tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22839493595208886252012-01-10T09:51:20.592+08:00Sight - the sensory perception results in an image. A series of image creates a story. The story invokes an emotion. The emotion surfaces an experience. The experience provokes a judgement. That judgement brings about an insight. Life is indeed a cause and effect - a sight to insight. Learn from the gift of sight daily. Share your gift of insight to everyone.YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.comBlogger811100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-4282958058575412122010-12-23T23:16:00.001+08:002010-12-23T23:16:51.407+08:00

AW (Angkor Wat) covers 402 square km. The environment is serene, covered with greeneries save for the almost all straight roads connecting the magnificent ruins from the 9th century. The whole area, now a UN heritage is flat except for another ruin up a hil where photographers jostled for a picture of the sunset. More to come.Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-2960147072537004622010-12-22T22:54:00.001+08:002010-12-22T22:54:07.845+08:00

The bus journey took 5.5 hours from Phnom Penh. The bus was filled to the brim. The condition is slightly worse than the factory bus in Singapore. Thankfully the road though small is straight! Padi fields all around with ponds filled with lotus flowers. Many houses were built on stilt and still using dry attap leaves.Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-12313801436432398492010-12-21T22:30:00.001+08:002010-12-21T22:30:32.694+08:00

Visited Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda. More majestic than the one in Bangkok. Very impressive. Lots of golden stuffs here. Lots of history and similar to that of Bangkok. Beautiful! The king was in residence today with the flag raised.Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-59976976023817554672010-12-21T22:02:00.001+08:002010-12-21T22:02:20.890+08:00

We decided to come to know its history and culture. Our first dinner was at 123 restuarant at Queen Boutique Hotel. They all speak Cantonese! The next was Nagaworld - a casino not far from our hotel, Imperial Garden Villa. Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-55966243001305318562010-12-17T12:13:00.001+08:002010-12-17T12:13:49.617+08:00

Testing its usefulnessPublished with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-13592146738449877152010-10-10T15:05:00.001+08:002010-10-10T15:40:51.577+08:00

I tested the lens today, which is bought from a fellow Pentaxian. I looked at all the pictures in magnified mode, and I am in alignment with the other reviewers of this lens. This is indeed a sharp lens. http://www.pentaxforums.com/lensreviews/SMC-Pentax-F-Star-300mm-F4.5-Lens.htmlYou can get more information from the URL attached.

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-15157866802414800282010-08-08T12:27:00.011+08:002010-09-11T14:17:51.529+08:00

I am back from the China trip, and I took along my K7, Pentax 40mm f2.8, 100mm and Sigma 10-20mm f4-5.6. I brought back a set of photographs. Am I satisfied with them? If yes, why, and if no, why as well? This is the start of looking backward to prepare forward.Let me start by asking myself, which photograph do I like the best that could be posted for critique at Clubsnap? There are also casual

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-71794399351573671082010-07-31T08:03:00.002+08:002010-08-09T20:50:14.158+08:00

This photo was taken with the Pentax 100mm f2.8 WR (Weather Resistant) on my Pentax K7, at the SAM (Singapore Arts Museum) where Clubsnap held its exhibition on 24-25th July. I like this lens as I had tried it twice on the previous version. It gives very strong bokeh (blur background), hence great for portrait. It also has the macro, and this is taken with the macro feature of the lens. The

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-80165218806725020802010-07-23T20:52:00.002+08:002010-07-23T21:03:08.589+08:00

Chasing technology is like chasing the sunset as a photographer. Just as you thought you had the best picture on sunset, another one with more vibrant color will overtake it. Fuji has just announced four new cameras, of which two of them were what I was about to purchase. These are the Fuji 300EXR and Z800EXR replacing 200EXR and Z700EXR respectively. The 300EXR has an optical zoom of 15x, and a

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-6885292017866048672010-07-20T20:54:00.004+08:002010-07-23T20:51:52.817+08:00

I am in the process of buying another point and shoot. I have Fuji in mind. These models are 80EXR and Z700EXR. The former is a 10x optical zoom while the latter is 5x but with a 3.5" touch scream. Initially the prices on the market were S$539 and S$449 respectively. When I check with a low cost accredited vendor, the prices were $399 and $339 respectively without the 7% GST. The pricing is

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-22907150527339951812010-07-17T12:46:00.002+08:002010-07-17T12:54:14.565+08:00

Gen Y are people born somewhere in the mid 70s, and should be around thirtyish by now. Most of them in the developed countries are used to the good life style. Is this generation in trouble? Here's an article from Business Week. Think about our kids, who are part of this Gen Y. http://www.businessweek.com/investor/content/jul2010/pi20100715_116291.htmThe Straits Times in Singapore carried a

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-44371389829492230412010-07-17T10:08:00.002+08:002010-07-17T10:35:45.468+08:00

Which parents do not wish the best for their kids? Which kids (teenagers) ever understand their parents? Hence the arrival of the generation gap. While the parents work to fill the barn with grains for a stormy future; the kids pass out the grains to demonstrate their pride in having what their contemporaries may not have. This same phenomenon is like the Chinese saying of wealth will not last

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-80661517508541785282010-05-26T08:16:00.003+08:002010-10-25T08:59:14.286+08:00

