Tuesday, February 20, 2007

The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman

Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up.
It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed.

Every morning a lion wakes up.
It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.

It doesn't matter whether you are the lion or the gazelle.
When the sun comes up, you better start running.

So my friends, start running on the first business day of the Golden Piggy Year...

Cheers to good health and fortune!

Monday, February 19, 2007

Pets are not allowed !!!!!


Dear friends,

I am sorry I can't stand the sight of pet dogs sitting on chairs in coffee shops or near where food is being served and consumed.

In sunday's ST, there is a response from S. Satish Appoo, Director, Environmental Health Agency on "Pets not allowed in food outlets".

What does the law say?

It is an offence for pets to be brought into public food outlets and hawker centres, including its outdoor refreshment areas.

Both the operator and the pet owner are liable for any violation.

Any exemptions?
- Unless the outlets are licensed as "pet cafe".
- Unless you are blind and you are walking around with the help of a guide dog. The dog must be properly behaved and well harnessed. Operators of outlets reserve the right to accept the presence of such dogs.

Who do you call for violation?
24-hour Hotline 1800-CALL NEA or 1800-225-5632.

My suggestion
Since NEA (or whoever is that authority) has inspectors checking on smoking outside designated areas, why don't we inspect on the overall operations of food outlets?

Saturday, February 17, 2007

Will you pay $5000 for BULGARI ring?

P/S - "BULGARI" - purposely spelt wrongly.

My story seeks to question the need for an expensive artificial thing to be placed on a part of our body.

Yes, it is a very expensive ring on a finger of a possibly very beautiful lady, bought by a well-bonused husband in the banking industry, during the fateful Valentine Day. This act was related to me by my wife, perhaps with a reason :).

I want to discuss the reasons for and against such an act.

"It is worth it if it is for daily use." She is using the depreciation principle to justify the purchase of a $5,000 ring ie. $5,000 over 5 years is only $2.70 a day. "Really value for money." Ok the numbers are there but what values will you derive from using it?

  • You feel good and confident about yourself. And thus perform better in your business and career.
  • Your business partners / colleagues will see you in a different light.
  • Bosses will therefore not ask you to do silly things and assign you to the more classier stuff.
  • It is a store of wealth (especially when the wealth was gifted from husband). - ie. when you need money, you can sell it albeit possibly at a significant loss. But still money right?
  • You get a bit of upper class treatment at restaurants and musicals. That is assuming we, your fellow colleagues, waiters, .... all know a BVLGARI ring when we see it. Well maybe you do, but I can't tell the difference.
You wouldn't mind the extra weight that your body has to bear.. only a few carats more, nor the higher crime risk performable against you.

So there you have it. There are justifications to having an expensive jewellery on your body. I will now wear my finger-thicked gold chain on my neck.

Are you middle-aged?

P/s - This girl offered me a muay chi.


Dear friends,

I have 2 conversations which I want to share with you.

First Conversation
The first is a dialogue I heard over national radio where people were calling in to express their views on the budget.

Caller - "Hi, I am middle-aged and single. I notice that there is nothing much in the budget for people like."
DJ - "Well if you own a car, then you will get the 8% reduction in road tax."
Caller - "Well for the others, particular those with families, they get conservancy charges rebate, maid levy discount, ..."
DJ - "BTW, how old are you?"
Caller - "29"
DJ - "29?????? .... You are still very young. You should focus on raising a family of your own."

Second Conversation
I was talking to a man who has just sold his business for a pot of gold. He is lamenting that he still has to sustain his level of commitment to the business he sold while being paid a more than modest DAILY rate. He wishes for more time to smell the roses. "How old are you?," I asked. "58," he said.

My comment
Why does a person in his late twenties feel middle-age? Do many in their twenties feel the same? Have you guys done everything and know so much already to feel middle age? Has the pace of current lifestyle accelerate the depreciation of our youth?

On the other side of the coin, should a 58-year-old stop completely and smell the roses? Well Gorbachev was a "young" man in his fifties when he became President of USSR after being endorsed by a Politburo with people in their 60s and 70s.

Hmm... I am very confused.. Am I young, middle age or very old? More importantly, how do you feel about yourself?

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

My day in brief.

No car for me today. Blur blur and took a cab 5 mins before end of 9.30am peak hour. Paid $2 more lor.


During noon, I was staring straight at this magnificient piece of colours.

Took me 2 hours to go from Ikea (after a hotdog stopover) to Shenton Way and back home. Stuck in jam after jam after jam. Clicked a picture of this lady standing there with a big bouquet of flowers while waiting for her date to turn up. Late.

Monday, February 12, 2007

Vista is the last of the Dynasty?

P/S Things you can find in a lift!

I want to share this piece of article I read from Wharton on Microsoft's Vista. It echoes the same theme as the return of Michael Dell back to Dell.

What is the theme?
A company cannot continue to do the same thing year after year. The business landscape will change. If you are not careful, you will find yourself in the middle of nowhere while others have moved on.

Here is the story on Vista
Vista OS should give the company a revenue stream that will run for years. But experts at Wharton say the end January's launch of the consumer versions of Microsoft's flagship software may be among the last of its kind.

What kind?
A product sold for a flat fee in a shrink-wrapped box.

What are competitors doing?

  • The "oldest" competitors to shrink-wrapped would be pay per direct download.
  • Or they offer open source stuff as per Linux.
  • Or they ask consumers to accept advertising-supported softwares.
  • The latest competitors say "You pay only when you use of the software." These softwares are not loaded on your PCs.


Reference - http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/1651.cfm

Saturday, February 10, 2007

My makeover pictures to share with you

P/S - Things you can do when you are bored during the CNY :)
Pics - courtesy of a friend R.

Friends,


Gongxi!! Gongxi!!


Thank you for your friendship and support in so many ways.


Wish you the best of health and a prosperous piggy year.


edgar

Monday, February 05, 2007

My Valentine!


I gave my heart away to this little girl many years ago.

She would grab and bite my left hand when I try to pacifiy her while I drive her home to bed.

At this one time when I tried to feed her some durian. Some of the durian landed on her nose. The durian came back to my face very quickly too.

I will always cherish those sweet words, "I want a hug." with that melting-heart look. I held her as tightly as I could as I whispered into her ears, "I will always be here for you."

I knew the day will come when she will outgrow the need to have me around. I know not where and how she is now. But I will cherish every moment I had with her.

I can only pray she will be happy and painless/healthy ...

------------------------------------------------------------------------

A passage from an article in a local magazine.

Good nite ...

Friday, February 02, 2007

Can I buy sand from you?

"No," says Malaysia and Indonesia.

Do you wonder why not? To buy sand as a construction material to build our HDB flats, IRs and condos. What is wrong with that?

Nothing much wrong with that until old buildings are being demolished and the debris would be carted away to reclaim land.

The reclaimed land could then be sold for millions after many years of maturing. Or in some instances, it was alleged that reclaimation has affected the water current and thus causing soil erosion and loss of fishing as a livelihood to many fishermen.

I guess the biggest concern would be the sovereignty issue. When a country takes sand harvested from one of its many islands and sells them to another country, it is an act of literally of selling away of a piece of your country!!

If you are going to East Coast Park this weekend, cherish the sand that you are standing on :)