46th Birthday Dinner

2008 is an interesting year.  So much had happened in the world.  The Earthquake with devastated China, the US financial crisis, China's Melamine milk scare, the Olympic, Singapore's first F1 race.

My career switch would certainly pale in comparison to the big event. In fact, if not for NFB and OB, I was not even thinking about celebrating my birthday.  Personally, I prefer to have a simple birthday just going out with a few close friends and having dinner.    My birthday dinner was organised a day early as I would be busy on Sunday.

Met Chat at TP central and waited for OB to pick us up to go to Turf City.  Upon arriving, Aka & Exec, Stockydude, NFB, Stoner and CB has already started eating.  Pete arrived much later. Dinner was sweaty but filling.  Exec had made a delicious chocolate which I had never tasted.  At my age, I better cut down on all the sweet stuff.   Of course that does not include cute young thing.

After dinner, Stoner & Stockydude left.  We adjourned to Bt Timah's McDonalds for coffee and met up with STB and Elmo.  We were all teasing STB for having a "hicky".  Curious CB kept wanting to know how STB feels when he was given a hicky.  Anyway, CB was teased the whole nite by the guys for his interest in me.  As for me, I was teasing STB and Elmo.  

The night draw to a close at about 12 but I still have to trouble NFB to drive me to mom's place to get the new iron with father redeemed with his fuel points.  It was really nice of NFB to drop me and waited for me and drove me back home. 

It was rather unfortunate that BH got diarrohea, Nuss could not find the parking lot and went back home frustrated and LC had Bowling that nite. 

Few days earlier, I was actually feeling pretty lousy but what more can anyone ask when u have friends around you to have nice dinner, chill, unwind, tease each other and simply just having fun. 

Thanks guys....you make my day.

Pre Birthday Dinner Outing

It's been awhile since I go out with boy for dinner. Since my birthday is coming up, he suggested that we go eat a good meal and followed by a show.

He has redeemed some food vouchers from Citibank for Seafood Forest @ Bugis Junction, as well as bought tickets for Mamma Mia! - The Movie from Shaw.

We met and headed for Seafood Forest. For Entre, he ordered Calamari and raw oysters while I ordered lobster bisque. For main course, I ordered Cray fish spaghetti and he ordered Salmon stake. My spaghetti tasted soggy and starchy and it was bland. IT was really bad, but I finshed it anyway as it was his treat for me.

I was glad that he brought tickets for Mamma Mia! instead of Wall-E, even though I would have enjoyed Wall-E. Mamma Mia! was great, and had made up for the bad dinner I had earlier. I left the cinema still humming to tunes by Abba; I have a dream.

When I came back, I had I missed a call on MSN from my Taiwanese friend. We chatted awhile and when I realised it, my boy was already fast asleep. I had forgotten to thank him for dinner and show. I leaned over and gave him a kiss and say my thanks.

Mamma Mia! - The Movie

I Have a Dream

This song is from the movie Mamma Mia! Which was a hit song from the Swedish group ABBA back in the 70s.

The movie Mamma Mia! was adapted from the Broadway musical of the same name. It has all the famous ABBA hit songs. I really enjoyed the show and the familiar tunes which I happily sings along until my partner asked me not to.

This song hits close to my heart of the path I am heading towards.

I have a dream
A song to sing
To help me cope
With anything
If you see the wonder
Of a fairy tale
You can take the future
Even if you fail
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
I'll cross the stream
I have a dream

I have a dream
A fantasy
To help me through
Reality
And my destination
Makes it worth the while
Pushing through the darkness
Still another mile
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
I'll cross the stream
I have a dream
I'll cross the stream
I have a dream

I have a dream
A song to sing
To help me cope
With anything
If you see the wonder
Of a fairy tale
You can take the future
Even if you fail
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
I'll cross the stream
I have a dream
I'll cross the stream
I have a dream

Hitting Life's Reset Button

As I was sorting out some of the cut outs which I had lying around and found a Sunday Times April 13th article entitled "Hitting Life's Reset Button" by Ignatius Low. Reading it then and reading it now, it really set me thinking. Life earlier this year was comfortable and cosy with a good pay job and comparing with now, I am back to days of yonder; flash back year 2001.

This will be the third time I've pressed my reset button. 1st time was in 1990 when I decided to switched from Technical to Sales. 2nd was in 2001 when I came back from BKK. Now and most recently, my 3rd reset.

1990 was also the year where I decide to lead the life I want to live instead of living my life as someone I am not. I have learned to accept myself and wants to be happy instead of trying to please others while making myself miserable. It was also the year where I accepted my own orientation; after years of denial.

Year 2001 is a year where the whole world was going into recession. While the world goes into recession, I was going through mild depression. I was dis-interested to work and are vegging out at home. I eventually got out of my emotional rug and picked myself up.

