Paul Smith Rose

i was in orchard on v day and decided to test out 2 new rose fragrances at Robinsons

OMG!   i absolutely luv Paul Smith Rose

tis is the nicest and most ‘authentic’ smelling rose fragrance tat i haf ever come across

 

death

death is inevitable & comes to all

i visited uncle & couldn’t recognise him, his looks seem to haf changed since i last saw him 2 days back!

he said tat nobody will visit him coz he’s not rich

well, i told mum tis :

if u r rich, u will certainly not die alone

BUT everyone is juz checking on u to see if u haf FINALLY died & given them their inheritance

rich or poor, u can’t bring it wif u at the end of the day

growth

人生不能没目标 so i finished my goals and development plan tdy

the skies were dark on the way back but it feels like the dark clouds have moved away from my thots and my thinking is crystal clear….i finally figured out wat i want & decided to work towards it

Branded banks

 

A GLOBAL survey by Brand Finance used the strength, risk and future growth potential of a bank as benchmarks to calculate the value of various banking brands. These are the top 10:

1. HSBC (US$35.4b)
2. Citibank (US$27.8b)
3. Bank of America (US$25.4b)
4. Santander Central Hispano (US$20.7b)
5. American Express (US$16.1b)
6. Chase (US$14.7b)
7. BNP Paribas (US$14.6b)
8. Wells Fargo (US$13.1b)
9. Goldman Sachs (US$12.5b)
10.Credit Suisse (US$12.1b)
Note: US$1 = S$1.41

Self renewal

invest and re-invest in yourself everyday coz at the end of the day, u r all tat matters

Mac

mi is always excited to see Mac wherever i go, more so if it says 24 hrs!

spotted a few mac in gold coast but didn’t get to try leh

tis was the prosperity meal we had in sg, the black pepper burger is SO SO yummy!   and i luv the curly fries!!

[ok, the pict is supposed to go here but i juz noticed tat the pic upload space has been reduced to 3GB so i decided to resize my picts first, watch tis space]

shacked & back!

my little hol in brisbane has finally ended & i’m back safe & sound & so so tired!

it’s been a non-stop wk since mon wif 4 hrs of sleep on avg & being hungry & parched for the most part of the day.

time to hit the sack

On hols

all packed

as i did my packing for next wk, i started throwing things into my other luggage for shg

i reli got a lot of pairs of leggings tat they took up one whole middle ziploc bag…wow!   i juz got another 3 pairs last wk of dernier 60, so cool !

in 2 minds abt my fav sweater coz it’s so thick and takes up a HUGE amt of space in the luggage

my dressing changes as i age.  i used to b a tube fan but nw, i actualli bring dresses for travel.  frankly, i m quite surprised at myself.   and i even bring clothes tat need ironing…i muz b getting old and senile

and i packed so much stuff tat my bag is filled to the rim & i haf to carry my shoes onboard…reli no space for any shopping, i suppose tat’s a good thing?!   i juz noe i will regret tis!

my fav piece of clothing at the moment is singlets

leggings haf remain my fav from the all noir look in the past to leggings wif skirts nw

and soon, it’ll b leggings wif boots for mi

time not enuff

i tink i terrorise YY too much over his chinese writing and i’m worried tat makes him even more negative towards chinese

sigh!  so much i wana do abt his chinese standards, so little time always!

i couldn’t teach him the correct strokes of all his chinese spelling words for fri so we ended up spotting questions.   he juz needs to b shown the correct strokes more after learning in sch and practise writing a lot more

even his english handwriting can get quite atrocious if i dun scream at him and erase his work and make him re-write

i got him a 90 cents(so u can imagine the size!)  eraser last wk and abt one-fifth was used for one page of chinese sentence construction tonite

not tat he can’t make the sentences, juz tat i can’t stand sloppy work and made him re-write ALL the sentences

and he CAN write really well when he puts in juz a wee bit more effort

Find out which Sex and the City character you are most like

You are: Samantha Jones

You are bold, spontaneous and liberated. You do what you want, when you want, and who you want. Your life is all about what you make it. Not everyone has the courage to start a successful business or go up to the hottest guy in the bar. But that’s why people are attracted to you. Your larger than life persona gives you the ability to negotiate all things, right down to ‘your place or mine’?

