-f.l.y-

Moved

2009-10-18T18:40:00.001+11:00

This Blog has moved to Wordpress for those of you who still read this blog.

Snippets of My Last Semester (2)

2009-09-08T21:32:00.005+10:00

Felt a bit weird to finally see my own blog after almost 2 months away in China, where blogs and Facebook are blocked. Might seem unthinkable for some to live without Facebook for such prolonged periods, but well, it wasn't all that difficult after all. It seemed eons ago since I concluded my last semester but I shall finish off what I had started in the previous post before I move on to life in China.

A surprise visit from someone for 4th April...Off to the Capital, Canberra for the Easter Break. The Casino felt more like some underground gambling den. -_-

And, the Final Accountants shot outside the Exam Venue. That's it. ..... . .

And finally some Post-Exam fun..

Snippets of my Last Semester (1)

2009-07-15T03:38:00.009+10:00

Welcome BBQ for S.A.M. Whopping success.

Go-Karting. I only came in 3rd for the Men's race. -_-"

Strawberry Farm. From an initial target of 24 to the eventual convoy of 10 cars. One of the biggest Roadtrip for S.A.M yet.

Commerce Ball 2009, Just had to go to a Ball before I graduate.

The Black Hole

2009-07-08T00:44:00.005+10:00

Almost 3 years ago, I stepped into Melbourne with only one thing in mind, "One Goal, One Dream". I had a point to prove, that I am better than what I had been, that the wasted years spent in mediocrity is no more than a blip in my life. The anticipation of a fresh start overwhelms any possible anxiety of what is to come in the years ahead.

And so, in the next 3 years, I was focused on the 'simple' task of achieving academic excellence, reminding myself constantly on how my mediocre past has resulted in my parents having to fork out A$22,000 for tuition fees annually instead of the S$5,000+ had I managed to squeeze into the Big 3 like most of my peers. I am the anomaly, and I made sure I remembered how painful that is. It never was easy to be stepping into any of the Big 3 to visit friends, seeing others having orientation camps, making new friends, knowing that I'm not part of the 'club' and it took time for me to get used to it.

Nonetheless, I stuck to my task and there are times when I mugged like there was no day and night. Once I had built up that sort of momentum, I felt like it could go on forever. And when and if I did fail to get HD for any unit, at least I know I can still hold my head high and say that I've given my best shot at it. To a large extent, I believe I have achieved that but I'll always be scarred by my 'P' in my testamur. And I'm not even talking about a strong P, 52 to be precise. I barely passed. To say that I was shocked when i saw the mark was an understatement, and after viewing my exam script, I had every reason to feel disgrunted and unjust about the result. I could have brought it up to the chief examiner that I should have at least gotten a Credit but weighing up the Cost-Benefit Analysis, I decided against that, in risk of straining relations with the lecturers. But this, I'll never forget.

And of course, there's S.A.M. Almost like my baby. The journey from the bottom of the hierarchy as a Gen. Comm. to the top of the ladder was indeed something to remember. The challenges were immense, to reverse declining interest and membership base, to resurrect the hopelessly hopeless SSAV and now VSSA (actually, it still is hopeless despite the 'revamp') just to name 2. But with the challenges also come with the unexpected perks of being involved in the Singapore Day in Melbourne and meeting celebrities at such close proximity during the Gala Dinner. As I step down from my position unofficially, whether or not I've done a good job is for others to judge, but I can't help but think that there's so much more that I could and should have done. That I remain disappointed that certain things did not turn out as I had hoped they would have.

So, you would think, with my decent grades, decent extra curricular activities and decent internships that things are pretty much on the right track. Well, if you had told me 3 years ago that I would come through with these 'achievements', I would have grabbed them with both hands (and legs). And then comes the now-infamous GFS which pretty much derailed everything and flushed everything down the toilet bowl. It's like the black hole, where I only see total darkness ahead of me. I sit here, in the comfort of my home in Singapore, wondering why am I sitting here, literally sitting and doing nothing and having nothing to do for the next 6 months. It's not just about finding an internship to fill the gap, it's about the purpose. Suddenly, after sprinting at break-neck speed for the past 3 years, you thought you had turned a corner, but like some of us would have heard this, I probably turned so many corners that all I've done is just turning in circles. I'm lost, literally. And after being out of this 'system' for 3 years, all I hope is for that one break, to show what I can do, to prove that I'm up to it. Just that one break.

-家-

2009-06-23T18:07:00.002+10:00

昆达士，

带我回家。

The End is Nigh

2009-06-05T15:02:00.002+10:00

1 Number, 3 Alphabets and 1 Grade Average.

-4-

-HDs-

-84%-

For this is what will separate Greatness and the not-so-great.
For this is what will define my 3 years of undergraduate studies.
For the fact that, after days and nights of toiling,
this is it
the time is now.

Dire state of Formula 1

2009-05-21T14:50:00.004+10:00

The recent turn of events at Formula 1 has certainly got the entire motorsport fraternity talking.

Background Story: In light of more teams finding it difficult to compete with marque names like Ferrari, McLaren Mercedes which have substantial financial backing, over the past year or so, FIA (Motorsport's governing body) had drawn up plans to reduce the spiralling costs of running a Formula 1 racing team including possible budget caps and more technical restrictions to limit spending. This process was sped up following the global financial crisis and the consequent withdrawal of the Honda Racing Team. Shortly, the FIA proposed a budget cap of $40million to be implemented next season. The F1 teams, in a rare sign of solidarity, had greed in principle and signalled their joint commitment to reduce costs but noting the difficulty of the task, more consultation with FIA was sought. The main difficulties being, major manufacturers like Ferrari, McLaren Mercedes and Renault, spend upwards of $300million annually in the development of the car, to reduce that figure by almost 80% within a year was simply unrealistic.

To make matters worse, the FIA then unilaterally implemented a 2-tier system to be in place for the 2010-11 season, which comprises of one with the budget cap of $40million but enjoy greater technical freedom and another, without the budget cap but severely limited by technical restrictions. This unilateral action from the FIA instantly drew widespread criticism from the major F1 teams, led by Ferrari, Toyota, Renault and Red Bull Racing. Their main concern was not of the budget cap, but the manner in which the FIA implemented this ruling without due consultation with the teams involved and that the 2-tier system will create greater confusion and an unlevel playing field where different teams on the grid are subject to different rules. The above-mentioned 4 teams have signalled their intent to withdraw from F1 should the FIA continue with their current plans with the 2-tier system with the deadline for registration for next season being May 29.

Alright, in a nutshell, that's been the story so far, as far as I understand of it.

While Ferrari had hardly been the most popular team amongst the purists for their "off-track antics", many of them have expressed their support of Ferrari on this issue. The rational followers of the sport would realise that the quit-threat of the teams, led by Ferrari, is not an act which placed personal interests above that of the sport. Of course, their financial muscle would have come to naught under the paltry $40million budget cap but that was not their case in point. As brought up by them, the 2-tier system is akin to saying: Manchester United is rich, hence you can only field 9 players. While Hull City is struggling financially and hence will be entitled to 12 players. (They used the Italian Serie A as example). How does that sound?

Formula 1 has always been regarded as the pinnacle of motorsport, where man and machine are pushed to the limits. Such is the speeds of Formula 1 cars that I remember a commentator once said, at almost 300km/h on the straights, these cars would have taken off if fitted with wings. It is not a sport for the faint-hearted, where 0.001s can decide a race. The push for technical innovation does not come cheap and there isn't a magic formula here. With greater financial backing, more money is available for more research, building more state-of-the-art wind tunnels, more track testing, and the list goes on. Never in mankind has research and development been cost-effective, if it was, we would still be taking steam ships across the pacific, much less race around state-of-the-art circuits at speeds of 300km/h. And it is because of such investment of resources that as well as that continual research and development that have culminated in the glitz and glamour of Formula 1 being the pinnacle of motorsports. With the imminent unilateral introduction of those sweeping plans, Formula 1 will never be the same again.

Ferrari, for one, since its birth, is synonymous with racing, and as they put it, "racing is in our DNA". And they are the only team which has been continuously involved in Formula 1 since its inception 60 years ago. Formula 1 is Ferrari. Ferrari is Formula 1. Exaggeration it may be, but it's no coincidence that the commercial rights holder of Formula 1 said, "Ferrari and Formula 1 is like a marriage made in heaven". No less. And it's easy to see why. The sea of red in the grandstands during the Grand Prix is testament to the worldwide adulation for the Scarlet Red cars from Maranello. With all due respect to the 'lesser' teams, it is a rarity to see Formula 1 fans donned in Red Bull Racing Polo Tees and caps, or even Force India for that matter. In fact, you hardly even see fans wearing Toyota or Renault's replica teamwear. Such is the support for Ferrari. On the other hand, several new teams have welcomed FIA's initiatives and have signalled their intent to enter Formula 1 next year and these teams being: Wirth Research, Lola, USF1 amongst others. LOLA? USF1? WIRTH RESEARCH? In my own analogy, it's like telling the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool that they can't spend and invest on good players, managers and training facilities, so that the Premier League can be more affordable and expanded to accomodate more Hull Citys, Burleys and Readings. Hardly inspiring as far as the Premier League's standards are concerned. And not to mention United and Liverpool are 'supposed' to play with only 9 players as compared to the Hull City's 12 on the pitch in a bid to 'level' the playing field between the rich and the poor.

Only a week before the May 29 deadline. Watch this space, or we wouldn't be watching Ferrari round Marina Bay next year.

-r.a.n.d.o.m-

2009-05-11T21:49:00.000+10:00

Extremely drained from my Advanced Financial Accounting test, but quietly confident that the late nights and consistency will reap its rewards despite some less-than-ideal revision for the test.

-M.S.N-

2009-04-27T01:11:00.003+10:00

On this day, on MSN:

Singapore Friends' Nicks:
-Friend A: Burning!!!!!!
-Friend B: Hothothot

Aussie Friends' Nicks:
-Friend C: hates the cold
-Friend D: Brrrrrr....
--z.h.i.w.e.n-: -f.r.e.e.z.e-m.e-

End-of-Holiday Report 5

2009-04-24T00:40:00.003+10:00

Italia continued. As we head into Florence from Rome, the difference between the 2 cities couldn't have been more striking. Gone are the historical ruins, and in comes the natural beauty and elegance of the "cradle of Renaissance". It is certainly not an overstatement to say that the city is so rich in art that it exudes that air of elegance almost effortlessly.

Taiwan's consulate at The Vatican. I shall repeat this. Taiwan is NOT a country. Period.
What's Italy without Ferrari Store?
Florence, ever so elegant.No Italian city is complete without The Duomo. I refuse to conform to what everyone loves to do, to pretend supporting the Leaning Tower. If anything, I would have have posed to push it further down. =X

End-of-Holiday Report 4

2009-04-18T16:56:00.004+10:00

With the increasing backlog of outstanding posts, I have decided to continue with my End of Holiday Reports before it gets forgotten. First stop, Rome. It turned out to be my favourite city, even ahead of the more 'romanticised' Venice. The sheer number of ruins and monuments in this city has left me in awe of the tremendous history of this once-great civilisation. It was difficult to find words to describe the feeling of standing within the Colossuem, for example, at the very spot that gladiators fought it out almost 2,000 years ago. You could almost hear the roar of the 50,000 strong crowd despite there being just skeletal remains of the structure now. It is almost unimaginable how the human race could conjure up such an architectural marvel at that age. My 2-day stop in Rome, despite sufficient to cover all the major attractions, left me with an somewhat unsatisfying 'after-taste'. I certainly look forward to visiting this great city again in the future, spending more time to soak in and appreciate the history behind this historic city.

12 hours aboard the SQ aging Boeing 777-200ERs, equipped with the older generation KrisWorld Inflight Entertainment System. Loved every minute onboard nonetheless, Still a Great Way to Fly..

This picture just doesn't seem to do the Colosseum enough justice.

Vatican Museum St. Peters Basilica

Black Sunday

2009-04-12T16:45:00.003+10:00

One by one, as they take their foot off the pedal, as they leave this world, the underlying message is clear. That, for their whole life, they have done their bit for this society, for themselves, for future generations. And now, the baton has been passed to us, to continue carrying this torch, not just to make a difference to all around us, but more importantly to be outstanding human beings.

That, I say surpasses everything else. As you close your eyes for the final time, what will people remember you as? As the CEO of a successful company? An immensely successful banker with Lamborghinis in your backyard? As a PPS Solitaire member of SIA? At the end of the day, it's the endearing qualities of oneself which will live on in people's hearts and minds.

Thank you for the memories, and have a good rest.

2009 Deloitte Commerce Ball

2009-04-10T21:48:00.007+10:00

To kick things off, I would have liked it better if it was "2009 KPMG Commerce Ball" instead. =P In what may well turn out to be my first and last Ball that I attend at Monash University, maybe I can consider this to be my Graduation Ball all the same. I've always wanted to attend a Ball over here, just to experience how Univeristy Balls are like, and how different are the Balls here as compared to the ones in Singapore.

True enough, it turned out to be very different from what I had come to expect. The Glam Factor certainly wasn't lacking, with the guys looking pretty much the same for everyone, while the ladies dressed to impress. Gone are the performances and host for the evening... and in comes the dancefloor and free-flow alcohol. It didn't take too long after the main was served that the music was blasted through the dinner hall and the people starting to flock to the dancefloor, partying away. From then on, the ball was effectively a massive club with 1,200 pax. The drinks counters at both ends of the hall busy dishing out tequilas..vodka limes.. and EXPIRED beer. I'm lucky I'm still alive here typing this. LoL. In any case, the combination of alcohol and dancefloor proved irresistable for many, with many presumable-couples already locked in cuddles and kissing like there's no tomorrow. 0_o I can safely say my table was arguably the most boring of the 100-or-so tables, merely cam-whoring away without the partying bit.

A "ferocious" pose by Saerom. Absolute Classic. Accountant 3 + Chris Ng.See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil?On the Red Carpet, literally.

A Fool on April's Fool

2009-04-02T00:13:00.005+11:00

It's only a matter of time before my body broke down, and today, that time has come. Ironically, the feverish headache, which I've long been accustomed to, is the least of my concern. It has been a lousy couple of days for me. Mornings have been a nightmare.

A few days ago...at 08:15am, Flinders Street train station,

"The 8:24am Pakenham train is delayed for approximately 2-3 mins"
.
.
"Pakenham train delayed for approximately 4-5 mins"
I was like, what?! wasn't it 2-3mins, 2-3mins ago? Never mind. I shall wait.
.
"Pakenham train delayed for approximately 6-7mins"
Great. Now you're annoying me, especially with rush-hour crowds building up on the platform.
.
Hmmm. No more announcements?
.
.
The train finally came, at 08:45am. A cool 21minutes late, on top of the 10-minute intervals in the morning rush-hour

Oh, did I mention that the train stopped for a few minutes on the track for-god-knows-what-reason before it even reached the first station? I would really like to express my sincere gratitude to Connex and the dilapidated train infrastructure of Melbourne for allowing me to 'skip' my 9am tutorial.

