I was shopping around Heeren this afternoon when a student approached me and asked if I could spare some time to fill up a survey. He explained the purpose and seriously, I was very happy to do my bit as it was for a meaningful cause.

Singapore Management University (SMU) students were embarking on a community based service project to educate the general public on the perils of loud noise emitted from portable music devices and the damage it can cause to our ears.

Titled Project L.U.V., it is targetted at anyone, but predominantly youths (categorised as those who fall between 13 – 25 years old) who own a MP3 player. According to the statistics, 93% of youths own a MP3 player as at 2009. This figure is a staggering increase from 63% back in 2005. What is more alarming is the fact that one-third of youths listen beyond 85dB (which is the threshold for safe listening)…with some reaching up to 120dB.

Besides reminding all to LUV your years, the catchy acronym also stands for Lower Your Volume.

It is indeed a common sight to see people listening to their MP3 players or even music from their handphone with the earpiece in the trains and buses. I think one very good test of whether the music level is too loud or not is to sit next to the person. If I can hear the thumping sound of the music, then it is too loud.  Very often, we think louder is better. That’s the main reason why we turn up the volume subconsciously. But subjecting our ears to such long sustained periods of close listening is detrimental. If you are lucky, you may just experience “some ringing in the ears” or what is medically known as tinnitus. If you are unlucky, you may lose your sense of hearing forever.

This is the very reason why I have resisted over these years to buy a portable music device. I’m not ashamed to admit I don’t own an MP3 player nor an ipod. Call me a mountain tortoise or call me backward if you will, but it’s just a decision I made from the very beginning.

After the survey, I was asked to sign my pledge on the canvas, take a photo with a group member and lastly, together with the entire group, do a verbal declaration which was captured on video as well.

I’ve already embarked on the journey to LUV my ears. Have you?

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It’s interesting how dates are fast turning out to be like interviews nowadays. Both require you to dress up, be well informed about current affairs or the latest happenings in town, and be engaging (and preferably humorous). And we assess our date during the first meet-up in the same manner an interviewer would, and decide whether it will progress to the next date.

But sadly, most dates die a natural death and we never see the light of the second or nth date. This is because many people simply do not know how to build rapport and sustain interest in the conversation. I find it amusing but am appalled at the same time.

People nowadays do not bother to build rapport at all. After the very business-like handshake (if any…some do not even know how to shake hands properly…my goodness), they start asking questions like an interviewer such as ‘How many are there in your family?’,  ‘How many other people have you met before me?’,  ‘When was your last relationship?’, ‘What do you work as?’ etc, running through their list of pre-prepared questions to ask.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is all just data exchange. I repeat – data exchange. Where is the love connection? I certainly don’t feel any. It is cold and humanless, just like how Shylock would demand a pound of flesh mercilessly.

As an ex-panel interviewer back in my corporate days, this really brings back haunting memories. I remember I used to torment some interviewees back then with some rather personal questions about their lifestyle. Maybe this time the roles are reversed and I’m in the interviewee seat? Hmm…

But am I supposed to be sitting there to be scrutinized from head to toe? If this is the rule of the game, then I think I forgot to bring along my resume. I don’t think I want the job anymore. I’m so sorry about that. Next…

Unlike an interview (think panel interview), you are unlikely to go on a date with a panel of people. This will be true only if you go on a speed date. And for speed dates, how can you possibly even know someone well enough to decide if you want to go out again with him or her within the short span of 6 – 10 minutes? But that is all the time you are allocated in a speed date before you are politely reminded to move your butt to the next seat to chat up the next person. Guys, you move. And move quickly like you mean business. Ladies, you stay glued to your seat and act coy. After the speed date, you will be dazed from meeting so many foreign faces for the first time. If you still put the name to the face and the dress, I kowtow to you. If you don’t end up with a sore throat, I’ll kowtow a second time. If you really can rise up to both my challenges, I bet you a million bucks you were taking notes like a studious student during that pathetic few minutes instead of listening to what your date had to say…Ha, caught you there!

In any interview, I would still allocate some time towards the end for the candidate to ask some questions or clarify any doubts about the job opening. But there is no such opportunity during data exchange. After you have collected enough data to make up your mind to leave or stay on, that’s it.