ManU 2 – 0 Arsenal

22 mins into the FA cup game

蛇皮大衣

saw tis at niichi KL. wah! damn stylo!

生力军

YY is new blood for family events nw.   he was a great help in the praying tat juz ended

he came back, hot & sweaty and exclaimed “i’m exhausted”

豁出去了！

no pain , no gain

可能我属于后之后觉者， 但至少我不是不知不觉。

不为什么， 只是不想对不起自己。

高处不胜寒

is it gonna b an endless pursuit up the corporate ladder?

surely life has more to offer

Tower Boxx

i read abt tis game on meebo and luv the quick game option

i was so excited and showing off my newly discovered game to YY when he pointed out “ur fone oso got tis game”

faint!  and he played both build city and quick game option b4

shows u how much i noe abt my fone and how smart kiddos r wif gadgets

拜天公

the most major praying event for hokkiens

everyone stays up past midnite to pray and burn our joss offerings

long q dwnstairs for the joss paper burners.   bro reported we r 3rd in the q

tis is oso my fav praying event….i luv the preparations and all the special offerings

我是幸运儿！

suddenly felt tat i m very very lucky while working

i quickly jotted dwn the intense sense of bliss tat i felt at the moment

guess wat?!   now for the life of mi, i can’t recall wat caused tis sensation….hmm

there is no time like the present

“When you keep saying you are busy,
then you are never free,
When you keep saying you have no time,
then you will never have time,
When you keep saying that you will do it tomorrow,
then your tomorrow will never come”

hamsters

juz a cute pict i saw on the web

置之死地而后生

dun tink too much….juz do everything and anything within my means

kiasu-ism

i can’t stand bad handwriting esp chinese

so i scold & scold & scold YY as he writes his homework

i kept stressing to him tat he needs to practise writing coz tat’s the best way to improve his writing

so i’ve been on his back since sun to make sure he practises his chinese spelling words at least 10 times each before his test on fri

but his writing has improved for the words i kept correcting

开工了！

开工心情真漂亮！来张大头贴吧！

fancy websites

fancy websites??   argh!

i dun mind fancy websites which uses flash but i tink it’s too much when a bank uses tat

i was trying to do something as simple as finding out when the cash deposit machines are for scb but i was forced to download adobe flash player

the golden rule to use friendliness should be to KISS-Keep It Simple, Stupid !

informative websites should keep scripting to a minimum to ensure faster loading of the webpages and better still, haf a WAP site 
 

chop chop chop

tis happened some time back during a conference wif participants from US and Aust

we were asked tis question by US counterparts :  wat’s a company chop? 

the conversation went :

Q : wat’s a company chop? 

A : company chop as in company stamp,  common in asia but unheard of in US.  
in jap, individuals have their own chop

Q : how do u spell chop?  c-h-o-p?

A : yes, c-h-o-p as in pork chop and lamb chop!!

sometimes, we take for granted tat everyone understands wat we mean juz becoz we converse in english but cultural factors and jargons may deem explanations necessary

Barney ringtone

even since ah cai sent mi the barney song, it’s been my alarm alert and home ringtone on (red)

i was at the sengkang singtel shop and kept hearing tis song

i became quite paranoid & kept checking my fone though the song was coming from a barney kiddy ride outside the shop

time to change my ringtone

baby brain aka low DHA

all mothers know tis.   i call this low DHA.  of course low DHA lah!  all the DHA go to BB mah! 

—————————————————————————————

Pregnant women may have long suspected it, but a new Australian study has confirmed that carrying a baby can make mothers-to-be more forgetful.
Baby Brain
 
Research by Australian scientists has found that a woman’s memory can be impaired for at least a year after giving birth, although the effects are minor and mainly concern unfamiliar or demanding tasks.

