Wednesday, September 18, 2013

You may gamble away your money, but you should never gamble your friendship.

A heartening post by CEO of Jizi Hotel.

mmd,老子喝了点酒留了点鼻涕,发张照片发微薄居然有人说恶心,行,老子喝了点,但没喝多,说点赌博的事,看恶不恶心,反正高考作文我满分,喝多了也不至于有逻辑问题。
  今年凯雷给我们投了一笔钱,向大家想象的一样,这里面肯定有对赌条款,但是唯一不一样的是,最大的赌家是我,单从这次赌局规则来说,这是一个只有我输或者平的赌法。但是,这是我制定的赌局,为了做一件我认为对的事情而设的赌局,我一辈子只想做对的事情,虽然总是错。
  今年年初和凯雷谈融资的时候,双方根据中国几家在美国上市的酒店公司估值以及企业的成长预期做出了一个估值,到接近年中的时候双方进入合同最后阶段,这个时候几家在美国上市的公司估值半年下降了30%左右,估值成了双方最大的问题。
  做为全球最大的私募基金之一,凯雷公司自然有非常严谨的估值体系(别告诉我你不知道凯雷有多大,总之凯雷几乎是你知道的投资公司里最大的),虽然他们非常理解这是资本市场的原因造成的在美国上市的中国股的大跌,虽然他们知道我们做的精品酒店与经济型酒店差别很大,但是他们老大不知道中国情况,所以客观上会造成我们的估值显得比较高,所以双方再估值的问题上碰到了比较大的障碍。
  我实在不愿意看到降低企业的估值的结果,因为企业估值一旦降低,老的投资人所占比例就会降低,而跟我多年打拼的兄弟们以及主要的骨干,他们的期权所占公司股份同样会下降,换句话说,信任我的投资人还有跟着我的兄弟们要吃亏。
  于是,我做了一个决定,我拿出自己全部的期权交给凯雷抵押,如果企业做得不好,我的期权将全部转给凯雷,而如果企业做得好,我则拿回我的期权。凯雷公司最终接受了我的条件。
  我是公司的创始人,也是公司的股东。酒店是一个资本密集型的行业,我个人投的那点钱在公司里根本算不了什么,所以,几轮投资之后我自己在公司所占的股份几乎说是微不足道。做为创始人和企业的主要管理人员,企业给了我一些期权,所以期权如果能行权将使得我在公司里的股份得以上升。换句话说,如果公司能够成功,期权是我获得收益的最主要来源。
  我这一辈子做企业从来没有开口要过什么,记得携程季琦蒙我去的时候问我要多少钱,我说副总拿多少我就拿多少,最后老子做了资深副总的时候发现自己的工资比手底下的总监还低,总之,我比较二逼。几次做企业不算太好也不算太坏,公司卖出时投资者都获得了较高的回报,无论我是大股东还是小股东,每次企业卖出我都以牺牲我个人利益来换取朋友之间的友谊,换句话说,每次我都是选择不伤朋友而不是选择钱。
  这次做桔子水晶酒店也一样,我从开始就没有为自己要什么。刚开始和投资人一起要做的时候我投的钱跟大家都是一样的估值比例,我没有一点干股。前期给整个公司发过两次期权都很少,所以第二次期权我一点都没拿,全部给员工分了。直到上一轮投资进来的时候,新投资人认为我的股份太少,没有人敢投这样的企业,所以公司追加了些期权。
  这次我敢赌的原因其实很简单:
  1) 我觉得企业要是真的没做好,我不配拿钱;当然,我要让事实证明我是不是那么的无能;
  2) 在08年金融危机的时候,企业那么难,我的投资人那么信任我,所以我有100个道理要回报他们的信任,哪怕老子颗粒无收;
  3) 公司里的兄弟们不容易,如果企业万一没做好,我能以我的牺牲换来大家的小康生活,值了。就算我到时候没有饭吃,他们也不会让我饿死;
  4) 凯雷的老张人也不错,他也不会太为难我,只要说得过去,他不会让我光屁股;
  5) 我没本事,但是围住了一帮兄弟,虽然大多没加过面,每次都住我的酒店照顾我的生意,所以我不会做得太差。
  人活一辈子怎么都是过,但是,我总觉得人要做一些对的事情,前几次公司退出都没有让我的兄弟们走上小康生活,我一直觉得心里难受。这一次可能是我一辈子最后的机会,一个能够让跟着我多年的兄弟以及认真在公司工作的每一个同事得到回报的机会。就算我自己无能,最惨的结果也坏不到哪里去,因为至少是当我没饭吃的时候我有一帮我开口就能给我饭吃的兄弟!
  这就是我的赌博,我相信我的兄弟们一起努力一定不会让我输的赌博。
  感谢一直直照顾我生意的兄弟们,愿你们多子多孙家庭幸福。
  不说了,喝多了该睡了,明早再说。

  桔子水晶酒店大傻CEO吴海
  1992年12月21日。

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

On leave.

I like being on leave.

The feeling that you can wake up whenever you want.
The feeling that it doesn't matter how you spend your day.
That quiet quiet feeling because nobody is around.
The peace.

I guess it's not so much that I hate going to work but I like going on leave.

Monday, February 04, 2013

Comments

I must say I've left the Social Media field for a while now.
But I do remember little bits about how people can try to improve their blog ratings or things like that..

Well.. I just found it rather unusual when there were like 9 comments on this practically defunct blog. I mean.. I post like on an average of once a month with long periods of inactivity. I don't proclaim to be an interesting writer so it is kind of odd. Not to mention, some of the comments on how it's insightful, or it's a great tip or blah.. when all I did was to post someone else's song. Lovely song no doubt. Not particularly insightful on my part I must say though.

