Driving and the car

Most men will treat their cars like their darlings or wives. I used to do so too, when our family had our first Nissan March in 1995 (that was before I gotta married), we washed it very week and felt the pain whenever there are scratches etc... Now, I rarely wash my current car, 4-year old Nissan Sunny cos, I rather spent my time resting or catching up my sleep/work...cos, I rather leave it to the manual washing guys once or twice a month ...ooops, cos my car gets dirty easily as it is under the hot sun, and falling leaves etc...my wife says I am plain lazy...I think so too...or maybe, to me, washing the car is no longer a priority in life...afterall, it is only a transport tool....time could be better spent on more important things (excuse excuse...haha). Now that my wife has been driving for about 3 years, she has commented and criticised on my poor driving skills...can you believe it ??!! haha... what to do... Also, frankly, I find driving stressful too ...cos I have to be responsible for the lives in my car and stay awake/alert on the wheels... and sometimes, it is others who are reckless and want to 'kiss' us ...so how?? just have to pray pray for 'a smooth journey'.

It has been 20 years ...

Today, my family made a trip to the Singapore Discovery Centre in the afternoon. My girl said she wanted to go and discover ... I wasn't sure what we will see there cos I have never been there before. Quite an interesting place, thou we didn't have time to explore/discover all the exhibits. For the price we pay $12 per adult (after 20% discount cos of POSB credit card), we get to watch 2 iwerks movies - 1 2D (Light b4 xmas) and 3D (fly me to the moon)... for the latter, it was about how 3 young flies set off on a courageous mission to become the first insects on the Moon by hitching a ride on the historic Apollo 11 space flight, with a clear message - All of us have dreams, and with great determination, we will be able to achieve what we set out to do ... and get to take a bus tour of the SAFTI MI. Hmmm.... during the bus tour, I recalled the days when I was at the old SAFTI for my specialist course and that was 20 years ago at the young age of 18, 3 months after 3-month BMT in Tekong. Those army days ... somehow, I can't recalled explicitly how I passed through the 'tough days'... I guess my memory is failing me or I just don't wish to recall those days ... time flies indeed and as expected, I did not maintain contact with any of my BMT/SPEC/Basic INT days counterparts.

Set myself free ...

While the nation mourn the sudden loss of the young lady who died at the hands of the horrifying terrorists in Mumbai, the message is clear - the world is going to be more dangerous, and we need to stay alert. More importantly, we need to cherish our loved ones and to spend more time with them, if we are not already doing so.
Life has to go on... sometimes, I feel very silly 'holding on to the impossibles'... I know I need to let go soon, else I will be trapped in my castle of remorse and regret.

Song 11 [Cantonese] : 何去何从

Just finished watching my 'recorded' last episode of this HKG drama 義無反顧 on Ch8...the theme songs are simply well-written and I am moved. Sometimes, I really salute the lyricists who can pen such nice songs... Life is fragile and being bad would sure get 'retribution'.
Tot I should capture the song here for sharing ...in cantonese and sung by the lead actor - Harwick Lau. 何去何从 / 刘恺威 His acting has certainly improved a lot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlS0aB8vXgM&feature=related

It has been a very hectic week for me....till I almost fall flat

It has never crossed my mind that I can be so so busy on the first week of school holidays that I almost fell flat ... work schedule, work review, staff retreat, staffing meetings, PSLE results, S1 options, P1 orientation, office renovations, ... I was so tired and drained that I just go to sleep when I lie down on the bed, and 'neglecting' my wife... what a way to spend the school holidays...next week or so, need to submit a report etc...
For me who is new, it is certainly an eye opener but thinking far, I am getting worried cos, when my girl progresses on, can I be there for her if she receives any prizes or when she gets her PSLE results? Hmmm....is this the life that I want to lead? I guess it is time to give the matter some thoughts...