“The memory deficits many women experience during and after pregnancy are pretty much like the modest deficits you’d find when comparing healthy 20-year-olds with healthy 60-year-olds,” researcher said.

The Australian study analysed the results of 14 different studies from around the world which tested the memory performances of more than 1,000 pregnant women, mothers and non-pregnant women.

It found that pregnant women performed significantly worse on some, but not all aspects of the test.

The hardest tests for the pregnant women were those which involved new or difficult tasks.

“Regular, well-practised memory tasks — such as remembering phone numbers of friends and family members — are unlikely to be affected,” said the Professor.

“It’s a different story, though, when you have to remember new phone numbers, people’s names or hold in mind several different pieces of information, such as when multi-tasking.”

The study, published in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, also suggests that so-called “baby brain” is still in evidence a year after childbirth.

But because none of the studies has gone beyond that time, it could not determine whether the problem is permanent.

Scientists are also baffled as to why a woman’s memory would suffer at such an important time.

“Although we have no experimental evidence for it, our suspicion is that lifestyle factors are relevant,” said a psychology researcher.

“In pregnancy your normal routines are disrupted and you can suffer sleep deprivation after the birth — we know from other research that either of those things can affect cognitive performance.”

was sick

i was gonna moan abt being sick last wk.

wif one nostril blocked, i was breathing thru one nostril and sometimes thru my mouth

i usualli start wif sore throat which becomes runny nose and ends wif cough

i was still coughing a couple of days back but tis herbalmint syrup works wonders!

tastes good and super effective for coughs, highly recommended !

so after a cup of lemsip and a flu tablet last wk, mi is on the road to recovery, i still sound horrible in the morning but no other symptoms 

sign of old age

we drank beer, wine but fav drink of the day was red date tea

of course not i brewed one lah, though i thot of throwing in a couple of wolfberries to make it look more authentic but too bad i can’t find the wolfberries

when did the group start to prefer hot drinks over cold, gassy drinks?

juz like when did ppl in the group start eating hot tau huay?

i thot onli mi will do tat but the rest r catching up, it muz be …. a sign of old age

鑽石花

was reading 亦舒 online when i saw yet another reference to a character in 倪匡’s work.

decided to read a wisely book den.  i picked 鑽石花 but gosh!  it was a long novel tat took mi the whole day.  it didn’t help tat the font size was quite small.

i always thot tat 倪匡’s works are all 科幻小說 but wisely is more like modern 武侠小说。

the plot is beli nice but i prefer 亦舒 ’s style.

pineapple tarts galore

besides the usual 2nd link pineapple tarts tat i luv for its buttery taste, we got another 2 types of pineapple tarts as gifts

so it’s a pineapple tarts tasting experience tis CNY

QQ’s CNY wish

YY  was browsing after dinner and decided tat he wants pokemon rescue team

he started to pester mi for it.  too bad the website onli shows US locations tat sell the game

he was all excited tat the game is relatively cheaper at Toy ‘R’ Us at USD 19.  too bad, it’s more exp at Toy ‘R’ Us sg!

i promised him for his bday coz he juz got the avatar game on 1st jan!

tdy, we went temple hopping and YY prayed  “I wish tat i’ll get the pokemon rescue team B4 my bday”

*faint*

food cravings

i dun usualli crave Mac but tdy i had craving for the black pepper chicken burger

bro craves Mac 364 days of the yr except tdy so we ended up eating steamboat for the 2nd day running

and i was craving roti prata and teh tarik juz nite

wat weird food to b craving on 1st day of CNY!

Gemini Horoscope 7th Feb

Livia,
You may be considering a new career soon. You may be discussing changes with family members at a get together this evening. Keep your mind and heart open to suggestions. Someone that you love may have a wild idea that sets fire to your imagination.

Hit the gong!