And today, Ooops! Connex did it again! But much better this time, only 8 minutes late. Well done, keep it up. But it's also thanks to Connex that I'll be receiving 2 free daily tickets due to their performance shortfall in March according to government regulations.

Facebook. A place supposedly for relaxation and fun. You stalk on people's lives, You Poke your friends, You play mindless/meaningless games. Yet, recent developments on Facebook, which were started by friends all in the name of harmless fun, peace and laughter, suddenly turned into utter embarrasment for me and eventually being subject to manipulative public statements.
For those of you who know, you would have known what's been on my Facebook recently. For those who don't, ignorance is a bliss.

And no, this is no April Fool's joke.

Food for Thought

2009-03-30T21:19:00.001+11:00

$500,000 pay for New Creation Church employee

THE New Creation Church, which made headlines for raising $19 million on one Sunday last month for its upcoming multi-million dollar building, pays good money to its staff too.

The independent church paid one employee between $500,001 and $550,000 in its last financial year, checks by The Straits Times showed.

The church did not confirm if the amount went to its leader, Senior Pastor Joseph Prince, but told The Straits Times that its policy is to 'recognise and reward key contributors to the church and Senior Pastor Prince is the main pillar of our church's growth and revenue'.

-Source: asiaone.com

Hmmm. I leave it to all of you to make your judgement call.

End-of-Holiday Report 3

2009-03-20T20:37:00.006+11:00

And now, my internship at HSBC Private Bank (Suisse) SA. The reason I entered the full name is that I'm still 'fascinated' and curious at why the Singapore office is 'merely' a Branch of the main holding company of HSBC Private Bank at Geneva, the branch is not even incorporated in Singapore. My attempts to find out the underlying reasons have been futile, and come the opportunity, I would love to find out about the kind of benefits this sort of structure brings to the group.

I am hugely blessed to have very kind and understanding colleagues at the department who have taught me a great deal and at times were very much like mentors to me, offering me insightful advice on wide-ranging issues. Undeniably, it was an honour to be the sole intern at HSBC from the CPA Australia Internship Program, but at the end of the day, it is what I can take away from my internship which will hopefully propel me that one step closer to getting into the profession and industry which has been severely battered in the past year. From Bankers to 'Banksters' (from the word Gangster), that just says it all.

On a lighter note, the internship was also an opportunity for me to catch up with my mates during the lunch break!

'New' logo, new Screensavers, part of the $10million rebranding exercise. Spot the difference....Stunning views, everyday.
Lunch Getaways
Farewell Lunch 1
Farewell lunch (again), and look where's that, -e.q.u.i.n.o.x-
So long, RSP FIN...

End-of-Holiday Report 2

2009-03-12T23:07:00.007+11:00

I don't even know why am I typing this. I'm freakin' tired and drained. And it's only goddamn Week 2. It's undoubtedly taking a toll on me but at least academically wise, I'm beginning to feel the part and slowly turning on the Study Mode. It's been nothing short of a whirlwind couple of weeks, with much of my life revolving around S.A.M. I've had enough of S.A.M in my real life, in this blogosphere, S.A.M shall be banned, at least for this entry.

So, what have I done in my 3 months plus in Singapore?

Meeting up with 4Ds was no mean feat. Everyone is incredibly busy, with work/academic/relationship commitments keeping meet-ups to just quick meals or those which do not see the light of day. The 3 poor buddies had to resort to meeting past midnight just to catch a glimpse of each other, not to mention that I had to wait until January before I see Chua Thiam Hao.

And meeting up with SR peeps was not much better either, with both occasions ending up being at PLU. One positive note however, I picked up the game called UNO. -_-" Sad Childhood, I hear you say.

End-of-Holiday Report 1

2009-03-06T14:30:00.007+11:00

Darn. I'm already back in Melbourne. And much to the disappointment of a lot of you out there, I haven't been burnt alive yet. On the contrary, weather's been rather chilly and rainy since I'm back and my knee's hurting. After almost 4 months of break, it is perhaps of no surprise that I'm still in the process of getting back into the groove of studying amidst some massive decisions to be made over the coming weeks regarding the short-to-medium term future. It will be a very busy semester ahead, I can foresee. Not so much in the academic sense, that will take care of itself, as well the results. But more of what is going to happen in the months after June.

Since my return, I've been pretty much occupied with S.A.M matters and it is to my disappointment that our efforts have not yielded the desired results, not yet anyway. It is demoralising, but I'm the last person who should be displaying such disappointment, for such emotions are contagious, and I'll still need the team to be fired up for the coming semester.

For the first time, I flew Qantas back to Melbourne and out goes SQ227/237, in comes QF10. While a lot of you have expressed surprise of my choice of flight, it is of no surprise to me and it certainly wasn't difficult for me to choose Qantas ahead of Singapore Airlines when the price is of such: Qantas - $1,120; SIA - $1,680. Thats a whopping $560, or close to 150% of Qantas' fare. Even in the most rosy of economic circumstances, that's just extortion. So, it was with great anticipation that I look forward to observing just how SIA feel they could justify charging passengers $560 more for a 7hr flight.

The Qantas Boeing 747-400 was visibly aged, even more so than the already-aged SIA Boeing747s. It was clear from the designs of the overhead bulkheads and storage bins that this is of an older variant as compared to the SIA ones. The seats and leg-room wise, wasn't too bad, comparable to the SIA 747s, but obviously pales in comparison to the 777-300ERs. However, it wasn't too long before I start noticing where the $560 come from. Gone are the warm towels to freshen up before departure. The initial refreshment/beverage offering, shortly after take-off, SIA would have a variety of drinks available, while Qantas only provided bottled Mineral Water. Perhaps the most startling difference is the Inflight Entertainment System (IFE). The IFE suffered glitches during its inbound flight from London and the problems continued, resulting in the Inflight Service Manager having to reboot the entire aircraft's IFE twice, after the initial attempt failed to resolve the glitch. That's an hour without any sort of entertainment. No big deal actually, but the differences in the quality of service is certainly starting to surface. The number of movies on offer were pathetic to say the least. -_- Now, that's the hardware.

Software. The thing I've always felt about SIA's service is that, it's impeccable alright, but everything's just where and how it should be, resulting in the lack of personal touch from the attendants, generally speaking. The Qantas service was evidently more spontaneous. While some attendants were obviously poor, there was one which showed incredible frenliness that you would not encounter on SIA. You could really tell that it was service straight from the heart, and not because that was what they had to do, in compliance with company policy.

Dinner was pretty alright actually but the portion and presentation was definitely not to the standard of SIA. No desserts or fruits but the 'main course' tasted pretty ok. One interesting thing to note, even the Coke can that was given to me, was the mini-can, and not the usual full sized ones given by SIA.

Breakfast was actually better than SIA. I loved the croissant much more than the muffins in SIA flights but some overnight SIA flights do offer Omelette with sausages, a real warm breakfast, something which Qantas did not have though.

Arrival in Melbourne, and The World's Local Bank is there to welcome me back. Haha.

In conclusion, you get what you pay for. No online check-in, no choosing of seats online, aged aircrafts, mediocre IFE, average food. But for $560 less, I'll happily grab it. I'm on the Qantas A380 via Sydney for the return leg, let's see how it compares with the SIA A380. =)

'Mid-Holiday' Report

2008-12-31T22:12:00.004+11:00

It's one and a half months since I'm back, so what have I been doing? Or rather, have I spent the time wisely enough to have added value to my life over the past 6/7 weeks? Some random thoughts. . .

This recession may have hit a lot of people hard but it's probably a good thing that has happened to my generation. I agree with an article I read some time ago that this global economic slowdown will 'offer' people from my generation a 'taste' of some real adversity. We were still too young to feel the pinch during the Asian Financial Crisis during 97-98 and the dot-com bust at the turn of the century. For those of us who have started work, much as people our age do not face the threat of retrenchment as much as others do, many would have felt the effects of shrinking bonuses and paychecks. It is a timely reminder that good times like the previous 5 years should never be taken for granted. All the latest trends in clothes, handphones and what not with attractive discounts that swamp the market nowadays serves up great temptations to look the part or otherwise be known as weird. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (I've decided not to continue writing more on this)

Facebook, or Book-keeping as I call it. It's a very interesting phenomenon. it wasn't too long ago (or maybe it was) when Friendster was the order of the day. FB has a much more interactive interface with the ability to publish your moods (Andrew Leung is feeling blablabla now....), to poke people (Erm?), to be tagged in photos..to play all kinds of games which I didnt even bother to have a look at and much more. It's a place for the high-profile people to attract more attention and get even more high profile. I kind of noticed it's always pretty much the same people who keep changing their status, uploading new photos and have long lists of comments. Actually I still dont understand why people like to publish their emotions. "Andrew Leung is feeling sad now..." Am I already implicitly telling everyone to come comfort me? or "Andrew Leung is feeling f**ked up and furious now....." Erm, so? Oh well.

Rare Update

2008-12-31T02:40:00.003+11:00

At the end of the day, in life, just like in Finance, having a strong 'Balance Sheet' is all that matters.
Accounting profits count for nothing if you don't have the cash/cash flows to survive. In all the cash outlay in life, how much of it actually adds to the Asset base in a person's 'Balance Sheet'? Or are most of them simply expensed off in the pursuit of the latest phones and gadgets.

-g.o.o.d-

2008-12-17T03:06:00.001+11:00

When being good is just simply, not good enough.

-d.o.n.t-b.o.t.h.e.r-

2008-12-05T03:11:00.004+11:00

Before more people mis-understand, I'll get this straight. LoL. The comment about "greener grass" was not meant to refer to myself. Period. And McGriddles, you should know better who it refers to.

Internship is starting in a few days and I don't feel a bit excited at all, and I don't know why. In fact, I havent been interested in anything at all since I came back. (Except seeing the brand new A4s on the road, Wow.) Just enjoying my time in my cave. I would have thought that, after a semester in which i'm supposed to be pushing my own boundaries and venturing into uncharted territories, I would become even more active. But instead it has gone the other way round. Maybe that's why. I'm tired.

Or maybe it's the recession. Adding to the sense of pessimism, that all's not well. Recession? Ooh. Tell that to the hoards of people queueing outside Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Coach just now. I congratulate them, for they are doing their part to help support the retail industry and stimulate the otherwise sluggish Singapore economy.

Or maybe it's because I'm still floating around, when I would rather be anchored to the dock.

Breadtalk in China

Change? What Change?

2008-11-20T16:16:00.010+11:00

So, what -c.h.a.n.g.e- have we seen?

From Bloomberg and FT,
"Asian stocks slump, Extending Global Rout, as Exports Fall; Nintendo Drops"
"Japan Exports Fall the most in Six Years as Global Recession Intensifies"
"US consumer prices fall 1% in October"

Not much, it seems. Of course, anyone who thinks and hopes that Barack Obama is the messiah for the current economic doom and gloom is obviously "out of touch".

It was interesting, to see at first hand, the -c.h.a.n.g.e- China has undergone. Sure, we've heard and read lots about how China has driven the World economy for the past decade and the worsening income disparity, supported with isolated reports of dissent among farmers and peasants in the rural regions. With the severe bias against China, it is often difficult to fully understand objectively just what exactly is the situation like. Since my return, my parents have been trumpeting how impressed they were with Beijing from their trip there. Not just with the Bird Nests, Water Cubes and the National Grand Theatre but also how much more organised the city has become since their previous visit. In short, it is difficult not to feel proud about China's achievements within such a short period since economic reforms in 1978.

And perhaps aptly, the glowing reviews of Beijing has served to highlight the severity of China's rich-poor gap even more following my short trip to GuangZhou. While this is already my Nth visit to GZ, this trip has undoubtedly left me with experiences and insights like never before. As I walked into GZ's top hospital, I know I can't expect the standards of Gleneagles, Mt. Elizabeth or SGH but what I was about the witness, was simply, "wow" (in a negative way). The main lobby was inadequately lit with crowds queuing at the registration counter that you would only associate with the Great Singapore Sale. Next, and perhaps something I enjoyed most. Waiting and getting into the lift. Obviously there's no such thing as waiting for people to come out first before entering the lift, and even then, the rush into the lift was as if there was a Gold Bar in the lift. So what do I do? Adapt and Play. As the lift door opens, I've learnt to make my presence "bigger" and holding my ground when shoved, Just like how you would defend a ball during a soccer match. LoL. It was great fun. Right that's beside the point.

Walking from the lift lobby to the hospital wards was interesting in its own right. Being amazed at how people can blatantly smoke right there with 'No Smoking' signs plastered all over and the wards just steps away. The wards, both the main corridors were full of the beds against one side. The patients simply recuperating and having their drips with relatives next to them, in the corridor. The environment was anything but conducive for recuperation. For those who are fortunate enough to get a room, (and mind you, you aren't getting a room even if you have the cash to splash. They simply did not have any vacant space), the space and comfort over at Tekong is far superior to those that Sun Yat-Sen University 1st Affiliated Hospital. I can only say that the conditions are simply appalling.

But that's not even appalling enough compared to what I am to encounter. Patients fresh from surgery are wheeled from the operating theatre onto a ROAD for a short distance OUTDOORS before reaching the main building. It's a ROAD, within the hospital vicinity, where there are throngs of people walking.. with the occasion car passing by and a CONSTRUCTION SITE right next to it. A patient just out from surgery being transferred in open space next to a construction site. You draw your own conclusions. And this is the top hospital in GZ with arguably the best medical expertise in the Pearl Delta Region except HKG. Admittedly, the current location of the operating theatres is temporary pending the completion of the new surgical building but this arrangement is simply unacceptable. I was made known that this is an isolated situation and that other hospitals do have proper exclusive access for patients heading to and from surgery but there simply isn't any excuse.

Now look back and think of the grandeur of the Bird Nest, Water Cube.. National Grand Theatre. For all that money, to put up that facade to showcase to the world that China is the next superpower. It is. It will be. But at what cost? It is, saddening to say the least to see for myself, just how inadequate the healthcare is in China and the alarming lack of new direction and revamp to improve the situation. GZ is currently building two skyscrapers which will rival the tallest buildings in the world upon completion, and everytime I look at the scaffoldings of those buildings, I wonder, If only those money had been directed to more practical purposes. If only.

And as if I haven't whined enough. I'm not done yet. I used to say, Guys are bastards, as much as girls are bitches, and sadly, I've always hoped to be proved wrong but save for a few anomalies, I've yet to see anything to suggest otherwise. In fact, guys are scumbags, and fine, include me in that. And part of the reason for the continued existence of scumbags, are the increasing number of the female species who are willing to be bitches so that there are scumbags. You see, Birds of the same feathers flock together. But boy am I glad that BanGanG epitomizes how not to be a Scumbag.

Some things never change... but some things do. For almost 104 months, I've only ever known one person who can make my heart rise and sink as much and as fast as the stock indices do these days. (yes, I'm hopeless) But cruel as it may be. Time waits for no one. While I've stood my ground, it has become increasingly clear that the grass is indeed very green outside, and the worse thing is, it just gets greener and greener. As one of my friend told me some time ago, "Wah, Good luck man". Yeah. I need it.