If you say I can, I can

I was watching the TVB Awards Prize Presentation yest evening. Very happy that the 'lao jiang' swept all the acting awards. In particular, when the best male lead, Xia Yu, won and said'If you say I cannot, I probably I cannot, but if you say I can, I sure can". I guess in life, what we all need is encouragement from our loved ones and friends to affirm our existence and our efforts... more importantly, we need to have faith in ourselves and what we do. The Fruits of Labour will sure be reaped someday, thou it may take a little longer.
http://www.xin.sg/article.php?article=25689&st=dtl
Next Sun, MediaCorp TV will be celebrating its 45th anniversary, and I believe the 4 coveted awards will go to the veteran artistees, afterall 'older ginger is still the hottest'...haha
Reflecting, does that mean I need to give myself a bit more time?

Song 11 [English] : Friends Forever

Some songs just catch my attention when I first hear it - Bad Day, It's the end of the Road, etc... Just, when I played back my child's graduation concert, the song that the videographer used for the opening caught my attention. I just like it ....what a catchy song. I know I am 'suah-ku' cos I am not a fan of High School Musical...haha.
For those who are like me, check out this song by Vitamin C - Graduation (Friends Forever).
*******************************
Will we think about tomorrow like we think about now?
Can we survive it out there?Can we make it somehow?
I guess I thought that this would never end
And suddenly it's like we're women and men
Will the past be a shadow that will follow us 'round?
Will these memories fade when I leave this town
I keep, I keep thinking that it's not goodbye
Keep on thinking it's a time to fly
*As we go on
We remember
All the times we
Had together
And as our lives change
Come Whatever
We will still be
Friends Forever

Busiest Birthday

Usually, I will take a day or half-day rest on my birthday... to celebrate with my wife and family. Today, I had to work ...and indeed, it was a v busy day for me cos it is nearing the end of the school term. Since 2001, when I was involved in organising SCW, Nov is a busy month...tot things were better in 2006 when I relinquished the portfolio...but come 2008, it was 'worse'...sigh...maybe, I am just destined to work and work on the birthday. Well, next year, I shall hit the BIG 4-0...believe it or not, I am still a kid at times...haha..but i am sure, I am wiser now.
Thanks to all who have given me your well-wishes.

Reflecting - A Joke

I must confess that I am not a 'children-friendly' person. I can get 'headache' when my 2 kids play & play and turn the house 'upside down'...yet, I now have to tolerate the volumn of 1000 x the decibals... what a joke right?! Well, if only on hindsight ... I was wiser and cast my foresight further ... Regardless, I was told by some that children are blessings (which I agree wholeheartedly) and they are so so cute (hmmm......) but not when they become little monsters that 'drive me crazy'.

Loss and Lost

A 'depressing' day for me...cos suddenly, I felt the loss as my AM will be on annual leave followed by maternity leave from tomorrow for over 5 months. To make things worse, the sentiments I get from the 'middle managers' aren't so good. That makes the overall morale somewhat unhealthy. With less than 5 months on this overwhelming job, I realised that I am still lost over many things thou I admit that I am picking up 'not that slowly'... I keep telling myself not to look back but can't help it at times. Now, maybe, I can understand how my ex-colleagues and boss felt when I left then.

A star in the making ...

There are some up-and-coming MediaCorp Artistees who have done well and shone in 2008 ... Nat Ho is certainly one of them and I am sure you will agree with me that he will probably go far. One of the youngsters to watch out for in 2009! If only I can turn back time, I will probably ...
A videoclip of Nat Ho at the recent Breathe event...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZPTAlA6RxM

Health Tip 5 : Horlicks

I am now a Horlicks man. It has worked well for me, as I have been consuming a spoonful (plain, with no added sugar nor milk) every morning before I go to work. Someone told me that Horlicks is suitable for people with sensitive stomach. Somehow, it works for me...At times, I do consume Milo and Coffee but that is rare - the former can be heaty while the latter can be addictive.

