Homeward Bound

The time now is 11:05am.

I'm about 14 hours away from stepping on that flight back home. It's been almost a year since I was last home.

I still remember on my first trip back home while working in Hong Kong. When the plane touched down at Changi airport and the flight attendent came on over the PA to welcome visitors to Singapore, she also added "And for those who call Singapore home, welcome home!" I felt a surge of emotions. I was so happy to be home.

Cost-cutting Measures

We had word lately at my company that the management has implemented a whole laundry list of cost cutting measures. I don't really care for most of them such as cutting back on companies events and business travels, suspending contribution to retirement plans (I don't qualify for KiwiSaver, the NZ equivalent of CPF, here anyway). What is a real bummer is that they'll be eliminating salary increases in 2009 and they'll also be suspending incentive bonuses related to passing the CFA programs.

I have never not have a salary increase in all my years of working so this came as a really rude shock but then again, many would argue that we have not seen an economic depression this bad in the last 70 years. Point taken. Alright. I should be happy that I still have a job. But to be very honest, if I get laid off, it'll just be another reason for me to go into social work, to work for a more worthwhile cause. Plus with inflation, what I'll be earning this year will be worth less than last year. Ouch.

Sure, I can understand why the company has suspended incentive bonuses awarded when employees pass each level of the CFA program but hey, I need as many incentives as I can get in order to motivate myself to sacrifice work nights and weekends to study for CFA. The second application deadline is the 2nd week of February. I'm still undecided whether I should sign up. I know I should. I know I know. I'll get back to you on that.

Bill Gates advice to high school students.

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something before you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will not make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life has not. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to anything in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is not real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

Just when you thought the world can't get any crazier, you read an article like that that sends shivers down your spine.

Cleric backs marriage to 10-year-olds

This is not about religion. It's about protecting the rights of our children. It doesn't matter what your religion, you cannot marry your 10-year old daughter off to anyone. It doesn't matter whether who approves it, the grand mufti, the president or the Pope for that matter, it is just morally wrong. So what if that was how it was done in the past? Doesn't make it any more right.

What are these people thinking? Marrying their 8-year old daughter to a man in his 50's. How do they justify it? What do they expect to happen? That the 50-year old man will treat the child like his daughter? More like a sex slave to fuel his sick mind. What kind of mother will allow this to happen to her baby girl? How do you look your daughter straight in the eye again after pawning off her innocence?

我懷念的

Describing my standard of Mandarin as dismal is really a nice way of putting things. I hardly ever attempt to speak Mandarin because I can hardly string together a complete sentence. So I can understand if there are a number of people who end up falling off their chairs after reading this blog!

I chanced upon this song and I really like the lyrics. (I can read much better than I speak or write for that matter.) The song is by Stephanie Sun. It's my favourite song at the moment!

While we were gone...

... for the New Year's, here is a sneak peek into what the Coopster was up to with his partners in crime, Madison and Rogan. They took over Chris' house, annihilated the yard, slobbered all over the furniture and even ransacked the closet while Chris wasn't looking and each picked out their favourite outfit. Here are the 3 trouble makers caught in the act!

Presenting Santa Cooper, Ballerina Madison and Sergeant Rogan.

Madison got tired of playing the damsel in distress and insisted (politely with her teeth bared) that the boys should have a go at it too. Here's Doopsie, looking a little too comfortable in his pink tutu.

Hope everyone had as much fun over the holidays as Santa Cooper here did. Ho ho ho!

Counting Down.

12 more days before I'm on the plane back to Singapore. That's 12 more nights, 10 more working days, approximately 288 hours. Oh you get the picture.

Can't hardly wait to get on that plane. I have made a list of friends to meet, things to do, food to eat while I'm back in Singapore. I'm getting hungry just thinking of my hokkien mee, oyster omelette, laksa, satay, bbq stingray, chilli crabs, nasi lemak, sugar cane drink, fish head noodles, indian rojak, murtabak, mee siam... ooohhh the list goes on.

Can't wait can't wait can't wait!!!