This week wasn't a great week for me. My mother had to be rush into A & E as she had difficulty breathing. Chronic Bronchitis the doctor diagnose.
it was tuesday morning when my mother started complaining about her difficulty in breathing, I had to take urgent leave to bring her to the clinic where the doctor gave her oxygen and some medication. I had to stay home to make sure she is fine, i just can't leave her home alone. I had to check up on her every 15 minutes just to make sure she was fine. By evening she recovered and had no problem with breathing anymore.
The shock came the next morning when i saw my mother sitting on the couch breathing heavily her face pale like a sheet of paper. Apparently she has already told my dad that she needs to go to the hospital but my Dad was still bathing and doing his morning routine in the morning. WTF!!! I immediately change and took my mother's IC and drove all the way to TTSH A & E. Had to take the road shoulder as the CTE was jam pack! I will buy a siren next time and fix it on top of my car, this way everyone will know its an emergency.
By the time we reached the hospital, she had to be send into the resusitation room to be resusitated! This plump male nurse was reprimanding me for not calling the ambulance to send her to the hospital earlier. I didn't want explain myself as this was the fastest way rather than waiting for an ambulance to come to send her to the hospital. I wondered if i have taken the same attitude as my dad did, would my mother have survived? The only thing i knew to do was to message some of my friends to pray for her. I was at a lost as this was out of my control already...
By the time the doctor update us of her condition, my Dad has just reached the hospital. Thank God it was good news! They managed to resusitate my mother and she only had to stay in the hospital for observation for a few days.
After talking to the doctor, he confirmed it was the smoking that cause her breathing difficulty. You see my friends, the smoking over the 60 years has caused her lungs to be already seriously damaged. Any slight change of weather that caused her to have a small cough will multiply the seriousness ten fold, twenty folds, hundred folds! Chronic bronchitis... there is no cure... you can only stop it from growing any worse.
To all my friends who are smoking, you are young and you don't see the effect of the smoking but just give yourself another 5 years, 10 years, see if it smoking will finally catch up with you? My mother felt that she didn't mind the health damage from smoking but i really want to tell her its not just about the pain she caused herself but its also the pain she cause the rest of the family members to see her suffering like that.
What matters most in life? Getting that pay raise? Getting the satisfaction of advancing in your career? Living and enjoying life to the fullest? Just spend a morning at the hospital's A&E. It may just change some priorities in your life. Suddenly, everything seems so unimportant when you realise you are on the verge of losing an important part of yor life. To me, that would be my mother. I cannot even contemplate in my mind the thought of losing her.
To quit smoking is tough. To see the need to quit is even tougher. Once there is a reason, a need to do so, it will be much easier. To my mother, her reason to quit is probably not to experience that morning again. I hope it is burn deep in her memories.
What really matters, will really matter to you, no excuses and u don't have to give any reasons.
Saturday, 25 August 2007
Friday, 17 August 2007
Hk and Macau my second home for now
As i am writing my blog, i am in my room in Langham Place hotel in Mongkok. Due to my new job, i have been travelling to these 2 places very regularly. 2 more visits to HK and i can apply for a Hk frequent visitor card! Mong kok happens to be my favorite place to go when i visit HK. The streets are just so alive!
My view on the 29th floor:
The great thing is about Hk is that even during weekdays the streets are still full of life at 11pm. Don't they have to work the next day?
Taking the MTR can be such a joy as well. Except in the mornig rush hour... but i must commend the fact that they actually employ traffic marshals to ursher the passengers like sheeps to a slaughter into the train.
The pace of Macau is very slow compared to Hk or S'pore. you can sense that the people there is not in any hurry to go anywhere. What do you expect with a population of only half a million.
Well, guess i will be coming back to Singapore this sat 18th August. And the next week i will be back again. Its a good thing i love Hk and Macau. See all friends soon.
My view on the 29th floor:
The great thing is about Hk is that even during weekdays the streets are still full of life at 11pm. Don't they have to work the next day?
Taking the MTR can be such a joy as well. Except in the mornig rush hour... but i must commend the fact that they actually employ traffic marshals to ursher the passengers like sheeps to a slaughter into the train.