Thanks for visiting the blog.
Hey.. maybe when  I'm bored, I'll check yours out. Till then.. tata.

PS I do appreciate the ONE person who left a comment on the 'braindead' people comments. Totally agree with you. Maybe you have the same objective as them but I appreciate you actually noticing the irrelevance of it all... Cheers.

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Kiss Me

Ed Sheeran

Settle down with me 
Cover me up 
Cuddle me in 
Lie down with me 
Hold me in your arms 

Your heart's against my chest 

Lips pressed to my neck 
I've fallen for your eyes 
But they don't know me yet 

And the feeling I forget 

I'm in love now 

Kiss me like you wanna be loved 

Wanna be loved 
Wanna be loved 

This feels like I've fallen in love 

Fallen in love 
Fallen in love 

Settle down with me 

And I'll be your safety 
You'll be my lady 

I was made to keep your body warm 

But I'm cold as, the wind blows 
So hold me in your arms 

My heart's against your chest 

Your lips pressed to my neck 
I've fallen for your eyes 
But they don't know me yet 

And the feeling I forget 

I'm in love now 

Kiss me like you wanna be loved 

Wanna be loved 
Wanna be loved 

This feels like I've fallen in love 

Fallen in love 
Fallen in love 

Yeah I've been feeling everything 

From hate to love 
From love to lust 
From lust to truth 
I guess that's how I know you 

So hold you close 

To help you give it up 

So kiss me like you wanna be loved 

Wanna be loved 
Wanna be loved 

This feels like I've fallen in love 

Fallen in love 
Fallen in love 

So kiss me like you wanna be loved 

Wanna be loved 
Wanna be loved 

This feels like I've fallen in love 

Fallen in love 
Fallen in love

How can girls not fall in love with someone who sings like this... Sigh...

Monday, November 26, 2012

So many thoughts flew by this month and I didn't capture them. Wonder where they all went.
Before I lose this:

"Stop memorizing things... Memories can be outsourced to the cloud."
Samuel Arbesman
The Half-Life of Facts
Online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324894104578113590368047244.html

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Passion Run.

Off I go running early in the morning.

Signed up for a 4km run (I know it's nothing much) but I began regretting it the moment my alarm clock rang at 6am in the morning. Who wakes up at 6am in the morning anyway... Thoughts crossed my mind: maybe if I pretended to oversleep, or maybe if it pours, maybe I can just go back to sleep...

Didn't work, so ended up waiting in line patiently with the hundreds of wannabe runners about a few hundred metres away from the starting line (cos the queue was that long), and went off.. to a staggering start as we tried to manoeuvre (I still can't spell this odd word) around mothers pushing prams, old couples taking a hike, some sightseeing ladies and some angsty youths.

Not a long run, but I started to feel the stress on my underworked heart and lungs and legs and then you begin to hear the yells. The very enthusiastic volunteers along the road yelling at the runners to go on, it's just 1km left, there's free yoghurt at the end of it all, come on, you can do it. The energy's infectious and the runners pick up their speed (or it could be the free yoghurt after all).

And... it's over.

Friday, October 19, 2012

Bikini Workout Part 2

Part 2 makes it sound like I'm actually working out.

But the actual sad news is that I don't have a resistance band so I guess I'm giving up. I've tried one of the exercise. But surely it wouldn't do if I only train one part of my body. I might actually end up looking pretty weird right.. So.. there goes :D

Experiment. Fail.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Blog Writing Mood

Yeah. I'm in a blog-writing mood.

I'm not sure why.
It's not to clock up the posts. I've only made 4 sad posts these years. My worst year thus far has been 2008 where I made only 13 posts. They are however really exciting posts. Because they have PICTURES. And they're beautiful. And they're happy. They make me smile.

That's what blogs are for right? To keep the happy moments?

Man.. I need to try harder.

Bikini-Ready Body

Somehow blogging stopped becoming a habit once I lost my own place.
I need a room of my own.

Well.. and obviously I'm thinking of Virginia Woolf. 

"Women, then, have not had a dog's chance of writing poetry. That is why I have laid so much stress on money and a room of one's own."
- Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own

Anyway, this is about my resolution (kind of like a this-month's resolution) - and a very prosaic and non-intellectual, possibly even anti-intellectual, type of resolution - and yes you are right, it is:-

TO have a bikini-ready body.

Inspired, well, not quite inspired, but just perhaps reminded of it by the SHAPE September Issue - how I received that magazine is yet another story. [Stop rambling!] It has a lovely 2-page sprawl of exercises I could do twice a week for two weeks and I'll have that amazing Bikini-Ready Body it flaunts on its cover page. 

I am going to start this coming week. 
And hopefully two weeks later, I'll remember to blog.
And hopefully, I would have good news. 

Cheers to my bikini-ready body - well, future bikini-ready body at any rate... 

Wednesday, September 12, 2012


It doesn't feel like Singapore today.

Just left the Chinese Gardens. Peaceful, serene, green, conservation. Then the weather, cool, sun, breeze, clear blue sky, azure blue. Unfamiliar buildings. Lush greenery. It's like I came to a foreign place that is strangely familiar.

Today, I feel that Singapore is beautiful.
I can almost leave behind the traffic jams, the frustrations and the congestion. Just me and my home country.

Monday, March 05, 2012

Haven't blogged for some time..
Haven't sorted out my photos for some time..
Haven't sat at home in peace without feeling like I'm forced to do something..

I'm glad I had the time today.

Hopefully I've recharged enough.. to face the new year.