Fast forward; 2008, I had left my job recently and had started a new path towards the unknown with my current project. The current economic situation is not looking good and it has giving me some what of a Déjà vu feeling. But what is different is I am not in depression but are very much aware of what I am getting myself into and the tough road ahead.

I am a fighter / survivor and I will enventually overcome and be successful. You can count on that.

Who are your friends?

I have never gave much thoughts when I helped my friends with their problems. Although I regards my friends as friends, it had never occur to me to find out if I am being considered as their friend.

Recent events which happens to me made me realised who my friends really are. We can choose who our friends are, but you will know who your friends really are when things happens.

I am glad that I found out who my friends really are. It is really humbling.

Getting Back

I was stood up by a potential prospect last nite after waiting for him for more than half an hour. He did not reply my repeated calls and messages. Fuming mad and not wanting to put the matter to rest, I massaged him a last message and informed him that his name and no. will be sent to my company for his no show.

5 mins later, he called and apologised profusely after giving me some lame excuses for his no show. I told him off and dish out on him and even though he wants me to represent him for future deal, I told him to look elsewhere as the deal is off.

Too bad for him, he had messed with the wrong guy. My work is stressful enough and I certainly don't need prospect like him to make my day any worst. Many of my colleagues in my line of work had to put up with such people and to swallow the bitter pill.

I was glad I am able to get back at that prospect even though I lost the deal. Someone has to stand up to such prospect and they had to be told off for playing people out. I am glad it was me.

Touched to tears

I met up with a long time friend and his wife yesterday after he knew that I had ventured out on my new job.

We had a long discussion about how we can work on his project. The discussion went smoothly and as we were leaving, something he said caught me off guard and I found myself touched to tears and was trying hard to fight back tears from my eyes in front of him and his wife.

He told me that he remembered what I said to him back in 1993 when he was starting out in his business; I had told him that had he needed my help in his new venture, I would be his first customer. And now, years later, he is saying that to me to show his support.

I was really touched and thankful for his support and friendship.

Uncharted Waters

For years, I've always been a corporate guy. I've worked in small SME to big corporations; most of the time working for people. My current job has the size of a big corporation but yet, I am my own boss (entrepreneur). I came to realised that being a boss is really not easy, but I am glad that I am doing what I am doing now. I answers to no one except myself and I realised that I am threading in uncharted waters.

My job is made more tolerable as I am not alone. I will be graduating with my fellow course mates by next week and I realised that many of my course mates are ill prepared in their mental as well as technological skills. In this day and age, one really need to leverage on technology to help them get the latest information which would help them in their jobs.

I've come across fellow course mates whom are in it as an extra backup plan "后路". But the problem with them is that they still think like a worker and not like a boss.

I am glad that I am technologically apt and that I've met with very nice course mates whom welcomes me into their group. My tenant who is my friend plays a part in making my transition from worker to boss bearable. When I am in doubt, I know I can get the answers readily.

I am giving myself lots of opportunity to learn from the best and at the same time working hard to close deals. I am aiming to be the best there is. :)

Self Exile

After reading BW, I came to know that there was some war-of-words between 2 regular BW mahjong kaki in their respective blogs. When friends are too close and sees each others too often, some misunderstandings can happend and frienship lost. It seems that the 2 BWers had settled their differences (from their respective blogs).

Few months ago, I was de-op from IRC by the original starter of the BW IRC chatroom for anyhow kicking people out. He told me that; "Most people (in IRC) dun want to see u on IRC". I took the hint and exile myself from IRC after that.

It was later that I found out the word "Most people" is subjective. I wasn't as "unwelcome" as I was "told".

I was sore initially, because I regards him as a friend but was treated like an outsider. I also realised that as much as I can regard somone as a friend, it is not up to me if I am not considered as one.

Luckily for me, everything happens for a reason. After my exile from IRC, I was kept busy after I enrolled myself in a course which eventually led me to my new job.

Anyway, looking at the positive side of things, I was glad that that person de-op me in IRC, if not for him, I would still be parking myself on IRC and spent hours on ends chatting and glueing myself to my computer. Not that there is anything wrong with doing the above.

Nowadays, I am swamped with work and hardly even have time to chat online and everyday after I comes back from work, it's more work and of course moderating of BW forum.

Well, I am not trying to add fuel to fire, I just felt that everything happens for a reason.

While one showed up during one of the Mod's birthday karaoke gathering, the other was absent.

Self exile is a good thing. Instead of fighting over issues, it is non-confrontational and it allows both party to cool off. Although not much could be said about the posting in their respective blogs and in their case, 寫者無心, 看者有意 which led to their misunderstanding.

I hope my blog also dun be misconstuded to be another 寫者無心, 看者有意 incident.

BW moved

BW have moved to our own server. :)

http://www.blowingwind.org/forum