Eat With Your Family Day

“Centre for Fathering’s Eat With Your Family Day (EWYFD) is geared to encourage families to have meals together. It acts as a starting point for families to commit to have a meal together on a regular if not daily basis. Through this, we want to make the Asian tradition of family meals the avenue to build family unity and cohesion. We encourage Schools and Organisations to participate by ending all operations at 5pm, allowing their staff to leave work to have dinner with their families.”

we received an email to inform us that the bank is supportive of this initiative and all staff can choose to leave office at 5pm any one day from 21-25 may 2012. nice initiative, but we all noe this is not quite possible for ops staff. in fact, we joked that there is a very very small fine print that says “for all non-operations staff” and “for AD and above only” hah. indeed, this EWYFD never materialise for me and any of the ppl in the team, as expected. oh well.

this past week has been a tiring week, with very high volume due to mkt volatility! our margin calls volume surged like abt 30-40% and we were overwhelmed. starting work at 8.45am, we dun leave office until at least 8pm. today worked till 9.15pm. really tiring. given the current mkt conditions, i think such hrs will continue for some time. i noe to some, this kind of hours may not seem too bad. but, to me, it is too much alr.

that time lilin asked us how often we hav dinner with our family. and realised that most of us dun, cos by the time we reach home after work, it is already abt 9 or 9plus pm. so many times ended up eating by urself. for me, if i go straight home after work, it is usually abt 9pm. my mum would hav eaten, and my father would hav half-eaten ha. he will accompany me eat with his second bowl of rice.

wad i find disturbing is such long hrs hav sort of become sth very common, sth that is expected of us. seriously, sth is wrong somewhere if we hav to work for 11plus hrs everyday. a typical day of my weekday will b like wake up at 6.50/7am, leave for office at 7.30/7.40am, reach office at 8.30/8.40am, end work at 8/8.15pm, reach home at 9/9.15pm, hav dinner, watch some tv or surf some net, and sleep at 11.30pm/12am. some frens hav it worse – they work till 10plus 11pm regularly. how sad. where are the 9am – 6pm jobs? how come when we were growing up, our parents could come home for family dinner at 7 or 7plus pm?

but i doubt much can b changed. seems like this is some perverse asian culture where work-life balance is not greatly emphasized. frens who work in the civil service often work late too, and some even hav to bring work home to do (thankfully for me, i nv hav to bring work home. work ends the moment i step out of office hah). see, even the govt is not leading by example. is work really so important that it has to take up 75-80% of our waking hours? isnt there more important things in life than jus work? hmmm.

jus ranting after some long tiring days at work hah. nvm, long weekend is here! am on leave tmr to cele dear’s birthday woohoo.

The Trivelis Temptation

after the deepavali lunch at lek’s place last sat, went to the trivelis (newly launched clementi DBSS) showflat. consisting of three 40-storey blocks, this DBSS is located at clementi ave 4, jus 5-10 mins walk to clementi MRT. the showflat was super crowded! after we reached, an agent attended to us, gave us the brochure and brought us to view the different showflats for 3-room, 4-room and 5-room.

trivelis, clementi DBSS

at 80 to 82 sqm, which includes 6 sqm of balcony and 4 sqm of aircon ledge, the 4-room unit is really small, with its usable area at only 70 – 72 sqm (this compares to the  average 90 sqm of current BTO). the bedrooms and kitchen feel especially cramped. and for 4-room units, price range is $530k – $650k, which is quite steep for first time buyers like us who have jus started work for a couple of yrs. 5-room units are more decent-sized, though i feel the balcony is way too big and it really wastes the space. anyway, at $650k to $770k, it is way beyond our reach la hah.

guess the main draw of trivelis is its superb location. its within walking distance to MRT station, bus interchange, clementi mall and clementi town centre. it is highly accessible with PIE and AYE. it is in close proximity to gd schs like nanhua primary. and considering that there wun be any more new flats being built in this estate in the near future, there is likely to be capital appreciation few yrs down the road. also, another thing that attracts me is they have full-length windows in all the bedrooms. sweet. and also, it is near dear’s house.