Saturday, January 07, 2012

Remembering how we were all once so excited because Cathay Pacific served us ice cream on board..
SIA serves MAGNUM.

Screaming baby - more like 2 year old - behind me. She needs a good smack.

Guy infringing into my space cos he puts his arm on MY arm rest.

No Don 2 on Entertainment set.

Loved the SilverKris articles.. Eyes tired. Too lazy to read up for my meetings. And now I'm too sleepy.. Will leave it for tomorrow. Bet I'll wake up at like 5am anyway.

And just ate my cup noodle so my luggage has more space. Despite the fact that I finished that horrible tandoori chicken wrap at like 7pm Saudi time. It's like 11pm Saudi time now. I'm gonna grow fat.

A little worried about the meetings tomorrow. I hope I know enough...

Friday, December 09, 2011

One Day.
Just watched 'One Day'.. and I feel so sad.
I don't think it was the love story behind it.. but every scene of Edinburgh, the university, Arthur's Seat and the view from up there, Princes Street made me remember how beautiful Edinburgh is and made me realize how much I've fallen in love with the city.
I don't know what it is about the city I love. I mean.. I hate the weather. And I was glad to come back because I missed everyone so much. But I just love it. Crossing South Bridge and peering over at Cowgate and wondering about how this multi-tiered city works. Sipping that rich hot chocolate at Chocolate Soup on wintry days, wintry nights.. Those cobbled pavements. Those buildings darkened with soot from the industrial age. The gloomy sky. Jogging around Arthur's seat. The beautiful swan lake. The gorgeous view from Calton's Hill. The windy secret paths that you somehow chance upon and never find again.
I thought 4 years in one city.. and I'll have had enough of it. But.. it's only been slightly more than a year and I keep thinking about it. I think.. Edinburgh will always have a special place in my heart.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Sitting by the Singapore River, gazing at the Merlion, thinking how peaceful this scene was.
Then, decided to turn on the radio and a cheerful song came on, changing my mood completely...

Amazing what background music does to a still image.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Just finished up some work and feeling kinda lazy to sleep...

What's on my mind now?
1. It's nice to be up alone on a rainy night. I never get this kind of peaceful times anymore. Not since a long time ago in Edinburgh with my Sushi takeaway in my cold cold room. Just me and my duvet.

2. I want to do something. It could be an exercise thing - going for yoga classes or dance classes (I think I'd like the idea of a dance class though I can't really dance) or kickboxing or whatever. But I don't think I'll be very motivated. Or it could be a learning thing - like learning Bahasa or Italian. If it's useful enough, I might push myself to do it. Or it could be a happy music thing - I want to go get me some scores and start building my dreams of being a freelance pianist. I'm not a great pianist but maybe if I master enough cheesy music, people might pay me a little to play that odd piece. What a wonderful thing it would be. Maybe it's not the cash that entices me. Maybe it's the feeling of being able to perform again. I'm not sure. It would be lovely if I could retire and live on playing the piano. I wouldn't mind playing the same pieces over and over again. Because I know for me, everytime I play... it's a different piece. Maybe I should get a new piano...

3. Old and boring. You leave the fun school no-responsibility life. And things happen throughout your life, the experiences add up, they scare you, they make you wary, and you become a cautious boring person, so afraid of doing things wrong you don't do anything at all. I feel that I'm becoming a boring person. Feel like you're not at liberty to do embarrassing things anymore. Feel like 'youth' is no longer an excuse for doing stupid things. Feel like the whole world is judging... because you're a responsible working adult now.

Wow. So much on my mind. No wonder I'm still awake.

Friday, October 14, 2011


I've always been fascinated by India and China ever since a lecture I've had in Edinburgh.Can't remember who it was, or which module it was for. But it was an interesting paper.

Two emerging countries, huge in land mass and population. Usually conflated in discussions. Usually known for its low labour costs, and its burgeoning potential. But so different. In terms of development, of strengths. The question that the lecture inspired in me was: Why is India not as prominent in the global scene as China?

People talk of China as the next rising superpower, of its competition to US. But not India.
India has its strengths. Its people. Its English proficiency. Its amazing IT sector. Its British colonial legacy making it less hard (arguably, compared to China) to work with the West. But.. no, it's China people talk about. Why?

Saw this article on the Economist: Chasing the Dragon, which reinforced this thought. That China is advancing much more rapidly. Is it because China had a headstart? But isn't it begging the question? Why did China have a headstart? Is it the workings of one man (Deng Xiao Ping?)? Will India ever catch up?

This figure shows how far behind India is based on some criteria of development.

PS Just wondering if the title 'Chasing the Dragon' is coincidental, or if it has an intentional allusion to the practice of inhaling opium (very Chinese!). Hm.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Mm.. I should not try to have unhappy posts.
Think about it this way...

By turning to this blog only as a way of venting my frustrations, I will end up documenting all my sad or angry moments, while the happy moments turn to dust.
I don't want to look back and see a backlog of sad posts.

Perhaps I could write down my frustrations in temporary documents, and jot down my happy moments on a more permanent platform. Then one day... when I'm old, I can read my memories.. with the sad ones faded to an illegible blur and the happy ones etched forever :)

Stay optimistic! Think happy thoughts!

Sunday, September 11, 2011

There was a period when I was obsessed with taking photos.
I wanted to capture everything in my life,  because I had a poor memory, and because there were so many beautiful memories I wanted to capture before they fade away.

And then... I'm not sure when... I stopped.
It might be when professional photography became the norm. And my silly photos - blurry, low resolution, with a hand cut off and a leg missing, with no concept of composition or colour or lighting, just a simple photo to trigger my memory - my silly photos just became quite inadequate.
It might be when things got a lot tougher... when there weren't quite so many beautiful memories I needed to capture... when in fact there are so many memories I wish I could delete.