 

Read the article abt the drive to provide elders staying alone wif 3 mths’ supply of rice from songhe

http://www.omy.com.sg/news/hotnews/200802/20080204_001_oldfolks.html

Hit the gong tis lunar new year!

雪中送暖

see the mtv here

the song tat was recorded for the ppl stranded by the snow crisis

雪有多大，情有多浓，千里冰封心不冻，透出一道彩虹

《雪中送暖》

　　曲︱芹泽广明 词︱陈少琪
　　(a1)漫天风雪 人心惶惶　　看天苍苍 大地白茫茫 　　淹没了多少希望

　　(a2)爱的力量 锐不可当

　　雪溶于水 血浓于水

　　我在为你的坚强而歌唱

　　(b1)我们在同一个世界一个天空

　　应该拥有一样的笑容

　　目光传送小小的火种

　　来战胜寒冬

　　(b2)我们是同一种肤色一种感动

　　息息相关的脉搏在流动

　　雪有多大 情有多浓

　　千里冰封心不冻 透出一道彩虹

　　(a3)漫天风雪 你不孤单

　　请把伤感 化成每滴汗

　　来面对一切困难

　　(a4)路的尽头 就是家园

　　陌生的手 雪中送暖

　　祝愿你一路平安 到永远

恭喜发财

apt song for the festive season, shall use tis song as my ringtone tml !

我恭喜你发财
我恭喜你精彩
最好的请过来
不好的请走开
礼多人不怪我祝满天下的女孩
嫁一个好男孩
两小口永远在一块我祝满天下的小孩
聪明胜过秀才
智商充满你脑袋我祝尊敬的姑奶奶
三十六圈的比赛
气不喘面容不改我祝三叔公的买卖
生意扬名四海
财运享通住豪宅大摇~~~~大摆
乐天替你消灾
恭喜发财,
要喊得够豪迈.

恭喜发财
我恭喜你发财(我恭喜恭喜你发财)
我恭喜你精彩(恭喜恭喜你精彩)
最好的请过来
不好的请走开
礼多人不怪

我祝大家笑口常开
用心把爱去灌溉
明天呐我们更厉害,

我祝在世界的舞台
跑得比那黑人更快
岁岁年年出人才

大摇~~~~大摆
乐天替你消灾
恭喜发财
要喊得够豪迈

我恭喜你发财,(恭喜恭喜你发财)
我恭喜你精彩.(恭喜恭喜你精彩)
最好的请过来
不好的请走开
礼多人不怪

再来
我恭喜你发财
我恭喜你精彩
最好的请过来
不好的请走开
礼多人不怪.
恭喜发财

welcome to beijing

tis song is cool !  i like 5566′s singing.  and of course, i support beijing olympics!

喝采北京-5566

welcome to beijing
you should know that what i mean
put all words together sugar then u get my message
welcome to beijing
双手比个 v
代表欢迎和胜利
我们大声的唱
唱到九霄云外去
不管来自欧亚非澳美洲我们都欢迎
welcome to beijing

胜利在关键的一秒我们在拚命祈祷
和平的蓝黄黑绿红串起那道光

we are young 要站在高岗上
梦想的火光点燃每一颗希望
we are young 人生就像座山
梦想 high high high 直到遇见了末来

welcome to beijing
you should know that what i mean
put all words together sugar then u get my message
welcome to beijing
双手比个 v
代表欢迎和胜利
我们大声的唱
唱到九霄云外去
不管来自欧亚非澳美洲我们都欢迎
welcome to beijing

拍拍他孤单的肩膀再一个温暖拥抱
黑暗中只想要给你希望的力量

we are young 要站在高岗上
梦想的火光点燃每一颗希望
we are young 人生就像座山
梦想 high high high 直到遇见了末来

wake up wake up this is our glory day
我们努力让全世界都看得见
锁定了目标要更高更快又更远
汗水眼泪写下鸟巢光辉的一页
请你不要忘记了
who you are and where you’re coming from
不管是什么肤色我们都为你鼓掌
follow your heart 请这一刻满载感动
2008我们一起北京加油 come on

we are young▲人生正精彩
未知的意外让全世界都期待
we are young 看人生多精彩
梦想 high high high 直到遇见了末来

we are young▲人生正精彩
未知的意外让全世界都期待
we are young 看人生多精彩
梦想 high high high
welcome 到北京喝采到北京喝采到北京喝采