Like an interview, you are expected to dress up for the first date. But my complaint is that people don’t bother to look their best. How can you turn up in jeans for an interview? But some people do. So how can you turn up in bermudas for a date? But some people still do. There is also the other extreme where people don’t dress for the right occasion. Turning up in hot pants for a date no doubt will help sizzle up the temperature in the room, but it will also send the wrong signal that you are loose or on the prowl. If you do find some slimy hands on your thighs, you asked for it. Similarly, pants with no belt for an interview or different coloured belt and shoes just ain’t the style, Mister.

If arriving late for an interview means deducting immediate impression points from me, then ditto for turning up late for a date. If this is not bad enough, then looking totally flustered and like a lost sheep in the fields is worse. As for sleepy-heads who look like they have not slept a single wink, I suggest they go back to bed.

For interviewees who don’t really know how to score points with the interviewer, I will encourage them by giving them some sample answers to the questions that I have posed. But I can’t naturally do that for a date, right? If I do that, then I am like the teacher who spoon-feeds the student. Excuse me, I’m not a conversation machine. I am not a parrot who talks on and on. When I asked why I was the only one talking, a date once commented during the first meeting that listening to my voice was like listening to the hymns from the angels. Ya right. Where is the intellect material? Naturally, the first date did not progress to the next.

Dates are fast turning into interviews. I would put both my hands up and say a resounding YES!

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From the outside, it looks like just another ordinary bus with advertisement decals pasted all over the exterior.

But step into this special converted bus and be in for a pleasant surprise. This was what I experienced when I boarded service no 107 from Beach Road to Hougang this evening.

Plush seats, swivel seats, bar counter, long bar, L-shaped sofas, music playing throughout the entire journey…you name it, you have it. Totally unlike the conventional interiors of buses, the happening bus interior in its bright hues of pink and purple struck me as if I was stitting in a bar or pub. The only thing missing was the hostesses…hehehe…

Welcome to the Nokia Bus Experience…which is part of the Nokia Promotion. Just so cool!

The brightly coloured interior of the Nokia Bus

Nobody wants to sit at the bar counter with the swivel chairs as well…

Nobody wants to sit with Uncle on the L-sofa…he’s so lonely…haha

I sat on these plush clam-like single seats…very comfortable…hehe

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I was walking along the civic district when my sharp eyes caught sight of a car. No, it’s not any ordinary car. It was a limousine. To be more precise, it was a silver stretch limousine.

I’ve seen enough Porsches and Jaguars in Singapore. But a stretch limousine? This is definitely the first time.

Regarded as a super luxury sedan with a lengthened wheelbase and often driven by a chauffeur, it was turning left into Victoria Street. Having seen so many Western movies with limos in them, it was refreshing to see one in the flesh. Wonder if it had any security features installed like armouring and bulletproof glass as well?

Well, I was not the only one who was spellbound by the mesmerising vehicle which stopped by the traffic light opposite Chijmes at 7.04pm. So too were the motley crew of human pedestrians. But unlike me, they didn’t have their digital camera with them

Enjoy this picture!

Sighting of a silver limousine in Singapore on 26 Oct 09 at 7.04pm opposite Chijmes

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I cannot tolerate service lapses as it means somewhere along the line, something has gone wrong. It’s either the management who has not put in enough checks and measures, or the downline who has not followed the procedures properly. Either way, someone’s ass needs to be kicked. And kick I did.

Not wanting to sound too over the top, I wrote this.

“Being a loyal customer of XYZ company for many years, I have come to appreciate the good products and prompt delivery. Kudos. However, my faith was misplaced today when the delivery was overlooked and only 1 item (out of 3) was delivered. I’m not sure if the packers forgot to pack or the delivery person didn’t deliver in full.”

I could have been harsher but people are human beings. And human beings do make mistakes.

Just hope they will get their act together and deliver me the two missing items tomorrow or latest by Wed.

It was only when I got home and checked the items did I realise something amiss. Well, I think it must also be a good lesson for Mum who got a fright of her life. She took for granted that everything was sent. She didn’t bother to check the items delivered with the order list.

It’s like bringing your four kids to the playground and coming home with only two of them. By the time you discover two of them missing, it is already too late. Lesson learnt for everyone.

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I wore my new red Adidas Climacool Formotion workout singlet today. Striking red and easily noticeable from a distance, no cars would ever not stop for me to cross the traffic light.

But once I stepped foot into the gym, I immediately regretted it. No, there wasn’t any wardrobe malfunction. Neither did it not flatter my skin-tone. There was a BIG problem.