It feels kinda sad. But I don't know why. It's just... not the same anymore.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Reading all the lovely food posts (or more like, salivating at the pictures) on Nurul's blog :)
You can read it too here: http://nurulsnomnoms.wordpress.com/

She told me about how she was going to do a picture a day.. to mark her year. And I wanted to do it too. Sort of a visual memory to my year. Because time flies. And memories fade. But somehow I didn't get into the habit and I haven't had a single picture yet. Maybe I'm a procrastinator :) Maybe I should just collect a picture a week of something that has inspired me that week. And by the end of a year, I'll have 52 pictures of inspiring moments... Hmm... I really want something to keep track of the time.. Wouldn't want to realise 5 years down the road that I have no clue what I did in the past 5 years... That will be one scary moment o.0

Friday, June 17, 2011

On Hangover II,
Roger Ebert noted that much of the film "plays like an anti-travelogue paid for by a rival tourist destination—Singapore, maybe.
Wall Street Journal Article, James Hookway
One Night in Bangkok Can Lead to Quite a Hangover for Thailand

Libel? Lol.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

 But it is an attribute of the Internet to activate in me, and maybe in all its users, a persistent sense of deferred expectancy, as if that thing that I might be looking for, that I couldn’t name but would know if I saw, were at every moment a finger tap away. 
Sven Birkerts

That explains the hours of staring at a digital screen, waiting for that moment of enlightenment.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

There’s so many things that pop up in my head once in a while. Things that I want to share. Or just things that I want to jot down so when I have a bit of free time I could refer back and think about them. And then... when I actually get down to a word processor, they flee. Those thoughts...

Haven’t been able to focus lately...

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Reading something on Asian-Americans on New York Magazine...
I think one line sums it up: 
It is a part of the bitter undercurrent of Asian-American life that meritocracy comes to an abrupt end after graduation.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Giving presentations...
Tell yourself you're the expert in what you're presenting
That you know your material best

*Crosses fingers*

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Thinking back...
Why is it that everyone only remembers all your bads but forget all your goods?
We live in an unforgiving world.
Wonder why I go home sometimes.

Sunday, April 03, 2011

It's so hard to live up to expectations.
Why do we all set expectations for the people around us?

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Stepped out and felt the cool breeze on my face and suddenly, everything was all right.
The breeze was only as fresh as city air could ever be, and the surroundings as tranquil as a motor road could ever be. But somehow, that made everything that went wrong go right again.

How strange.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Sometimes there are thoughts that I want to pen down...
But I'm in the midst of eating, or talking, or walking, or working, or playing, and I think: I'll just pen it down later.

Then, it's times like this that I stare at the screen and wonder: What was it?

Monday, March 21, 2011

I don't like to send emails
Cos they make you sound angsty even when you're not.
And when you're truly feeling angsty... It just makes things worse.

I wish I had never embarked on the project.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Been feeling really fat.

At Zouk. All those scantily-clad, skinny girls. There were so many of them. Heavily made-up with heels to kill. Where did they all come from?

At the cheerleading competition today. All those girls with abs. Felt kinda surreal. Surely normal girls don't have muscles like that.

Really feel like doing something about my fats. Ugh.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Trying to get myself away from Facebook so I won't say anything I regret. But this is a really trying time for me. I want to scream out to everyone but we live in a world where complaining isn't allowed. I just wish I could sleep. I'm so tired. I really am.

Monday, February 28, 2011

D&D was a blast!
Norman's a cool geek.
Jialin's a part-time goth make-up artist.
Lionel's a closet crazy dancer.
Shivya's an emo 'part of the Addam's family'.
And Shirley is a wacky merlion.

None of it made sense, but that's what so awesome about it. Hur hur.

Wednesday, February 09, 2011

Met a fortune-teller today.

He told me
That I was a happy person.
That I like new things.
That I have no stamina.
That I was going to get married at twenty...five
(although I have many choices)
That I have many skills and many interests so I need to focus on developing just one.
That my thoughts tend to wander...
(That I have too many thoughts)
And I just really need to focus


Focus, focus, focus.

Tuesday, February 08, 2011

"It's today!" said Piglet.
"My favorite day," said Pooh.


(Taken from here)

Sunday, January 23, 2011

I really like reading abt the latest studies...

Reading abt how since bored drivers are 1.5 times as likely to get into an accident as engaged drivers, researchers suggest making roads more challenging to 'increase driver's focus'
Reading abt how those who walk faster were 90% more likely to live at least 10 years more.

Aren't research findings pretty incredible sometimes?
89.7% of peoPle in the US describe their diet as healthy. Close to two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese.

Taken from Time mag, 17 Jan issue, pg 9.

(I should really do something abt my referencing methods)
To quote Richard Stengal in the 24th Jan issue of Newsweek,
"Mere advocacy" of any doctrine, however violent, does not violate the First Amendment. And that makes sense. Words don't kill people; guns do. In an open and free society, we don't police speech, but we do police those who violate the law by committing violent acts.