I suppose many of you who still read this post must have been sick and tired of the endless aircraft photos but... here's more! =X

The system failure at Changi Airport resulting in queues never seen before at Changi. Kudos to the SQ ground staff however, for their calm and measured approach in handling the scores of passengers flooding them with queries and with the manual check-in procedures.

Old-School SQ Cabin, a far cry from the 777-300ERs for my MEL-SIN.Touching down after a short 4-hr hop..And Back Home at Changi T3..

And for those who might have taken offence with some of my comments, just take it that I'm just rambling off mindlessly and take it with a pinch of salt, 'cos literally, I nearly did my head, a nasty knock that had blood trickling down. But hey, I still conjured up with THE LONGEST post ever, since this blog's inception.

-h.o.m.e-

2008-11-13T19:41:00.006+11:00

As the GE90-115B engines powered the 777-300ER down the runway, the thought that I'm finally going home.. is so surreal. And who better to bring me home, than Singapore Airlines. Just hearing the Singaporean accents of the Captain and the flight attendants in itself already gave me a good 'preview' of being -h.o.m.e-...........

9V-SWS! Singapore Airlines' NEWEST Aircraft! (9V-SWT is still stuck in Boeing Factory due to the recent mechanics' strike)My Supper. =D
Brekky was the exact same thing as my last flight......

U.S. Elections 'Live' Updates

2008-11-05T12:29:00.004+11:00

As the U.S. election results start trickling in...here's how the candidates are faring in the Battleground States.

Florida (27 Electoral Votes) - 48% reporting
Obama - 52%
McCain - 48%

North Carolina (15 Electoral Votes) - 37% reporting
Obama - 52%
McCain - 48%

Ohio (20 Electoral Votes) - 7% reporting
Obama - 57%
McCain - 42%

Indiana (11 Electoral Votes) - 63% reporting
McCain - 51%
Obama - 48%

Missouri (11 Electoral Votes) - 10% reporting
McCain - 55%
Obama - 43%

With Obama leading in 3 of the biggest Battleground states, and especially Florida which is a must-win for McCain, does it seem like Obama already has one foot in the White House?

-人。生。如。此 -

2008-11-04T12:43:00.002+11:00

被人误会，

只要对得起自己，

无所谓。

-SQ218, 带我回家-

-c.h.u.i-

2008-11-01T20:59:00.005+11:00

So, 3 down 1 to go, and here I am, blogging and you-tubing away while I 'wait' for my last paper in 11 days. What a write-off this semester has been academically. -_- Forget it. I'm just looking forward to KrisWorld: Dark Knight, Mamma Mia, Wall-E.. Time to catch up on some of the movies that I've missed out. =)

Melbourne Marathon 2008

'Post-Exam'

非一般的友情

2008-10-25T09:58:00.006+11:00

"我怀念的，是无话不说
我怀念的，是一起做梦“

我记得那年生日…

没有华丽的装饰，没有贵重的礼物，没有点着蜡烛的一片chicago cheesecake (我们还异口同声地问为什么不是 New York 的)。

你们唱着最难听的生日歌，还逼我装出吹蜡烛的表情，没有蛋糕、甚至还吝啬到要用$10 voucher 跑到老远的 Tong Shui Café。

我，只能觉得又好气又好笑。

因为只有在熟人面前，我们才会表露出最真实的自己；
因为只有在熟人面前，我们不会计较这些身外之物；
因为只有在熟人面前，三个二十多岁的大孩子才会像小孩子般玩闹，却又讨论一些很大人的课题。

当人们看见我的悲伤，你们却看见了我悲伤里的呻吟；
当人们看见我的成熟，你们却看见了我成熟中的淘气；
当人们都以为我很坚强，只有你们看得出我在逞强…

那突如其来的电话，从远方传来的问候；
即使长途电话有多昂贵，即使 reception 有多差；
那句句都在损我，字里行间却流露出的关心；
那在我最需要安慰，及时给予的鼓励；

我感动了。
哭了。

哭，并不是因为承受不了现在所要面对的；
而是因为在我人生的道路上，有两个知心的朋友。

这样，真的真的，已经足够了。

11月11日；30天。
1月 8日；88天。

我们会一直无话不说；
我们会继续一起做梦。

人生的际遇千百种，但有知心长相重。人愿长久，水愿长流。"

-嫦姐， 10月 12日，Facebook.
_________________________________________________________

友情的珍贵，我感觉得到。
11月 11日，嫦姐，我们相会在新加坡。
1月 8日，豪弟，我们等着你。

Bloody Idiots

2008-10-18T00:32:00.002+11:00

The few brats behind me couldn't stop sprouting vulgarities.

The carriage was strewn with empty beer bottles, newspapers and graffiti.

The air smelt of alcohol and smoke.

Another group of brats took the liberty to smash their bottles on the platform after alighting at the station with no regards or whatsoever to the hoards of waiting passengers at the vicinity.

Welcome to Melbourne's train network on a Friday night. Give me SMRT, anytime.

Singapore Day 2008. It's -m.a.s.s.i.v.e-2-

2008-10-10T12:47:00.010+11:00

And while everyone's still suffering from withdrawal syndromes after the eventful weekend, here's the 2nd and 3rd part of the Singapore Day extravagenza. The Gala Dinner was certainly up there in terms of the Glam Factor and in fact made the actual SG Day feel like it's just the prelude to the Gala Dinner at night. Then again, both events are fun in their own right, the former, being free and easy, queueing for food.. and the latter, a totally different experience altogether, having spent most of the night interacting with distinguished guests of the night. As the only 'kids' there, we certainly feel young, very young.......

The stage is set.

We just had to grab that photo with the DPM after missing out earlier in the lunch session.. Haha
Mr Goh Kok Wee from the High Commission
Tan Kheng Hua shedding her Margaret Phua costume to take on the Emcee for the night Gurmit was off-duty for the night after wowing the crowd earlier in the day with the PCK family
The One, that most of the girls were after. And I struggled to match his height!
Our Asian Idol Hady Mirza
Dick Lee, after performing his redition of the masterpiece, Home. Daphne Khoo
There couldn't be a more fitting person to perform a more fitting song to end the night.

The Dessert for the night.. exquisitely done by the Executive Chefs from Mandarin Oriental

And off to the After-Party!

Singapore Day 2008. It's -m.a.s.s.i.v.e-1-

2008-10-06T22:18:00.015+11:00

What a Weekend. I finally have the time to breathe after what turned out to be a whirlwind 4-5 days.. The experience from which, one that I'll never forget for the rest of my life. Like what I told some people, I am extremely fortunate to be the President during this term when the Singapore Day is to be held in Melbourne, setting the perfect platform for us to work with the Government agencies such as the Overseas Singaporean Unit, High Commission and Contact Singapore. It also provided for the opportunity for the Big 4 Universities here in Melbourne to collaborate and jointly hold our inaugural event, the Singapore Day After-Party, to be held in conjunction with the main Singapore Day event.

As one of the student leaders, it was also an immense privilege to be part of the small group lunch session with DPM Wong Kan Seng and MP Teo Ser Luck, allowing everyone of us to interact at close proximity with the 2 guests of honour for this mega event.. Not to mention, get to savour the local delights at our own time and comfort without the massive queues outside.. =X Pity we didn't take any pictures during that session, guess everyone was just too uptight to take out the camera and ask for a picture with the DPM.

Right after the day event was the Gala Dinner held at the Melbourne Town Hall for the 500 or so invited guests. It was all glitz and glam with VIPs such as the DPM, MediaCorp CEO Lucas Chow, Permanent Secretary for High Commission in Australia, local dignitaries and numerous celebrities who made the journey down under to entertain us with that few hours of fun and laughter. To rub shoulders and interact with all these distinguished guests is certainly an experience to behold and of course, us being students, we found ample time to cam-whore in this the star-studded evening..LoL.

Before I could even take in all the excitement of being involved in this Gala dinner, it was time to rush home and prepare for the After-party that we put so much effort into organising. And let our hair down we sure did! It was a relief that the party turned out to be a rousing success after a sluggish start in the ticket sales. Singaporeans. When will they ever shake off that last-minute-then-decide thinking. =D

All in all, I can only say that I have run out of superlatives to describe how much a success this whole event has been. From the conception of this SG Day idea to the minute details in the signs.. the goodies.. it's just been too good to be true. A big Thank you to the Singapore Government, OSU and the various agencies for organising this Singapore Day 2008 @ Melbourne. Until next time, Good Day Mate~

Just some of those nostalgic items in the Goodie Bags. A pleasant departure from the usual stuff like note pads and pens..
In true-blue Singaporean fashion, long queues were already formed way before the gates were even due to open. And it's a good thing they did. 11,000 people turned out at the event, more than double the original estimate of 5,000.. Many of my non-Singaporean friends were rejected registration due to this overwhelming response.
The DPM meeting the public shortly before the lunch session, and the ever-so-suave MediaCorp CEO, Mr Lucas Chow.Just some of the local delights at the event, courtesy of Food Republic, somehow the waiting appear to be materially misstated... -_- And yes, everything is -f.r.e.e-
Even the display signs are made to look exactly like those back home..PCK's appearance was certainly the main draw for the day..
And there's Hardy Mirza, Dick Lee and Daphne Khoo as well..Not to forget Tay Ping Hui too..

-w.a.d-t.h.e-

2008-10-01T11:04:00.004+10:00

Honestly, I'm still seething. Maybe I'll ring my parents just to perk me up for the day, 'cos for one, I know they will listen to me, listen to my whining as much as I'll listen to theirs. They will offer me advice and "preach life principles" while I ask them to take more chill pills. Not everyone gives a s**t seriously. The human species is awfully practical, only talking to you when they need you in one way or another. Good luck to you when you need them and you are merely surplus to requirements when they have ample friends to be kept entertained with. And not everyone who ought to understand this will understand it.

Singapore Day 2008

2008-09-29T02:11:00.007+10:00

Singapore Day 2008 right here in Melbourne in 6 days' time. It's hard not to be looking forward to this Mega-event. I first heard of this event coming to Melbourne months ago when the organisers asked us, the Singapore Student bodies for ideas and the people we would like to see. But in no way was i expecting the kind of scale that we'll be seeing. While the guys will be disappointed to know that the likes of Fiona Xie and the 七公主 will not be appearing down under, the scale is still staggering:

-Performances by: Phua Chu Kang, Dick Lee and Hardy Mirza
-Authentic hawker food air-flown from Singapore. They really literally flew the stalls here to Melbourne. 0_0 Latest I've heard is that, even the Chilli Crab will be making an appearance here.
-Food stations have been named: Clarke Quay, Newton Circus, Rochestor Park and Dempsey Hill.
-Exhibtions: Tanglin, Buona Vista, City Hall and Marina Bay
-Artiste Performances: Fort Canning

The Singapore Government is really pulling out all stops to bring a taste of Singapore to the 8,000+ people who have already signed up for the event. And on my part, the Singapore Day weekend is event-packed with multiple meet-up and dinner sessions with DPM Wong Kan Seng and the organisers. And i've got an Assignment due the Monday right after Sg Day. Great timing! -_-

-w.h.i.n.e-

2008-09-21T18:44:00.006+10:00

"It's the wkend! wad r u doing online??" Hmm. Good question. Someone's out to watch Wall-E, cousins out to the Royal Melbourne Show. Well, I did go out. To get my haircut. I was supposed to go out again, for my 9.4km run today to train for the 10km Melbourne Marathon. Then again, the laziness in me got the better of me this time. Tomorrow perhaps. What an interesting weekend.

You know, sometimes I've been whining so much this semester that even I get sick and tired of hearing myself whine. Yet, somehow or rather, every morning as I wake up to a new day, there would always be something to make matters worse. Friends, School Work, S.A.M. If I could, I would continue to curse and swear at each of them.

Friends, or "Friends", you think you can consider certain human beings to be your "Friends". I thought I could. It's Ok. That's life, That's reality. Maybe sometimes I really try too hard to be nice to "Friends" who simply don't deserve me trying so hard.

School Work. I pride myself and my grades upon being able to gain a thorough understanding of concepts and my "Whys" and "What Ifs" over the years have always managed to get tutors dumbfounded and reply "I'll get back to you". Chances are, they don't usually get back to me. But then again, that's not the point. My rapport with tutors and lecturers have always been good and that has been an integral reason as to how I can enjoy studying and learn for the sake of learning. No wonder I've not been able to derive any joy or passion in my studying this semester, even though 3 of 4 units that I'm taking are Finance units. (And I just realised that actually over the years, my best grades came from Finance units). The tutors are either nonchalant about our learning or their "explanations" go round and round without answering my question, and some of the lecturers, well, they are more concerned with us not disturbing them. One of the tutors actually thought my friend and I were "trying to pick a fight". That's just absurd, to be accused of, or misunderstood as wanting to pick a fight, when I was genuinely seeking knowledge did affected me a bit. Fine, I shall stop whining and move on.

Milo Dinosaur @ "MyCube" - Melbourne's answer to Settler's Cafe, and not surprisingly, opened by a Singaporean.
Hot Chocolates don't come any better than this. You will never want to drink any other Hot Chocolate after you've tasted the legendary KoKo Black.

-忍-

2008-09-16T02:10:00.002+10:00

忍, Yup. That's all I can do, and That's exactly what I will do.

I intentionally separated these 3 Bali photos from the rest. Isn't the setting simply something that you would dream of. . . Dinner overlooking sunset at the beach with The One, strolling along against the backdrop of the glowing sun..

Someday. . . .

-%.$.#.@.!.$.%.&.*-

2008-09-13T12:11:00.004+10:00

Since I don't really feel like talking, perhaps I shall post some overdue Bali photos from my June vacation, which exceeded my expectations on all fronts.

-g.i.v.e-m.e-a-r.e.a.s.o.n-t.o-s.m.i.l.e-

2008-09-12T02:44:00.003+10:00

Trying times. Extremely exhausted. I don't even feel like blogging about it. But seriously, with the turn of events of late, it's really impossible to find a reason to smile. Then again, I don't need to whine for all to see. Today's been another of those forgettable days, but at least there was the phone call from the Singapore to brighten things up.

Seeing Cathay Pacific at the International Careers Fair in campus was certainly a huge surprise. The person at the counter was a little surprised at how much I knew of CX. Oh well. Flying a Cathay Pacific B777-300ER. What a dream come true that would be. But no, that, unfortunately, due to practicality issues, will remain as it is, a dream.

Finally Someone Says Something

2008-09-02T18:35:00.002+10:00

From Straits Times Online, "Uni orientations too naughty?" "During one of the games, she was made to do a forfeit where the 'girls had to lie down and the guys had to do push-ups over them', she said. Ms Lee, 19, declined to comply - she felt the act was lewd."

I've always felt many of the games and activities in the SG Uni Orientations are over-the-line and totally unnecessary which serves no purpose. And I'm delighted that someone's standing up to it and said NO. Time for some action to be taken perhaps?

-c.r.a.p-

2008-08-31T01:38:00.002+10:00

Some random rambles.. GengHui once said, "It's lonely at the top". Well, Maybe it really is. But actually, from another point of view, it's lonely Down Under. But no matter what, Change is what I know I need.

