Nature-ish photos

I took these 2 photos with a typical digital camera.. really do like them quite a lot... they were taken in Kinmen, Taiwan...

Weather should be a factor in driving consumption

Just came back from lunch at the shopping centre near the office... walked in to find that all the stores are full-blown into the fall season fashion... boots, turtlenecks, sweaters... probably even winter-resistant make-up if there's even such a thing... must be a good excuse/reason to go shopping...

"Autumn is coming.. I need to get new clothes cos summer clothes just don't work"
"Winter is coming.. that cardigan back home isn't warm enough.. need a new one!"

(or other aspects of the weather) "Look at that rain! need boots to survive walking around in that"

(or on the other hand) "Typhoon! can't go shopping outside!" (and hence the birth of online shopping... did you know that the one of the most purchased items online is actually clothes? who says we need to try them on?)

I suppose that's the down-side of sunny Singapore, though I am very sure the weather isn't stopping people from going out to buy more stuff...

But all in all, I never really had a thing for shopping.. and I don't like the cold weather either... 

Interesting Story...

Once upon a time, there was a young mouse. The mouse had been told since young by its parents that if it hears the sound of a cat mewing, it should hide to be safe. So of course, the young mouse strongly lived by this teaching.

One day, while out of its hole, the young mouse suddenly heard a cat mewing. It quickly ran back to its hold and hid for a while. After some time, the cat sounds disappeared and the mouse felt safe. Not too long after, the young mouse heard the sound of a dog barking.

Finally assured that it was safe, the young mouse left its hole... and was promptly caught by a cat...

Feeling extremely cheated, the young mouse asked the cat "I was so sure I heard a dog just now!"

The cat promptly replied "In these times, everyone needs to learn a second language to survive"

The End

Funny but true?

This is so funny... but it's kind of sad that such people exist (I strongly believe in their existence)


On a separate note, lots happened since last Friday.. updates on Fri, Sat and Sun coming soon...

Questions Questions

Found this on wan xin's blog and I was bored so decided to do it...


Copy the list below and bold all of the ones you have done.

1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby’s diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said “I love you” and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing (rock wall yes, rock no)
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don’t
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest (I didn't wear the costume.. just helped make it)
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle (does riding as a passenger count?)
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing (I once slept through takeoff and flight but woke up before landing)
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ (at AIESEC Conferences! Haha)
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all fours (I thought of it but couldn’t get a cat haha)
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap (I carved it out of chalk)
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in an historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz (learnt it but I suck at it)
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hotel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a campfire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Responded to a NJP newsletter

so funny

this is so funny :)
found on http://www.feministing.com/archives/011676.html

In a fit of randomness...

What Sharon Means

You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong. You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know. You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do. You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out. Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia. Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic “Type A” personality. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life. You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you. At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Reflection...

in AIESEC, we talk about the AIESEC Experience and the stage of Heading for the Future... it's kind of the last stage in the whole AIESEC Experience, and is important because it is the point where you take time to reflect on your journey in AIESEC to see how much you have grown (or not) as an individual, to reassess where you stand with regards to your personal goals, and to see how you can move on to other things in life while continuing to pursue those goals... it's like reflecting and writing the last chapter of your AIESEC story...

I have recently fully experienced the wonders of this stage... having finished my President term for AIESEC Singapore in early August, I have been taking this 1 month or so to just chill, take things a bit slower, as well as to start the process of finding an internship abroad through AIESEC...

and I truly appreciate the fact that things move much slower now.. such that I have the time to really think back on the past 5 years of AIESEC involvement... to question myself on whether I have changed, how I have changed or more fundamentally, who am I?

after all... if I am made up of the experiences of my past, then 5 years is quite a lot of impact on who I am today...

since I am still occassionally helping out the AIESEC members, I now look at things and present my thoughts from a different perspective... I have been having some very interesting realisations and thoughts stemming from there...

it's hard to explain, and I am sure more thoughts and insights will be made as time goes by... but I am happy with how my brain is being active in this sense nowadays...

on a slightly different note, my brain is also happy as it is actively reading.. books, internet, articles... I am expanding my thoughts and perspectives!

