Category: Observing Life

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Memorable Events Other People's Lives

Featured in My Paper – Behind the Scene

My Paper

This must be the first time I see my Chinese name printed on a local newspaper.  I think my parents in Hong Kong would be happy if they read that.  The first time I saw my English name printed on newspaper was back in the Project Eyeball era.  How I miss Project Eyeball.  The good old days.  Had it been published free of charge like My Paper and TODAY and let the advertisement funds the operation, I think it would survive.  I still believe that the 80-cent Project Eyeball was ahead of its time.

After numerous long email exchange, MSN exchange, and short message exchange with the friendly My Paper journalist Koh Soo May (who has a lovely Chinese name that unfortunately I don’t know how to type it out here) over the weekend, I didn’t know what to expect when I walked into my favorite Coffee Bean at the Republic Plaza looking at the pile of My Paper at the counter.  You know what it is like when you interact with a journalist.  There is this element of uncertainty on what he or she is ultimately going to write, whether you will be in a positive or a not so positive light.

I tried to keep my cool but couldn’t contain my excitement.  I flipped opened the bilingual paper.  Front page (the Chinese side), I saw my site.  Gosh!  And on the third page as well.  I am much impressed by the level of details on the coverage of the topic: Bloggers – Power to the Commercial World (something like that in English).  Journalist Soo May has managed to interview the Companies, the PR firms, and the bloggers covering the areas of social media, product and service reviews and endorsement, and the trend within and outside Singapore.  Bravo!

Good read it is, I was so excited and delighted that I told one of the staff in Coffee Bean quietly behind the counter that I was on My Paper.  That was, by the way, after she asked me for a career advise if she should study Medical Science or Nursing (I love the staff of Coffee Bean at the Republic Plaza, very friendly people always with a smile).  She too was so excited that she grabbed one of the papers.  And then I realized that she cannot read Chinese, and I realized that quite a number of my good friends cannot either.

Oh well, for those who can read Chinese, click here to view the first page and here to view the subsequent one.

I guess most of us read the paper or any publication without really given much thoughts on what’s behind the scene.  After briefly worked with Soo May observing how much time she put into the articles in the middle of the night and over the weekend while busy reaching out to the network, I think I now read the newspaper with a better appreciation.  I always thought that my few hours spent per blog entry is hard work.  I certainly wouldn’t wish to write for a newspaper agency for now.

And so, this blog entry is dedicated to all the hard working journalists who face all sorts of challenges to deliver us stories, stories that don’t usually have a long lifetime and before they are even published, these journalists need to work on the next topic, and the next.

External Site: MyPaper.sg

PS. There is this one person from TEXT100 I would like to thank for all the wonderful opportunities and you know who you are.  Thank you!

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I See I Write

If There is One Thing I Can Change On How Singapore Retail Market Operates … OK, Make it 10

I love my country but not certain aspects of our retail market.  I am not an economist, just a layman consumer on the ground.  My everyday observation as such.

Recently I bought a camera.  If you are to buy the exact same one I have at a major chain store, you would have to pay 25% more compares to getting one from a small shop.  Same camera.  Why pay more?  It’s not a plate of chicken rice here that you have to pay S$1 more because you are in the Orchard area.  We are talking about adding a few more zeroes to that.

The moment I discover instances like this, I vow not to buy anything from these chain stores unless absolutely need to.  You should vow the same too and say no to daylight robbery (unless you are loaded with $$).

I used to purchase books from the major bookstores in Singapore.  Then I discovered the vast difference between buying one here and ordering one from Amazon.com (even with shipping fees and your items are likely to arrive in a few days’ time).  Take one photography book (ISBN 0321555619) as an example.  Times bookstore sells it at S$70.  Amazon.com sells it at US$30.  Even with a US$10 extra on shipping fees, you would have saved S$10.  Or 14%.  More savings when you order more books online (US$5 is fixed regardless on the number of items).

So, I vow not to buy anything from the bookstores here unless absolutely need to.  You should too.  What has gone wrong with these stores?  Maybe you have a clue for I have none.

