I’m known as the shopping king among my friends as I really shop a lot. From my initial starting point of ‘only browsing’, I morph into potential buyer, then confirmed customer when I bring the merchandise to the counter.

The shopping spirit in me surfaced yet again today. After lunch, I chanced upon a sports shoes sale. As I had time to spare, I walked over. Again my initial thoughts hovered around ‘what’s round with just taking a look right?’

But that one look proved to be more than one look. I lingered around for at least 25 min. Questions raced through my mind. To buy or not to buy?

Yes, it was a good deal for a pair of Nike Air Max shoes at $77. Or should I say a steal? And it’s in a shade I don’t have. And I think I can pair it with this singlet and that shorts for workout…blah blah blah…

Go on…try it on…my shopping spirit was nudging me on. I slipped off my current shoes and tried them on gamely. Looks nice. Feels comfortable. And personally, I like Air Max as it has this air cushion which gives a bouncy feeling. I feel like I’m walking on air among the mere mortals.

All the signs were pointing to me making another purchase. To speak the truth, I was really tempted. I swear my heart was swayed towards a yes.

But it wasn’t always going to be just me following my heart. If yes, I would have bought all the shoes in the shop as they were all classy.

I stood transfixed. My logical mind now got into the battle as well. The proposition, led by the heart, was trying its best to move my feet forward to the cashier’s. The opposition, championed by the logical mind, stood firm on the ground that this man had 3 pairs of new sports shoes at home still neatly wrapped in their boxes, so why on earth would he need a fourth pair? Heaven forbid.

It’s true. I don’t really need another pair of sports shoes. It’s not a must-have, but a good-to-have. For good-to-haves, I will only buy them if I have any spare cash left over.

Goodbye Air Max. You’re going back on the shelves where you came from. And I’m walking out of the shop now.

I can resist temptation after all.

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I received an invitation two weeks ago to give a 3 hr grooming workshop at Queensway Secondary School this morning. It’s been a while since I did my last grooming workshop. I’ve been doing more fitness related workshops and talks recently. But realistically speaking, it really depends on which angle I pitch it. Fitness can and is part of grooming after all!

Armed with my self-confidence, I walked into the class of 20+ Sec 4 students. I was already forewarned that this class would be hard to manage. Doing a quick cursory scan, I noted that there were only 6 girls while the rest were all hot-blooded boys.

In any workshop, it’s of utmost importance to build rapport with the audience. Once this is established, the delivery will be much smoother.

To make the learning easier, I created acronymns and games for the students. This helped a great deal.

Having been a student once, I know what hot buttons I should be pushing. True enough, when I touched on certain more interesting topics, I was bombarded with questions. And when I moved into my fitness stuff, it really got the boys excited. Some even asked me how much I charged.

It is inevitable that in any audience, you will not be able to capture 100% attention, especially if the audience does comprise hostages. I wouldn’t bet my last dollar on this but from the look of some of the students’ faces, they sure thought the school management was crazy to organise a grooming workshop for them.

Summing up my 3hr workshop, I’m game for the next one. Bring it on!

One class photo for keeps…I look like a form teacher here…hehe

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It’s time to confess. I was an underwear model for 2.5hrs this afternoon. Of all the photoshoots I have done, this must be the most daring of them all. It was part of a promise to help a freelance photographer friend add on to his portfolio.

Initially, I was rather inhibited as I didn’t know how the pictures would turn out. But after viewing the pictures, hey I like them as I think they are artistically sexy. It’s a totally different side of me never seen before.

Here are some of the ones I really like. Enjoy!

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I was walking to the bus-stop in my gym gear and wearing my shades as usual. Towards me walked a mother and daughter in her school uniform. The little girl looked no older than twelve. Indeed, she’s from the primary school near my house.

When they walked past me, she pointed to me and told her mum ‘sexy’.
I stopped momentarily in my track. Excuse me? What did she just say? Me sexy? It’s just an ordinary singlet and shorts.

Just as my jaw began to drop and I shook my head in disbelief, they walked away and began speaking in hushed tones.