Hm seems to make sense, but doesn't seem to be an accurate portrayal of the US.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Back to the Spain trip with the girls...
So.. Spain is populated with architectural legacies by Gaudi. I think this might be Casa Battlo but I honestly can't remember. It's been half a year ago...
But I know this is the Sagrada Familia (although a pretty ugly picture of it)
The next day, we went to Plaza Catalunya to catch the hop-on bus, which was a walking distance away from our accom! This time, we walked in the right direction (with the help of the map).
And... I thought it was interesting that people were all playing chess there. Sort of reminiscent of the Singapore Ah Peks playing Chinese Chess at random stone tables at the parks. Sort of.
Didn't manage to capture ANY nice photos of Mont Juic. Mainly cos my camera has terrible zooming function. And cos I refused to stand up on the hop-on bus being comfortably seated. Very, I might add. And cos there were a million other tourists standing up in front of me and blocking my view. I had quite a sharp photo but someone's blue-and-white striped SLEEVE was in it. But the view was gorgeous from up there, and unlike the last time I went, we didn't have to walk all the way down after taking the funicular up. I think we went to Port Olimpic after that - but I'm not about to bet on it.
It was unbelieavably gorgeous. And my camera REALLY doesn't do it credit. It does help that the rain stopped. But here goes: The unfortunate red thing at the side is the bus. Yes I took ALL my pictures from the bus. Lazy me.
We went to Barri Gotic after but I only have like one picture of it. It was like walking into the past, the narrow cobbled pavements, the archaic sculptures... and yes the rain made it rather atmospheric. Does the arch not remind you of the Bridge of Sighs at Cambridge?
I despair of ever finishing my trip in Spain, but since this day in Barcelona has ended. I will end my post.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Haven't been sleeping well.
Waking up at weird times and just feeling really tired when I wake up.

Plus, I had this horrifying dream that
I accidentally killed my sis, and everyone was chasing me. And I had to escape via a window. Full of running and adrenaline. Hiding at the corners, trying not to be spotted, paranoid that someone's gonna suddenly pop up and catch me. And I bumped into a friend who asked me to join in a game. And I had to pretend I wasn't running away from something, while looking over my shoulders to make sure my pursuers haven't caught up.

I was glad when I woke up. It was a dream with an overwhelming sense of doom, the feeling that everything is going wrong, and is going to get worse, and the whole world.. the whole wide world is crashing down on you.. the feeling that nothing is ever going to be right again. And that maybe it's easier if you just let yourself get caught, face whatever punishment and get it over with.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Fear no more the heat o' the sun,

 Nor the furious winter's rages;
 Thou thy worldly task hast done,
 Home art gone, and ta'en thy wages;
 Golden lads and girls all must,
 As chimney-sweepers, come to dust.

 Fear no more the frown o' the great;
 Thou art past the tyrant's stroke:
 Care no more to clothe and eat;
 To thee the reed is as the oak:
 The sceptre, learning, physic, must
 All follow this, and come to dust.

 Fear no more the lightning-flash,
 Nor the all-dreaded thunder-stone;
 Fear not slander, censure rash;
 Thou hast finished joy and moan;
 All lovers young, all lovers must
 Consign to thee, and come to dust.

         No exorciser harm thee!
         Nor no witchcraft charm thee!
         Ghost unlaid forbear thee!
         Nothing ill come near thee!
         Quiet consummation have;
         And renownéd be thy grave!

- William Shakespeare

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

My mood varies with the weather.
It's so much easier to feel happy when the sun is shining down on you, and everything is a bright cheerful yellow, and the water glistens, and the leaves of the tree gleams green, and everyone's not obscured by umbrellas and shadows, and you can actually look up from your feet without raindrops in your eyes to look at the world around you :)

Monday, January 17, 2011

Blogs are for happy days.
Why spread the misery?

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

It's a new year!
New year. New hopes. New resolutions. New dreams. New desires. New life. Fresh thoughts. New beginning. Clean slate. Bright ideas.

The new year came
And somehow it doesn't feel any different.
Hmm..

Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Loves going to work at 9.15am.
Cos I get to see this troop of little kids skipping happily along the road, hand in hand, always in pairs, but seldom a congruent pair. Sometimes a bouncy little kid eager to run ahead, slowed down by his partner timid, frightened, reluctant to push on..
Truly the most adorable bunch.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Reese's Clusters
Makes me feel like I'm eating fats
Pure unadulterated fats

Saturday, December 18, 2010

At Junction 8 watching a group of about 50 middle-aged? old? ladies and gentlemen line-dancing to Mexican songs! They must be one of the most enthusiastic groups of public dancers I've seen :) I want to be like them when I'm old.. Don't lose that passion :)

Friday, December 03, 2010

Saw this at paperexploits.wordpress.com

The lady made these from scratch herself, and she runs a handmade-stationery/card/envelopes(and so on) blogshop. Some of the items are really gorgeous (like the strawberry boxes above)

Was thinking... if I had $10,000 I could start a blog shop selling handmade cards and paraphernalia (whatever that word means). I'll have fun, but I wonder if anyone will buy from me. Hahahahahahaha.
Saw a little girl
Looking around as though she was
Master of the World.

Is this... a haiku?
Hmmmmmmm

Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Riverdance.

Energetic. Uplifting. Breathtaking. Awesome. Stunning. Funny. Engaging. Touching. Lively. Impressive. Nostalgic.

The funny percussionist who played the gongs and the toms and the drumset and the gazillion percussion instruments and who looked like my irish lecturer who taught realism in international relations, sean molloy.