Maybe you think … hang on, we are paying for the superb knowledge of the salesmen right?  Observe our sales people next time.  How many of them are label readers?  You ask a question, they read the label, and tell you an answer.  You ask which one is better, they read each label one by one, and you still cannot decide.

Not all are label readers, I must admit.  But do our salesmen use or have passion on what they sell?  Most of the time, I got the answer no and the most common reason is: I don’t have time for this.  Ask the sales person next time: do you actually use anything you sell?

Cynthia needed a Korg chromatic tuner (the pitchback series) for our gig.  And we finally got it just days before our live performance, after we have placed the order for 3 months.  I have been hunting for the Nikon zoom lens for ages.  No way I am going to pay 20% extra to get one from a chain store.  I literally have to camp over a few camera shops in order to get one.  Countless time I called in or walked into the shop only to find that a walk-in visitor just bought the last piece.

Gosh … I’m tired of waiting.

On the other end of the spectrum, we have the newspaper agent littering “Today” at our doorstep.  Over the years, I have called them so many times to stop “Today” from appearing.  But every now and then, perhaps as and when they need to up the readership, “Today” piles up at my doorstep.  Every weekend, we have to take the unread “Today” and dump them away.

Huh?

The price we pay for a dead cold fish in Singapore, we could have gotten a live fish in Hong Kong.  Do the small camera shops actually want to sell me anything at all?  Of all the salesmen in Singapore, the ones at the camera shops rank the lowest in my book.  Seriously, photography isn’t that expensive as a hobby.  My guitars ain’t cheap.  Neither are my computer components.  Music instrument stores and computer stores welcome me to camp over their shops like a long lost child of theirs.  Maybe you do, but I don’t get it.

And hence, I sigh at our retail market, though I love my first world country.

PS. A random picture of my first lens taken with my second zoom lens.

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I See I Write

Lingerie Shopping Spree at Brüttal, Bangsar Village 2 (Malaysia)

After I have posted my rather unsightly photos taken inside my friend Adeline’s lingerie shop October this year, here are my responses to some of the commonly raised comments.

  • Yes, that 10% discount on the brutally chic n sexy lingerie by merely saying the passwords of either my name or “that Singapore blogger” is true.  In fact, I fought so hard for you all lovely readers that it is still valid.  Christmas is round the corner.  A great opportunity to spice up … your life.
  • No, I really don’t have the X-factor to model for lady’s lingerie.  Hence, I am bringing my new troop to get the job done this time.
  • No, I do not intend to pursue my career as a male escort for men, nor for the ladies.  But if that is the only talent I can make money in this economy downturn …

Ever since those pictures have made public, once in a while or rather very often, Cynthia would poke me and ask, “Why didn’t you get that for me?”.  Good question.  Why didn’t I?  I was too engrossed in taking pictures.  Adeline was too engrossed in showing me what picture to take.  And we both forgot to get Cynthia something.

Recently, we have made a trip to the lovely Fraser Hill (more photos to come later!) and have decided to make a stop over at Bangsar and visit our friend’s shop Bruttal.  I pulled along my old good friend Kah Lok and he gamed for it.  Lovely!  Time for a serious shopping spree!

I think all men on earth should put aside a healthy budget for the lingerie shopping of their loved ones.  Come to think of it, who else on earth are going to see these lovely flimsy pieces of garments that tantalize our bodies and minds but us.  I personally have a monthly non-cumulative use-it-or-lose-it revolving lingerie credit line for Cynthia.  You should have yours too.

There have been quite a few new items added to Bruttal’s collection since my last visit.  There is this red colored wings that a girl can strap onto her back.  Great for a party costume I suppose.  Practically, I can only think of one or a few realistic … erm … positions (time to consult the Kama Sutra manual).  Speaking of costumes, Adeline shared with me that Malaysians are really big in wearing those for parties of all sort.  Adeline, if your customers need a photographer for the event, you know who to recommend.  Thank you!