After I recollected my composure, I thought to myself. At least she labeled me sexy and not sleazy, sweaty or slimly. Sexy I shall be then 

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When the first $10 a cut hair salon opened, it created a niche market in the hair industry. Muscling in and yet not fighting head-on with the bigger players, these $10 haircuts saw long queues. At least four more rivals jumped onto the band-wagon. This reminds me of the bubble tea fad some years ago which eventually bubbled out of popularity.

But unlike bubble tea, we all need to cut or trim our hair regularly. For me, it’s once a month to keep my lion’s mane in check. Ha.

I’ve tried a $10 hair cut before. It’s really fuss-free. You walk into the shop, insert a $10 bill into the machine and then out pops a ticket. You hold onto the ticket and wait for your turn.

Usher you forward when your turn comes. The stylist opens a compartment which reveals a safety place for you to store your bag or other belongings. Then he/she places a small thin white towel like cloth over your neck. This prevents the hair from collecting on your neck.

After the inquiry on how you want your hair to be cut, he/she gets to work immediately. The preferred equipment is the electronic razor. After razing through 75% of your hair, then the scissors comes into action. Snip snip snipping away at any strand that gets in the way.

After barely 10 minutes, the hair is done. You get to check the end product courtesy of a mirror. If you are satisfied, he/she whips out a vacuum cleaner head-like extension cord that sucks at all the fallen hair that has collected on you. Hold on tight if you do not want to be sucked in as well. But in all fairness, this vacuuming part really cleans you up. There is no fallen hair in sight at all. Kudos.

If you think $10 a hair cut is cheap, wait till you stumble upon other cheaper deals. There’s a new place near my neighbourhood which charges $4.80. Just when I was wondering if there would be cheaper haircut place, this evening I stumbled upon a $3.80 a cut place in another neighbourhood.

Are we going to witness a $1 a hair cut soon? Hmm…

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It’s been a while since I met up with any of my ex-colleagues. I guess everyone’s busy with their own lives that’s why. Today was the exception. On a hot Tuesday afternoon in a cool foodcourt, I was lunching with ex-colleague B.

Before B could even warm his seat, he started talking and talking. And for once, I didn’t had to entertain. I was entertained.

I learnt of how the blue-eyed boy’s wings were now clipped by the boss. No, in B’s words, “boss broke his wings”. Ok, it’s definitely an awful feeling having to fall off a high pedestal. Once you were with the Gods. Now you are with the minnows. Any other adjective but painful is an understatement. What adds salt to the wounds is the little murmurings that go round the organization among the gossip-mongers. Did the once boy-eyed boy do anything wrong to incur the wrath of the boss? Or has the boss found a new blue-eyed boy or girl?

I learnt of how so called chummy chummy friends who are almost inseparable like a pair of Siamese twins can be separated after all. There is no impermanence in this world. The same goes for loyalty. Loyalty is not permanent. It is not to any person or organization but only to oneself. One half of the chummy chummy friends is now with another organization.

I learnt of the power struggles amongst the different factions. This certainly isn’t something new. With each feudal lord trying his utmost best to outdo, outwit and outplay the others, time will only tell who will succeed and who will switch allegiance. I am so glad I’m not part of this grand ‘scheme’ of things. Scheme on, people.

I learnt of how deep one can actually be. B was lamenting that it was difficult to see the true colours of others. On the surface, one may be smiling and cordial. But deep down inside, the same one may be sharpening his knife, waiting for the right opportunity to plunge it into your heart.

I learnt of how the old-timers were still pretending to slog their guts out in a self-directed, self-acted wayang kulit show. In this show, getting away in doing less is the name of the game. Needless to say, they have traded a huge part of their youth and their lives to the organization. What else is there for them? Imagine having done the full monty, there’s nothing left except to pray that the tippings will be good. Translated into corporate world terms, the only thing to look forward to is retirement in 5 – 8 years’ time.

I learnt of the reorganization efforts. Well, this certainly isn’t something new at all. Even before I left, there were already grand plans for the reorganization. More than a year after I left, the reorganization is still on-going. Well, it just speaks volumes of how things move…at a tortoise pace.