The feet of the lead dancer which moved so fast they were a blur yet so rhythmic and so precise

The saxophonist who never seemed to breathe and who had a lovely classical tone except that lovely jazzy part straight after interval

The showy violinist who seemed to be doing pizzicato and bowing all at the same time while striding quickly to and fro the stage and ending every section with a great flourish of her bow

The blonde singer who sang with (to quote a friend) a celestial voice and looked like she stepped out of a dream to render a moving version of 'a heart's cry'

The lead dancers spinning wildly on the stage
The girls who leapt up like they don't weigh anything and landed ever so gently on their stockinged feet

The black singer who stepped out in his Irish working class outfit and sang with a very English accent

The two lovely dancers taking an impromptu stance on Irish tap dancing - and the faceoff they had with the Irish tap dancers taking a very Catholic stance towards tap dancing

These were my impressions.
Wish I could go again :)

Friday, November 26, 2010

Walking home in the rain after work yesterday...
Waiting for the traffic light to turn green, with my feet getting wet.
Then I noticed - perched on top of (something.the signal box?a mail box?) was a little replica of the Eiffel Tower.
You know, the kind every street peddler sell along the streets of Paris.

Reminds me of the days I spend in Edinburgh, braving the persistent drizzle and the blustery winds that threaten to upturn my umbrella, feet perpetually wet and soggy and wrinkly. Staring down at the pavement as I walked to the MRT.. I could believe that I was in London.

Friday, November 19, 2010

it's ridiculous how i feel ashamed of my blog now.

how it has no comments function. or share function. or subscribe function. how the font is tiny. how the archives is not user-friendly. how my image is outdated. or my posts. or my links. how it doesn't incorporate SEO templates. how unprofessional it is.

i'm not a professional blogger.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Got me thinking about my blog.

My work at New Media introduced me to the world of social media marketing, something that (I admit) is totally new to me. It led me to start reading books on social media, word of mouth marketing and so on. And I keep reading about blogs, how to make full use of it, how to market it, how to gain visibility, to engage with your users through quick response (you get the idea). And all these readings made me realise how unfriendly my blog is. And got me thinking why I have this blog in the first place.

Today, at lunch, a colleague mentioned how outdated my posts were. I began this blog to update my friends and family on my life in Scotland but how relevant is this now? Now that I'm back in Singapore, who reads this anymore? Other than qy haha :) Plus this is not even a chronological update of my life. Especially since just a few months ago, I was blogging about my trip to Manchester 4 years ago. Haha! A bit random.

Maybe it's just a place for me to write. Like a journal of sorts. But then I should probably make it private. I guess I must want people to read this. This is confusing. I did.. entertain the thought of trying to make a 'successful' blog! Haha! To try out all these tips and theories that I've been reading. But I think it'll take quite a lot of energy to maintain. I shall go get my smartphone first!

*confused*
Sitting at Mos Burger, drinking iced milk tea.
Bobbles and snowflakes dangling above my head.
Listening to 'Have yourself a merry little Christmas~'
Somehow it feels so blissful. Maybe a little nostalgic.
It's strange how that song has such a big impact on me.
Wondering why...

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Shopping at Cotton On at Novena Square last Saturday.

Had a 30% discount voucher so went a little mad. But there were lots of things I didn't buy. Anyway, point is, when I paid, I realised that the 2 for $30 T-shirts were actually cheaper without the 30% discount. Because how the cashier did it was to change the T-shirt price to the original, which was $24.95, then deduct 30%, so I ended up paying $35 for the 2 for $30 shirts. Obviously, I went back to the cashier and asked her nicely if I can take out these 2 shirts and then pay for them separately (i.e. pay $30 and not use the 30% for the 2 items). At first, she said no. Then later, she said 'Refund? Ok, wait.' *calls someone else* So, this guy came. And we repeated the story to him. Then he was like 'No la, you use the discount, definitely cheaper than without'. So I counted for him. And he didn't believe me. So he took out his calculator and said:

'If you use the discount *punches in $24.95, multiplied it by 2, stared at me for a while and the number $49.90, then clear the memory*' he continues 'if you use the discount' *repeats above procedure but somehow manages to do the 70% of $49.90 part* He repeats 'so if you use the discount you get this number (which was around $35 as I have previously counted for him). 'Then' he continues 'if you pay the promotional price for the 2 for $30 shirts, you have to pay...' *punches in $24.95 multiply by 2 for the third time in his speech, stares at the number*

I interrupted him of course and said 'If I buy the 2 for $30 shirts, I pay $30, right?'

He ignores me and continues punching numbers in his calculator.
Uh. Since when do 2-for-$30 shirts not cost $30?!
Thankfully, in the end, he decided to trust my maths, and refunded everything for me.
It was hilarious.
I should really continue my entry on Spain but... it involves a lot of thinking and recalling HAHA.
Well anyway, random shots from around Singapore :)

Shot 1: Chopin at the Singapore Botanic Garden. Was there to catch Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest. The weather was lovely and cool. Pity I went unprepared with nothing but a picnic mat. Had to stare longingly at the spread of food and drinks all around me...
Shot 2: My first trip to the railway station (after telling millions of visitors how to get there). So cool! Doesn't feel like Singapore at all. Makes me wanna take a train for the fun of it (And that is after telling millions of tourists that they might as well take a bus to KL since it's less hassle and takes a shorter time).
Shot 3: CLONE WARS!
Shot 4: Tourists at Jellights. My only glimpse of the iLight Marina Bay installations :( I need to get rid of this bad habit. Of not going for things though I wanted to cos I couldn't find anyone to go with. I shall just MAKE time and just go for it by myself. I will. New new year resolution!
Shot 5: My mommy's birthday presents. Pink and brown theme this year! (Of course, I wrapped them all.)
Shot 6: Ochado pop egg milk tea. I love popping those pop eggs. (wish they had a nicer name though) And the tea is just as good as Koi. The price too. The location is a bit... It's at Chong Pang. Haha.