CNY countdwn

quite a relaxed CNY though i had to go into office

it’s good tat we’re now in spring coz the days r longer and the sun sets later, the sky’s bright at 7pm which wasn’t the case in dec

and the weather’s been holding out well tdy.  wat a blessing!

the past couple of days has been pretty wet still

mum’s got the makanan ready, i juz need to help wif the goodies

according to ivy, horses, roosters, rabbits and rats offend tai sui so cannot wear red on first day of CNY

hmm…definitely means a change of plans for mi.   mi decided to wear my new singlets from soda….my fav label in m’sia

3GB of storage size

wordpress upgraded from 100MB to 3GB of storage space!

wow!  so happy!   but i still resize all my picts nw.   good habit to keep

little vietnam

happened to spot tis new eatery called ‘Little Vietnam’ at the end of guillemard rd

looks interesting, will definitely check it out…hopefully they got nice pho and vietnamese kopi

Rejecting Resentment

tis article came timely as i was feeling resentful towards some ppl and it was dampening my spirits.

the best revenge is to live better
Regular interaction with other people almost every day means that there are plenty of opportunities for someone to intentionally or inadvertently get into a scrape with you, get on your nerves or step on your tail.

Now each of us handles perceived offences differently, and some people feel more resentment than others when they think they’ve been badly treated.

Resentment, when left unchecked, nibbles away at our spirit and mental well-being. It diminishes our ability to love and trust others. And it’s very easy to feel resentful. People can arouse that emotion in us any time they fail to care, fail to think, or even when they fail to meet our expectations of what we deem to be good, fair, moral, or decent.

Let’s say a colleague presents your idea as his own at a meeting. You work harder but the other person gets the promotion. A colleague says something mean about you in front of others. Or we feel we’ve been humiliated in a mass email. Most of us have gotten into protracted email squabbles which in the end turned out to be rather silly and meaningless.

We feel resentful because we imagine that our reputation has been violated, and that others’ opinion of us has been ruined. The truth is, people don’t care. People forget. People are too busy worrying about themselves to think about you. The world goes on heedless, and in a minute, an hour, or a day, it’s not going to matter. On the day we die, these little trespasses are going to mean nothing at all. Why let them mean something today?

Rejecting resentment though, doesn’t mean being passive, submissive or timid. If you genuinely feel you have been wronged and there is something constructive you can do to rectify it, then by all means, go ahead. Most of the time though, the things that make us resentful are truly insignificant. They don’t deserve our time, our energy or our thoughts.
Why give someone the power to rob us of our peace of mind?

As Irish-American actor and writer Malachy McCourt once said, “Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.”

Little Keith has arrived

marie delivered tis afternoon, after 8 hrs of labour and wifout epidural (she’s oso a tough cookie!)

no picts of little keith coz i haben visited

mi is not beli well, better not go near keith

which sign should u date

Earth

You should date a Taurus, Virgo, or Capricorn. If you’re looking for a hard-working, dependable, and loyal lover, then look no further than an Earth sign! Don’t mistake this introvert as someone who isn’t social because they have quite the charm.