There is this super plus size bra that has to be a cup size of H or J.  According to Adeline, it’s quite a popular item.  Hmmm.  And there is this nurse outfit that comes with the stethoscope.  That crotchless lingerie is out-of-stock.  Gasp!  See that lovely necklace that Cynthia was trying on?  She wore it during our band’s gig at The Heeren.

Do check out these affordable brutally chic n sexy  lingerie at Brüttal (RM18 to RM159.90 or S$7.50 to S$66.60) the next time you visit Bangsar, Malaysia.  Spread the words and don’t forget to get your 10% discount by mentioning my name … happy shopping!

Special Promotions

  • Christmas Sales: From Dec 15th to 25th, with every purchase of RM 250 and above on a single receipt, you will get (1) free imported hard case gift box and (2) RM 50 discount.
  • Boxing Day Sales: Dec 26th, 50% storewide discount + best buy items.

External Website: Brüttal.us (tel: +603 2287 7172)

Categories
I See I Write

Nokia N96 Test Drive Episode 2 – GPS in the Highland

Ever since I got that lovely Nokia N96, I have not stopped playing with it.  I am a big fan of GPS.  And this post is dedicated to the computer gamers who often get to experience some forms of what the future will be like, today.  Or to experience some forms of what today is like decades ago.

As we were driving up from Singapore to Fraser Hill in Malaysia, I had my Nokia Map switched on throughout the trip.  One could argue that the screen is a bit tiny and question the necessity.  But not having to pay for an extra GPS device just to tell me where I am serves my need.  I now can see when the next highway intersection is coming up before I see the roadsigns.  That is neat as I do at times miss the opportunity to bypass the Kuala Lumpur traffic.  I can easily zoom all the way out to the country view (or to the planet view if to feel like living in the Moon makes you happy) and look at the overall progress of the trip – very much like what we see inside the plane.  Or I can zoom all the way into the street level and see where are the upcoming towns nearby.  All the landmarks are categorized into different icons.  Including … petrol stations.

Unfortunately, not for the one above.

Before I continue the story of finding a petrol station at Fraser Hill, let me go back to the topic of why I dedicate this post to the gamers.  For decades, we gamers explore the virtual world with a mini-map on the computer screen and to know exactly where we virtually are.  It adds a lot of fun to our exploration activity.  We humans love to travel because it is our innate nature to visit new places, explore new frontiers.  Next time when you travel to a new city, try what I do when you are inside a cab.  Take out your GPS phone and observe how your position moves across the map towards your destination.  I did that often with my old Nokia N95 when I was in Jakarta.  First, it gives me comfort that the cab drivers are taking me to where I want to go.  Second, I develop a strong sense of where the landmarks are relative to each other.  It adds a lot of meaning to my traveling too.  Besides, it is closer to the virtual reality I have experienced for decades – a little GPS map right next to my car’s dashboard (note: Nokia Map does work well when you are on foot).

Now, back to the mini-story of our Fraser Hill trip.  I had no idea why I did not top up my fuel tank before we climbed up the hill.  We were low in fuel and could not find a petrol station within the town.  I pulled out my Nokia N96 and did a search for the nearby petrol stations.  Horror sank in when the nearest petrol station was more than 20 km away.  20 km may not seem much but with the 8km stretch of one-way-odd-hours-up-even-hours-down road and the average speed of 20-40 kph of bends and ups and downs, it seems far.  Fortunately, we found a mini-store that sells … petrol.

I have taken 1,500 pictures with my Nikon D700 over our stay at Fraser Hill and Petaling Jaya and am eager to share some of better ones with you in the next few weeks’ time.  Stay tuned for more pictures and stories of our trip.  And stay tuned for more episodes on my Nokia N96 Test Drive journey too.

I wish to end this entry with one picture I took when we found a proper petrol station in one of the neighboring town of Fraser Hill – thanks to Nokia Map.