Shot 7: Haha. I'm obsessed.
Shot 8: My office table mess.
Hmm. Oh well. Was going to upload one more. But I think my laptop's protesting. So tada.
End of random post.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

'Stop thinking', she said. 'The more you think, the faster you cut your own throat. What is there to think about? It always ends up the same way. In your mind there is a bolted door. You have to work hard not to go near that door. Parties, lovers, career, charity, babies, who cares what it is, so long as you avoid the door. There are times, when I am on my own, fixing a drink, walking upstairs, when I see the door waiting for me. I have to stop myself pulling the bolt and turning the handle. Why? On the other side of the door is a mirror, and I will have to see myself. I'm not afraid of what I am. I'm afraid I will see what I am not.'

[Jeanette Winterson]

Sometimes I find quotes that mean so much to me at some point of my life.

Sometimes, they stay relevant. Sometimes, the words stay the same, but the meaning grows distant.
I need to revive my book of quotes.

Monday, November 08, 2010

So anyway, back to the FOOD folder.
Amusingly, Foodie 5 in my previous post isn't a pizza at all. It's the Fried Chicken Strips starter from Domino Pizza. The real pizza is hiding behind the chicken strips box. Look carefully.

So anyway - again- this post is about my attempt at truffle-making.
As usual, I have NO idea where I got the recipe from. And I'm not going to pretend I'm an expert at truffle-making. This post definitely is not going to pretend to be a recipe.

Truffle-making...
Step 1: Boil some water, and draw a heart from the bubbles at the bottom of the pot.
Step 2: While the water is boiling, chop up beautiful blocks of chocolate.
Step 3: Put the finely chopped chocolate in a bowl and put the bowl into the boiling water. Hot water bath. Stir gently throughout. This is when your room smells divine. In case you're wondering, the bowl doesn't actually say 'lakes' - I know it looks like it, but it actually says 'Cow makes milk'. It does.
Step 4: Rescue the melted chocolate from the water bath. (This is where it gets a bit vague) Put in some ingredients, like vanilla essence, butter and stuff, and stir gently into the cooling bowl of chocolate. This is false. Because I clearly remember melting the butter and mixing the vanilla in a pan over the hob. But anyway, let us proceed. When we're happy, we put the bowl into the fridge, taking it out to stir every... (now there is some complicated instructions involved here, like for the first hour every 20 mins, then for the next half hour every 10 mins, or something like that - all I recall doing is noting down the time, then calculating the times when I have to go open the fridge and stir the mixture). So, anyway, u get a hardening ganache. It's NOT supposed to be grainy. One of my batches turned out weird.
Step 5: When the ganache turns reasonably hard i.e. they stay in shape, roll them into little balls. My first attempt took the instructions quite literally. I put a spoonful of ganache on my hand and rolled and got ... messy hands. Thing is... ganache is still pretty soft and melts at low temperature. So I just used a cooled spoon to nudge them into shape and plop them on a piece of baking paper. These are... artistic spheres.
Step 6: Put the ganache into the fridge to harden again, in preparation for their ordeal later. Make melted chocolate again - step 1 to step 3. Don't mix any weird stuff in it this time. Just take it off the hob to cool till it's like still liquid but not so hot. This potentially requires a thermometer to judge the correct timing to do it properly but I didn't have a thermometer so... when it looks kinda okay, and the ganache in the fridge is solid hard, spear the ganache quickly and dip it quickly in the melted chocolate and rescue it before the ganache dissolves in the chocolate. This is tricky I know. Cos imagine... if the ganache can melt in your hands, they MELT in the melting chocolate real fast. Then quickly plop the coated ganache onto baking paper and shove it back in the fridge.
Step 7: Look at them cool. Oh yes. I sprinkled some cocoa powder (or maybe icing sugar - forgot which) for some colour.
Step 8: EAT.
Thin chocolate crust with soft ganache that melts instantaneously. Mmmm.
I really shouldn't be doing this when my laptop is so laggy.
In fact, I should be busy backing up all my files right now. But just as I was done with the first picture folder, I discovered the FOOD folder, and I don't think I've uploaded that before. So here goes :)

Foodie 1: Aubergines is my greatest love. Fried with sambal chilli and minced pork (which, due to its exceedingly low price, has become my staple meat in the UK).

Foodie 2: Black pepper beef noodles. This is very yummy too. Freshly ground black pepper. Some mysterious combination of black colour sauces like oyster sauce.
Foodie 3: Chicken fillet wrapped in Bacon for that juicy fattiness, and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese. Served with a few healthy slices of tomato. For no reason other than making me feel healthy.
Foodie 4: Dumplings. This deceptively simple looking piece of dough takes AGES to make, and mini-seconds to eat. The filling is awesomely yummy. Found an awesome recipe but forgot where. Something to do with chives, and rice wine, and soy sauce, sesame oil and the omnipresent minced pork. The dough is simply cold water plus flour. I tend to like my dumplings fried but then it was ultra messy and disastrous, since the dough skin simply split. After that experiment, I prefer to simply boil them. The tasty filling makes up for the blandness of boiled food.
Foodie 5: Domino pizza. My staple food during exam period, dissertation period, lazy periods :D Not Domino specifically, cos I'm partial towards Papa Johns too. Whoever has the better offer I guess. Marmaris does an awesome chicken and mushroom (not chicken and ham. can you believe i walked into a halal shop and asked for chicken and ham twice when it said very clearly 'chicken and mushroom' on the menu! *slaps* who does chicken and ham pizzas anyway) pizza. The-shop-on-Nicolson-Square-which-I-conveniently-forgot-the-name-of does an amazing forgot-the-name-of-the-pizza-too (what on earth x.x). Some minced lamb with chilli and onion and spice pizza. I've even done the pizza buffet at Pizza Hut on North Bridge. Not to mention Pizza Express, both the one at North Bridge and the one near Arthur's Seat. I've even tried... Tesco pizza. So there.
I have pictures of one more food in my FOOD folder. But I think they deserve a post of their own. So that's all for food now :)

Sunday, November 07, 2010

Finally, on Spain... my last Europe trip with friends :)
Disclaimer: This post is not about the attractions of Spain. It doesn't even come close.