Change in order to live up to the role.
Change in order to balance delicate friendships and work at the club.
Change in order to balance my studies and the Club.
Change in order to focus.
Change in order to play the Waiting Game.
Change, to be a better individual.
This is, Change that I can Believe in.
Yes I Can, I Have To.

I, too have a dream, but whether I get to live the dream, is beyond me.

Update

2008-08-29T21:47:00.004+10:00

Decided to post an entry to inject some life into this otherwise stale blog. One year ago, I remember asking the President of S.A.M, so how's everything since taking over? "Overwhelming". I could never fully appreciate how overwhelming it could be until Now. In fact, Overwhelming feels like an Understatement. The weight of responsibility to see that everything is run smoothly while handling delicate relationships is tremendous, yet something I relish.

It's hard to comprehend how it is already Week 7 now and I'm REALLY struggling with some of the work that I've got in hand. Nothing much has happened in the preceding weeks except playing catch up, Never have I had to backdate so many tutorials before and this certainly doesn't bode well for the exams. Looking at the amount of activity (Or should i say, inactivity) around Blogs and Facebook of late, I suppose everyone's just getting on with their lives... and it's pretty much the same here down under. Haven't really gone out except for the SAM outings or events and I dont foresee a significant departure from this trend in the near future.

-The Waiting Game-

Happy Birthday Singapore

2008-08-10T00:08:00.006+10:00

Been a rather eventful few days. I'm finally using a new laptop. Yes. Good Riddance to Hewlett Packard. My screen went Pink the first time I switched it on back in Melbourne. Yes, P.I.N.K. For all you ladies who love nothing but Pink, you would love my screen. And guess what, It's going to cost almost AUD700 to replace it. $_$ Enough is Enough. . . So here I am, with my new Toshiba Satellite. I would have wanted a Lenovo but there're hardly any models being sold here. So Toshiba it is then, albeit its glossy keypad being a dumb design.

"The most spectacular Opening Ceremony in Olympic history. . ." -Herald Sun. 'Nuff said. An opening of scale and grandeur has aboslutely no equals and probably never will. Mr Spielberg, are you watching this?

Attended the combined NDP celebration held by the 3 main Universities here in Melbourne and for the first time in eons, I watched a National Day Parade. It's somewhat inevitable to make comparisons with the Olympics opening last night but obviously, that's a non-starter. In any case, what a surprise when I saw MWO Shamsudin (Not sure if this is his rank now) being the Parade RSM. If my memory serves me right, he was my Sergeant Major back in my good ol' days in SISPEC. Seeing the Armed forces again in the camouflage uniforms with the SAR21.. The commands... Certainly brings back the memories of my NS days.. Terry asked me an interesting question, "Do you feel that sense of pride or sense of belonging when you watch NDPs?" Hmmmm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . I would put that in a similar context to how I answer questions like "Where are you from?", "I'm from Singapore but I was born in Hong Kong". But undoubtedly, Singapore is my home, that's where my family is. That's where I made my best friends from and that was where I met a certain Badminton player. Then again, to put things in another context, I'm sure it's the same case that even when you place a Singaporean in an overseas setting for prolonged periods, no matter how much that individual loves that foreign country, he/she will never forget his/her roots lie in Singapore.. .. Will probably blog a lot more about it if I wasn't as tired as I am now. To wrap up this post, just a sign of how small a world this is, look at who I met just now at the NDP gathering. . .

Tan DengZhi! (Hope i got his Surname right!)

Live Online Streaming was pretty smooth except for the occasional lags. I miss Home. . . . . .
Daphne Khoo as one of the hosts..

Let the Games Begin

2008-08-08T19:53:00.002+10:00

Never in recent memory has there been so much attention towards the Olympic Games. After all the controversy, from Tibet to the infamous smog, and even the recent terrorist attacks, the time has come. 8:08pm on 08/08/2008. There's certainly a point to prove and I'm eagerly anticipating the showcasing of one of the most stunning Olympics opening ceremonies in recent years.

-One World, One Dream-

Long awaited SRJC Visit

2008-07-26T13:48:00.004+10:00

It's been a while since I visited SR.. a couple of years to say the least? It's always a mixed feeling.. Going Back. On one hand, it reminds me of how badly i did during my 'O' Levels to end up at SR, and those 5-day training weeks for Soccer.. yet on the other hand, I'm grateful to have had great teachers who have helped me grow during the 2 years at the college, in particular, Mr Chacko, Mdm Ainon and Papa Teng. It's a pity that Mdm Ainon has transferred to NYJC though. While this certainly wouldn't be my last time visiting the school, the imminent departure of my CT would reduce the significance of such visits considerably.

The College itself has undergone several infrastructural changes since the last time I saw it and boy, it's about time. Under the stewardship of this new Principal, there have apparently been sweeping changes to the school and the administration in a bid to drag SR up the rankings. Well, having studied there myself, it's going to be an uphill task. Nonetheless, amidst all the construction and renovation, it's comforting to see that the "legacy" of the Class of 2003 remains...

Typical scene in my lectures.. Enjoying myself in dreamland..The only thing lacking is a soccer ball.. . ...

Sayonara Singapore

2008-07-18T13:55:00.005+10:00

In a blink of an eye, my one month in Singapore is now drawing to a close.. In 4 hours' time, SQ227 will be departing from the gates of the Terminal 3. It's been a.... Interesting? holidays I must say. In many ways it felt rather different from my previous vacations. Quite a lot of things went through my mind, especially with the change in mindset over some issues over the course of the previous few months away. Much as I don't agree with certain values/beliefs/trends that are prevalent in the society today, that's just the way it is. Get on with it. I shall not elaborate on it due to the potentially sensitive issues that I might raise, but a couple of you may understand what I'm hitting at.

It's inevitable that I find myself asking myself, with the benefit of hindsight and given the choice, would I still choose overseas studies or local Big-3? Even till now, I can't really say. Both have its merits and drawbacks. The obvious downside being missing out on everything that's happening back home. It's easy to overlook what we could miss out on as most of these things are really things which you would take for granted. Simple little things like being able to walk to Parkway Parade in Tshirt, Berms and Slippers.. spending time with Family... taking a walk at ECP in the wee hours and soaking in the breeze and sounds of the tides...Obviously, one shouldn't keep thinking of the "what ifs" and "what nots" and I am making the effort to make the most out of my overseas experience. But perhaps more significantly is that, realising what I'm missing out on makes me treasure and cherish these moments even more. And this is something which can be overlooked very easily if I'm too caught up in the rat race in Singapore. 所谓，当局者迷，旁观者清。

On a side note, saw a prominent article in the Sports section in 联合早报 a couple of days ago that this year-end marks the graduation of the final batch of Sports Class students in AHS, drawing to a close the 14-year programme which I believe was initiated by our dear Mr Moo. On one hand, I was a little saddened by the news as this programme had served as a major differentiating factor from the other competing schools and that it had effectively formed part of a tradition of AHS. And I'm sure the Sports Class students will feel even more so as I do believe this programme had enabled the Sports players to forge a close bond with one another.

But the local sporting scene had changed much since 1994 and the days when we were still in 圣中. Back in those days, while we only had 3 main sports, Badminton, Table-tennis and Basketball, we were regular medal-winners in the East Zone. Getting 4th place would be considered a poor result. I remember there was at least one occasion when we swept 12 golds for all 3 sports and we had a Half-Day off. People could instantly relate AHS to having very strong Badminton, TT and BBall teams. Those were the days. The establishment of the Singapore Sports School, helmed by who else, Mr Moo, always meant that the Sports Class programme in AHS would be compromised and adversely affected to a certain degree and hence it is not a big surprise that they are ending it. Further, as Mr Hoo (Remember him? 何生) noted in the interview, the cessation of the Sports Class initiative will enhance and strengthen the interaction and friendship between Sports and non-Sports students. Of course, everything was put in a diplomatic manner but having spent 4 years in AHS, I would certainly feel that the SC programme implicitly drew a line that separated 'us' from 'them'. They are the Sports players with their own special identity.. the "H" classes.. own T-shirts..and rightfully, they would naturally be proud of their identity and togetherness. On the flipside however, is that lack of interaction with the rest of the cohort and it does bring about another problem which 何生 also mentioned. The level of support for the school at competitions. Because the Sports students are all grouped together already, it makes it difficult to a degree for non-sports students to show interest and support for the school in competitions. Somehow, they will not relate to the sports as much as if there were sports players amongst them to stir up the interest and garner support. Nonetheless, it marks the end of an era for AHS..

Who's that behind huh. . . .

-N.a.i.l.e.d-i.t-

2008-07-11T16:31:00.000+10:00

"Results Out le..." A simple SMS from my friend suddenly got me all worried and anxious about my results, having not thought about my grades until that point of time. To top things, it was released a day earlier than scheduled, hence the "Unexpectedness". . .

As I scroll down the screen carefully to reveal my grades unit by unit, My euphoria could hardly be contained, and what a memorable way to celebrate my results.. 3 HDs and 1 D. No Prizes for guessing which unit is it for the Distinction, looks like it didn't feel all that bad to be Gang-Raped after all. =X And crucially, I can resume saying I've achieved High Distinction average for all my units in my 2 years of studies. I know I shouldn't be greedy, but somehow I didn't feel I truly deserved such grades and I know there's potential for me to hit the 90s for Business Finance and Equities if I had really piled in the hours during the Exam Period. (Man, I was still watching shows and you-tubing right smack in the middle of my exams...). But nonetheless, I shall be thankful for the stellar results this semester.

-Now I'm Really Flying-

Belated Post-Exam AAR

2008-07-07T03:26:00.002+10:00

Was just looking through some of the previous posts and it's only then that I realised just how long I haven't actually had a proper Blog Entry. I'd be the first to admit it's due to either being too Lazy or Busy engaging in Procrastination. Looking Back, I would sure love to relive the moment when my exams just ended and that sense of excitement of boarding SQ218 back home. The results will be released on Friday, technically less than 5 days away and I don't foresee a pretty sight. I expect my number of HDs to continue the downward trend to just 1 this semester and I would be thanking my lucky stars if I could get a Credit for my Taxation Law. The other 2 units, I can only hope that Shit doesn't happen and I get my Distinctions.

The crucial question is, Can I be happy or satisfied with these grades? Do I think I have put in my best effort for the semester? To begin with, recovering and starting the new school term after more than 3 months of break proved to be more difficult than I thought. I never quite got into gear until well into the semester and even then, I was merely ensuring I was on schedule with regards to the weekly tutorials and readings. I never felt for once that I was on top of my game. It's something that has bugged me for a while, especially towards the end of the semester, where I started to take stock of what might have been, or rather, what are the underlying reasons for such mediocrity. Right from the beginning, I've warned myself against complacency, especially after a very difficult semester prior to the holidays and seemingly less challenging subjects this term except for Taxation Law. Have I heeded my own advice? Yes and No. Yes to the extent that I ensured that I wasn't lagging behind; No as in I was never as driven as I was in the previous semesters. As it turned out, while the units were hardly less challenging, I felt I still had adequate and appropriate preparations for classes.

This cant be said of my Equities unit. I'm not one to find excuses or engage in finger-pointing if I don't do well but I seriously think it's a poorly taught unit. There's almost a total lack of coherence in the lecture materials, textbook, and the tutorial questions. And even for me, who wouldn't accept answers or concepts blindly, it proved to be very difficult to obtain satisfactory answers from the teaching staff. Lecturer 1 gives sarcastic replies. Lecturer 2 thinks a lot of the material in the textbook are bull**** and explains concepts in ways probably only post-graduates can understand. My tutor. -_- "I'll get back to you on this" --> Yup, you guessed it. Never once did I ever get my answer. No reply to my emails. It certainly doesn't help my learning despite having scoured through numerous textbooks for relevant explanations. Nonetheless, deep down, I know I've let slip a HD for this unit 'cos my exam preparations for this unit wasn't as thorough as it could have been.

Tax Law. Well. Still reeling from the Gang-rape....

Of course, not to forget that this semester also saw me increasing my involvement in the SG Assoc of Monash as well as getting my hands dirty with the larger Umbrella Organisation, the SG Assoc for Victorian State. Much as I can deny its impact, I know I can do a better job in managing these 'distractions' mentally. I can't be thankful enough for the experience thus far and I look forward to unearthing more of the harsh realities of life in the months to come.

My Personal life, rather empty, just the usual boring -z.w-. Pretty tough sometimes. But well. I shall not engage in self-pity. Dig in and just keep plugging away. . . .That's pretty much my semester in a nutshell. At the end of the day, I just need to get back on track, once I get my bearings right, that drive will be back. I shall refuse say I'll work doubly-hard and push myself as much as possible next semester. It's too easy to say this but I'm sure all of us know, this may not be the case when the term starts. So, we'll just wait and see.

Home Sweet Home

2008-07-01T20:45:00.004+10:00

SQ218

2008-06-21T20:38:00.009+10:00

Going Home... On my favourite Flight.

I decided to Decorate my Log Sheet a little but of all people, guess who did I leave out (look at the Red Circle), the CAPTAIN. Argh. I was so annoyed at myself.

V1: Speed at which the aircraft cannot abort take-off.
Vr: Speed at which the front landing gear is raised
V2: Speed where the aircraft gains positive climb

The 4th 777-300ER in the SQ Fleet. 9V-SWD.

My beloved CX. Just next to us with the same Departure time.. Heading back to Hong Kong.

BOOK OUT LOH!

2008-06-18T20:17:00.007+10:00

Today is my Book Out Day,

Book Out Book Out

Today is my Book Out Day

Book Out Book Out Day.

Book Out Book Out Day

Book Out Book Out Day

Today is my Book Out Day

Book Out Book Out Day!

Finally, "Alright, Candidates, You Must now Stop Writing......" (Not that I wanted her to say it! I could barely finish the paper)

-K.O.e.d-

2008-06-13T20:06:00.007+10:00

The Taxation Law Paper today was absolutely sensationally Out-of-this planetary system. How else could I describe it? I felt after the paper that I was gang-raped from left, right, centre, up, down, front and back by the Lecturers. To think that I felt reasonably satisfied with my preparation for this unit. Without the Bell-curve system, the prospects of getting a decent grade looks to have evaporated.

The only thing that ever brings the shine to the eyes of the people these days is any sort of talk about -g.o.i.n.g-h.o.m.e-.. My KrisWorld Itinery: CJ7; 江山美人 =D

Before my Haircut; Was getting annoyingly long.. I'm sure my Dad, for once, will have no complaints about my hair when I'm Home. Haha.

Update: Some student have just posted in the Discussion Forum in BlackBoard for the unit "congratulating" the Lecturers for "writing up a brilliant exam this semester" and for setting "depression-inducing" questions. LoLx. (I concur and I admire his guts. . . .)

-?-

2008-06-06T19:06:00.009+10:00

-f.o.g.g.y-

First time to a pub for our group..

Cross-dressing....

Proposed Fleet Expansion. And before any of you think they look like it's the same aircraft, It's NOT. =D Only CX and JAL are the same. Boeing777-300ER.