Related Tags: More Nokia N96 Test Drive Episodes, Our trip to Fraser Hill in the November of year 2008

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I See I Write

Intel Core i7 Launch Party at Equinox, Singapore – A History of Chips Part 2

Could it be that oh-so-confusing video blog I created a while back that earned me a ticket to the Intel Core i7 launch party at Equinox, Swissotel The Stamford?  I have no clue.  This afternoon, I met my good old friend Robert for lunch and he joked that I should write something revelation, something closer to my heart.

And indeed I should attempt to.

Computer processor, quite honestly, is the least sexiest thing on Earth.  It is so behind-the-scene that most of us simply take it for granted, or hardly take notice of its existence.  But yet, the pace of our civilization’s progress depends on not only how many brilliant scientists we have, but also how far we push the envelope of technology.  I am a computer science and engineering graduate.  And I have witnessed the evolution of computer processor since the Intel 80268 era.  Commercially viable processor architecture doesn’t change often like fashion does.  The new Intel Core i7 – or often referred as the Nehalem architecture for those of us who have kept track of its development – is one breathtaking milestone of our digital era.

I have recently upgraded my home PC to an Intel Core 2 Quad (note: try not to click onto that link as it is rather dry and boring for public consumption).  I love my Quad Core, I really do.  It is fast, trust me.  But the Extreme Edition of this new Core i7 scores 60% faster than mine (73.5 versus 117).

To be honest, I am still quite shocked that Intel releases the new Nehalem architecture especially when (1) their only competitor AMD is way behind and struggles so hard to survive and (2) their Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad processors have been selling well and met 99.99% of the mass public’s needs.  I really thought that Intel would take a back seat on this one.

Maybe Intel simply takes pleasure in putting a final nail to AMD’s coffin (how many of us have gone from AMD4Life to “AMD is Dead” overnight?). And mind you, Intel’s new chip with a feature size of 32nm is on its way to see the world in the year 2010.  For whatever the reason, it is clear to the world which company is out there pushing our limit on how fast we compute.  You can certainly own one of the fastest processors on the planet.  I bought my C2Q 9450 (with motherboard) at S$600 in May.  The new Intel Core i7 with the new Intel chipset X58 costs from S$900 to S$2,200.  For those who are willing to spend up to a grand for each top end graphic card, the future is within reach.  One could overclock the Extreme version up to 4GHz although the official figure given by Intel is 3.2GHz.  Now, that is sick.

Personal Notes:

  • Thank you Intel and Ogilvy for the invite.  Now I can tell my grandchildren that I was there when Core i7 was first launched.
  • It is lovely to see familiar faces at the party – my fellow Singaporean bloggers.
  • Seeing the MSI counter brought back memory.  I had MSI motherboard and graphic card once.  And thank you for those gifts!  Now I can decorate my office.
Categories
I See I Write

Nokia N96 Test Drive Episode 1 – First Impression

Rarely do I play around with my wireless phone when I am having a meal with someone.  But when the three lovely ladies from the Nokia and Text100 teams handed me the Nokia N96 for a test drive, not even the thunderstorm outside The Rogues could keep me from having my hands all over this one true beauty.  I know you wish you were me.  And you could well be!

First Impression

This lovely Nokia N96 could well be your early Christmas present.  Or for your loved one.  Or you could email the link of this post to your loved one and hope that he or she would get the hint.  When I first laid my hands on the new Nokia N96, I was much impressed by the elegance of the overall design.  This new design now comes with the eye pleasing rounded corners, new stylish materials for the side and the back too.  

The new Nokia N96 feels lighter, and certainly slenderer than the Nokia N95 that I have.  There is a total redesign of the keypad as well.  I love the flat surface shiny black material with some of the button labels light up or fade away depending on situation.  The new keypad is scratch resistance too.  I have been sms’ing, msn’ing, facebook’ing, gmail’ing, and more for the entire weekend, not a single scratch.

From N95 to N96 in 60 Seconds

When I choose a wireless phone, I don’t just choose a model or a design, I choose a brand that truly care about its customers.  And I have stayed with Nokia since 2000.  Here is one good example of how Nokia delights me.

My wireless phones contain all my vital contact information, together with my notes, to-do list, and calendar items.  And just how easy it is to transfer all that from my old Nokia phone to the Nokia N96?