The pace of Macau is very slow compared to Hk or S'pore. you can sense that the people there is not in any hurry to go anywhere. What do you expect with a population of only half a million.
Well, guess i will be coming back to Singapore this sat 18th August. And the next week i will be back again. Its a good thing i love Hk and Macau. See all friends soon.
Friday, 15 June 2007
The Art of Failing
Nobody likes to fail. Everybody i know strives to do well in life. In their career, family relationships and even getting front row seats at Christina Aguilera's concert. I wil have it! I must have it! i will beg borrow and steal to get it! Well i must add that i am fan but not to that extreme.
My recent failure came in the form of failling my 2.4km run in IPPT. (See how i mentioned that i failed my 2.4km run only but not that i failed my IPPT on a whole. This way i am assured that people know that i pass the rest of the stations. Not everyone takes failure very lightly.)
I have not failed my IPPT ever since i pass out from BMT mind you. It struck me harder than i thought it would. I felt like i was trash and rubbish for having failed my IPPT.
Nevertheless, it was a wake up call. A call to action to regain my fitness. A call to take control of my discipline level. A lesson that should have stuck with me after the rigorous training in OCS. It is strange that i only grown to appreciate such training on hindsight. As much as i don't want to admit it, it did me good. It push my threshold for pain further than i thought i could acheive.
Through the failure of my 2.4km run and only my 2.4 km run, i've come to realised that failing is probably an art. Something that not many will learn to appreciate and appeals to different likings.
It is perhaps an acquired taste that not all connoisseurs would grow to love. It is like Smelly fried bean curd and Paris Hilton's song, something that you know you shouldn't like because it stinks and everybody agrees but deep down you like it.
Not that you want to fail and fail again, but you actually grow to accept it as part of life and move on with the newly acquired lessons learnt.
Failure gives you reason not to fail again. When you fail again it gives you more reason to push yourself further. Many people in life have tasted failure and never wanted to go near failure ever again. That's a total mistake! It should push you further. It should be like cold calling, you are afraid the first time second time and even the third time, but as you do it long enough you become accustomed to it and you actually fail less after that.
Not that i have lots of experience on failing but i am actually learning this fine art of failing in my life now. I will always fail in areas in my life, but the most important thing of all is to learn to fail so that you succeed .
My recent failure came in the form of failling my 2.4km run in IPPT. (See how i mentioned that i failed my 2.4km run only but not that i failed my IPPT on a whole. This way i am assured that people know that i pass the rest of the stations. Not everyone takes failure very lightly.)
I have not failed my IPPT ever since i pass out from BMT mind you. It struck me harder than i thought it would. I felt like i was trash and rubbish for having failed my IPPT.
Nevertheless, it was a wake up call. A call to action to regain my fitness. A call to take control of my discipline level. A lesson that should have stuck with me after the rigorous training in OCS. It is strange that i only grown to appreciate such training on hindsight. As much as i don't want to admit it, it did me good. It push my threshold for pain further than i thought i could acheive.
Through the failure of my 2.4km run and only my 2.4 km run, i've come to realised that failing is probably an art. Something that not many will learn to appreciate and appeals to different likings.
It is perhaps an acquired taste that not all connoisseurs would grow to love. It is like Smelly fried bean curd and Paris Hilton's song, something that you know you shouldn't like because it stinks and everybody agrees but deep down you like it.
Not that you want to fail and fail again, but you actually grow to accept it as part of life and move on with the newly acquired lessons learnt.
Failure gives you reason not to fail again. When you fail again it gives you more reason to push yourself further. Many people in life have tasted failure and never wanted to go near failure ever again. That's a total mistake! It should push you further. It should be like cold calling, you are afraid the first time second time and even the third time, but as you do it long enough you become accustomed to it and you actually fail less after that.
Not that i have lots of experience on failing but i am actually learning this fine art of failing in my life now. I will always fail in areas in my life, but the most important thing of all is to learn to fail so that you succeed .
Tuesday, 12 June 2007
The pursuit of Happyness
What defines Happiness? Who decides who is happy and who is not? Happiness means different things to different people. To a mother, it may be seeing her child grow up strong and healthy. To a Son to see his mother and father enjoying each others compnay even in old age.