WFH

was WFH and updating a file

as i haf the habit of pressing Ctrl+S every few seconds, my file kept hanging and hanging coz it was on network drive

finally i had to save a copy on my hard disc so tat i could continue to keep saving and copied the finished work back to network drive

Je m’appelle Hélène

Beautiful song tat 依恋 is based on

Hélène
Je m’appelle Hélène
Je suis une fille
Comme les autres

Hélène
J’ai mes joies mes peines
Elles font ma vie
Comme la votre

Je voudrais trouver l’amour
Simplement trouver l’amour

Hélène
Si mes nuits sont pleines
De rêves de poémesJe n’ai rien d’autre

Et même
Si j’ai ma photo Dans tous les journaux Chaque semaine
Personne Ne m’attend le soir
Quand je rentre tard
Personne ne fait battre mon coeur
Lorsque s’eteignent les projecteurs

Et même
Quand à la télè Vous me regardez
Sourire et chanter
Personne Ne m’attend le soir
Quand je rentre tard
Personne ne fait battre mon coeur
Lorsque s’eteignent les projecteurs

Hélène
Et toutes mes peines
Trouveront l’oubli Un jour ou l’autre

Quand je trouverai l’amour
Quand je trouverai l’amour
Quand je trouverai l’amour
Quand je trouverai l’amour

first foto on W660

mi got a new fone last thurs and it’s a beautiful red w660

it’s a walkman fone so the music function is reli cool

and the camera is much better den my (red) of course though bro’s K770 cybershot is even more impressive

here’s the first foto i took wif the fone

blockbuster 44.6-billion-dollar bid by Microsoft for Yahoo

i luv Yahoo! despite my email acct being locked out

and i haf no hostile feelings towards MS…on the mobile fone front, i haf no good vibes abt nokia at all

and i dun like google period

firstly, there r tons and tons of search engines out there so it has nbr been a prob for mi NOT to use google or create a google / gmail acct

till google bought blogger and acted so high-handedly to force mi to create a google acct

to hell wif google and blogger

similarly, i nbr use msn when i ‘had’ to haf a hotmail acct…i joined using my yahoo acct

i refuse to haf freebies forced dwn my throat

so in a nutshell, i m happy to hear of the bid and hope they do merge and gif google a run for their money

Working Moms Can Deliver

Work-life balance. Mommy track. Off-ramping.

It’s easy for companies to get so bogged down by fuzzy buzzwords and the demands they represent for more support for women juggling work and family commitments that they’d sooner show them the door than change the way the business operates.

But new evidence suggests it could be a big mistake, because those companies that don’t adopt more flexible work arrangements tend to lose lots of highly motivated, bottom-line driven employees to the world of entrepreneurship.

The dirty little assumption that women with family and other commitments are looking for some kind of pass on high-powered work projects and financial success, it seems, is wrong.

“What we found is that balance does not mean dialing down,” says Julie R. Weeks, president and chief executive officer of Womenable, a Michigan-based consultancy for women’s enterprise.

“People hear ‘work-life balance’ and think it means women are kind of less devoted at work and more into their personal pursuits. But it’s really not the case,” she said. “These women just want to be more in control of their lives, of how they juggle things. But, they are no less focused on growth.”

Weeks discovered this in a survey her company did for Make Mine a Million $ Business, a network of more than 26,000 women business owners supported for growth by American Express, and Count Me In, a low-interest loan organization for women entrepreneurs. American Express introduced the program, in part, because in the U.S., fewer than 3 percent of the 10.4 million women-owned businesses generate $1 million or more in yearly sales.

When the Make Mine a Million $ Business decided to query its members about why they left corporate positions, or even off-ramped (left the workplace for at least six months), they found that for most women it had everything to do with making decisions about how their workday would be structured. The majority said doing less or forgoing financial success was never part of their plan.

“I hope this begins to change the debate,” Weeks says, “because when a woman uses that word, ‘balance,’ others tend to shut off and think, ‘This person isn’t serious about growth,’ and it’s just not true.”

Of 1,162 survey respondents, 59 percent of moms and 57 percent of women with no children said their focus from the start has been growing their business.

It’s true for Peggy McHale, a survey respondent and principal in Newark-based Consultants2go, which offers marketing services to Fortune 500 companies.

“It’s never been about not wanting to deliver, to achieve,” McHale says.

She acknowledges that corporations have changed policies for the better since she quit a job as a vice president after having two children, one now a college freshman, the other in high school.