it is really tempting for us. we did our math, it is really quite stretched. if we get a $550k unit, we need $27,500 cash for the option fee. and if we manage to get HDB loan, our mthly instalment will be like jus under $1800 (payable by CPF) over 30 yrs. shocking. that means our CPF ordinary accounts will hav virtually nothing after 30 yrs. is this wad we really want? i dunno. on one hand, i hope we will get a gd queue no (yes, we applied for this DBSS) and could choose a 4-room unit. on the other hand, i hope we dun, and we will jus live with our segar BTO and be financially much much more at ease.

a mixed feeling. shall carefully think this thru and decides again on 23 nov, when the ballot results will be released. to all frens who hav applied, gd luck and hope u guys get lucky with gd queue no!

The Nation Votes Again

after the parliamentary election jus a few mths back, now it is time for the presidency election, where all singaporeans will cast their vote to choose the candidate for singapore’s highest office. in the past few weeks, there were countless reports on the newspapers, featuring all the 4 Tans. there were also TV appearances for them to reach out to the electorates. by now, most ppl shld alr hav a good idea who they wanna vote for (OK some have alr casted their sacred votes hah).

tan tan tan tan (photo credit: ST)

though the president of singapore hold several key responsibilities, to me, one of his/her most important roles is to represent singapore as the head of state as the president often has to host foreign dignitaries. as such, the candidate needs to be someone singaporeans respect, feel proud of, and must be one who can hold intelligent conversations with his foreign counterparts. and of cos, he/she necessarily needs to hav the experience and exposure to represent singapore well, and be able to advance singapore’s interest in the international arena.

safeguarding our national reserves is yet another important responsibility, which requires the candidate to possess strong knowledge in finance and economic issues, and has an independent mind to make wise judgments.

with all these in mind, i have made my choice. have you?

Showflats Hopping

showflats viewing is one of our favourite pastimes on weekends hah. yest, we went to view the showflats of the tampines DBSS, centrale 8, and the pasir ris EC, belysa. centrale 8 was jus launched and immediately it hit the news headline with its eye-popping indicative price of $880,000 for its most expensive 5-room flat. it was seriously shocking for a DBSS to hit such a ridiculous price. and on forums, ppl said the developer sim lian’s website simlian.com.sg shld be renamed similan.com.sg instead hah. hilarious, but true heh.

we reached the showflat at abt 2plus pm and it was quite crowded. ok to be fair, the location was ok cos it was quite near to tampines central. but no matter how premium the developer claims the location is, it is still in the east, not in city centre (not even at the fringe of city centre). there are 2 showflats, of its 4-room unit and its 5-room unit. at abt 83 sqm, its 4-room unit is smaller than that of a normal BTO’s. but the worse thing is all its unit comes with 2 balconies (1 in living room, 1 in master room), which, tgt with the aircon ledge, eats up 10 to 14 sqm of floor space. hence, the internal floor area is in fact only abt 70 sqm or so. and the price for the 4-room flat starts from $531,000. seriously, come on. and the fittings and furnishings are nothing to wow abt also. totally not worth the money at all.

tampines DBSS - centrale 8

ya i noe DBSS is meant to cater to the sandwiched class but this kind of price is too absurd. govt may be  in no position to decide the selling price, but i believe they can surely do something abt the tender price? should it always award to the top bidder? seriously i hope this DBSS will fail big time. i hope that ppl will boycott it to show that they are really not happy with the price. and to signal to the developers that it is not true that there will b buyers no matter how high the prices are (it is apparent that they are testing the market). but well, the reality is my wish will probably remain a wish. it is likely that it will still be sold out, though the sales may be slower. too bad, singapore has too many rich ppl who fuel the insatiable appetite of the developers.

our next stop was to belysa which is jus a couple of kilometeres away. congrats to qida for getting a unit there! hah. to choose between centrale 8 and belysa is a no-brainer. for maybe abt $50,000 more, you get abt the same size (smallest 4-room is 77 sqm), full condo facilities and much better fittings and furnishings. we also like its huge master room bathroom. its location is not bad also, as it is within walking distance to pasir ris MRT (hmm takes abt 15 mins though hah).  if this EC is in the west, guess we would really be tempted. cos i would think this can b a good investment. after 10 years, it will be fully privatised and would almost certainly fetch a better price than a DBSS (which is afterall, still a HDB flat).