60 seconds, the wireless way.

First, I logged onto the Nokia’s OVI homepage and added a new phone into my online profile.  A sms was sent to my new N96 and I opened it with my temporary PIN displayed at the OVI website (for my eyes only).  I then used the Sync tool provided by the N96 to download all my latest contact, notes, to-do list, and calendar information I have previously synchronized with my old phone.  60 seconds, with no wire or complicated desktop applications.  I now have a copy of my vital information in my old N95, in the Nokia’s OVI website, in the new N96, and any future Nokia phones I will have.

A detail write-up on the Nokia OVI blogger event can be found in here.

Incremental Improvements that Shock Me Off My Chair

The new Nokia N96 is loaded with so many improvements over its predecessor that some put a smile on my face, some shock me off my socks.

The little stand that is hidden behind the camera near the lens is very good to have.  No longer do I need to hand hold my phone while watching CNN video podcast in the morning with my cup of coffee as I wait for my corporate computer to boot up.  There is also a physical keypad lock latch that makes a lot of sense.  I often find the N95 keypad locking mechanism a bit odd at times.

The music player now allows me to adjust the volume with double the precision than before, which is nice.  And the volume output through the headphone is much louder, which is very car stereo friendly.  I have long replaced the CD changer with my Nokia Nseries.  Did I mention that the new Nokia N96 comes with a car charger in the box as well?  Big deal you may say.  But having the flexibility to perpetually switch on the GPS positioning system (Nokia Map) without worrying that I may run out of the phone battery during my road trip in Malaysia, that is very, very nice.

While it still has the same good old 5 mega-pixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens that works well (see my favorite sunset photo), the newly expanded 16 GB built-in memory with option to extend to another 16 GB and more put Nokia N96 beyond most (if not all) of the MP3 phones in the market today.  The menu feature has been improved too for better productivity and user friendiness.

Above all that are too many to mention in one post, here are two observations that make me a very happy Nokia N96 user.

  1. “5 seconds” is all it takes for the phone to lock onto the GPS satellites.  It is very fast, lightning fast.  And it is free.  Unlike the N95 that takes up to 5 minutes for initial satellite connection, you don’t need to slide the phone open.  The precision is so great now that it can be used not only for driving, but also for walking.  Think of the possibilities.
  2. “4 megabytes per second” is the transfer speed from my computer to the Nokia N96 via the supplied cable.  Big deal?  Well, this is up to 8 times faster than my N95.  Transferring one music album in MP3 format will now only take 15 seconds.  That is fast for a phone.  I timed this myself, loving it.

In Summary and Coming Soon

Throughout the years, Nokia has created wireless phones with better functionality and better design generation after generation.  It is evident when you hold one and try one, like the Nokia N96.  A big thanks to Angela, Evenlyn, and Felicia from the Nokia and Text100 teams who so patiently answered my questions from communication, to product, and to marketing.

It is impossible to cover all that Nokia N96 has to offer in one entry, nor do I enjoy documenting specifications line by line.  Depending on how long I get to hold onto this new phone for my test drive, here are some of the potential working titles for the upcoming episodes.  Stay tuned!

  • Episode 2: So Cynthia Took Over My Old N95 and My Second Impression on N96 (check out the picture above to see how happy she is)
  • Episode 3: GPS in the Highlands
  • Episode 4: Learning Spanish with Nokia N96
  • Episode 5: It is Spore!
  • Episode 6: Satellite Watches Me Jog
  • Episode 7: Geo-tagging Photos of My Year End Trips
  • And more

Related Tag: More Nokia N96 Test Drive Episodes

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I See I Write

Brüttal: Lingerie

Readers of my site rejoice!  Mention my name and you will get a 10% discount on a single bill for these beautiful, trendy, and colorful brutally chic n sexy lingerie.  Check out these photos I took.  The *ahem* crotchless lingerie is my favorite.  The French maid costume is also my favorite.  And there is this bunny costume, that naughty red devil costume, and a lovely variety of brutally chic n sexy lingerie that I don’t even know where to start.  Gosh, I love them all, from the bottom of my heart.