“But the structure of work still puts a lot of pressure on the employee to deliver on the company’s terms,” McHale says.

“The reality is there’s no perfect solution. Some days my business wins; some days my family wins. The difference now is, I deliver on my terms.”

***

Making a million

Make Mine a Million $ Business provides access to money, mentoring, marketing and technology tools that women entrepreneurs need to help grow their businesses. Make Mine a Million $ Business was founded to inspire 1 million women entrepreneurs to reach annual revenues of $1 million by the year 2010.
 

extreme weather

the news has been full of reports on the snow crisis in china and the extreme travelling conditions for CNY

“About 180 million people were expected to travel home for Lunar New Year in what is thought to be the largest annual human migration in the world. “

wow!  the sheer nos. is mind boggling!

good thing, kerri and shupin flew back bright & early for CNY and is not rushing back immediately after CNY

“The big freeze has caused 7.5 billion dollars in damage, killed at least 60 people and affected at least 105 million more in the nation of 1.3 billion, according to official figures. “

well, US has subprime loans, china has subzero freezes & both costs billions

“The weather has led to the evacuation of 1.76 million people, killed dozens, and affected at least 105 million people in the country of 1.3 billion, according to official figures.

According to aviation administration officials, some 3,250 flights have been cancelled, 5,550 delayed and 300 forced to return due to bad weather since January 25.

And railway officials said 5.8 million rail passengers have been delayed or prevented from travelling from January 25 to Friday, with more than 2,850 trains postponed.

The freak weather has even blanketed the arid Taklamakan desert in far-western China with snow

“Never before had the whole desert been covered,” quoted local meteorological officials. “

inflation

in all my 30 yrs, 2007 has to b the worst in terms of food inflation and it’s not even driven by war

prices of everyday food items has gone up by 20% in some cases

even puteri mas durian puffs which was $7 a box when policemen wore shorts went from $8 to $9.50 and finally $10 in a few yrs

In 2007, food inflation stood at 2.9 percent, compared to 1.6 percent in 2006 and 1.3 percent in 2005.

and the food inflation is still considered low by intl standards

The ministry of trade and industry added that Singapore’s best strategy against food inflation is to sustain economic growth over the medium term and create quality jobs for Singaporeans

hmm…and i was tinking mayb growing our own food in the backyard, balcony, corridors, bathrooms is a better idea

retirement

i did some calculations for retirement planning last wk after getting my cpf stmt and checking my SMRS balances

just saw on the news tonite tat the National Lifelong Income Scheme will take effect in 2013 and allow us to draw a mthly income of $600 from 65 till we die.

the current scheme allows a monthly allowance of $600 to b paid mthly from 65 to 85

frankly speaking, i always thot i would till 80 yo max

and i was still complaining tat i most prob need to work till 55 to put my two little rascals thru tertiary education

Go With the Flow

 

when i first saw the title, i thot it means to go wif the flow and remain passive

i agree wif going wif the flow of change

Life is like a raging river. There is constant flow. In fact, agitation and movement are essential for life to endure. Stagnant waters breed disease and decay.

So when life decides to throw a rock at us, like when we lose a job or partner, don’t lose heart. Don’t negatively judge events or circumstances that initially seem “bad” or “unfortunate”. Things don’t happen by accident, and mistakes or misfortunes are simply precursors for positive change.

We can’t control things like losing a job or losing a partner. Loss is essential for growth and survival. When we experience loss or some other stressful change in our lives, we can give in to negative feelings like anger, disappointment, self-pity, self-loathing, trepidation and fear. We can allow these emotions to strain our mind, effectively crippling its ability to discover viable solutions. We can imagine the worst, and let something that may not come to pass affect our present state of mind.

Or we can go with the flow of change. Some things in our lives have to go in order to make way for better things. The Universe has a way of nudging us along when we get too lazy, complacent or comfortable. Occasionally, it gives us a big shove. The Universe knows when stagnation is making us fat and feeble. It knows when something in our lives has to shift in order for us to continue growing. It then arranges for people and events to push us towards what we were meant to be.