pasir ris EC - belysa

after our 4 failed attempts to get a BTO, we were initially thinking of trying for the clementi DBSS when it launches some time this year Q4 or next year Q1. but the price will be steep, heard that 4-room will start from $590,000. so we were thinking perhaps it is more worthwhile to get an EC at such a price. we worked out our finances and reckoned that probably the max we can afford is a $600,000 unit with our cash and CPF savings, and taking into consideration the monthly repayment (though it will still be really really taxing. but can take that as an investment i guess).

working out our finances

bukit panjang will launch an EC soon and we will definitely drop by to take a look. choa chu kang will be launching one as well in the near future. though both are not our ideal location, i guess it is jus not possible to always get wad we want.

of cos, if there is attractive BTO launching at locations we dun mind, we will continue to try. jus that we are keeping the option of an EC open heh. time to cut expenses and save more money!

Sold Out

OK it is official. boon lay fields 4-room flats have all been selected. we noe our queue no. of 339 out of a total of 246 units available means a very slim chance of getting it. however, we still hold on tightly to that tiny weeny glimpse of hope, earnestly hoping that 93 couples ahead of us will give up. we dun even mind 2nd floor units (so it seems many other ppl dun mind as well). we dilligently monitored the no. of units remaining everyday. and we were counting down to our selection day, which is supposed to be this sunday.

all hopes have crashed. congrats to all those who managed to get a unit. but for us, time to move on. i doubt there will be any more BTOs in jurong which can beat boon lay fields’ location in the near future. it is comforting to hear that our new minister for national development mr khaw boon wan urged HDB to launch more BTOs in mature estates, but we dunno how soon it will be and exactly which mature estates will be considered. all the upcoming BTO launches are way too far from our parents and hence not too ideal for us. DBSS are coming up in yuan ching and clementi. but yuan ching is abit off, too far away from MRT. on the other hand, clementi is gonna be freaking expensive. based on the winning bid of $224m for that plot, ppl speculated that the 4-room units will start from $550k. which will mean a monthly loan instalment of more than $1800 for 30 years! goodness. how to afford?

oh well, shall take one step at a time, and hope for the best.

The Verdict

after much anticipation, the verdict was finally out. yest we stayed up till 3plus am to finish catching the live telecast of the results of general election 2011.

it was sad to see aljunied GRC being lost as this resulted in the loss of a very capable and highly respected foreign affairs minister, mr george yeo. actually right from the start, no matter wad is the outcome, it seems like a lose-lose situation. in the case of PAP winning, we will lose the most credible and highly qualified opposition candidates. but since that is the choice of the voters, that needs to be respected. now we can jus hope that the workers’ party will really deliver on their promise to serve as an effective check and balance to the ruling govt and contribute to the greater good of singapore. and they hav 5 years to prove to their supporters that they are worthy of their votes and they have really made the right decision.

actually im pretty pleased with this GE results (apart from mr george yeo’s loss) for a few reasons. one, PAP still win the majority of seats and will form the govt. two, the oppostion candiates who get into the parliament are among the better qualified ones. and finally, PAP won by a lower margin which indicated its dwindling popularity. this will certainly make them reflect and improve.

seriously i dun understand why are ppl “petitioning” to remove TPL as an MP. i thot these are exactly those ppl who want democracy? and yet they dun respect the results of the election which was being conducted in a fair manner? pls, respect the decision of the voters, and respect the spirit of democracy.

