Birthday 2008

Today we gather to celebrate Legolas 1st birthday. It was a short but nice gathering. Pictures says a thousand words, enjoy the pics :>


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Dim Sum Review

If anyone catches the chn8 show last night at 8pm, you would have saw the Dim Sum review. These are the recommended outlets by the show:

1) Swee Chun - Jalan Besar (near deskar road)
2) Bukit Merah (i think you will see the food centre when traveling on the mrt)
3) Blk151 Ang Mo Kio Ave 5
4) Upper Thomson Road (sry forget the shop name)
5) Goodwood Park Hotel (they lobster-scallop looks nice)

I was surprised they never recommend Lei Garden at Chijmes. The price are slightly higher (hotel rates) but the dim sum is marvellous. So far our makan gang all feel that is no.1 dim sum place among all the places we have went to.

CNY 2008

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Gong Xi Fa Cai

Its been a busy CNY as usual, visiting my bros and parents and having fun together. My luck is not bad, won when playing blackjack with my niece haha. Dont say i bully them hor.

My eldest bro and family

2nd bro & family

3rd bro & family

Me & Serene (Dont say i fat ok? >.<)
Lou Hei on Sat

Quan Jia Fu (including my cousin)

New Hairstyle

Well heaven decide to give me an early CNY present through an unexpected windfall.
It really comes at a good time with my wedding coming soon, lots of things to pay n pay. Siong.

Well i decide to give my maple char a new look so decide to change hairstyle and buy a new top.
I quite like the new hairstyle because it look so stylish and cool.

Wootz, my ranking climb up to 5466. 28% to level 132, jiayou!

Zakum Helm !

Finally, after 130 levels i manage to get the crab helm hehe. It was a hard fought victory & certainly an achievement in my own personal view. Only ppl playing this game will understand what i meant hehe. It was a sweet feeling and i am still savouring the good feel after the dramatic victory. 3hrs & almost 20m spend so you can imagine how relieved i am that i manage to surive and loot the helm. If i crash at the dying moments i think it will be hard for me to pick myself up and enter the altar again.

Some SS i taken in Maple:

Best Drop from Papu: Brandish bk3

Best drop from Manon: Paralyze bk2

Gracious Singapore ?

Today i was reading Stomp when i came across several articles commenting if sporeans are a gracious lot or sg is a gracious society. Many ppl agree with MM Lee's assessement that we are not and we will take some time to become one. Take a look at this from a stomper who work as a part time sales assistant.

STOMPer: Hi Miss, this is your "free gift" you can set it into something.
Customer (a woman in her forties): No no, I just want the "free gift" and change another colour for me.
STOMPer: Er...sorry Miss, we are not allowed to change the colour of your "free gift" unless you set it into something here.
Customer: Why cannot?
STOMPer: Because this is the company's policy.
Customer: Go to hell! (She walked away with a sly smile on her face as if she won something, the STOMPer said.)
STOMPer: Hey auntie! How can you say things in this way?

Customer: No! I just want the "free gift"! (She said in an rude and loud manner to the his colleague, said the STOMPer)
STOMPer: No manners.
Customer: What did you just said? (She turned back and questioned the STOMPer)
STOMPer: I said you can talk nicely no need to be so rude and no manners (he replied her rather slowly in a normal tone, the STOMPer said).
Customer: You better watch out!

The full article can be found here:

Sometimes we only how to criticize or comment on badly we are being served but we fail to reflect on our own manners.
I have to admit that at times i may be pretty unreasonable but i nvr forget to show my appreciation when i receive good service from any1. A simple "Thank You" is more than enough to let ppl know you acknowledge what they are doing.
But this is mainly due to the fact that i work in a service line so to those who aren't, learn to be appreciate from today!

I came across this phrase from one of the comments from Dasmond koh's blog. I really like it.
雨说天空也会流泪, 玫瑰说爱情总有枯萎, .离别说寂寞无滋无味,咖啡说活着得习惯苦味! 路一走就累! 酒一滴就醉,雨一碰就碎,只有 朋友最珍贵!