Most people however, choose to resist or ignore the signs. They are so firmly embedded in the riverbed that they refuse to let the currents lift them away. The years go by, and along with them, a flood of lost opportunities? and the stubborn rocks are finally left buried under algae and dirt.

If you’ve recently lost your job, lost a partner or something you felt was valuable to you, think? Were you really happy with your job?

Did you put your dreams on hold because you were trapped in a wake up, go to work, go home, go to bed routine? Had you stopped growing in that job? Did nothing excite you anymore about your work? What about your ex-partner? Were you really good for each other? Or were you hanging on because you were afraid of being alone?

You didn’t have the time nor the nerve to go out and do what you really wanted to do.
Well, now you do!
Go with the flow of change!

Aging Gracefully

Old age is something none of us can avoid. Worrying about it simply precipitates its onset. So you may lose your hair. So your skin may become dry and wrinkled. You may gain weight. Your movements might become laboured or clumsy. So what? It’s the natural process of Life. But there a few things you can do to make aging more graceful and softer on your ego.

Psychologists say that our minds and bodies, generally, begin to age, or wind down, after the age of 45. And it’s about that time that we should give our lives a new direction.
Healthy foods and exercise are essential at any point in our lives, and particularly crucial when we’re entering our twilight years. Exercise at least moderately. If nothing else, you could always walk around the neighbourhood. The body breaks down even faster due to lack of use. And don’t take my word for it because I’m not a nutritionist, but richly-coloured foods that are high in fibre and low in fat are usually good – salmon, broccoli, nuts, capsicum, fruits. Make your meals visually pleasing as well as tasty!

As you grow older, friendships become more important than ever. Family members are great, but you cannot become dependent on them socially. They can’t always be there for you. So for those times when they can’t, enjoy the company of close friends who can.

If you’ve retired, or are going to retire soon, learn new things that you didn’t have the time to take up when you were working. Again, what the thing is is not important, as long as you have an interest in it. Especially beneficial are things that require a fair amount of mind work, or are manually complex to do. This keeps your mind and body working. Or things that expand your view of the world or see things from a different perspective. You could also revisit the things that gave you joy when you were younger – books, music, and films are particularly good for bringing back those good ol’ memories.

No matter how many times you go to the gym a week, you’ll never have the same body you did when you were 25. That doesn’t mean you should stop caring about your appearance. Wear clothes that you’re comfortable in but which still give you a little style and flair. Dressing to feel good about yourself is not a bad thing. Don’t confuse it with narcissism and vanity.

Old age doesn’t equate sagely wisdom, so keep your mind open to suggestions and ideas, even from very young people. Their nascent minds may not teach the lesson in the most articulate way, but if you’re open, you’ll absorb the wisdom easily. Avoid thinking and behaving like you’re the authority on everything, just because of your age. This can cause people to isolate you. It can also lead to complacency, inability to adapt and grow, and eventually, a stagnation of your mental abilities.

And set goals for yourself. This gives you something that you can look forward to. Make them reasonable. Finish one book a week. Keep to a budget. Plant your own chili padi. Plan a short holiday closeby. Make gifts for upcoming family gatherings. It’s amazing how much you can achieve in your Golden Years.

A Slice of Life is written, produced and presented by Eugene Loh unless otherwise stated. If you wish to share the scripts with others, please credit ‘Eugene Loh, 938LIVE, a station of MediaCorp Radio’.

penalised

yet again, i realised the extent to which i was and still is being penalised for my helpful nature.

y complain if i chose to b self sacrificing except tat it was unintentional den

i believe tat 路遥知马力, 有没有实力， 有目共睹

and i m determined to make tis yr my best yr yet, despite the stars not being in my favour…ha…guess knowing tat tis is a tough yr will spur mi to strive harder

35 days into the new yr, still in time for my new yr resolution