This is the kind of stuff you look at when you study until you feel like throwing your laptop out of the window. -_-

-Already thinking of the Singapore Girl-

Being Random

2008-05-24T19:12:00.004+10:00

Random Scribbles while waiting for food. . .Lygon Gelato.... Legendary. =)

Hmmm. Looks tiny here.. But let's hope rows 50-55 stay empty as it is! Certainly a good chance given that most of Monash are still right in the midst of exams while RMIT and Melb. Uni. are just about to start their exams when I leave.

Bored, on a v.v.v.c.o.l.d Nite

2008-05-17T20:32:00.007+10:00

Backdating some outings from a while ago... First up, Chris' 24th Birthday..

Birthday Boy.. ..

The Accountants.
Dont' ask me what look is that. LoL.

-e.q.u.i.t.i.e.s-

2008-05-13T22:34:00.006+10:00

His teachings, anything but conventional. More often than not, goes into great length, not the syllabus, but the share market and shows websites with stock related news.
His lectures, not only does he not use powerpoint slides, he teaches using the whiteboard with barely comprehensible handwriting.
His lecture notes, short and sweet. So short that even tutors were left asking, "What is he trying to talk about?"
Loathes financial models and formulae which he claims, "Thats all you all love, Formulae, formulae and more formulae"

He is the American Professor who has totally "revolutionized" the way we learn this unit. So revolutionary that it has left many students "lost in translation". To be fair, his method of teaching exemplifies how I personally feel about Finance. It's NOT about the textbook and formulae, rather the real world situations that arise and the judgements required. BUT, for the purposes of this unit, there is a need for him to allow students to acquire an understanding of the underlying concepts before introducing to us how they apply in the real world. Even tutors I have spoken to agreed that his method of teaching is more suited to post-graduate level. With barely 4 weeks to go to the Final Exam, much as I loathe it, I may have to resort to focusing just on specific areas to aid my study for this unit. Unconventional teaching call for unconventional learning. I think I can effectively write off this unit for a potential HD. -_-

As part of the Deco team for the Inaugural Poker Night, we can be well pleased at the outcome of the design and effects..=D Kudos to everyone.. . . Certainly some big shoes to fill if I get elected for next term..

Our Bouncer for the night. =D

No time to spare...Taxation Law Assignment.. . . .Nightmare.
Terry.. 1st Runner-up! What a comeback after entering the final round with the least number of chips

Switzerland (Part 2)

2008-05-06T16:36:00.006+10:00

The Heart of Lucerne

"The World's Only Revolving Gondola" - Or so they claim.

My Dad looks like he's at Antarctica instead. =D But it is -12c after all and yet there are people skiing and snowboarding here right at the peak.

Lucerne, by night. (Wasn't easy taking this shot without a tripod. .)

Calm before the Storm

2008-05-02T19:14:00.006+10:00

Finally a brief respite after a jam-packed week. Sitting in the cafeteria in school just now made me realise just how long it has been since I last sat down and just stare into blank space.

Adv. Management Accounting Presentation - Nailed it once again. And possibly set the benchmark once more.
UBS Investment Banking Challenge Presentation - Certainly a few notches higher in terms of requirements and preparations. But amidst piling school work and looming assignment due date, I could only afford minimum commitment towards the project. In any case, I agreed to join solely for the experience anyway. The team was never strong enough to be in contention to head into the Campus Round Final, or so I felt. As for the presentation itself, I found myself presenting in a very different style which required far more agression and conviction in the delivery. Once again, I can be happy with my contribution in the presentation.
Taxation Law Assignment - Bah. Certainly lived up to its reputation as being THE most difficult unit in the entire course. And as if that's not bad enough, the tutor just mentioned in class today that this year's final exam paper is the hardest he has ever seen. -_-

That's basically my week in a nutshell and before I could really sit down and breathe, it'll be time for me to start catching up on the missed lectures and tutorials for the past week or so. . . .

Just realised that I haven't posted any photos from CNY trip to Switzerland on the blog as yet. It'll be a difficult task to select which photos to post as almost every shot is a powershot. Ha. Throughout my trip, there's just one thought in me about Swiss. It's almost unfair (in a good way, of course) that one country be bestowed with such countless stunning sceneries. It actually doesn't do them justice 'cos a lot of people will end up saying, "It's the same everywhere". But it's just breathtaking to say the least. I was however slightly disappointed with Zurich given its reputation as one of the more prominent financial centres in Europe after London and perhaps, Paris. I was really looking forward to seeing the HeadQuarters of banks like UBS.. Credit Suisse.. and of course, KPMG..since I read that it's actually a Swiss Cooperative =) Turns out that Zurich doesn't actually have a Financial/Business district so as to speak and while I did manage to see UBS, the building was largely disappointing. An online search of KMPG in Zurich found that it's not exactly located in the city centre and judging from some of the pictures shown, even Hong Leong looks better. Anyway... . . . . . You be the judge.

There's certainly no shortage of reminders of who's the host for this year's European Championships, which will not include the likes of Wayne Rooney and the Frank Lampard...Double-decker trains are a common sight in SwissWouldn't you love a unit in one of those apartments.. .. . . .

The famous Lion Monument in Lucerne, with a touching story behind this incredible sculpture.
The mountains were just a sneak preview of what's to come in the days to come

-v.v.c.o.l.d-Hell Week-

2008-05-01T02:28:00.001+10:00

Tremendous week. Overwhelming.. .. .. -b.r.e.a.t.h.e-

The week has hardly ended, but the number of things that I observed and learned, probably was far more than I've seen for the term. 在这'艰难时期'，人性丑陋的一面全显露了出来. . . It's good, perhaps, when I was already mentally prepared anyway. Learning to take certain 'friendships' with a pinch of salt.

One World, One Dream

2008-04-27T11:56:00.004+10:00

The Torch descended upon Canberra on 24th April amidst high media coverage following the demonstrations and disruptions to the relay in other parts of the World. In the lead-up to the event, Posters have been put up around campuses rallying the Chinese students to head up to Canberra (a Good 6-hr drive at Least?) to support the relay and defend China's position on Tibet. Or maybe I should correct that. They don't necessarily want to defend China in that very sense but or of, making a plea to everyone not to be mis-guided about the skewed media coverage of the situation in Tibet and only make informed judgements having gained a deeper understanding of the history of this delicate situation.

It's the first time I've seen Chinese students rallying support for an event. Throughout my time here, there've been countless activities organised by Singapore Association, Malaysian Club.. ASEAN club.. and even sometimes the Indonesian and Hong Kong student associations. For the locals, there've also been numerous rallying calls for demonstrations against the War in Iraq and the Human Rights abuses in Darfur. But never have I seen any sort of activities organised by Chinese Students. In fact, I don't even know if there's an Association here in Monash for Chinese students. Until Now. And boy did they show their support. The MSN nicks have turned into a display of their unity and affection for the nation. I know a lot of students actually did make that trip up to Canberra on that day and the Chinese in my assignment group would have joined but for our group meeting on the same day. Of course, there's no lack of Media Coverage of whatever has happened in the Australian Capital, even in ChannelNewsAsia. On my way home from Library on that very night, there were a few seniors wearing Caps printed with Australian and China Flags and the Wordings, "Canberra, 24 April 2008". It doesn't take a scholar to tell that they've just been back from the event earlier in the day given the tiredness that they were showing. And it's even more amazing when I saw the difficulties in walking that they had when they alighted the tram. It's a touching moment I must say. To see people of all ages coming together, and form a united front to stand for their beliefs and values, defend your own nation. It's indescribable.

And who could blame them. Chinese has historically not been an aggressive culture. Except for that Genghis Khan era. But now, they are under siege. The worldwide condemnation of China for its handling of Tibet based on biased media coverage has certainly stoked the sense of injustice in the hearts and minds of the Chinese. And I'm not just talking about China's Chinese. It's a feeling that I feel all Chinese should share. No doubt, questions will be raised about China's human rights record. Prior to Tibet, there was already heavy criticism on China for failing to exert more pressure on Sudan for the violence in Darfur. But Tibet is a totally different ball game altogether. I shall not go to the extent of calling the whole episode as Conspiracy but there is undeniably uncanny coincidence in the timing of the riots and the Beijing Olympic Games. The resulting avalanche of criticism has been overwhelming to say the least and just by looking at the newspaper reports and forums here alone, you can't help but laugh at the ignorance and skewed judgements of the comments made.

First of all, most people overlooked the fact that no civilised and "free" country would tolerate the outbreak of violence. (A certain country in Asia wouldn't even allow peaceful gatherings and demonstrations) It will be interesting to see how much restraint the Australian police would have shown if rioters start to burn, smash and loot vehicles and shops in the city. Second, a lot of these so-called activists and members of the general public do not even have a clue of the history of Tibet, not to mention the delicate relationship between Tibet and China.

The IOC president Jacques Rogge finally said something sensible recently. "We owe China to give them time....It took us 200 years to evolve from the French Revolution. China started in 1949" He really did the the jackpot there. The human behavior is going to take far longer than just 59 years to evolve. It's not something which you could improve simply by producing more Mattel toys or Levis Jeans. And of course, over here we are not simply referring to the human rights issues but also the broader behavioural inadequacies. It's difficult enough to get our elders to change their poor habits, let alone 1.3billion people. And yes, we all get a good laugh at their not-so-proficient English. "Harsh Browns".. "Welcome for Coming".. "Don't press the glass to get hurt". Just some of the things we see from emails being forwarded. Sure, it's all for the fun and laughter but before we laugh at their English, think about how laughable our own Mandarin is. And this despite us being Chinese. Now, let's see who's got the last laugh here..

Been talking too much. . . .Here's to a Successful Beijing Olympics.... We've got a point to prove.

The Key

2008-04-21T13:59:00.006+10:00

Been a rather interesting week I must say. Finally receiving that invitation for Golden Key a few weeks back was certainly a pleasing moment. After all, it's something I had strived for since I stepped into Monash, but somehow, now that I've been formally inducted into the society, that supposed sense of excitement was surprisingly subdued. Top 15% of faculty and by invitation only. Sounds good and all but what's the big deal of it anyway. To begin with, there are so many you-know-who-you-are who score near perfect scores semester after semester with no end in sight in a far more competitive environment. It also remains to be seen if I can maintain that standard for this semester. It's been a challenging term in more ways than one. Of course, there's the usual academic challenge where the curriculum just gets more difficult as you climb up that ladder but my increasing involvement in S.A.M has also brought about many delicate issues for me to contend with. This term has certainly seen -z.w- come out of that cave more often and moving into uncharted territories. Stepping out of that comfort zone is never easy but the time has come, and it is through such challenges that one grows as a person.

A year ago, just like everyone else, I related 2008 to be the year of the Olympics. The year of Taiwanese Presidential Elections. (Perhaps Malaysian as well?) The Russian Political handover. The heating up of the race for the White House. I would never have thought, as I speak now, I would also be potentially be embroiled in an election fever as well. Some say, the race has already started. I prefer to take that in a nonchalant manner for the matter is too delicate to politicize matters at such an early stage. Slowly but surely though, I'll have to start seeking for my very own "Super-Delegates" come August.

Came across this interesting thought of late. To Forgive and Forget. Probably something everyone has encountered at some stage. The permutations are interesting:

1) Forgive and forget
2) Forgive, but not forget
3) Forget, but not Forgive
4) Forget and Forgive

Can you actually Forget but not Forgive? Can you really forgive but not forget? By not forgetting, have you really forgiven the person?

-k.e.e.p.i.n.g-t.h.e-f.e.e.t-f.i.r.m.l.y-o.n-t.h.e-g.r.o.u.n.d-w.h.i.l.e-r.e.a.c.h.i.n.g-f.o.r-t.h.e-s.t.a.r.s-

Dr. Alan Finkel, Chancellor of Monash University.
Amazing achievements:
Collaborated with Buzz Aldrin, the 2nd man after Neil Armstrong to step onto the Moon for the the Science Magazine "COSMOS" which he founded.
Slated to be the first Australian space tourist onboard Sir Richard Branson's spacecraft "Virgin Galactic".

-r.a.n.d.o.m-

2008-04-09T01:53:00.000+10:00

Just thought perhaps I should at least write something. Actually I don't know what to update on. There are things which I may want to blog about. Yet, not quite in the mood to type too much. There isn't much going on right now. Or maybe, there are a lot. Perhaps too much, thus explaining my faulty gearbox which finally seemed to be repaired... . . . Hmmm.. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . .

或许。。有一天我会说出来吧。。

Check out those LED Headlights... -c.o.o.l-
How many years will I have to wait before I'm in my own A4. . .

The showstopper. Audi R8.

At the Moomba Festival with S.A.M Committee...
Old-school Ferris Wheel...Usual outing at Shark's Fin House (Where else.)
S.A.M Movie Night.. A rather odd-looking layout... Hmm.

Dental Treatment

2008-04-04T02:49:00.003+11:00

Hey Everyone,

My friend Desmond is offering a range of dental services at very affordable prices as part of his undergraduate studies for Dentistry. The treatments will be conducted under the supervision of qualified dentists and professors from NUH. Please feel free to check out his website at www.dentists-in-training.blogspot.com or contact him at 96376362 / desmondgoh98@hotmail.com for more information.

Cheers,
-z.w-

望雨怀远

2008-03-30T02:06:00.003+11:00

近日，墨尔本连连下雨。。甚至还有雷电，在这其实是非常稀有的。上个礼拜那高达40度的酷热天气已不在。。早已进入秋季的墨尔本，气温终于有显著的下降。凑巧这星期刚好也是学校假期，天天从我书桌望着窗外那阴霾的天气。。。心情也同时变得稍微低落，不禁时时会想起我正读的一本书内的一句话。

"人生，其实像一条从宽阔的平原走进森林的路。在平原上，同伴可以结夥而行，欢乐前推后挤，相濡以沫；一旦进入森林，草丛和荆棘挡路，情形就变了。各人专心走各人的路，寻找各人的方向。那推推挤挤同唱同乐的集体情感，那无忧无虑无猜忌的同济深情，在人的一生中也只有少年期有。离开这段纯洁明亮的阶段，路其实可能愈走愈孤独。"
-龙应台，安德烈 <亲爱的安德烈>

这种心情，我早在初院毕业时就已意识到，人生最快乐的日子已过。但这几个月来，似乎与这情感有了更大的共鸣。。。

不说了。夜已深，是时候入寝了。。。。

“冰淇淋干杯!” - 路小雨

Cathay Pacific Low Fly-by

2008-03-22T00:47:00.006+11:00

Cathay Pacific recently took delivery of its 6th B777-300ER which was painted in the special "Asia's World City" Livery. CX Boeing777 Chief Pilot, Captain Ian Wilkinson was at the helm of the delivery flight back to Hong Kong from Boeing's plant with the Chairman and CEO of the group and other government officials onboard. The Captain took off from Paine Field, did a turn-around, and with the clearance of the local Air Traffic Control, performed a fly-by at a height of just approximate 30feet from the ground with all landing gears retracted. It was said that fly-bys were not unusual for new deliveries as a gesture of appreciation to the plant workers for the work put in for the new aircraft.