I learnt of how unnecessarily extravagant the recent D&D was. Well, D&D is the only time in the year for all to let their hair down and really enjoy themselves…so a little glitz and glamour should be alright. B felt it was really over the top. One man’s meat is another man’s poison. In retrospect, in the short stint I spent in this last organization, I didn’t attend any of the D&Ds. Yes, I look forward to a D&D, but my bottom-line is that I don’t expect to pay to attend. It’s a basic welfare right for employees to attend free of charge. If I had to pay, I might as well pay to attend a foam party.

I learnt of how B learnt about the truth about his existence in the organization. Well, the truth is always out there. It depends on whether you manage to see it or not. Now that the truth has been unveiled, perhaps B can gain further insights.

All the best, people!

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The weather these days has been unpredictable. Unbearingly hot at most times, scorching even…welcome summer!

It’s the summer heat that heralds. The best way to keep cool is to stay indoors but if I really have to be out on the streets, it’s always with my shades on. Sometimes, I feel I’m melting under the summer heat. I don’t remember the past summers of the last decade being this hot. Guess the folks are right when they said the ozone layer is slowly, but surely disappearing at an alarming rate. Just imagine this – you can shower now and then be perspiring less than 5 minutes later. This is the extent of the summer heat.

Yet, it is ironic that during this hot summer spell, we also witness the thunderstorms. Many a wee mornings have I woken up to the sound of lightning, thunder and heavy rain beating against my window plane. The thunderstorms threaten to destroy everything that lays in their path.

Such is the irony of life. But it is also a mirror of life. People can blow hot or cold at any one instant. Today, they may be your best friend and act chummy chummy with you. But come tomorrow, they morph into your worst enemy and can’t wait to draw first blood.

Nothing is permanent in this life. There are no permanent friends nor permanant enemies. Everyone chooses which role they want to play based on their own interest.

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I didn’t expect my client to say this but she sure made my day today. This was what she said after the training. “I really liked the workout we did today. It’s different from the other ones we did previously. I really liked it. Thanks.”

I felt I was on cloud nine thereafter. My surroundings were super bright. My steps were super light. My spirit was super high.

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The beauty of a person is not in the clothes he wears, the figure he carries nor the way he gels his hair.

Yes, no doubt first impressions are important, what is really of more substance is the person behind the packaging. Some people know how to package themselves so well that they look like pretty Barbie dolls or suave Ken dolls. But dolls will always be dolls. They are just plastic. Plastic people don’t know how to truly connect with people or even engage in intellectual stimulation. They just know how to act pretty.

The shirt may now be changed from a T to long-sleeved, the hair may now be waxed not gelled, the body may now be toned and not flabby. Yet through it all, there is one thing that remains. The beauty of a person must thus be seen from his soul. The outer appearance may undergo a radical transformation, but his soul still remains the same soul he was born with from day one.

From a person’s soul, we are able to see his true character…whether he is the man he says he is. Is there congruence in his thoughts, feelings and actions?

In all honesty, it’s easier said than done to peep into another person’s soul. How do you even attempt to do that? You’re not God. Yes I know that. Yet peep into another person’s soul we can. We do it through his eyes. It’s been said that the eyes are the gateway to one’s soul. When you look into another person’s eyes, you see through him direct to his soul. His emotions, his thoughts, his feelings are all conveyed through his eyes. I sense the fear. I smell the excitement. I feel the trepidation.

There is so much beauty in the eyes. It is through the eyes that I am connected to the soul – the true essence of mankind, and the heart – the seat of all emotions.

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在这世界上不是别人伤害我，就是我伤害别人。
我们的一举一动、言行举止、爱或不爱， 都带有伤害力。
与其让别人有机会伤害我，我不如先下手。
所谓无毒不丈夫。。。

要伤一个人就要伤得最彻底。
我无法把伤害力降到最低，
因为我是有血有肉的人 。
我不是神， 我没有神的伟大。
我能原谅，但我无法忘记脑海里浮现的过去。

所谓无心伤害，根本就是虚伪的。
要伤与否的抉择就掌握在自己手中。。。

若选择了伤害，那就养兵千日，用在一朝。
若选择了不伤害，那就转身离去，不再回望。
朋友，你决定了吗？

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