I am so proud of my old friend Adeline Choo’s new lingerie shop in Bangsar Village II (1st floor).  Malaysian readers of my site can easily pop by Brüttal and if you are shy mentioning my name, you could just say, “Erm … I heard your shop from that Singaporean blogger …”  And you will get your 10% discount.  As for my Singaporean readers, Bangsar is very near to Kuala Lumpur and I have included a direction on how to get there in the end of this entry.  Bangsar is like our Boat Quay in Singapore, a lovely place to dine at after your long day of shopping.  Don’t miss Bangsar.

Coming soon: World’s first coverage on Brüttal Wish List (for weddings, birthdays, and more) here in WilfridWong.com – where good things are meant to be shared!

I have been actively in touch with Adeline ever since her lingerie shop opened this April (and she gave us some of her lingerie that without making Cynthia blush, I love every single piece!).  And she has been inviting me over for an exclusive blogger coverage.  OK, that business trip may be harsh but I am happy to take time off and pay Brüttal a visit.  When I reached Bangsar Village II, I was impressed by the classy shopping mall that wasn’t there when I was working in Malaysia 10 years ago.  Finding Adeline’s shop was easy (1st floor) and I was even more impressed by how spacious and comfortable the shop is (and it comes with a huge changing room too!).  I literally ransacked the entire shop and gosh, I love the collection.  As I was holding up some of those enticing brutally chic n sexy lingerie, I casually asked Adeline who would wear those costumes.  She giggled and told me that a lot of ladies buy the costumes for their friends’ bachelorette nite party.  Oh wow!

Enough of words.  Check out the pictures above.  Just how much would these lovely brutally chic n sexy lingerie cost?  OK, I confess that I have a tough time memorizing what is what so I asked Adeline what would the damage be like if Cynthia was here.  Affordable she said!  Uh-huh I don’t buy that!  Adeline then said: RM18 to RM159.90.  That works out to be S$7.50 to S$66.60.  And with that 10% discount, you do the maths.  Time to bring along Cynthia in my next visit to Malaysia.

How to Get There

If you visit Kuala Lumpur, most likely you will stay in town.  Bangsar is just a 15-30 minutes drive from KL or Petaling Jaya.  If you take a taxi, simply tell the driver to drop you at the McDonald’s.  Once you align, on your left is the main street and on your right is where the restaurants and shops are at.  Turn right and you will see a long street with shops on the right and 2 long streets on the left.  Do check out both streets for there are a wide variety of restaurants and pubs.  At the end of either street is the mall Bangsar Village II.  Brüttal is on the 1st floor – 2 levels up from ground level.

Of course, you could do what I did, just ask around.  Malaysians are the friendly bunch.

External Website: Brüttal.us (tel: +603 2287 7172)

Categories
Other People's Lives

A Guide for You to Win A 60″ Plasma TV This Very Sunday (And You Can Thank Me Later)

I am in a dilemma but I simply love to share.  Though I have been blogging about and talking about this too-good-to-be-true contest (seriously do the maths and if you are a Singapore resident, chances to win this is pretty high), none of my friend seems to to be as excited as I do.  Maybe secretly they do.  I have even done a field visit and yes, it does exist, in very good shape. 

Though I am a big fan of Singaporean blogger EastCoastLife (and have met her in person), this entire contest is kind of complicated coming from someone who has read every post of hers.  But fear not.  Here is your guide to win that 60″ full HD plasma TV.  That’s right.  This baby can be yours.  I’ve spent hours to hunt for all the links.  But if you prefer to play the treasure hunt yourself, feel free to skip step 1.  As always, if you don’t want this TV, you can win it and pass it to me.  Thank you.

Step 1

Read the following blog entries and write down the answers to the questions.  If you are touched by my kindness, please email me with your answers and we can compare notes.  A win-win as some of the questions are kind of … tricky to me.