HOWEVER, this pilot was shortly sacked with immediate effect as he had actually failed to obtain clearance from Cathay Pacific itself. Gee. He sure had guts. Captain Wilkinson had the Chairman, CEO and other high-level officials onboard and he performed that fly-by without proper authorisation from the company. After all, it's the company's aircraft he's flying, and for goodness sake, that's a USD270million piece of machine he's 'playing'. Not that the manoeuvre was dangerous but you don't just fool around with a multi-million dollar machine without permission and get away with it.

Thank You, KPMG.

2008-03-04T11:29:00.006+11:00

Feb 15 marks the end of my 2-month-plus Internship with KPMG and I must say it was a weird feeling to have. Despite being only on one job for my entire internship, I was pleased and honoured in some sense to have been involved in it from the 2nd day the team went in, all the way till the accounts being drafted. And seeing all the familiar figures in those draft P&L and Balance Sheets, it is indeed satisfying to know that I've played a sizeable part in generating those figures and that all those late-nights and 'burnt' weekends have not gone to waste. Of course, my contribution still pales in comparison to the full-time staff slogging it out day in day out.

It's probably not an overstatement to say that I could not have asked for more from my internship. It was everything I had hoped for and so much for. The recognition of my efforts from colleagues and my manager was nothing short of satisfying and it was a feeling no amount of High Distinctions could possibly replace. I know I've did myself proud. There's still too much to learn in the industry and I'm just getting warmed up to join the rat race come 2009. Thank You, once again, KPMG Singapore.

My fellow intern and Senior Manager at the Official Farewell 'Party'

My senior with whom I was under for my entire internship, boy we sure loved Farrer Park NEL station and Lavender Food Square.

Our own 'Celebration' with my collegues at where else but Far East Square. (It was back to work for them after the dinner =X)

The A380 Experience Starts Here

2008-02-27T22:08:00.023+11:00

After slightly over 3 months of holidays in Singapore, it's 'finally' time to return to down under to start hitting the books all over again. Much as I was excited to be taking the A380 for my flight to Sydney, I'd rather the day came later rather than sooner. But anyway, beyond that excitement, I reminded myself not to hold too high expectations as I already knew that despite all the hype of the SQ A380 bringing air travel to a whole new level of comfort, the Economy Class is effectively the same as those which I've seen on their B777-300ERs. From what I understand, the main difference in the A380 lie in the SQ Suites and the Business Class which comes with slightly more legroom. Even though I've heard that the seat pitch in Economy Class in the A380 may be slightly higher, I chose to take it with a pinch of salt. For the average passenger like me, all those hoo-ha about the aircraft being more spacious is just marketing gimmick. Enough of the talk. Let the journey begin....

I was fortunate enough to get a window seat on the Upper Deck at the last minute via online check-in.

Notice how the 'curved' the aircraft is at the Upper Deck. I managed to get a glance at the registration of the aircraft to ascertain if it's going to be 9V-SKA or SKB. SKA is the First aircraft put into service while SKB was only delivered recently. Alas, turned out to be the aircraft which served the historic First Commercial Flight for the A380.

The side compartments beside the window seats were a pleasant surprise and this is only available on the Upper Deck.

There was ample room left even after putting my laptop bag inside and the side compartments also provides extra space for the passenger on the window seat and it sure does makes a world of difference.

Lights turned down after meal service. This is pretty much it for the Economy Class on the Upper Deck. The rest are all Business Class, which you could see from the green 'Mood-Lighting' behind the curtains.

A view of the stairs between Upper Deck and Main Deck right at the rear of the aircraft in the Galley. I'm sure the one at the front of the aircraft serving the Business Class passengers would look far more refined than this one.

It's no illusion. The windows are truly massive at the Main Deck, even bigger than the ones on the Upper Deck.With that extra room courtesy of the side compartments, only a fraction of the table space was taken up by my laptop.

The idea is cool. Plug in your USB and you'll be able to view your photos on the screen. The problem is, after 15mins, the system is still 'loading' a single picture. Needless to say, I gave up.

Presenting to you, the Flight Deck of the A380-800. Cruising at 39,000ft and heading at a direction of 116degrees.

Captain Low at the helm of SQ221. (Alright, I didn't manage to get into the Flight Deck to take these stunning pictures. Many thanks to the Singapore Girls who offered to take the pictures with my camera on my behalf and this was done inflight.)

Pitiful breakfast by SQ's standards.....

Good Morning Australia... Sydney CBD.. The Harbour Bridge and Opera House in the distant.

My only decent shot of the 'WhaleJet', there's no other window where I can have a clear view of the A380.....

Wow. The A380. Admittedly, the average passenger probably wouldn't notice any difference at all between the A380 and other aircrafts. But there's the kick of travelling in the World's Largest Commercial Airliner, not to mention being in the 1st aircraft put into revenue service. It's a pity I didn't get to tour the front end of the aircraft with the SIA Suites 'cos I was having too many hand-carry luggage, so didn't bother to ask for it. Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the 7hr 20min flight and I'm already looking forward to the return leg!

However, this is where the nightmare starts. We've always heard how airports have invested millions of dollars to be "A380-ready", extending runways... widening taxiways.. adding an additional aerobridge for the upper deck passengers...But have you wondered if they are in fact "A380-ready" in terms of handling the increased number of passengers? My flight carried almost 500 people including crew while a B747 could carry at most about 390. The extra 100-odd people was unfortunately evident in terms of the queue at the immigration. Honestly, I've never seen such a long queue before. To add to the problems, there was a couple of other flights which has also just arrived. -_-

Next up, baggage collection. Another nightmare. Same type of carousel. But with 100 more people waiting within the same area. Again, the wait for my luggages was far longer than what I had anticipated, not to mention the lack of space along the carousel.

And finally, the customs clearance. The queue hardly moves. Now, it's really testing my patience. But I'm too tired to be boiling...

By the time i managed to clear the restricted area, it's been 1hr 25mins since the plane touched down at Sydney. A personal record I have to say. I certainly would be expecting much better things from Changi when I return. =)

-Keep Flying-

2008-02-21T03:46:00.001+11:00

Shocked

Startled

Anger

Confused

And most of all, Hurt.

For the past week or so, the array of emotions going through in me threatened to tear me apart. On several occasions, I was so tempted to just pick up the phone, "爸，我真的好辛苦". But nonetheless, I stood my ground. Even now that the dust has settled, the dilemma which results remain unresolved. However, it definitely had me questioning myself in every sense. . . .

Valentine's Day Special

2008-02-14T19:39:00.004+11:00

Valentine's Day 2008, a Special Picture taken from Zurich. Exposure could have been better but it's the best I could come up with. Perhaps it's due to the Sun still being too bright for the shot to be perfect. Still one of my favourite shots nonetheless.

'Live' Report from T3

2008-02-06T03:35:00.000+11:00

Since my flight has been delayed until 0155hrs, perhaps I shall do some blogging in the meantime and whine about how disappointing T3 has been. Haha.

Beyond the hype of all the eco-friendly features of this terminal, the terminal is really pretty nothing stunning. The restricted area was especially disappointing and I found a distinct lack of Flight Information screens in the shopping area. While it seems pretty obvious that the designers have tried to create the lush greenery that Singapore is famous for, a lot of the trees look too artificial and the setting also lack flowers to bring out the warmth as is the case in T2.

12hr flight... even though I never liked to sleep onboard 'cos I just love flying so much, I think I should catch some sleep before starting the day after arrival at Zurich... That's all for now!

Doesn't look too great, does it?

-tired-

2008-01-29T04:02:00.000+11:00

2 consecutive Saturdays spent working.. Eating dinner while others might be starting their suppers.. It's not hard to see why so many TENDER after just few years.. that is, if they even make it to "Few".. Of course, this sort of routine pales in comparison with the full time staff who regularly work past midnight just to stay afloat in this business. Busy. Tired. But still lovin' it.

Busy Buddies

KPMG Night Fever

2008-01-10T11:09:00.001+11:00

What an experience it was. My first ever D&D, The KPMG Night Fever, at Raffles Convention Centre. It's always great when it provides an opportunity for all staff to just let your hair down and have some fun together, without the need to discuss work. Not to mention that this would have been a much-needed breather in the lead-up to the Super-Peak season. As if to reiterate subtlely the fact that work still comes first, many actually turned up pretty late and some had to leave early due to Stock-take commitments.

Theme for the night was retro but I guess, as is case for such D&Ds, many did not actually dress according to the theme. In fact, I did not see as many Poker-dot dresses and huge hair bands as I had anticipated. In terms of entertainment, it was pretty disappointing actually despite the fact that Adrian Pang was the host. Nonetheless, I suppose most wouldn't be too bothered with what's happening on the stage given the amount of cam-whoring taking place off it.

It's now exactly one month since I started my internship with KPMG and honestly speaking, I couldn't have asked for more in terms of how much I have been able to learn. There were always fears prior to the internship that we would only be 'glorified' administrative assistants but those fears were immediately dispelled with the workload assigned to me. I've always been asked, "How's work?" "Good Fun.." It really was, working your way through piles of Trial Balances and Working Papers and picking up new knowledge bit by bit. Stories of KPMG's seniors being unfriendly also proved to be unfounded judging from the amount of help that I've received from everyone in the department. I've also been fortunate enough to be on an engagement whereby I need not work till the wee hours of the morning. In many ways, achieving a good "work-life balance".. LoLx. Much as I want to take this opportunity to learn, I don't want to risk burning out myself and also spend some quality time in Singapore before 21 Feb arrives. Speaking of which, just received some good news on my One Month Anniversary of Internship. It's Saturday, It's Jan 12, and I'll be back in client's place for more work. Great Fun certainly. Fair enough, my senior didn't ask me to come back on Saturday but as part of the team, you don't just leave them in the lurch to rush a deadline anyway, thus my insistence. In any case, I would have been working anyway, just that it's now at Farrer Park instead of Tuas. =)

In many ways, the technical knowledge that one can learn from this internship somewhat pale in comparison with the more subtle yet significant issues of attitudes towards work as well as improving problem-solving skills. I'm constantly scrutinizing myself on that and I'm somewhat disappointed with my performance so far. Just somehow feel that perhaps there are some issues where I could have resolved it much more efficiently and effectively. Coincidental or not, just at this juncture, comments from my senior suggested otherwise and at least now I can breathe easier and look forward to more work in my remaining days at Shenton Way.

Let the Cam-whoring begin...

And I haven't got a clue why they seem to like my tie so much..... -_-|||

Still in 2007...

2008-01-06T04:18:00.000+11:00

Looks like this blog is struggling to catch up with the times. I certainly have not been updating this place as often as I should have considering that this festive period has been pretty eventful. The last 4Dee Birthday of the Year... Has to be HIM. Yes, his Dad works in LTA, he is a finisher of 42.195km in the Standard Chartered Marathon and he just aced his results in SMU, again.

A simple outing with a simple dinner at Thai Express. That's all we needed. At the end of the day, it's the company that counts. It is a pity to think that, in the midst of all the mugging, there hasn't been more of such gatherings.

And to top up the occasion, we met some of the people from 4H Sportsclass. A couple of them have changed quite a bit from our memories but the rest, look just the same as if we only left AHS yesterday.

The kind of photo that you don't get to take everyday..

What a classic expression from BD... =P

And they live happily ever after..

2007-12-27T03:34:00.000+11:00

Too many things to backdate.. This time, the backdating continues with my cousin's wedding, where I was the Best Man.. With a guest list of over 700 people, the preparation and the execution really had to be spot on for the entire event to proceed smoothly without any glitch.. And as far as everyone is concerned, the wedding couldn't have been better.

Spot me if you can..

Change

2007-12-20T03:52:00.000+11:00

It's been so long since I last posted an entry that I can hardly decide upon what should I blog about. Well, in terms of chronological order, my results this term has been, well, satisfactory..... taking into consideration the circumstances surrounding my exam preparations. Ideally, I would say this sort of results just makes the transcript look average... but nonetheless I'm glad that my consistency throughout the semester has reaped some dividends. I'm already looking forward to next semester to put things right once again, to get the kind of transcript that would be the envy of a lot of people. We shall see.....

Anyway, Saerom's visit to Singapore allowed me to travel to a lot of places that I normally wouldn't have gone to. Sentosa's Images of Singapore.. The new Sentosa Express.. Jurong Bird Park.. and perhaps most significant of them all, M.O.S...Yeah, it's been 3 years since I last stepped into a Club. The last of which was at the now-defunct ChinaBlack, supposedly a NTU NBS Bash. Not much has changed since. I still didn't go to the dancefloor. I still feel the same way about Clubbing as I did 3 years ago. Boring I may be, but that's just that. I was especially startled at how much Sentosa has changed. The once-iconic Clock tower has now given way to the I.R. and Universal Studios and the previously free Musical fountain now costs something like $6 or $4.. Speaking of the Musical fountain, despite the new setting by the beach, the show was largely disappointing.

Change. Much has Changed in Singapore. The ones mentioned in Sentosa somewhat pale in comparison with what has been going on around the island. I'm sure all of you would have noticed the changes Singapore has experienced of late. These changes would certainly appear much more extensive and widespread to me due to my extended absence. Just walk down Orchard Road.. "The Ion".. The new development at Specialist Shopping Centre.. The Singapore Flyer.. and the list goes on and on. And these are just the 'hardware' The Government is certainly leaving no stones unturned in transforming Singapore into the vibrant city that everyone is talking about. Perhaps more significantly is the 'software' issues.. Of course, most recently, there's the hotly-contested topic of increased taxi fares.. but what has caught my eye the most is how prices in general have increased. If my memory serves me right, and correct me if I'm wrong, inflation this year is at a 16 year high. As an Economics student myself, I'll be the first to say that, trust economic data with a pinch of salt. The flexibility in defining what's in what results in data being highly skewed and meaningless. However, New notices displayed at bus-stops informing of "Revised fares" just reaffirms the fact that the cost of living is certainly creeping upwards. Bus services. Despite the increased fares and newer buses which are wheel-chair accessible, having to wait 20mins at City Hall for Service 14 just before 8pm on a weekday is certainly not good enough by my standards at least.

With the Singapore economy surging ahead, I suppose it is inevitable that there will be upward pressure on prices. The challenge will be to ensure that the underprivileged is not left behind as the rest of the country enjoy a higher standard of living..

No visit to Singapore is complete without trying out the local delights. Hokkien Mee, Stingrays.. Satay.. Made me realise that I actually haven't eaten a lot of those food before. -_-

At Jurong Bird Park. "Dimbulah, Australia's finest coffee". Well, none of us have ever heard of Dimbulah in Aussie....

That's Terry from 2C/1999 and his Girlfriend, Esperanza in the middle.

Post-Exams

2007-12-06T05:01:00.000+11:00

It certainly was a huge relief that the clock struck 5:30pm on Nov 8, signalling the end of my Exams and in turn, my tumultuous semester. As I remained on the seat as others packed and left the examination hall, my mind raced through all the emotions and the ups and downs throughout the past few months. It was by far the most difficult semester that I have had to go through, in every sense. All those midnight oils burnt rushing assignments.. Countless sachets of Nescafe 3-in-1..Finally I could take a well-deserved break and sleep soundly without having to worry about waking up early to finish school work.

