What it means to have a conscience?

Conscience? What does that mean? Apparently, if you go can kill someone, as in hammer the fella and throw the fella down a cliff, and then u carry on life as per normal. Then yeah, u dont have one. Haha.

Thats why I never bother finding a seat when i take the public transport. I find a nice solid seat on the bus or on the train for that matter, and then at the next stop, a old fella steps up. And then, sort of looks in my general direction and then yeah, i have no choice but to just stand up and regardless of whether the fella sits on my seat or not, just go to the standing section. Yeah, so just dont bother finding a seat. Haha.

Meeting an old flame

The guy chanced upon his first love, almost 3 years after he last saw her. You can imagine the emotions going thru him. Whether she can still remember him, whether she even remembers his name. He thought she was running towards him but alas, it was not to be. As she ran towards her kid, picking him up from play school.

The scene I guess is well-directed, but what makes its a really solid scene is the music and the vocals of the singer, Mohit Chauhan. The manner in which he infuses the emotions the moment required and his lazy style of singing is remarkable. Makes you think that he must have gave gone thru the same situation as the actor in the movie. Too good.

Birth and Death..

Life is fragile. That quote was said to me by my GP tutor back during my junior college days when he received news of one his relative being involved in a car accident in Australia. I couldnt agree more. Just look at the many ways death can be "achieved".

You read abt the papers on how a fellow individual died in a natural disaster(tsunami, earthquake, cyclone, etc), or a man made disaster(bombing, fire, car crashes) or even a personal attack on one's self(suicide and so on).

How abt birth? There is only way to enter this world, and that is the natural way. You dont see fellas entering this world from other worlds. Now that scientists have come up with a cloning model, things might change in the future.

Taking a break

I think its abt time I take a break from blogging. Have lost the appetite to speak abt random things happening in this random world of ours. But I will be back. On a random day, at a random time to speak abt random stuff once more. Life is random, keep it that way.

It's been a while..

Living in a flat definitely has been a real adventure thus far. Random fellas doing random things at random times of the day. When you look out the window, you are always bound to spot something that is out of the ordinary. Be it a lady trying to figure out whether to cross the pedestrian crossing until a car approaches and signals her to cross, or to see the same old 2 uncles at the void deck having a discussion abt how their life will pan out in the next few years..

There are food joints everywhere. Facilities are within a few minutes away. And for someone who enjoyings figuring out why pple do the things they do, its been a real challenge thus far with so many tough ones to decipher. Haha.

Well, looking forward to making new friends at the Harmony Hub as they call it. Realised that the 2 soccer courts are under utilised. Lets hope things change once I start playing there.

Well the F1 extravaganza is back. And I must say this, the noise those engine makes is probably the closest we can ever get to a war. Those engines really know to whip up a storm. If I didnt know the F1 was in town, I would prob think that my country is under attack. Haha. Oh well, enjoy the second installment of the 5 year series. Cheers.

Traffic Offences to think abt.

Now we all know that the traffic offences are extremely stiff in this country. With money fines for almost anything else you do besides driving in the car. Lets put one particular offence in the spotlight. Using the phone while driving. Now the fine is a steep 1000 bucks and 12 demerit points. This fine has been put in place due to a case that happened a few years back which caused a driver to ram his car into a bus stop while using his phone( if my memory serves me well). Anyway, the reason why the traffic fellows do not want you to be using the phone while driving is simple. You are not giving the road and your fellow road users your 100 percent attention. So I say lets save a 1000 dollars. Use the wireless headset. How bout dancing while driving? Haha.

IF you dont buckle up in the car, you get a 150 dolllars fine and 3 demerit points as well. Wow. If your passengers dont buckle up, you still get the points.

Driving in the bus lane can put you back by 600 dollars. Wow. Ok.

So as a driver for the past 3 years, I guess its time to give a damn for all these offences coz of the money involved alone. You as well. Lets not give the govt free money la.

Michael Jackson..

MJ died a week ago. I grew up listening to songs like Jam with the glass breaking intro, Black or White, Beat it and of course, Dangerous. He is someone who stole the hearts and minds of many. Somehow while watching the various videos of his performances around the world, its not really what he does on stage that captivates me, the audience and how wild they go. They go into a trance. But you cant fault them, MJ was unique in everything.