  1. Which knife is a must-have in a kitchen?
  2. What is the main cause of cervical cancer? (warning: gross pictures!)
  3. How long is the underground tunnel of KPE?
  4. On which date was all Chinese males gathered, screened and later faced the machine-gun firing squad?
  5. Who is the winner of 2008 Formula One SingTel Singapore Grand Prix?
  6. Which organisation launched Hi2P?
  7. Where is Underwater World Singapore located?
  8. Besides the 60″ HD Plasma TV, which other product did LG sent me?
  9. LG’s Home Theater Systems was tuned by which world renowned high end audio expert?
  10. What does LG stand for?

Step 2

You will need to send a snail mail to her.  Follow her instruction here.

Step 3

If you do win and wish to keep it, please invite me over.  I will bring along my DVD collection of Ayumi Hamasaki.  Best of luck!

Categories
I See I Write

A Fun Read: I Picture Myself as a Surfer Part 2 – Raining Questions That Tickle

Seems that every time I watch F1, I am in Malaysia.  I really hope to be in Singapore for the season finale in 2 weeks’ time.

My apology to have confused you on that surfer entry.  Let’s get down to some of the questions that tickle and skip 90% of the questions I was bombarded by the International crowd on the global initiative last week that will bore you to sleep.

 Some questions are pretty easy to answer.

  • Where do you come from?  Love this question, certainly the easiest of all.
  • Where are the tourist attractions in Malaysia?  Well, the KL city, the highlands, the casinos, the beach resorts, how much time do you have?

But being a consultant at heart, I get a headache going into specifics.

  • Where to buy cheap electronic goods?  Mid Valley nearby came into my mind.
  • Where to buy … ?  Mid Valley.
  • Where to … ?  Mid Valley.

Some are like comments about our currently location that I can’t quite answer directly without embarrassing my bosses who chose it.

  • We could get ourselves killed crossing these roads!  Erm … just be careful?  Look left, and right, and then left again?
  • Why did we choose Malaysia?  Yes, why?  I’d love to have this workshop in Singapore.  And I bet many do.

In this International setting, there bounds to be some who are pro-environment.

  • (Shaking head) We are wasting a lot of papers filling up these forms.  I wish the world is perfect but it isn’t.  I wish there are better ways than paper-based approach but there aren’t.
  • (Shaking head) We are wasting a lot of water.  Looking at those half drank water bottles going into the bin, I can certainly comprehend.  But I can’t force people to finish drinking their water, can I?  I am not a nanny for this crowd.  Or am I expected to be one?

Leading the workshop doesn’t mean that I am the fixer for all-good-problems.  Here are some questions that keep coming back to me.

  • I can’t log onto my desktop computer.  Erm … OK.  Medic?
  • I can’t read my emails.  Medic?
  • I’ve lost my emails.  Do you know how important they are to me?  Seriously, they are just one’s and zero’s.  Technically they are.  Life moves on.  Another electronic mailbox bites the dust.
  • The air conditioner is too noisy.  Shall I call the aircon man?
  • The air conditioner is too cold?  It is centrally controlled.  Nothing much I can do.  Sorry!
  • I may get sick!  Shall I get you a blanket?
  • Can you print this for me?  The printer is just down the hall but sure, that’s my job.  And what happens to that being green initiative?

And when I told y’all that I am a coffee boy at work, no one believes.

  • Can the project cater lunch for us here inside this building instead of us going out?  Sure, there are only 50 sandwiches in total.  I can do that.  So, how many of you want Turkey Breast?  What?  No pickle and onion?
  • Where is our lunch?  Good question.  It should be here any minute.  Besides, I gave my entire wallet to two admin staff (who are not trained in buying takeaways) and where are they?!
  • Where is our lunch (half an hour later)?  I am sure the sandwiches are on the way.
  • Where is our lunch (one hour later)?  Time to hide behind the cubicle somewhere.  Were we in Singapore, this wouldn’t have happened.
  • The sandwiches didn’t go too well, could we have … ?  Oh dear, is it not?  Certainly tasted OK to me.  I must be hungry.  Maybe I shall be the cook.  My cooking skill is pretty decent.  Cynthia can vouch for me. 
  • I know that we have 2 tea breaks and now 1 catered lunch, how about coffee and tea first thing in the morning?  Yes, how about that?