Virgin Voter

2 more days to polling day, the very important day where citizens will choose the people to lead us over the next 5 years. the past few days have been abuzz with rallies. the streets are filled with banners and posters of different political parties and their candidates. and there is non-stop feeds of election news thru newspapers, facebook and other media. election has never been this exciting and attention-grabbing, cos this year we see 82 out of 87 parliament seats being contested. many ppl, including myself, get to vote for the first time!

general elections 2011

the social media is full of pro-opposition sentiments. at the rallies, oppositions, esp workers’ party, seem to be getting immense support from disgruntled citizens. ppl are complaining abt the high cost of living, influx of foreign talents and labour, escalating property prices, crowded public transport, astronomical ministerial pay, among others. is it more cool to be pro-opposition? or do they seriously think that the oppositions have better solutions to these problems? cos wad i feel is that the oppositions are merely playing on ppl’s emotions. they are getting ppl’s support by harping on these issues but dun have anything better to offer. they do have proposed solutions, but many seem like just a quick-fix to appease ppl but may not be in the best interest for singapore’s long-term survivial and competitiveness. and i also dun agree that they keep bringing up past mistakes of mas selamat, orchard floods, YOG etc and demand accountability. mistakes do happen and most importantly is that they acknowledge it, learn from it and take actions to make sure it wun happen again. do they want ministers to resign for every mistake they make? seriously.

though not perfect, im still pretty pleased with the incumbent and believe they are still the most qualified to run this country. singapore’s success is certainly not by chance, but through the thorough planning and foresights of these high calibre leaders. i understand the need for opposition as a check and balance. i agree that there are some highly qualified opposition candidates who are willing to serve. but i certainly dun agree voting for opposition jus for the sake of having opposition. if you think the opposition candidates have the capabilities and can serve you better, by all means vote for them. but pls dun vote for opposition when you clearly noe they are inferior but jus cos you think PAP shld not win.

vote wisely, for a better future for singapore.

Turning 25

another year has passed and im turning 25 today!

looking back at the past one year, could say overall i had a good one. i got a little increment and bonus despite the gloomy economy and the bank’s lacklustre performance in 2009. i visited europe for the first time, training in zurich, switzerland and travelling to other cities like  madrid, barcelona and munich. i got to fulfill my 3-years-old dream of learning scuba diving and got my basic open water diver certification. i got the chance to do diff stuff at work, such as leading the new WM support team and my rotation to ETD trade management (japan clearing) team where i got to enjoy more public holidays and shorter working hrs.  i had my room revamped and it is now in new coat of paint and a queen-sized bed.

to celebrate this special day of turning 25, i have gotten myself a present - a bally wallet. haha actually i bought this wallet during my europe trip in june. and hav been keeping it till now, waiting for a special occassion to start using it. finally the day has come ha. goodbye braun buffel (i still like it actually) and hello bally (obviously i like this much more haha).

present for myself

anyway, looking forward to another great year ahead with my loved ones. happy birthday to me.

Presentation

i am never a presentation person. there are ppl who shine at presentation, very charismatic, able to grab the attention of all the audience, can answer all questions that come with ease. there are other ppl who jus suck at it, unable to get any buy-in, put their audience to sleep and when questions come, their answers are incoherent and make no sense. i happen to be the latter.

imagine my nightmare when my manager wants me to make a preso to the IB operations management committee.. faint. i was so stressed since last thurs cos of this.

i noe my manager is doing all this for my own good. she wanna make me more visible to the senior mngt, she wanna them to noe who i am and wad i hav contributed to the team. i appreciate this, but i would rather do without it. i dun need to be visible to the senior mngt. i jus wanna do my job well, and get the recognition of my direct superior. is this too unambitious?

finally gt a chance to discuss with my manager abt this preso today. she gave me some ideas on wad i can present, wad e mngt might be interested to noe etc. and i think she can tell im stressed by this. in fact, im frank with her tt i am indeed stressed out. but she told me in order to have bright prospect in the firm, i need to develop this weakness of mine. i cant jus do my job well, i need higher mngt to noe im doing my job well. fact of life. but it is true tt many managers are managers nt only becos they can do their job well (many ppl can), but becos they are gd at making themselves visible, and stand out among the rest.

anyway i stayed back till 10pm today jus to do up some slides.  have sent to my manager to get some feedback and then tmr will continue working on it. cant wait for fri to come and the presentation to be over man.

making presentation is so important in the corporate world. yet i suck at it. is it a talent thing? or is it something tt can be trained?