Nature in Singapore

There's a lot to be said about how adaptable animals are and how easily they keep up with the many additions that human beings make to the so-called 'natural surroundings"

So here's the evidence of the latest urban resident of Singapore...

Animal Name: The Singapore Cat
Natural Habitat: in the lower racks of display shelves outside NTUCs and provision shops


The Singapore Cat is a highly evolved urban creature. Unlike the traditional wild cat species which shun and are highly independent of human beings, it prefers the artificial, dry and cosy environment created by snuggling among packets of human-processed food. The Singapore Cat shows a high resemblence to particularly famous cat by the name of Garfield, especially in terms of its unexplained liking for potato chips.

Random thoughts

I was out of the house yesterday and just wanted to do a collection of some thoughts that popped into my head when I saw or heard certain things...

upon seeing women's underwear with butt padding (to make ur butt look bigger and perkier)...
"If someone with not much of a butt wore that and sat for a long time, will the pad get dented when she stands up? that will be an interesting sight"

upon seeing a lesbian couple on the MRT...
"I wonder if their parents know and what their parents think.. I wonder how the other passengers will react if they start PDA-ing (PDA = Public Display of Affection)

upon seeing devotees in the Guan Yin Temple asking for divine lots...
"Does it happen that someone shakes the container and ends up dropping a bunch of lots? Does it happen that someone shakes for a looong time and nothing ever drops out?"

upon seeing a random cat on the streets...
"what would cats say if they could speak?"

Songs...

You know how there are just some songs that trigger memories of people or places? Just randomly came across my mind...

Everything I do I do It for You by Bryan Adams - Julie and Vietnam
Tong Hua by ... (I forgot his name!) - Anisha
My Wish by Rascal Flatts - AP MCPs 0607
My Love by Westlife - Phayao, North Thailand
Fixing a Broken Heart by Firehouse - Huimin from Wushu
Nothing's gonna stop us now by Starship - NYGH Council Sec 2
When We Believe - NYGH Council Sec 3
At the Beginning - NYGH Council Sec 4
Wu Ding by Jay Chou and some woman (haha) - HCJC Wushu and climbing the rooftop

there's a whole bunch of others... but they're not triggered at the moment...

Poem that intrigued

Saw and heard this from a Channel News Asia advertisement.. will reveal more of its meaning shortly...

I saw a peacock with a fiery tail

I saw a blazing comet drop down hail

I saw a cloud with ivy circled round

I saw a sturdy oak creep on the ground

I saw a *pismire swallow up a whale *[ant]

I saw a raging sea brim full of ale

I saw a Venice glass sixteen foot deep

I saw a well full of men’s tears that weep

I saw their eyes all in a flame of fire

I saw a house as big as the moon and higher

I saw the sun even in the midst of night

I saw the man who saw this wondrous sight

‘A Person of Quality’, Westminster Drollery (1671)

To each his own...

In this century, most of us will find it normal that in so many aspects of our world, numbers make the difference... the numbers are the indicators for success, for winning, for being Number One in the family, the company, the economy, the country, the world...

which makes it amusing to see so much happening now on deciding which is the REAL way of tallying the medals won at the recent Olympics in Beijing...

There is of course, the reputation of being the world's largest and most powerful sporting country at stake.. but well see for yourself:

1) Gold Medal Won
This list ranks countries by the number of Gold Medals won, since the Gold Medal is indicative of being Champions in the sport. By this list, China leads hugely with a total of 51.

2) Total Medals Won
The USA ranks top in this list, coming in with a total of 110 to the 100 by China. This ranking is done in the USA.

3) Total Points Gained
The following is taken from an article on The Straits Times

The New Superpower, 25 Aug 08

"the US Olympic Committee, by paying US$25,000 (S$35,000) for a gold medal, US$15,000 for silver and US$10,000 for bronze, provides a fairer gauge: 25 points for gold, 15 for silver, 10 for bronze.