Flying from Edinburgh to Barcelona Girona Airport, then taking the expensive airport shuttle bus (the only option available) to Barcelona Nord Bus Station. It was a beautiful day. Not a cloud in the blue, blue sky.

We got to our accomodation via the metro, then settled down for the night. The next day, we headed out to sightsee but got a bit lost. But we caught sight of a beautiful building. Dunno what it was, but it made the extra miles worth walking.

And (fortunately we took the wrong path) for what did we discover but a famous chocolateria, Escriba <3 The hot chocolate was heavenly. I had the hot chocolate with chilli. Mmmmm.

I took more photos on this detour than I did on our actual stay in Barcelona o.0 I couldn't resist. Check out this graffiti.

The next thing that caught my (camera's) attention was this sign warning vehicles that this was a school zone and to look out for children. Why are the children on the sign running as though they were escaping from something deadly? Says something about Spanish schools, doesn't it?
For our first main meal in Spain, I went for... the Hog Roast Burger at Hard Rock Cafe on Plaza Catalunia. Don't ask.
 My first attraction photo coming up! Guess where we went! FC Barcelona at Camp Nou. It was drizzling the whole time.
I stood at where I think they do interviews and stuff and took a photo (with my umbrella so I can remember the dismal weather o.o)
Their museum is definitely one of the most artistic football museums I've ever been to (the rest being only Old Trafford and Anfield).
I also sat in the commentator's box and tried screaming out stuff (without trying to embarrass my friends too much).

Check out their cool lamp-post. It's a football! (and Blogger is refusing to let me upload any more images)
 Maybe it's a sign. That I should go do other stuff. Instead of blogging. Though I'm not done with Barcelona. I haven't even come to... the main stuff like Sagrada Familia.
I have lived in Singapore for around two decades, but I'm still experiencing 'first's.
Could you guess what this is? Haha.

Artists creating the new exhibitions for the walkway from Citylink Mall towards the Esplanade :)
I've always seen the exhibitions but strangely enough, I never saw them being taken down and put up.
Well, there's always a first for everything :)

Wednesday, November 03, 2010

I'm listening to Ryan Shupe's Dream Big


When you cry, be sure to dry your eyes,
'Cause better days are sure to come.
And when you smile, be sure to smile wide,
And don't let them know that they have won.
And when you walk, walk with pride, 
And don't show the hurt inside,
Because the pain will soon be gone. 

And when you dream, dream big,
As big as the ocean, blue.
'Cause when you dream it might come true.
But when you dream, dream big. 

And when you laugh, be sure to laugh out loud,
'Cause it will carry all your cares away. 
And when you see, see the beauty all around and in yourself,
And it will help you feel okay. 
And when you pray, pray for strength to help to carry on,
But when the troubles come your way. 

And when you dream, dream big,
As big as the ocean, blue.
'Cause when you dream it might come true.
But when you dream, dream big. 

When you cry be sure to dry your eyes, 
cause better days are sure to come.
And when you smile be sure to smile wide, and
don't let them know that they have won.
And when you laugh be sure to laugh out loud,
'Cause it will carry all your cares away. 
And when you see, see the beauty all
around and in yourself, and it will help you feel okay. 
And when you pray, pray for strength to 
help to carry on when the troubles come your way. 



:)

Monday, November 01, 2010

OMG.
So irritated with myself.
Saw a book the other day. Can't remember the title. Can't remember the author's name x.x

But I was really inspired. It was written by a lady (I vaguely recall) who started jotting down little things that made her smile, or made her happy, in a little notebook. She collected them for like six years and published the collected words as a stream of consciousness chain (or however you describe it).
So anyway, I wanted to do the same.
But I'm annoyed I can't remember her name. Or the book's name! Grrrrr...

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Taken from http://www.news.com.au/travel/news/funniest-holiday-complaints-revealed/story-e6frfq80-1225943163031
An Australian news article about the 'Funniest holiday complaints'

Travellers' Complaints
1. Lack of kangaroos hopping in Sydney city
2. Too many tourists in Europe in summer and not enough English-speaking people
3. Too cold to ski in Japan during winter
4. Too hot in Singapore
5. Too many children in Fiji during school holidays (although visitor brought her own kids)
6. $20 Gucci handbag bought in China is not real!!! (duh.)
7. Greece's beaches had stones
8. Emirates' airplane seats too comfortable - put visitor to sleep when he wanted to stay awake
9. There are fish in the sea! (duh.)
10. *drinks from gravy boat* Soup is too thick.
11. Hotel made me pregnant
12. Too many Spanish people in Spain
13. Too much curry served in restaurants in India

Travellers' Demands
1. Chaperone for a group of sex addicts
2. Menu of only blue food
3. Bed for dog
4. Request for hotel staff to put a stop to the rain
5. Request for staff to tape up window to prevent sunlight from shining through
6. Stop aircon from making weird noises *Electric toothbrush in suitcase buzzes and pretends to be the aircon*
6. Borrow hotel staff's shoes
7. Use hotel staff's car
8. Request hotel staff to drive them to a shop
9. Request to marry staff's daughter x.x

LOL.
At the expense of leaving work late, I have to put this article down before I forget.
Tourists these days...