Happy New Year

my first post in the new year of 2010. happy new year everyone! now as we all usher in a new year, it’s time for me to look back and reflect upon my past 1 year ha. i guess it has been quite a good one overall, despite e gloom and doom of e global economic crisis.

some key personal events in 2009 incl: getting our first family car – a toyota vios,  graduation from NTU NBS, nice short getaway with dear to hong kong and macau to cele our 2nd anniversary, much-anticipated 3-week grad trip to japan with BBS, starting of my career with UBS on 1 july 2009, highly-cherished opportunity to go to london for 3-week of training as part of e graduate training program, short 2D1N weekend trip to edinburgh,scotland, during london training, phuket trip with dear to cele my 24th bday, our first application for HDB flat…

wad am i wishing for  in this new year?

first and foremost is my job.. though i am always grumbling abt my job, i noe very well tt i am actually blessed to hav this job tt many ppl wld grab anytime. so despite nt really liking wad im doing, i keep reminding myself tt i cant jus give up like tt. hopefully.. hopefully, with time, my interest will grow la haha. then will b happy ending liao. but i also noe somethings cant b forced la. if it is nt meant to be, then perhaps shld jus learn to let go. i hav not come to tt stage yet though ha. when tt happens then i shall see how huh.

next, really hope we will manage to get a gd queue no. for our dawson flat! haha. praying really hard. hope qida, xiaowei, weichi and james will get also, then we can all be neighbours haha.

also, looking forward to more overseas trips. switzerland training in late june is cfm, jus hoping tt it wun clash with my ICT man. most prob dear will join me there so we can tour europe tgt ha. it shall b a great trip! and also hope will b able to go for other trips like to taiwan, bangkok, learning scuba diving in tioman… ha like too many to b achieved huh.

if all these 3 are realised, i will b a happy man in year 2010 liao man haha.

lastly, here is wishing my dear family, frens and everyone a beautiful year 2010 ahead, blessed with good health, filled with abundance of  happiness and overwhelmed with great wealth! cheers~

Turning 24 Soon

in another week’s time, i will be one year older. yest went shopping at ION orchard with dear. cos she wanna get me a casual bag for bday present ha. we reached there at abt 5plus pm. we had heard gd reviews abt e takoyaki and decided to give it a try. joined e long queue and we finally gt our takoyaki after like 10mins. actually nth fantastic wad, why e long queue? ya it wasnt too bad, but dun think they justify e long waiting time lo ha.

started shopping after tt! it was only my 2nd time in ION lo ha. e place was huge la and it was pretty crowded. still couldnt find a bag i like after browsing at many shops. finally sth caught my eye – at calvin klein jeans! great, means e end of shopping haha. many times when u spot sth u like, it isnt easy to like sth else. knowing tt, we decided to jus buy tt CK bag ha. gt some 30% discount, but still nt too cheap.. thanks dear!

dinner at ION was quite a scary affair cos everywhere is filled with ppl la! in e end we settled for e curry rice place at basement. nt too bad, but e portion was pretty huge ha.

went out to e road to admire e pretty christmas lights. this yr’s lights are really nice man. a pat on e shoulder for our tourism board. perhaps it is due to e APEC summit, or maybe it is cos e economy is showing positive signs of recovery, so e especially nice christmas light-up this yr. if only if e weather is abit cooler (perhaps STB can blow cool mist along e stretch of orchard rd huh), it will b perfect ha.

after some more shopping and coffee at orchard central, it was time to call it a day. reached home at 12plus, freaking tired haha.

this yr’s birthday will nt be spent in singapore. yes, next sat will be flying on air asia to phuket for a short getaway! cant wait man. thinking of it, i hav been travelling quite alot this yr! KL in jan, hong kong in april, japan in may and london in sept, and now, phuket in nov. how nice! haha

phuket getaway, 14 - 17 nov

The Lure of Plastic

i am nt referring to plastic surgery, if tt is wad u are thinking ha. i’m referring to another plastic – credit cards. before grad, i hav been wanting to apply for credit cards. tt is one of e things on my to-do list when i start earning money. 3 mths into my job, i hav since did tt and now i hav cards from citi and stanchart. shld b getting DBS soon. HSBC rejected me cos i am too new into e job ha. think they need applicants to hav 3 or 6 mths of income records. my parents’ generation tends to frown upon credit cards. to them, it is still better to hold cash and make all ur purchases in cash. but well, they overlook e many benefits these plastic can offer.