I suspect there must be a conspiracy of sorts which I am completely not in the know of. How else can you explain why so many other guys were also wearing red workout gear?

I took a quick glance and there were like 6 other guys wearing red workout gear as well, never mind if it was vibrant red, ashen red, dull red…it was just red.

Oh well, welcome to the red revolution. At least, it’s a red workout singlet and not a pis of rad bigini :p

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A笑我天天卖身。我说我也不想这样，可是没法子。如果身为私人教练的我不卖身，那我就要吃草了。因为我80%的时间是私人教练，20%的时间是讲堂课导师。毕竟这个社会是以貌取人，以第一印象先入为主的。也不是真的去卖身啦，只是我得靠我的肌肉和样貌去和别人分享健身的重要性。他们从我的经历和过程中找到了共鸣后，我才有机会推荐我的健身配套。

所谓眼睛是雪亮的，若你是我，你会和一个只会用嘴巴讲，把一切说得再完美，可是嘴巴说一套，行动上却是另一套的人学习呢？ 还是会和一个以实际行动证明一切的人学习呢？

答案很明显。所以，为了以最大的说服力呈现在大家的面前，我勤奋健身。一个星期上健身房6天，每次都会缎练不同的肌肉。这样练下去，就渐渐把自己的身体练成了小超人般一样。我注重线条美，该大的部位就大，该小的部位就小。最重要的是要有六块腹肌。我是小超人， 不是小巨人。当然饮食方面我也是特别讲究 – 煎的、炸的、油的、我尽量少吃。

A是开音乐学校的，所以我也笑他天天卖声。如果他一天不卖声教别人唱歌，那他也要吃草了。哈哈。

其实卖身也好，卖声也好，总之我们都有好东西卖。最重要是我们要卖，有人要买。继续卖吧！

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Melaka never fails to delight me with its old world charm. Step into this sleepy town which is a 3.5 hr drive away from Singapore and be amazed by how time seems to stand still here. Away from the hustle and bustle of Singapore city, this is where the locals take pride in their famous pineapple tarts, satay, durian chendol, chicken rice balls…just to name a few.

It has been so many years since I last visited Melaka. I think it might have been more than 5 years ago. And trust me, nothing has changed. It is as if I have never left.

In this whirwind 1.5 day visit of Melaka, I visited what is perhaps the grandest Peranakan house along Heeren Street (which belongs to a relative), feasted on 22 sticks of satay (yes, I counted) and attended cousin Michael’s wedding.

Here are some of the pictures I took of Melaka. Enjoy!

You know you have reached Melaka when you see this sign

The waterfalls beckon all tourists to Melaka town with its grandeur

The world famous Christ Church Melaka as taken from the car’s back seat

St Peter’s Church – the oldest church in Melaka, built in 1710

A group photo with the bride & groom after the church wedding 

Presenting the newly weds – Mr & Mrs Michael Tan
 
At the Renaissance Melaka Hotel for the wedding banquet – I’m in the background as the emcee

The authentic Nyonya dumpling with the blue colouring…yummy!

I love the salty tau sa piah…simply heavenly!

Eng Chee Seng – a trusted brand name in Melaka for its pastries

Eng Choon Association – ’tis said that some relatives stayed here in the past

If this looks familiar to you, that’s coz ‘The Little Nyonya’ was filmed here. The real name of this place is Hotel Puri.

This is only 1 of the many living rooms in the palatial Peranakan house at Heeren Street owned by 1 of our relatives

Peranakan beaded slippers – a collector’s item for the house owners

Peranakan kitchen ware on display in locked cupboards

The Peranakan kam cheng

This antique wardrobe is the jewel in the crown of all the collections of the couple. It takes its pride of place in the master bedroom.

One group shot for remembrance

The antique furniture is exceptionally cooling coz of the marble

With Uncle Charlie, owner of the opulent Peranakan house at Heeren Street

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A 19 year old girl by the name of Ris Low has been getting a lot of attention recently. If only she was just another ordinary teenager, she would not have batted the eyebrows of the general population. But no, she is our Miss Singapore World 2009, or shall I say ex-Miss Singapore World 2009.

Ris Low is so boomz!

Ris Low is in the news for all the wrong reasons. First, she was criticised heavily for her poor diction and horrendous command of English. Many who saw her video clip on RazorTV were shocked that when she proclaimed  “if I’m feeling naughty then I’ll wear something rad and loud…something…
you know? Boomz! (with both hands opening up aka twinkle twinkle little star)…something that shouts MEE!”