Couldn't resist a quick snapshot of the examination hall before I was chased out.

The accountants couldn't be more relieved...

You can't get more unhealthy than a meal like this. But, it's time to pamper ourselves..

A rare bowling outing in Melbourne. Just when you thought S$4-5 per game in Singapore is expensive, rates here are A$19.90 for 2 games. Cool...

The Accountants, + Saerom's twin sister

3 Accountants, coincidentally using 3 different banks.

[If only real life Fairytales can come true like the one in "Enchanted"]

A Great Way to Fly

2007-11-13T12:47:00.000+11:00

I had awaited this moment for a long time. It was with great anticipation and excitement that I boarded the new B777-300ER for my return flight back to Singapore from Melbourne. It turned out to be my best flight, EVER. I managed to tour the aircraft after landing and even made it to the flight deck. What more could I ask for..

Prior to my flight, I had went to the SQ Roadshow in Melbourne in the afternoon to have a look at the new Cabin products. Coincidentally, the SQ girls at the roadshow were also scheduled to leave Melbourne later that night on the same flight as me, albeit as passengers.

Singapore Airlines Melbourne A380 Roadshow

9V-SWI, the 8th 777-300ER delivered to SQ, waiting at the parking bay
A very simplified D.I.Y. Log sheet for the flight. Note the Captain's mistake in the distance travelled. Should be 3,480miles instead of "km". I hope to add in more details for my next flight!

The new Economy seat with the Massive personal TV and the new reading lights.Catherine Zeta-Jones in "No Reservations"Speaking of Massive, check out the First Class screens.

Goodbye...

2007-10-29T18:37:00.000+11:00

Goodbye Grandma.. You have fought bravely against illnesses over the past few years.. Time and again, the doctors have ask us to be prepared for the worst. Yet, you defied all odds and made full recoveries. However, the time has now come for you to take a rest.. and may you rest in peace.. I'll always miss you..

Crash Landing

2007-10-25T20:35:00.000+10:00

Oh Man. Who would have thought I would be in Singapore right now.. just days before the start of my first paper.. I'm going to need all the strength and enlightenment to pull through this..

1 Year, and Counting...

2007-10-17T01:31:00.000+10:00

I had to do this entry, no matter how short it is. It's my FIRST anniversary here at down under. How time -f.l.i.e.s-.. It didn't feel that long ago since I left Singapore for Melbourne..yet on the other hand, so much seemed to have happened between then and now.

Fight on -z.w-, less than a month to go....

Melbourne Marathon 2007

2007-10-13T00:18:00.000+10:00

It was a strange feeling heading into the Big Day on Oct 7. I haven't trained for 2 weeks prior to the event due to the weather and having to rush assignments, and my sub-48min target appears to be just a dream. Moreover, with the upcoming exams at the back of my mind, I just wanted to get this run over and done with.

With almost 5000 people taking part in the 10km run, it wasn't easy to navigate through the 'traffic', especially when I started the run from the back of the crowd. But -f.l.y- I did. Net Time of 46:27.. New Personal Best and top 17%..

My 'Gun Time' of 49:10, which starts upon commencement of race, rather than the moment runner passes the gantry at the start.

With my cousin and Alex

With Chris Ng after the race

The Accountants!

望月怀远

2007-09-28T20:14:00.000+10:00

It's Mid-Autumn Festival. Or rather, a couple of days ago. My first one in foreign land. Somehow you do miss the atmosphere and the celebrations back home. Admittedly, I never really did celebrated Mid-Autumn Festival in a big way but my family does make a point to eat some quality mooncakes (i.e. 荣华 or 奇华, and not the 冰皮s!) together with some tea from my Dad's collection. Something's obviously lacking this year. While the asian grocery shops do stock up mooncakes, there's hardly anything else to indicate the festival. I wanted to buy some 荣华 mooncakes but it costs a whopping AUD$38, which is about SGD$50-odd..

It's only at times like these that you can fully appreciate poems like "望月怀远" and "水调歌头".. The only time I managed to have a good look at the full moon was during my 10km practice run. Looking at the moon and racing through memories was indeed an interesting way to keep myself occupied during the 50-min run. Many of us here are already feeling the fatigue and can't wait to board the flight back already.. Recent chats circling around flight confirmations and bookings just goes to show how eager we are to return already, although perhaps I'm top of the list for that. I was disappointed to have been waitlisted on the 2 earlier dates which I would have preferred and some people do ask what's the hurry in going back. But seriously, I don't see any what's there for me to do here either.

Just 9 days to go to the Melbourne Marathon and the erratic Melbourne weather is certainly giving me good reasons to be lazy. Was due to run today as well but blistering winds and pouring rain meant that it was wiser to stay indoors. My last timed run was 50:27 for 10.5km, not sure how does that measure up actually but I'm looking to hit the 47:00s for the 10km run on the day itself. It's my first competitive run since the good ol' army days and the first "Long Distance" runnings since my JC soccer trainings when I'll never ever forget how I completed 20km, 50 laps around the running track, started with the sun still shining brightly and by the time we ended, the moon was almost visible already. I wanted to do the Standard Chartered one in Singapore as well but unfortunately, I haven't found anyone interested at all.. Kudos to Stan the Man for doing the Full Marathon... Melbourne Marathon 2008, 21km perhaps? In the meantime, Watch me -f.l.y-....

My jersey for the Melbourne Marathon 2007

Random

2007-09-21T03:14:00.000+10:00

Not sure what to update actually. Quite a few things which I could have blogged about. Not quite in the mood though. Rather deflated by Financial Accounting. Consolidation is making Company Law look like Child's Play, and my lecturer/tutor isn't exactly helping to ease the situation either. -_- Am I going to see a 2nd Credit in my Monash Academic Transcript? 2 Credits amongst 12 units. Not exactly bad but no doubt has tainted my transcripts somewhat.

Mid-Sem Break is here. But yet signals the countdown to the Exams.. 5 weeks....

End of the Monash Hell Week..

2007-09-08T01:55:00.000+10:00

What a week. 2 tests, 1 assignment due, 1 interview. I skipped almost all lectures and tutorials this week to prepare for the tests and assignment. I don't think it was a case of last-minute preparation 'cos if everything had gone according to plan, I would have had more than enough time to complete the tasks.

The main issue was Financial Accounting, Consolidations took up far more time than allocated... I could never have imagined prior to the semester that there would be a unit with such an intensive curriculum. It's just over half-way through the semester and we've had 2 extra lectures already. Apparently they actually added an additional chapter into the course this year without removing any. The Company law assignment... "Discuss and assess the regulations currently governing executive remuneration. Explain if reforms are needed. Why/Why not" -_-|| Finance test. In the end, I only managed to spend ONE day studying for it, and it's on the actual day of the test itself.

It remains to be seen how well I've come through this week. Cautiously pleased but things are certainly looking bleak at the moment... Lofty ambitions set seem to be fading into the distance.

Now that the Hell weeks are over, what does the future hold for us?

New Audi A4

2007-09-01T02:27:00.000+10:00

The eagerly-anticipated new Audi A4 has finally been revealed and is due for its official launch at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. Doesn't look too bad actually but design is a little conservative in my view. It looks more like a facelift from the current model and is way too similar to it recently-launched "elder Brother" Audi A5 Coupe. Maybe this is precisely Audi's signature style. Understated yet bold. Bring on the Mercedes C-Class and the BMW 3 Series.. Pictures courtesy of www.worldcarfans.com

Deja-vu? Presenting to you, Audi A5 Coupe.

As a comparison, the current A4.

How are ya doing?

2007-08-24T11:03:00.001+10:00

Blog getting a little stale... Just a brief update from down under..

A pretty busy period for me personally.. Apart from the usual piling up of school work, I'm also in the process of applying for Committee posts in AIESEC and SG Assoc. of Monash. Endless forms and mini-essays to fill in.. As if that isn't enough, the next few weeks mark the start of an intensive scouting mission for an internship in Singapore. Initially my plan was to do one in Australia and another in Singapore but this was hampered by the fact that Australian regulations do not permit international students from doing internships with local firms. This despite the fact that we are can apply for a permit to work for a maximum of 20hrs during school term and no restrictions during vacation.

I've always believed that as overseas students in Australia, especially from Monash and not our arch rival University of Melbourne, we are probably at a slight disadvantage as compared to our compatriots in the Big 3 in SG. I know there will be many who disagree but then again, just my own personal view anyway. Not to mention the fact that we do not have structured placement programmes in place for us and that some of the internship programs in the finance industry are specially catered to the SG term breaks, which is in the middle of the year as compared to ours which is from Nov - late Feb.

As usual, some pictures for entertainment..

A full-page advertisement in "The Age" by Telstra, equivalent of SingTel of Australia. It's always interesting to see such 'provocative' ads here in Oz. You certainly don't get these in Straits Times. =)

Took this shot while waiting for my morning Cafe Latte at Coffee HQ at Flinders Street station.

Monash University Menzies Building at 7am.. -_-

Falls Creek

2007-08-15T16:25:00.000+10:00

My 3rd and last Ski Trip for 2007 at Falls Creek, a Whopping 6hr+ journey from Melbourne.. Almost twice as far as my 2 previous ski trips at Mount Buller with zY and the Babes. Prior to departure, the President for Singapore Assoc. of Monash (S.A.M) said, "Comparing Buller & Falls Creek, Buller is like a slope, Falls Creek a Mountain" Then again, 3 ski trips. 3 unique experiences...

Indeed, Falls Creek didn't disappoint with their diverse terrain and runs. Heavy snow on our 2nd day ensured there's constantly a fresh layer of snow, providing superb skiing conditions. On the flip side, it also meant skiing in freezing conditions, -5c to be precise.... We are already looking forward to Falls Creek 2008.......

All set to move after the long overnight trip..

Some hot chocolate + marshmellow.....Taking a tumble....

Our Snowman!

Supposed to look sad for the end of the ski trip.....

-j.i.a-y.o.u-

zY Oz Tour 2007

2007-08-10T17:01:00.000+10:00

Arrival at Melbourne at last

Phillip Island

Sydney Opera House

Too bad the "zhi" is not the same as mine though!

Looks like I camouflage well with the habitat too...

Koalas... You can't help but feel that they are really cute and cuddly...

Overlooking the heart of Surfers' Paradise, Gold Coast. You can just sit here and soak in the breeze for the rest of the day.........

The red roller-coaster, Superman Escape, wasn't there when I visited 12 years ago.. How time -f.l.i.e.s-

Complimentary Batmasks from our lunch

This was the moment that I've been waiting for. The new Batman from "Batman Begins" and the Batmobile, appearing last in the Parade. That thing isn't a model. It's an actual vehicle that moves.... The 'car'.. The Pose... Stunning.

I was also hoping to see Neo and Trinity lookalikes posing for photos in the park but I don't think they are in the line-up. Perhaps also Harry Potter? I'm sure Warner Bros. Movie World can introduce more characters into the theme park.

What a surprise..... My Birthday dinner.. Thank you zY...

Great Ocean Road

Pretty clear weather up at Mount Buller.

Mount Buller with zY

I'm Back (with more Controversy)

2007-07-23T19:39:00.000+10:00

It's been a busy couple of weeks for me as some of you might know.. Finally time to settle down and pen down some issues that has been burning inside me since a few weeks back and further fanned during the past week. It's a topic that has been vigorously discussed but it has proved impossible for me to avoid bringing it up again. East v West 3.

I went for some Seminars organised by AIESEC and a couple of the workshops that I attended were on "Doing Business in Asia" or somewhere along those lines. I had suspected prior to going to these workshops that it will inevitably veer towards "Doing Business in China" instead. And true enough, it certainly did. Suddenly Asia = China. Well. With China's burgeoning economy, it's hardly surprising that China is grabbing the headlines instead. I had thought that there might be some discussions about relations with S.E.A given Australia's close proximity to this region. And with ASEAN striving to improve its economic clout, I thought it would be interesting to examine how would relations between Australia and ASEAN countries unfold. Nonetheless, the discussions that entailed between the Speaker and members of the audience gradually turned into a Mini East vs West debate.

Over some time, the topic actually drifted to treatment of overseas students here in Australia. Apparently, there are quite a few students who also felt the overseas students here are being marginalised and raised the issue of the attitude of local students towards overseas students. Some of the locals started to defend their actions and I felt it was clear from their arguments that they weren't very interested in interacting with the overseas students anyway. I was tempted to comment on several occasions but wasn't sure if my comments would have been too provocative. =X Hmmm....

More recently, there was a current affairs programme on television that reported that immigrants from Asia has, for the first time, exceeded the number of immigrants from Europe and the 'western countries'. And that this is a worrying trend that is "Splitting Australia into 2". Cool huh. Us and Them. Well, in the first place, Australia belongs to the aboriginal people, not them. The indigenous Australians have inhabited this place throughout history until the British arrived with the convicts in 18th century.

The programme subsequently interviewed 2 groups of Asians, a couple of Chinese students and a Malaysian-Chinese family, both of whom have been here for a couple of years. They asked questions concerning aspects of Australian culture which they were not able to answer. This clearly portrayed Asians in negative light as people who wants to stay in this country but yet know nothing about it. I feel this is grossly unfair as it is by no means certain that an immigrant from a 'Western Country' would have known the answers to those questions.

There was also the question, "Do you feel Australia is or will become part of Asia?" I think it's inevitable that as time progresses, Australia will have to strengthen its links with Asia given its geographical location (which is actually in the middle of nowhere). Already we have seen Australia competing in the Asian Cup for soccer, despite being dumped ruthlessly by Japan. International students have become a major source of funding for Universities here. Not to mention the economic reality of distancing yourself from Asia.

The same programme also reported of serious lapses in the maintenance work carried out by Singapore Airlines Engineering Company (SIAEC) on Qantas aircrafts. It was found on a Qantas Boeing 747-400 that the wiring was STAPLED together at several locations and pictures were shown. It also reported that SIAEC missed out on several major defects on the aircraft. For such an issue to be raised on national television, i wouldn't doubt the accuracy of the report. I was however surprised that such an incident would come from SIAEC. I think SIA has sold off this division some time ago to concentrate on its core business but nonetheless, it is not something that I would expect from such a major Aerospace Engineering firm in Singapore. Any reports of this in SG?

Also, check out this article. Apparently, the Singapore Government is set to own more Australian assets than than Aust. Govt itself.
www.theage.com.au/news/opinion/eaten-by-singapore/2007/07/21/1184560106866.html

Alright. That was a long long post. For those who skipped the above, there's at least some photos to entertain you people. Haha.

Sumptuous breakfast after my overnight flight...

I had to 'floor' the accelerator after this pit stop. Decided against posting an interesting picture of what Des and Geng were doing in this short stop though. =P

Wheeee..... Look who's driving..

Penguins...at Phillip Island

Des trying to be extra in the picture.. Haha..

Some "Cam-whoring" in the fitting room.

Au Revoir babes.. And as you can see, Des bought that jacket. Haha.