 

1. discount, promotions, cash rebates and points
guess e top-of-e-mind benefit tt credit cards offer is e numerous discounts and promos tt are entitled to cardholders. u get 1-for-1 promo at restaurants, u get to watch movies at $7.50 on a weekend, u get 12% off petrol etc etc. e list goes on and on and new promos are being offered regularly. also, some cards also offer cash rebates. for e.g., e POSB everyday card and Citi dividend card allow u to get cashbacks for some of ur purchases. i like my citi dividend as it gives me 5% cash rebate on my petrol purchase. thus, on top of e 12% discount tt safra card offers at caltex, with citi dividend, total discount amounts to abt 16.4%! and finally, another perk of cards will b e earning of points. these points can then b redeemed for things like movie tix, vouchers etc. 

 

2. expenses tracking
with credit cards, come mthly statements. they detail all ur purchases for e past mth made on ur cards. u are remineded of when u spent e money, where u spent it and how much u spent. great, cos it means u are better able to track ur expenses. this is nt easily done if u are paying by cash huh (probably u need to keep ur receipts..). with an idea of how ur money is spent, u can better do ur budgeting for e next month. nice.

 

3. prestige
definitely nt to be overlooked, credit cards do look good in ur wallet ha. it is prestigious to hold certain cards as tat affirm ur income level.

 

4. convenience
cashless transactions are more convenient as u dun need to b bothered with all e small change u may receive in cash transactions. also, when making big-item purchases, it is jus easier to swipe ur card than bringing with u cold hard cash huh. furthermore, the plastic comes in handy when u are overseas and short of foreign currencies to get tt bag u really really like.

 

5. it’s free (usually)
yup, though there are usually annual fees for cards, normally nt many ppl will need to pay for tt. firstly, u tend to get fee waiver for certain period of time (from 1 yr to 5 yrs, depending on ur card). after tt period of fee waiver, u will b charged e annual fee. but tt can normally b waived if u call up e bank to request for it. if nt, u can jus cancel ur card and sign up another card, to enjoy e fee waiver again! so yup, credit cards usually dun come at a cost.

of cos, having said all tt, credit cards are ur fren only if u pay all ur bills – in full – every mth. we all noe e interest rate for cards (24% per annum) is among e highest u can find in e mkt (perhaps even worse than loansharks huh haha) and it is jus nt wise to nt pay on time and incur tt interest expenses. also, everyone needa exercise some self-discipline and spend within ur means. hence, whether credit cards are ur fren or foe very much depends on individuals. for me, it is definitely a fren ha.

One Month into the Job

time crawls. after like soo long, i am only one mth into my job ha. happy times seem to pass very quickly, while not-so-happy times seem to last forever. perhaps this feeling is hinting me something – that i am nt really suited for e job. or maybe, e job doesnt really suit me. as my frens wld hav known, to me now, friday is e happiest day of e week and this happiness lasts till sat night when i will start feeling sian again. simply cos sun is coming, which means tt mon is round e corner again haha.

1 mth into e job, and i am still nt doing much stuff. yup, i am now taking over HK vanilla and exotic options due to our HK hubbing proj. but i dun feel myself value adding at all. in fact, sometimes i am just following thru e motion as i dun understand wad am i exactly doing. also, i am still very very unfamiliar with e systems tt i am expected to use. and i dunno when i will achieve tt competency. it really doesnt feel too gd when ur team is busy yet u cant seem to b able to help with anything. and it also sucks tt u are e only new joiner in e team and there is no one at e same level as u to share ur helplessness, frustration and stress. i mean, it will b great if there is someone tgt with u discussing e issues u face as a new joiner, trying to figure out e systems and processes etc.. but well, no such luxury. sigh.