His ankle length pants, his glittery glove, his white socks, his black flat hat, his Moonwalk, and of course, he had the beat in every song. Beats, expressions and whole of desire to express himself led him make me feel that yes, there are singers out there who are not trained to sing, but are born to sing. Such talent doesnt come often. MJ, you rocked the world!!

One thing is for sure, all those MJ wannabes, have found the stage to let the MJ philosophy live on.

M9's Top Song for the Week

It's been a long wait for the next song to make it to No.1 of Manish's Top Ten list. Well, the wait is over. This song has a good tempo to it, the lyrics are rather decent, but the emotions and variation of pitch that the singer packs in the song is solid as well as the beat and use of instruments. Here goes...

National Day is coming up and for the third year running, I dont have tickets once again. If you are not going for NDP, pls do forward your tickets to me. I need my NDP dose.

To possess a passion for living..

Passion for living. That's something special for anyone to possess. Regardless of the situation one is in, the kind of condition, financial condition, family or friend, to take everything into your stride and work on the negatives and thrive on the positives.

There is no way one can plan their whole life out. Be prepared for plenty of changes along the way. Laugh and live. Possess the passion for living.

IMAGE..

IMAGE, IMAGE, IMAGE. Thats what people are chasing every minute of their life. To get noticed. To be known. To be seen. They get a great high from chasing these possessions. You know why, coz there isnt much to shout about in their life. So they fall back on these possessions to propel themselves into social limelight.

Now, its not a matter of whether its right or wrong to be showcasing ur goods. Its your money, its your decision. Rite. Ok its fine. But u gotta carry urself well. If u wanna tell the world, i am the richest fella around who wears all the spanking new goods adorned all over my waxed and manicured body, but u dont possess the capability to carry it off. Forget it, just shut up and go. Donate all ur stuff to some charity. Just forget it. Some pple have the ability to present themselves in such a manner that you gotta admire them for it.

Style, keep it simple. The aura will follow.

A Bollywood Moment..

Its not everyday you get to be in the middle of a Bollywood scene. And I was stunned for a moment la when it happened. Here goes..

I had gone to the POSB Atm near my place to withdraw some cash for myself after alighting from the bus at the bus stop just a short walk away. Now as I inserted the ATM into the card, I noticed a white wallet, looked rather faded and the first thing that came to my mind was to pick it up and look around for any takers or claimants. But no one came rushing back, so I put it back on top of the ATM box and proceeded to withdraw my cash.

Ok. Cash withdrawn and placed into my wallet. By then, I decided since no one was coming back to the ATM to claim her wallet( I was quite sure that it was a ladies wallet by the looks of it), I felt this was my moment to just take it and bring it to the nearest police station, and just feel good abt it and hopefully, i will get a call from the owner and she will say all nice things and all.. So i picked it up and turned away from the ATM... and there she was...

This young lady, white top that reached her knees and black tights got out from this white car which was just a few metres away from me. She looked in my direction and started running towards me la. Ok la. Thats it. I was looking for the background dancers to just jump out from the trees and the hospital nearby and get the song going. She was getting closer and her strides were getting faster and still no background dancers. Stil no dancers and song la!! Ok. I lifted my hand carrying the wallet and sort of gave her the indication "Are you looking for this ?". and she gave me a few nods while still in her stride. OK la. Then she slowed down and came to a halt just a metre away from me.

Ok la. Lets pause a moment to check her out la. She looked Indian, prob abit Arab. and prob in her late teens.Looked dressed to impress as well. And then she let go a whole string of "Thank you, thank you, thank you sooooooo much". Grabbed the wallet and turned back la and ran towards her waiting car. That was it la. Bollywood moment over. No background dancers, no long hug and embrace as seen this clip below.. Haha.

Check out this Youtube clip below for a re-enactment of the scene. Any resemblance to any person is purely accidental.

Well on a final note, to her credit, she did not stop there and started checking her wallet whether I had the courage to swipe anything from her wallet. Well, I didnt and it wouldnt haven been a Bollywood moment then. Cheers.

Are you Singaporean enough?