By that method, China have 1,870 points and the Americans 1,830."

4) the REAL Olympic medal tally
This tally does not include sports where the final results are entirely decided by referees and judging (e.g. diving, gymnastics, tae kwon do...) The final total medal tally puts US ahead of China 76 to 48.

5) Medals per capita
This takes total medals won divided by total national population and thus ranks US and China way back in the list.

I'm sure a further search on the internet will reveal more methods...
Now that the Games are over, the sports war is done...
Let the numbers game and statistics war begin...

Why I love my job

In 1 year of doing AIESEC full time, counting 1st July 2007 till 4 August 2008 (when I officially finish as per my service terms), I will have

Visited 9 countries

• Taipei, Kao Shiung, Tai Dong, Taiwan - July 07
• Istanbul, Capadokya, Turkey - August 07
• KL, Malaysia - October 07
• Skopje and Ohrid, Republic of Macedonia - February 08
• Sophia, Bulgaria - February 08
• Tokyo, Japan - March 08
• Guang Zhou, China - May 08
• Jakarta, Indonesia - June 08
• Next stop: Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam - July 08

9 moments of amazing conference experiences

• Chair, Taiwan SNCF 2007
• Delegate, International Congress 2007
• Facilitator, Singapore Jump Start! Induction Conference 07
• Facilitator, Asia Pacific HEROES Conference 07
• Facilitator, Singapore NLDS 2007
• Delegate, International Presidents Meeting 2008
• Facilitator, Asia Pacific Exchange Leadership Development Seminar 2008
• Chair, Asia Pacific EVOLVE Conference 2008
• Facilitator, Asia Pacific Member Committee Transition Camp 2008

Managed

• budgets that are in 5 figure amounts (SGD for some, Euros for some)
• projects that have impacted more than 2000 youths from Singapore and around Asia Pacific
• to attend enough company meetings and networking events to give away more than 150 of my name cards
• to build a network of friends from more than 103 countries and territories in the world
• to gain hands-on experience in project management, team management, budget management, external relations and marketing, PR, strategic planning and governance, coaching, website management and programming, talent management
  

Presented

• A 2 hour discussion on "Youth Opinion in South East Asia" to a room of 30 HR professionals from companies around Singapore
• Opening Address to a room of 40 youths and professionals at the "Business Leaders in ASEAN" Alumni Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia
• Opening speech at AIESEC Singapore Gala Dinner, attended by 120 members, alumni and partners
• Opening speech at EVOLVE Gala Dinner, graced by Mr. Baey Yam Keng, Minister of Parliament, and 100 other guests (members from Singapore and Asia Pacific, alumni and partners)
• As part of panelist in a press conference in Jakarta, Indonesia alongside Mr. Hermawan Kartaja (one of 50 World Marketing Gurus, President of World Marketing Association, 5 times co-author with Philip Kotler)

all this at the age of 23 and 24 years old... what more can one ask for? :)

Random

Am sitting here at Starbucks with 4 of my MC VP elects...

they're discussing their session for national planning...

and I'm sitting here feeling nolstagic, highly amused.. and well just reflective :)

Random post

You are the World

Completion, Good Reward.

The World is the final card of the Major Arcana, and as such represents saturnian energies, time, and completion.

The World card pictures a dancer in a Yoni (sometimes made of laurel leaves). The Yoni symbolizes the great Mother, the cervix through which everything is born, and also the doorway to the next life after death. It is indicative of a complete circle. Everything is finally coming together, successfully and at last. You will get that Ph.D. you've been working for years to complete, graduate at long last, marry after a long engagement, or finish that huge project. This card is not for little ends, but for big ones, important ones, ones that come with well earned cheers and acknowledgements. Your hard work, knowledge, wisdom, patience, etc, will absolutely pay-off; you've done everything right.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

The power of delegation...

Martial Arts Expert

Hail all moms in the world!

my latest love...

The Sony VAIO SZ433N
Click HERE for a 3D view...