Big Apple

2007-07-10T23:55:00.000+10:00

Here's why U.S. is the most heavily indebted country in the World. (Correct me if I'm wrong)

Close-up shot of Chrysler Building

King Kong blocking the way up to the observatory at Empire State Building

Ground Zero

New York Subway

Times Square

United Nations HQ, technically on territory belonging to the members of the UN.

Cans and coins melted and fused together in the heat from the Atomic Explosion in Hiroshima.

Registration Code + Tail Fin of the Cathay aircraft for NewYork - HKG. Was having a stopover at Vancouver for refuel and the rear door was open for Ground Staff to enter and service the aircraft. I wanted to step outside to take this shot but the Flight attendant said I could not technically leave the aircraft so he took the picture for me instead.

View from Rear door at Vancouver

Procrastination

2007-07-04T16:58:00.000+10:00

I'm sure lovin' this.. Procrastinating everyday.. =) Bleaching... Movies... Bowling for the first time in years... ($8 per game!!!!!! And it's already a Special offer rate. Usual Price $14 -_-) Transformers was indeed great, the opening sequences already had me holding my breath.....

With another semester beckoning, it's pleasing to know that I've more or less fulfilled my 'mission' here for my first year. With only one blemish on my report card (darn Biz Law..), it remains to be seen whether I can maintain these lofty standards can be maintained in the coming years. I've restricted myself from participating in extra-curricular activities until Year 2 to make sure I get my studies on track first. Now, the time has come for me to take on other challenges as well.

My friend recently asked, "I can't imagine how you can get the grades that you got in SRJC given your competitiveness". Good Question. I didn't know how I spent those years as well. Just lost my way somewhat I guess. Somehow I always knew that I had that competitiveness somewhere inside me, though nowhere as strong as the Mr. 4.9s and 4.8s, Mr Dentist and Mr. T-Rexs.... They have undoubtedly set the benchmark as the pace-setters. Catch them if you can.

I'll have some anxious waiting for the next few weeks... On one front, the eligibility for overseas exchange pending a meeting with the manager for student services, and on the other, perhaps more significant, whether I managed to break into the Top 5% bracket.

Meanwhile.. more photos... 2 of the World's Best Universities sitting side by side in Boston's Cambridge precinct..

John Harvard

Harvard University

M.I.T

Capitol Hill
FBI Building

White House

-e.i.g.h.t-d.a.y.s-

Finally......

2007-07-01T14:44:00.000+10:00

Finally an update after a month of hiatus. My Whirlwind Holidays in Singapore ended before I even realised it.. To the many friends whom I haven't been able to meet, We'll make it up in December!

Everyday's like Sunday to me now.. It's kinda the first time in Melbourne that I can really sleep whole day and not bother about anything else except wreck my brains on how to keep myself entertained until zY's visit on July 12..

Refuelling at Anchorage, Alaska. By this time, it's already about 15hrs since I departed Singapore. Another 6 more to go..

Onboard Maid of the Mist, sailing right to the Heart of Niagara Falls

That's Canada on the left side of the river. Uncle Sam just opposite.

Glass Floor atop the CN Tower

CN Tower, Toronto

Update = No Update

2007-06-02T12:40:00.000+10:00

Home stretch now.. Just dragging myself to the finishing line...Always visualizing SQ218, the Boeing 777 sitting on the airport Tarmac ready for boarding.. Well. so much so that my mind drifted off to thinking about what time to head to airport on Monday night Right Smack in the middle of my first paper.. Biz Stats.. -_- "Ladies and Gentlemen. The cabin lights will be dimmed for take-off......"

Random Update

2007-05-18T23:17:00.000+10:00

Another Birthday Dinner.

The Much-talked-about Krispy Kreme..
A bit of 'home' from 3750miles away..
Stir-fried Beef with Broccoli. Yet another dish added to my limited personal menu. Not "Zhey" though. Hahaha.

Singapore, are you ready?

2007-05-11T22:21:00.000+10:00

"Singapore to host F1 Grand Prix next year" http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/275566/1/.html

Hardly surprising. Haha. And despite the Minister saying that it could "potentially" be held at night, I think that's just being diplomatically correct. F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has been a staunch supporter for night races in Asia to increase viewership in Europe. I would be very surprised if the Singapore GP turns out to be a day event. Let's just sit back, relax and enjoy the smell of the burning rubber... Heading to a durian near you.

The so-called Whale-Jet is finally coming. The 1st A380 to be delivered to SQ is finally out of the paint shop and scheduled for delivery in October this year and will be initially deployed on SIN-Sydney sector. Why not Melbourne?!

Take a look at the "O" in the "Singapore". It's actually slightly 'taller' than the other characters. Hmm.

Notice the engines are not yet installed on the wings.

Dad 2-0 Hewlett Packard

2007-05-10T10:29:00.000+10:00

The long-standing saga with HP finally came to an end when I collected my notebook from the Post Office. It has been an annoying and agonising few months without my laptop and the hassle of having to fight for the replacement. I knew I was fighting a losing battle right from the beginning despite the obvious problems with the unit. Being a student and overseas certainly didn't help matters, after all, what can a soon-to-be 22 year old do from 3700miles away? By handing over matters to my Dad, i knew already the Battle would be won. Not if, but When.

Case No. 1 - I sent my Desktop in Singapore in Feb for repair after my cousin told me the unit failed to start. When I eventually collected back the unit from HP just before I returned to Melbourne, the Customer Service Officer informed me that it was a software issue, but should hardware issues arise in the future, HP would not be able to fix the problem as the model was out of the Product Life Support. Alright, fair enough. After all, this Desktop is more than 5 years old already. When the same problem re-occurred shortly after I left, my dad sent it back and was subsequently informed that there was some hardware failure and there was nothing HP could do as they no longer have spare parts for this unit. At this stage, what would any of us have done? More often than not, we probably would believed him.

But not my dad. He knows nuts about computers, but yet he argued that it has just been fixed just days earlier and it had only been used a couple of times thereafter. HP should have detected any possible hardware issue on the previous occasion anyway. He refused to accept their explanation of hardware failure and if it really was an hardware issue, my dad demanded that HP declare in Black and White that there was indeed a hardware failure and that HP could no longer support the model. Immediately the customer service officer backed away and reassured that they would thoroughly check the unit again. Just 2 days after that, HP called and informed my dad that it was indeed just a software issue and that it had been fixed at no extra cost. Wow. What can i say..

Case No. 2 - As some of you might have been aware, my laptop have been giving me problems since the 2nd week of purchase and have been sent for repair numerous times here in Melbourne as well as in Singapore. Despite the promise from HP that it will be replaced if there was further hardware issues after the inspection in Singapore in Feb, HP still refused to replace after my laptop encountered Ram problems and failed to start. They claimed this was just a minor issue and the ram could be replaced easily. I know this, but I could immediately see that there was no way they would ever replace the unit, with the kind of tactics they are engaging in. Sounding like they are so supportive of my stand but was actually just trying to coax me out of the idea of replacement. Once it was handed over to my dad, HP agreed to replace the unit not long after. But there were to be more tricks up their sleeves. They were only able to offer me the 17-inch model and I had to pay the price differential + GST which would amount to about $600. Again, my dad slammed the door on them. Shortly, they finally offered a similar model to what I used to own at no extra cost. (My original model has been discontinued, presumably due to the launch of Vista i think).

And so, I finally have a laptop to use now.. Equipped with Microsoft Vista, but not after having to explain to the Australian customs that the laptop was a replacement unit and thus exempted from taxes.

Just downloaded shots from my k800i..

Dinner in Singapore prior to Departure in Oct 2006

First night back

Burger King (By the way, it's called Hungry Jacks here)

Audi A6 at the airport!

Terminal 3

2007-04-28T15:16:00.000+10:00

Not sure if any of you have seen these pictures in the local media, but anyhow, here's a sneak preview of the new Changi Terminal 3. Pictures courtesy of sqtalk.com

Arrival Immigration

Departure Hall

Keep Walking

2007-04-25T12:52:00.000+10:00

Forgettable week so far.. Haix.

Anyway, I think there's this mad craze in Singapore about Donuts? Donut Factory? And now I've even received a request for Krispy Kreme?! And apparently I'm not the only one. I have friends here who have received similar "Special Requests".. I personally can't see how the craze can be sustained. Look at the Roti-papa.. or Papa-John.. or whatever it is.. I thought those Coffee buns were pretty good and it was a new idea.. Before long, almost every confectionery was selling it.. and now, even the one in Parkway has closed down. And of course, there's the pork floss bun introduced by BreadTalk.. the same happened.. Just that Breadtalk was a has a wide 'product range' and its strong brand name coupled with extensive network definitely helped..

Donuts.. Wasn't that what we ate in Primary school? Then I remembered the talk about Donuts being unhealthy as it was effectively eating sugar.. Hmmm. Well. There is certainly a wider range of flavours available now, from what I've seen in the Krispy Kreme here.. Haven't tried it though.. Ain't cheap! Sustainable? Time will tell..

Extreme left is someone from the Korean restaurant. Don't ask me why he's inside the picture. Don't think any of us would have known either.

A passerby almost mistook me for vandalising the car until he saw the Birthday greetings..

Hong Kong Govt HQ

2007-04-14T15:19:00.000+10:00

Check out the design proposals for the new Hong Kong Government HQ.. It's gonna add a new dimension to the HK skyline..What do you reckon?

Design A: Looks stunning at first sight.. But...uncanny resemblence to the following.. lacks originality in that sense..

The new CCTV Complex in Beijing

La Grande Arche in Paris

Design B: Well.. Maybe there's a reason why it's Design 'B'.. B for BORING..Design C: Nothing Spectacular...

Design D: As the saying goes, Saving the best for the last.. the distinct shape of the Chinese Junk is an appropriate design for the Govt HQ, symbolic of Hong Kong.. At least you can instantly relate the design to HK.. and not just any other building in NY, London or any other city.. some critics commented that this design lacked a corporate feel to it though.. Hmm. But I still think it's the best design.. together with the innovative waterfront landscaping

Singapore Grand Prix 2

2007-04-10T17:41:00.000+10:00

Make no mistake about it. The Ferraris and the McLarens will be in Singapore. I'm sure in Singapore, the press have been very positive with the potential benefits of hosting the Grand Prix.. I don't deny those benefits but I guess many people are missing out on the pitfalls of it..

Looking at BingDe's Blog, the circuit certainly doesn't excite me. But given that it's a street circuit, I guess that's the best the authorities can come up with. Well, having just been to the Australian Grand Prix recently, I can say that seeing the race cars in action and hear the roar of the engines was really quite an experience.. It's amazing to hear how fast the gear shifts as compared to the saloon cars. There are several large screens installed near the stands so that the spectators can keep track with the race.

Technically speaking, the Melbourne circuit is also a street circuit as it is set in the scenic Albert Park. There's been quite a lot of negative press with regards to holding this annual event, not least the financial losses that come with it. In 2005, the loss was $9.7million and this widened to $15.6million in 2006. The facts speak for itself. The actual Formula 1 programme only lasts 4 days. Thursdays and Fridays strictly practice sessions. 1 hr in the morning and another hour in the afternoon i think. Saturdays, 1hr practice session in the morning followed by the hour-long Qualifying session in the afternoon. The race itself is on Sunday, around 2 hours, starting from about 2 or 3pm. So, in 4 days, there are only 8 hours of action. But throughout the entire period, and the weeks of preparation and dismantling before and after the event, the area is closed to public. Over here in Melbourne, they tried to arrange some Airshows and Celebrity car races in the Grand Prix area to attract the crowd during the "Lull-periods". I wonder what sort of activities can Singapore come up with to fill in the gaps between the actual action.

Safety wise, I won't be too concerned as I'm sure the authorities would have taken that into consideration and with what I saw in Melbourne, there is quite a bit of gap between the stands and the actual race track..

I'll be concerned at the amount of interest for Formula 1 in Singapore though. Ticket prices for the Grand Prix ain't cheap. Grandstand tickets come at a whopping $300-$600+.. It comes in a package for the entire 4 days. That is, you are guaranteed a seat for all 4 days. Alternatively, you may purchase the General Admission ticket at about $100 for just 1 day. But you won't have any seat.. Thats what I did. We just sat on the grass patch.. haha.. Formula 1 merchandise are extremely expensive as well.. Over here, there is quite a sizeable Italian community at Lygon Street.. The whole street is full of authentic Italian food at affordable prices (Not the Pasta Manias kind..).. During the Grand Prix, the whole area is full of Ferrari Flags and almost every food outlet will have some sort of Ferrari presence.. I certainly don't see this sort of passion occuring in Singapore. The only place you'll find Ferrari merchandise is in Pasar Malams.

And of course, I have no doubt that the NSFs will be called into action for security, logistics and what have you. Hmmm. Maybe that's one area where the Govt can cut down its costs for hosting the Grand Prix.. (And by the way, I bought the Concession ticket for students, which is about $60.. )

-f.l.y-

Moved

Snippets of My Last Semester (2)

Snippets of my Last Semester (1)

The Black Hole

-家-

The End is Nigh

Dire state of Formula 1

-r.a.n.d.o.m-

-M.S.N-

End-of-Holiday Report 5

End-of-Holiday Report 4

Black Sunday

2009 Deloitte Commerce Ball

A Fool on April's Fool

Food for Thought

End-of-Holiday Report 3

End-of-Holiday Report 2

End-of-Holiday Report 1

'Mid-Holiday' Report

Rare Update

-g.o.o.d-

-d.o.n.t-b.o.t.h.e.r-

Change? What Change?

-h.o.m.e-

U.S. Elections 'Live' Updates

-人。 生。 如。 此 -

-c.h.u.i-

非 一 般 的 友 情

Bloody Idiots

Singapore Day 2008. It's -m.a.s.s.i.v.e-2-

Singapore Day 2008. It's -m.a.s.s.i.v.e-1-

-w.a.d-t.h.e-

Singapore Day 2008

-w.h.i.n.e-

-忍-

-%.$.#.@.!.$.%.&.*-

-g.i.v.e-m.e-a-r.e.a.s.o.n-t.o-s.m.i.l.e-

Finally Someone Says Something

-c.r.a.p-

Update

Happy Birthday Singapore

Let the Games Begin

Long awaited SRJC Visit

Sayonara Singapore

-N.a.i.l.e.d-i.t-

Belated Post-Exam AAR

Home Sweet Home

SQ218

BOOK OUT LOH!

-K.O.e.d-

-?-

Being Random

Bored, on a v.v.v.c.o.l.d Nite

-e.q.u.i.t.i.e.s-

Switzerland (Part 2)

Calm before the Storm

-v.v.c.o.l.d-Hell Week-

One World, One Dream

The Key

-r.a.n.d.o.m-

Dental Treatment

望雨怀远

Cathay Pacific Low Fly-by

Thank You, KPMG.

The A380 Experience Starts Here

-Keep Flying-

Valentine's Day Special

'Live' Report from T3

-tired-

KPMG Night Fever

Still in 2007...

And they live happily ever after..

Change

Post-Exams

A Great Way to Fly

Goodbye...

Crash Landing

1 Year, and Counting...

Melbourne Marathon 2007

-人。生。如。此 -

非一般的友情