who e hell tells me tt working in ops is just like high-class admin. bullshit lo haa. i seriously dun think ops is an easy job man. right now at least la. i think to excel in ops, it’s impt to hav gd working knowledge on excel. things like macros, visual basic etc come in useful as they help u streamline processes thru automation. i hav zero knowledge in those and in fact, my basic excel skills are rather non-existent too. okie i admit i am lazy to learn. but i also dunno how to start. even if i read those self-help books, online tutorials etc, i think it is nt easy to put wad u hav learnt into practice in ur actual work. as in u may thot u noe alr, but when it comes to implementation, it may nt b as easy and straight forward right. and anyway i cant find e time anyway la. ok excuses i noe. haha.

i am sure many concerned frens will tell me tt it takes time to get used, it takes time to gain proficiency in e systems, it takes time to blah blah blah… ya i understand all these take time. and i will give myself time. definitely, i will stay in this job for 1, 2 years at least (provided they want me laa) to try to see how things go. sometimes, or rather, most times, when i see my frens being happy in their jobs, looking forward to their work everyday, i feel really envious. why is tt nt happening to me?

right now, i am jus looking forward to e friday of every week, e 23rd of every mth, and of cos my london trip, which is from 29 aug till 20 sept.

Bitter Sweet

wanted to go to NBS convocation ball with BBS one. despite e high price of $75 amidst e economic crisis, they are kinda enthu abt attending (ok la not all. ha). so i dun mind gg also,take it as our last NBS event ba. the ball is on 25 july and so i guess i better make sure i can attend it before paying tt hefty price.

NBS convocation ball @ Swissotel, 25 July 2009

cos for e graduate training program i will b joining, there is an induction program tt will last abt 1 mth in london or new york. so i emailed UBS to ask whether e date for e induction program has been fixed. i was hoping hard tt it wun clash with e convo ball. but sadly, reality is often cruel. i was told tt most prob e induction program will clash, though e exact details are nt cfm yet.

actually to me, it is okie to miss e convo ball. but since e convo ceremony falls between 23 – 31 july, it is highly likely tt i will hav to give tt a miss also. goodness. to some, convo ceremony is jus another useless and meaningless ceremony. but certainly nt to me and my parents. they wun b able to see me in graduation gown and mortar hat receiving my degree on stage. i guess it is every parent’s pride to see their children gg thru tt. also, i wun b able to take pics with those ppl who hav played important roles in my 3 years of NBS life. how sad.

but on e brighter note, i noe i shld b happy tt i hav a job and hav e precious opportunity to go for overseas training. these are e things tt many ppl will trade their convo ceremony for. anyway there is no use thinking so much. i shall jus take wadever it comes ba.

who noes, perhaps i may end up being able to enjoy e best of both worlds. haha.

Welcome 2009

e year 2008 has come to an end, and e world has ushered in a brand new 2009! looking back at 2008, e year has been a good one for me. nth too great abt it, but nth too lousy abt it either. so jus to jot down some highlights to me in e past one year:

• sis went to further her career in hong kong
• my very first overseas hol during CNY and my very first visit to hong kong! loved it there and wld very much wanna go back again haha
• impresario 2008 grand final @ mediacorp TV theatre
• 1st anniversary @ sentosa’s siloso beach resort
• internship at EON
• my first-ever 2-week ICT at pasir ris camp
• dear’s graduation and e beginning of her career
• genting trip
• FYP fever
• loads of 21st birthday parties
• the winning formula series of workshop
• networking events, job applications, interviews, assessment centres
• pseudo job offer
• gunung datuk trekking trip

happy 2009 ladies and gentlemen!

in this coming year, there are some expectations i hav for myself. i wanna lead a healthier lifestyle, meaning more exercises and better diets. i wanna put in my best in my last 2 modules: global market strategies and strategic mngt. i admit i leeched too much for BF214 and i feel really guilty abt it man. and since i wld start working in e second half of e year (hopefully), i wanna accumulate wealth and start a proper personal wealth planning! also, i wanna bring my family to nice places to eat at least like once or twice a mth. and finally, i wanna go on a trip with dear. to destinations like thailand or taiwan, somewhere nt tt far la haha. guess tt’s all for now ha.

hopefully 2009 will b a great year for one and all and hope tt e economy will b on e road to recovery soon! happy new year!