Have You Heard the "Can I borrow $25 from you?" Story

I heard this story again (recalled reading it in email sometime back) at a recent seminar I attended.
Gist of the story (sorry, I am a bad storyteller) : A boy asked the dad how much does he earn an hour at work. When he realises that he is short of the dad's hourly earnings, he asked if he can borrow the shortfall, i.e. $25 from him so that the dad can spend an hour with him - and be home early for dinner.
Yes, children needs our (parents) time. I am guilty too cos not that I spend too much time at work but on the TV!! I am a big TV fan and watching TV is one of the ways I wind down after a long tiring day at work (since starting this new job in June, I feel so drained after work (dun really do much - but more of the emotional stress, I think)... so much so that I sleep the moment I touch the bed..vey scary right?)

Anyway, I have finished reading the "Heart of Success" Book by Dr Rob Parsons sometime back, and thought that I should recommend to all. We should all try to practice the 7 Laws to achieve work-life harmony!
(my takeaways)
Law 1: Don't Settle for Being Money Rich-Time Poor
- Recognise time poverty - Understand time scheduling
Law 2: Believe that the Job You Do Makes a Difference
- Know what motivate you at work
Law 3: Play to Your Strengths
- Find Your Factor X - Find and cultivate your strengths - Develop new strengths
Law 4: Believe in the Power of Dreams
- Uncover your dreams and take steps to fulfiling your dreams
Law 5: Put Your "Family" before Your Career
- Recognise the signs of family-career imbalance - Learn to find strongholds
Law 6: Keep the Common Touch
- Make effort to build learning time
Law 7: Don't Settle for Succes : Make a Difference
- Strive for Significance! - Value of hindsight / reflection

The Last Lecture, by Dr Randy Pausch

My wife bought this book, as she has some monies to utilise before end of FY. I read it first, and was so touched and moved, that I finished it within a few days, considering that I am not really an avid reader. Achieving childhood dreams is what I am currently pursuing. Sometimes, I know it is very silly of me cos somehow, I know it is sort of impossible but then, I just can't let go...
Had wanted to pen down some tots about the book but never got down to it cos I have been reading quite a fair bit lately - The Heart of Success by Dr Rob Parsons, and a series of Learning Organisation books by David Hutchens.
My friend, Ah Kin posted a link on her blog, and I tot...how come I didn't know about the power of YouTube. The link below captures the entire lecture that Dr Pausch delivered in April 2008 and he passed away three months later (I only knew now as I was hoping that a miracle will happen to him when I was reading the book). He has shared some life lessons which I will remember. Thank You.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo

Sometimes, inspirational videos like the one below (Don't Quit) do lift us up when we feel down, however at the end of the day, we must remember to get back to reality and move on. That's life.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkCFeNeqyHk&feature=related

Special Day : My B.Day

Today, I just realised, is my lunar b/day. Wow, time flies and I am already into my '4th note in red'...today is also my boy's K2 graduation. Looking back, I wonder how I made through their growing years. Definitely, credit goes to my wife, Sheong. I am no longer a 'young father' ... I am certainly ageing. However, I wish for good health so that I can continue to bring home 'bread' for the family, and I believe this is the wish for many fathers out there.

Song 10 [Chinese] : 一了百了

Some of you may wonder why I want to share about songs, and giving the extract of it. Well, personally, songs can make one feel emo, and help one to improve one's command of the language, especially in the written expression. This may sound bizzare of most of us won't use it cos we are no longer studying. When I was young, I tot that maybe, someday, I can write some good lyrics for others to fill in the music and then, who knows the song get sung and I get known for it ...hahaha....again, some silly dreams again.... Today, I am sharing this song by a group called 信乐团 - They may not be a hearthrob group but I like the way the song was sung ... Once and For All, A Snappy Breakup [to listen, just copy the title, and google to listen to the song]

一辈子两个人在一起 你说要加个或许
不是你不喜欢甜言和蜜语 只是你比较实际
两个人一辈子不分离 你问我好在哪里
不是你不期待永恒的恋曲 你说最美的爱情叫做回忆

为何连分手都不跟我争吵 撂下一句话就想逃跑
让我爱难平恨难消情难灭梦难了心难过 你却放手一了百了
离开我你说是为了我好 可知道这句话伤人不少
就算忘不了没有大不了 反正一切都不再重要
我的心既然你全都不了 何必再继续让彼此困扰
斩断纠缠的爱 从今就一了百了