The rivealing thing I worn is a pis of biggini and jweens and I strut down Orchard Road.

Yes, I’m a huge fan of South Africa. I love safari. I love leopard preens, you know zeebra you know. You can wear leopard preens with dark geans…it’s alright. You know…neutral colours and kaki green…you can pull it off with leopard preens and zeebra preens you know?”

I cringed when I first heard her conversation with a local reporter. But then I did a check with myself and peers. Ris Low is not the only one who speaks in such a unique manner. Many of us are guilty of it as well. It’s just that we are not Miss Singapore World for others to want to correct our speech patterns and fall-by-the-roadside pronunciation. Singapore is a melting pot of cultures, where many races and cultures live beside one another. It is thus not surprising for us to grow up learning to speak many languages or pidgins, but not mastering one single language fluently on the same level as that of a native speaker.

Perhaps Ris Low was just trying to create some sound effect in the conversation and come across as being interesting and sociable? Or perhaps she was just trying to introduce a new word to the local vocabularly?

By any standards, ‘boomz’ is not an entirely new word. This I am certain of. There long existed ‘vroomz’ before that. Just listen to the engine of your car!

But before Singaporeans could forgive her for her lack of communication skills, she was exposed for being convicted of 5 charges of misappropriation, cheating using illegally obtained credit cards, and impersonating their users’ identities. According to media reports, she was sentenced in May this year to 24 months of supervised probation.

With this character defect, Ris Low famously proclaimed that she would still hold onto her crown regardless of all the calls for her to step down. Ris Low explained that she was suffering from a bipolar disorder. It’s something similar to having a split personality like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Sometimes, we do things that we are not in total control of our mental faculties.

For the next few days, instead of keeping a low profile, Ris Low continued to drum up the attention and capture the interest of the public by calling the local tabloids with her side of the story that it was the first runner-up Claire Lee who spilled the conviction beans to the press.

If you ask me, Ris Low sure knows how to create publicity for herself. Despite this being a negative publicity, some form of publicity is still better than none right? And what better way for the public to remember you and your antics than cementing your way in the hearts of them forever?

The ultimate straw that broke the camel’s back was the revelation that she cheated during her MDIS exam by hiding shredded papers containing the answers inside the pencil case. When discovered, she attempted to explain it away by saying she forgot to remove them. She was subsequently told to resit for her paper.

Oh come on, Ris Low is only 19 years old. It’s the time of sweet innocence and lofty dreams. It’s the time where you want to try out everything so as not to regret it on your deathbed. I wish I was 19 years old all over again…

Who doesn’t make mistakes in life? Just because Ris Low is a public figure (by virtue of her winning the crown) makes us all want to scrutinise her every move with clarity.

Give Ris Low some breathing space. She will grow and learn through these experiences. This I am you know, you know, very sure. And when she comes back, she will be even more boomz than before!

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Many a times we hear others lament about everything they have done or not done in their lives. Well, life is too short for any regrets.

Remember this, my friends.

Your past is nothing but a collection of memories…Do not be stuck in that period. We categorise memories into happy and sad ones. Regardless of happy or sad memories, they are now all events in the past. Holding on too much is not going to help matters or aid our growth. I can share from experience. I lost both my beloved Grandma & Dad. Recently, Mum & I went to pay our respects to Grandma. Time really flies. This is Grandma’s 8th death anniversary. Had I held onto the fact that she had left me, I would not have the courage to rebuild my life with confidence and precision. It is strange but true of most people to continue to want to live in the past. It’s as if they have decided to cut themselves away from the realities of life. We cannot reverse the hands of time. We cannot undo whatever damage we have effected on others nor others on us. What’s done cannot be undone. We are not God. While we may regret our actions in the past, it’s what we do from this moment on to ‘redeem’ ourselves that matters most. Beating ourselves up and indulging in self-pity just ain’t.

We all seek to build a new life. A life of hope and dreams realised. In order to fulfil your utmost desires and see them to fruition, you must do something. Seize the day…and the day after that…and the days that follow.

We all have goals in our life. With goals come our milestones which are like little footsteps in the direction of our goals. Every little footstep is an important one as it propels us forward and brings us closer to our final destination. But remember to enjoy the journey as well.

Life is meaningful. There is so much to live for in life. But only if we all remain focused with a laser-like clarity.

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