The truly weird thing about happiness is the fact that most of us think we know what will make us truly happy, but the fact of the matter is... we don't.
To me, happiness is not earned but rather given. Most of the time it is the smallest and most insignificant things in your life that truly makes you feel that you are living in happiness.
Happiness catches you in the most unexpected way, u could be down and out in your work life or in relationship but when you stop pursuing your definition of happiness and let go just for one second. Suddenly you will start to realise that happiness starts pursuing you. Impossible as it may sound but it happens.
My definition of happiness would be that i will have enough money to allow me to stop working for the rest of my life and pursue what i always want to do that i have no money and no time for. Then you hear stories of people who have achieved that and can't wait to work again simply because their life got too mono and too boring. What gives?
Life is like dancing they say, you take a step forward and you may take one or two steps backwards. Ultimately, you end up where you started.
If there is a conclusion that i want to put to this post is that, be happy and when things don't turn out the way you think they should, don't fret, let go. Let happiness pursue you. Being happy could be sharing a drink or two with good friends and good company at fashion bar :) or even a good movie that makes you laugh and cry at the same time. Savour that moment when it comes but learn to let it go to welcome that next moment.
The truly weird thing about happiness is the fact that most of us think we know what will make us truly happy, but the fact of the matter is... we don't.
To me, happiness is not earned but rather given. Most of the time it is the smallest and most insignificant things in your life that truly makes you feel that you are living in happiness.
Happiness catches you in the most unexpected way, u could be down and out in your work life or in relationship but when you stop pursuing your definition of happiness and let go just for one second. Suddenly you will start to realise that happiness starts pursuing you. Impossible as it may sound but it happens.
My definition of happiness would be that i will have enough money to allow me to stop working for the rest of my life and pursue what i always want to do that i have no money and no time for. Then you hear stories of people who have achieved that and can't wait to work again simply because their life got too mono and too boring. What gives?
Life is like dancing they say, you take a step forward and you may take one or two steps backwards. Ultimately, you end up where you started.
If there is a conclusion that i want to put to this post is that, be happy and when things don't turn out the way you think they should, don't fret, let go. Let happiness pursue you. Being happy could be sharing a drink or two with good friends and good company at fashion bar :) or even a good movie that makes you laugh and cry at the same time. Savour that moment when it comes but learn to let it go to welcome that next moment.
Tuesday, 5 June 2007
The Bund
6 days in Shanghai, 3 days of preparations, 3 days of exhibition. Preparations includes sitting in a fancy bar on the 6th floor on the Bund overlooking the night scenery better known as "Ye Shanghai." This is to prepare the mind, give it some rest and you will have less stress.
Sitting there overhearing the many different travellers (Japanese, French, Germans etc.)who had stumbled into the same bar as i had made, wonder about the possibilities of travelling to the many other cities in the world. New York? Paris? Moscow? Tokyo? I'd love to travel more. In fact, i want to!
It is tiring to travel. Long hours in the plane, watching movies after movies, plastic cups of orange juice after orange juice. Especially when you are travelling to work, work will always be at the back of your mind even when you are enjoying your "Xi Li" (Heineken in Chinese) At this part i just got to credit mention Jacintha for handling most of the details of the trip. Without you, this trip would not have been a success. You go girl!
Sitting there overlooking the Whampoa river, reminded me of the Singapore river, somehow... The Singapore river is tiny compared to this one!
Well, if its any consolation, the whampoa we have in Singapore serves much better food then they have in Shanghai. Do not try the Hainanese chicken rice that they serve in the restaurants, i repeat... no i warn thee, DO NOT TRY! It is not even close. It is like they are trying to copy what we have in Singapore and duplicating it in the most horrible way ever. Period.
Piracy is pretty bad in Shanghai, they are selling the Channels and the Yang Siao Lings like nobody's business. They have shops that share similar colours and name like the real brands. Let me quote you an example, they have the brand Crocodile in Shanghai, a few steps down the same road after the authentic Crocodile boutique, you walk past another shop called "Clio codile" Same colour but with a more animated croc. Its pretty ridiculous but hilarious at the same time.