OK.  Some questions may have taken out of context just for entertainment’s sake.  But I guess by now you have a vague idea on what my job last week was like.  These questions are really not that bad compare to 90% of the other questions.  Last week was big ocean wave number one.  Now, onto the second wave.

And I still picture myself as a surfer.

PS. I do love the audience on the record – every one of them!

Categories
Everyday News Whacky Thoughts

Comic Relief – 5 Ways to Beat Electricity Price Hikes (And You Don’t Have to Sweat About It)

By now, you must have read 101 ways on how to cut back on this and that to save $$.  But do we have to go down that path?  All we need are some workable innovative ideas.  Something sustainable, something … fun.

What triggered my thought is probably this.  I have done what I can comfortably do (and no, I still love my air con) and yet I am slammed with this new 20%+ hike that cancels out all my effort.  If you are new to Singapore, our utility board actually charts our usage for us and tells us how far off we are from the national average.  As you can see, my usage has a downward trend, sort of.

#1 Office Electricity is Free (Duh!)

As duh as it sounds, we don’t pay for the electricity bill in the office.  It is already factored into the reduction of our salaries.  Most people I reckon reach home at 7pm, sleep at midnight.  So there is a window of 5 hours worth of light and air-con bills you have to pay for.  Imagine this.  Why not stay in the office for an extra hour to enjoy the air-con and light and pretend to work while browsing WilfridWong.com?  Your boss may even promote you for your dedication to work.  That is a 20% saving my friend.

Note: Feel free to replace the word office with library if that makes more sense to you.

#2 Make Love Not Waste Electricity

You may consider this if #1 has a negative impact to your work life balance.  And in conjunction, you can even achieve a 40% saving!  Unless you are the type who prefer to spend your romantic moments with your partner in your bedroom as bright as the F1 circuit in Singapore, chances are you will be able to save an hour worth of light and TV electricity bills on a near-daily basis.  If you need advice on how to extend your performance, there is even a book titled “How to Make Love All Night: And Drive a Woman Wild!” – 4 stars in Amazon.com.

Note: If #2 is not feasible for you, think of some candle light activities (perhaps get more sleep?)

#3 Blog (or Read) 20% Faster

Like it or not, our computers consume a lot of electricity.  My PC at full load consumes 650W of power – more than half of an electrical iron’s consumption.  And if you are busy procreating (#2), you may need to speed up your time with the Internet anyway.

#4 Buy a HDD Recorder

Asking you to cut down on watching TV is just duh.  I know.  So I am not going to.  Instead, buy a hard disk TV recorder especially if you happen to win that 60″ plasma TV from EastCoastLife.  Your favorite “Desperate Housewives” may take up 1 hour of air time but if you filter out the commercials, it is only a 45 mins entertainment.  Time-shift the program and fast forward all the commercials!  Viola.  This shortens the time you are in front of the TV while getting the same amount of entertainment.

#5 Fly Budget

I know, this tip seems a bit out of place but I do wish to earn some spare $$.  Besides, if I do win the Tiger Airways contest, I will have a pair of free tickets to a destination of my pick.  Every saving counts.

So I need to write about my most memorable holiday.  That is easy.  It has got to be my trip to Mount Kinabalu last March.  If you haven’t read my all time highest hit article, here is the chance.  I have included some pictures to share below.

Tiger Airways is currently celebrating its 4th anniversary by having a special birthday fares starting from S$0.04 to various destinations.

Tiger Airways is Asia Pacific’s true low fare airline. It offers passengers not only one of the lowest possible airfares in the market, but safe, reliable and convenient point-to-point air travel as well. Tiger Airways now flies to more than 27 destinations across 9 countries in Asia-Pacific on a fleet of brand new Airbus A320 aircraft.

PS. The proceeds from this ad (as well as any lucky draw wins if any) will be donate to a Charity of my choice – Christ the King at AMK.