Born a citizen of this country, grew up in this country, got an education in this country, served my NS commitment to this country and yet , I still have to tackle the odd question every now and then, either due to one's ignorance or plain lack of awareness. And the question goes? Where are you from?

I mean, this is where you maximise the opportunity to fool them and put these fellas in your pocket. I was trying to be nice and sincere abt it. But you gotta milk it for its worth la. Seriously, saying I am from India or Malaysia is rather straightforward for them to believe. Gotta come up with more imaginative answers. I come from the Red Indian tribe in the Aborigines in Australia. At times, you cant fault them, the world is such. Globalization has taken over. We are working for another country's economy and GDP. Blah blah blah. Heard it over and over again. Its no longer a country specific talent pool. You are competing with the global talent pool for a job in your own country. And thats a judgement I find hard to argue against. My workplace is a rather minor example where u got malaysians, china ladies and filipinos. But this is very common. I dont really get to work with fellows from Down Under, the West and of course, the Africans. At least I dont have to say I am a Singaporean all the time. Cheap thrill I know, but when work gets so boring, these cheap thrills get u going la. Haha.

Work and Life Balance..

Human Resource professionals have their own porn website titled www.personneltoday.com, where they go and read up about the latest HR trends being observed in the HR world today. I have a HR policy of mine abt a WORK LIFE balance.

The more one works, the more compelled and entitled one should go, relax and chill. Have a drink, spa and massage. Rock the world. Yeah. Guilt free!! Now, if you are not working or doing something to finance YOUR own consumption, then u shouldnt do all this stuff. Rite? Yeah i guess so. I mean opinions and perceptions differ definitely. But for now, this is my stand on taking a guilt free break.

CHAK DE!!!

The Office Influence

Now, working in an all Hokkien, Mandarin, sometimes-just-to-please-me English speaking environment has had a slow but steady influence on me. I have started to pick up certain words/phrases that these colleagues certainly enjoy saying every now and then when they are trapped in their daily dose of conversations.. Here goes:

Tio bo!!!? Tio!!

Zhen de ma!!! Zhen?

Simi tai qi?

Lao pan!!!

Zho kang liao!!!

Zhi peng!!

Zhi fan!!!!!!

Podah la!!!

There are more to come!! And yeah, the last phrase is not a hokkien phrase. But my own personal phrase that I always use when these colleagues just dont seem to stop talking!! But its all good la. POdah!!

Office Politics

Now, I have been in and about the workplace for the past 2 weeks. And wow, one thing is for sure, everything that happens at work is rather suspicious. I mean, first and foremost, Work is there simply to keep a human being occupied. Thats all. Occupied. Coz, there is no way, a person would wake up in the morning and do those things that he/she does at work voluntarily. Its because you want the money to finance your life and ur consumption needs, you try to make the best out of it. You do the work to fulfil your KPIs and targets set for you so you get the money.

So what to employees do to make the best out of it. The good mornings, the good byes, the occasional question on what are you upto, how are you feeling today, whats going with your son,daugther, maid, grandma, and ur pet giraffe. I mean these are all very personal questions posed that become very habitual at the workplace. I guess employees have to see each other as colleagues,acquaintances and basically allies that work in the favour of the company's bottom line. Thats why its best the working relationship remains that way. Its a fine balance between being PRO BUSINESS and PRO Employee. Coz, Business always comes first all the time. But because we are humans, we possess the inate nature to care and be compassionate to one another at times. Thus, a bit of care and concern to the employee's welfare,needs and wants are in order.

Business is all abt profit. Making money for your own consumption. Singaporeans are in a fix. They grow up thinking that being frugal,calculative and risk aversion are crucial qualities for survival in this global marketplace. True. Thats why, we work till our last day. Average Sporean pay lies in the region of 1800 to 3000/month(excluding the bankers of course.) Now, the cost of housing will suck you dry. Thus that leaves you very little for urself, so there u go on working to ensure that u have enough money to finance ur monthly payments. And there u have it, Work takes over your life!!! Work !! Work!! More Work!! Because, we are in debt, and we need to pay our debt. Debt, work!! Debt, work!!!

Leave the second part of this topic for another day. Let me see how my next 2 weeks go. Rock on!!