There are many toilets in Shanghai, the best part is the fact that they bothered to build many "toilet buildings" every 5-10 minutes of walking. I would have taken a picture of the toilet if it weren't for the fact that i was too worried that i would be mistaken as a voyeur if i stood too close to take a picture outside the toilet. Instead i took a picture of the map!
There were things during the trip that reminded me of my shortcomings. It is a resurfacing rther than new lessons. Guess i never really learnt my lessons well. All in all, Shanghai has been alright.
Sitting there overhearing the many different travellers (Japanese, French, Germans etc.)who had stumbled into the same bar as i had made, wonder about the possibilities of travelling to the many other cities in the world. New York? Paris? Moscow? Tokyo? I'd love to travel more. In fact, i want to!
It is tiring to travel. Long hours in the plane, watching movies after movies, plastic cups of orange juice after orange juice. Especially when you are travelling to work, work will always be at the back of your mind even when you are enjoying your "Xi Li" (Heineken in Chinese) At this part i just got to credit mention Jacintha for handling most of the details of the trip. Without you, this trip would not have been a success. You go girl!
Sitting there overlooking the Whampoa river, reminded me of the Singapore river, somehow... The Singapore river is tiny compared to this one!
Well, if its any consolation, the whampoa we have in Singapore serves much better food then they have in Shanghai. Do not try the Hainanese chicken rice that they serve in the restaurants, i repeat... no i warn thee, DO NOT TRY! It is not even close. It is like they are trying to copy what we have in Singapore and duplicating it in the most horrible way ever. Period.
Piracy is pretty bad in Shanghai, they are selling the Channels and the Yang Siao Lings like nobody's business. They have shops that share similar colours and name like the real brands. Let me quote you an example, they have the brand Crocodile in Shanghai, a few steps down the same road after the authentic Crocodile boutique, you walk past another shop called "Clio codile" Same colour but with a more animated croc. Its pretty ridiculous but hilarious at the same time.
There are many toilets in Shanghai, the best part is the fact that they bothered to build many "toilet buildings" every 5-10 minutes of walking. I would have taken a picture of the toilet if it weren't for the fact that i was too worried that i would be mistaken as a voyeur if i stood too close to take a picture outside the toilet. Instead i took a picture of the map!
There were things during the trip that reminded me of my shortcomings. It is a resurfacing rther than new lessons. Guess i never really learnt my lessons well. All in all, Shanghai has been alright.
Monday, 21 May 2007
Top Ten Favourite things to do
10. Laze around at home without a care in the world.
9. Spending time with Michelle in Singapore. (Too many paparazzis in Hk.)
8. Singing duet with Faye. (Her Hubby doesn't like it though)
7. Spending time at Central Perk bitching about Rachel and Ross with Joey.
6. Flying around in John's plane. Not forgetting about enjoying Kelly's cooking as well.
5. Partying with Paris and gang. (Might have to find new party frens since she is going into the slammer)
4. Helping Angie to adopt her next child. (Brad doesn't really like the idea of another one.)
3. Playing sunday football with Stevie and Jamie when they don't have matches.
2. Spending my saturday evening lost in translation with Scarlett and winning precious Match points playing tennis with her.
1. Sitting infront of my lap top in a delusional state and coming up with fantasy top ten list.
9. Spending time with Michelle in Singapore. (Too many paparazzis in Hk.)
8. Singing duet with Faye. (Her Hubby doesn't like it though)
7. Spending time at Central Perk bitching about Rachel and Ross with Joey.
6. Flying around in John's plane. Not forgetting about enjoying Kelly's cooking as well.
5. Partying with Paris and gang. (Might have to find new party frens since she is going into the slammer)
4. Helping Angie to adopt her next child. (Brad doesn't really like the idea of another one.)
3. Playing sunday football with Stevie and Jamie when they don't have matches.
2. Spending my saturday evening lost in translation with Scarlett and winning precious Match points playing tennis with her.
1. Sitting infront of my lap top in a delusional state and coming up with fantasy top ten list.
Saturday, 21 April 2007
My Comfort of letting go
It's been five years since my first job, a sales job. Not knowing what was in store for me, i took up the challenge of a sales job. It was one of the best thing that happened in my life!
Ever since then, i have been selling and accumulating experience in this field. Why a sales job, you may ask? It gives you the freedom, you are not desk bound, you earn more than a regular 9-5 job, its the best job in the world :)
I take pride in the fact that i am not just selling to my clients. Not just achieving a number or a value on my score card, i take pride in knowing my clients and converting many of them into friends in the course of a working relationship. That has become a motivation for me and a reason for me to work.
I value all the relationships that were built with clients and colleagues alike. This is the main reason why it's painful to leave where i am now. I have to learn to let go or i will never know the best of my abilities. I have to stretch myself and take comfort in losing the shoreline.
I think the sales team we have now is fantastic, a few tweaking here and there and in no time all the publications will be no.1 in Singapore.
I believe tweaking should include the new "shareholder" commission scheme that was introduced not too long ago. As its name suggest, this new scheme will benefit the shareholder's interest as company profit will increase. My advice, start investing in our company's stock!
In a nutshell, this new scheme doesn't make any bloody sense to me, all the sales people are forced to go at each other's throat to meet their individual target.
I suggest that we set up a boxing ring in front of Alice's office, any conflict of interest between sales colleagues will be settled by good old fashion cat/dog fights, bitting and scratching allowed. Kicking in the nuts is also allowed, but it can only be done to 2 limited number of person now that i am gone.
Fiona Ong can be the empire while Yan Ling can ring the bell. Commentary will be provided by the B & P team, Gin, Nic and Vick can take turns (i foresee many disputes that needs to be settled) We will leave VIP front row seats for CEO, COO and MD. Wait... we can sell tickets as well! That way the ticket sales can be split among the sales team since commissions are not forthcoming. One stone, two bloody birds! Am i a genius or what?
Disclaimer: The above does not represent the writer's actual views and beliefs. The writer absolutely loves and simply adores the way the whole company sets its policies. The above could be written in unexplained madness or the writer could be in a state of perpetual disillusion that by writing the above, he can change the minds of bureaucrats.
*Fellow colleagues please don't dua me and show this to Ceo or MD hoh? Don't send any links to anyone, top secret!
Ever since then, i have been selling and accumulating experience in this field. Why a sales job, you may ask? It gives you the freedom, you are not desk bound, you earn more than a regular 9-5 job, its the best job in the world :)
I take pride in the fact that i am not just selling to my clients. Not just achieving a number or a value on my score card, i take pride in knowing my clients and converting many of them into friends in the course of a working relationship. That has become a motivation for me and a reason for me to work.
I value all the relationships that were built with clients and colleagues alike. This is the main reason why it's painful to leave where i am now. I have to learn to let go or i will never know the best of my abilities. I have to stretch myself and take comfort in losing the shoreline.
I think the sales team we have now is fantastic, a few tweaking here and there and in no time all the publications will be no.1 in Singapore.
I believe tweaking should include the new "shareholder" commission scheme that was introduced not too long ago. As its name suggest, this new scheme will benefit the shareholder's interest as company profit will increase. My advice, start investing in our company's stock!
In a nutshell, this new scheme doesn't make any bloody sense to me, all the sales people are forced to go at each other's throat to meet their individual target.
I suggest that we set up a boxing ring in front of Alice's office, any conflict of interest between sales colleagues will be settled by good old fashion cat/dog fights, bitting and scratching allowed. Kicking in the nuts is also allowed, but it can only be done to 2 limited number of person now that i am gone.
Fiona Ong can be the empire while Yan Ling can ring the bell. Commentary will be provided by the B & P team, Gin, Nic and Vick can take turns (i foresee many disputes that needs to be settled) We will leave VIP front row seats for CEO, COO and MD. Wait... we can sell tickets as well! That way the ticket sales can be split among the sales team since commissions are not forthcoming. One stone, two bloody birds! Am i a genius or what?
Disclaimer: The above does not represent the writer's actual views and beliefs. The writer absolutely loves and simply adores the way the whole company sets its policies. The above could be written in unexplained madness or the writer could be in a state of perpetual disillusion that by writing the above, he can change the minds of bureaucrats.
*Fellow colleagues please don't dua me and show this to Ceo or MD hoh? Don't send any links to anyone, top secret!
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