Day at the Clinic and a Marketing Idea

Went to the clinic recently to nurse a gastric virus. Noticed how the patients in the waiting area do absolutely nothing but stare at each other and try to decipher what kind of problem each patient has. Seriously, waiting patients dont really have much of a choice. They go to the counter, get a queue number and wait.

Of course, every now and then, one patient will sneeze. All patients will scurry for cover not knowing what kind of flu bug he/she might be spreading. In fact, aside from just looking at each other and smile and try to act genuine and sincere to each other's problem, they spend almost 98% of the time looking at the digital number display. This creates a massive opportunity for the advertising industry.

Now as patients earnestly wait for their turn, they look at the number display hoping for their number to just skip 10 numbers and display theirs. Now, a marketing guru should take note of this. This is a potential market to advertise their brands. Considering statistics like percentage of eye traffic, that digital display has massive potential. Why not just put a brand like TamilFlu at the bottom of the display, let the brand be stuck in their head. Why not?

Singapore's Efforts to Hold on to her Elites

This country of mine, Singapore puts a huge emphasis on education. Compulsory primary school education. To the point, that they publish the facts of students who are eligible for primary school education every year. In addition to that,they publish those who were required to register yet failed to do so due to the various reasons, for example, their family might have migrated overseas. Now, why is the Government so keen and enthusiastic on ensuring that all 6 year old Singaporeans sign up for primary school education. Ultimately, its the parents choice whether they believe school is right for the child rite. Self interest vs societal interest? The answer is quite straightforward. This country needs its Elites to run this country. We cant rely on Oil or gold or diamonds or a casino business to drive our economy. So the govt cant afford to let any Sporean citizen go. Risk avoidance i say.

Elites are probably defined as the finest brains in the industry, the commandos, the smartest and brightest. Now, at every stage of the education system, we got this filtering system to weed out the non elites. We even have this Anti Smoking Civilian Enforcers to catch hold of underage smokers so that they dont go off the "right" track from the start. You know, get into smoking, drinking, drugs and start off their chain of life damaging activities to fund their addictions. These sporean citizens that choose these probably written off their path to elitedom. But I guess, the govt worries more abt them than the druggies themself.

I guess at the end of the day, we need those elites to drive our country forward, esp for my generation. So, the govt has to take on a parental role most of the time. This parental role doesnt really happen so evidently in other countries. India govt has so many internal issues going on. The Senate in America probably disagree on every single matter. I guess the family approach to governing can also be sustained when the society is small. 4 million vs 1 billion. Understandably so.

Elites, i guess know how to play the game to ensure that their records are clean to take on crucial positions in the govt. You know like no eating durians in the train. No smoking at coffee shops. No jaywalking coz it kills. No eating of chewing gum as it can halt a train. These are all necessary guidelines that are stated explicitly. Foreigners find this fines rather hilarious though. We take it seriously coz thats the way we are. We need to maintain law and order in our country. Foreigners are starting to appreciate the cleanliness in our country, the high level of safety, the variety of food available around the clock and of course, our convenient location in South east Asia. It has become our differentiating factor. Singapore - Clean, Safe and Convenient

Every now and then..

These words below really get to me every now and then. You can say it right once, but the second time, it just goes off. Pronounce these words below and you have passed my English test.

Confidentiality

Desirability

Urology

Methodology

Pneumatic

If you said it rite the first time. Dont get too obnoxious and proud. These words were not created to be said once only. They are bound to haunt you later on. Till then, keep on working on these words. Cheers.

Whats going to happen next?

Interesting article published in the Straits Times this Sunday. Talked abt the Sun, yes our Almighty Star of the Solar System releasing plasma in a phenomena called Coronal Mass Ejections in late 2012. Now, this happens every 22 years apparently, and this where the fun begins. If this plasma is able to penetrate our atmosphere, it will have an effect on all our telecommunication devices. It will wipe out all our electricity transmissions to residential, commercial and so forth. Thats it. I say that day is the day we start thinking abt our future. No point planning now. Seriously, dont. Think abt now, Now!!. NOW!! The Sun has been been giving us light for the past 4.6 billion years, i mean thats what the damn astronomers say la. So, we gotta pay for its services.