Before I go onto an photographic journey, whether on purpose or part of a bigger event; I ask myself what theme do I want to focus on. A DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) is different from a PnS (Point and Shoot) compact. Whoever decides to use a DSLR does not stop with its kit lens (offered by the vendor) but will purchase many more lenses to suit the occasion and accessories. One is likely to

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-19053115431464755812010-04-24T20:09:00.004+08:002010-04-24T22:22:25.965+08:00

A couple of HP alumni mentioned about folding bikes, exercise, and alumni meet up to me. It did not take me long to decide that the idea was good and aligned to my life goals. I did some research on folding bikes and to my surprise; this is an exploding industry, as more people become more environmentally friendly. It was reported that the OCBC Cycle 2101 (March) in Singapore this year drew 9500

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-14663286231640724512010-04-05T22:59:00.002+08:002010-04-05T23:02:59.476+08:00

Today must have been the saddest day of my life. It is too difficult for me to express the pain of a father. It is nevertheless a learning moment and a moment to sit still and behold the passing of time. I leave this writing as a memory for me to return one day.

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-30967137601084962922010-04-02T11:13:00.005+08:002010-04-02T11:34:37.457+08:00

Sigma 10-20mm is an ultra wide angle (UWA) lens, with an angle view of 60 degrees. It can focus up to 24cm, which is less than a feet for those who are still thinking in British system. It has a 77mm diameter filter thread. The result is that the Pentax K7 pop up flash will not work as the light will cast a shadown of the lens onto the photo. The Pentax 540AF is the top of the range of flash. A

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-9516837127124558022010-03-31T13:50:00.002+08:002010-03-31T14:05:56.655+08:00

Ah, another photo-opportunity will arise, when my family and I go back to Subang Jaya to celebrate the 60th anniversary of my brother-in-law. Indeed, we have come a long way from the 50s; where we were born just after the Second World War. My mother and my mother-in-law tell me about the hardship, the atrocities, the fear and the hunger in the 40s. The baby boomers of the 50s are indeed a very

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-74563971428438591702010-02-21T22:30:00.002+08:002010-02-21T22:45:03.732+08:00

I have selected and uploaded pictures taken during the festive Chinese New Year which falls on Feb 14, which is also Valentine's day, and a Sunday. The CNY lasts for 15 days and will end on Feb 27. This year is year of the Tiger; and very auspicious for me, as this day was the birthday of my wife, who is born on Feb 14. I was told this comes once every 60 years! Anyway, the family had a great

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-46761588755283180292010-02-08T19:17:00.003+08:002010-02-12T08:10:31.081+08:00

I have examined the photographs that I took during the Chinatown outing and I notice that I missed out the people part of it. I have few photos showing them either buying, price haggling, smiling or tourists being curious about this festival. With this learning, I want to prepare for the upcoming Chinese New Year, where I will be going home to Subang Jaya in Malaysia. What will be the atmosphere

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-31409336851622103862010-02-06T20:55:00.003+08:002010-02-07T09:51:23.145+08:00

 Hobbies are heart and mind engaging. They provide the fuel to keeping the body going. The fuel to do research, practise and improve to appreciate the end result. Photography has been in my blood for a very long time. The earliest recall is when my father lent me his camera, which then used the 120 roll (if I am not mistaken). The camera was like a big Lumix LX3, except that when you pressed a

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-87691783232282762832009-11-21T19:33:00.002+08:002009-11-21T19:49:22.492+08:00

I had been working on an acquisition over the last three weeks and it was the most tiresome experience ever. The target being a public listed company means that any news leakage will drive up the share price. The purchase price of a public listed company will carry a premium on the share price. In Asia, I noted that the premium given is about 10~15% but in the USA, it is between 20~40%! Just

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-36196788997717292452009-11-14T08:39:00.002+08:002009-11-14T09:03:55.473+08:00

I have been with the company for twenty three (23) years. I have seen four (4) CEOs and seen the management scenes changing like a fast forward motion picture. I have seen its best and perhaps now seeing its worst. In the past where loyalty to the company was toasted by a show of the years with the company; today anything longer than five (5) seems way too much! It is viewed with lack of

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-2859790701256834492009-10-28T10:56:00.000+08:002009-10-28T10:58:21.666+08:00

 Bought this plant in Pantai Klebang, Melaka. It was too attractive not to be noticed. I was assured that it can be easily maintained. It has 2 opened flowers and 2 flower buds when we first bought it. Due to strong win at the balcony; these original two are cut and placed in the vase; while two more have blossomed. There is now a 5th bud and growing. It is such a joy to watch its brilliant color

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-15498795217625217242009-10-27T13:45:00.000+08:002009-10-27T13:47:19.523+08:00

 Almost everytime I go back to Singapore via the Second Link, I will stop at the Rest Area, to fill up the petrol tank and of course satay plus a cuppa of teh halia (ginger tea). It is the simple thing in life that now I thoroughly enjoyed, watching the cats running around, and other travellers leisurely eat their food and take in the open space. After the food, I will have to drive over the

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-54636270325557650352009-10-10T12:23:00.002+08:002009-10-10T12:34:33.568+08:00

These past few weeks have been wonderful, as I managed to catch up with friends to bring memories out of the mind, to refresh those moments. Now, several of them have decided to retire from the corporate world to concentrate on what they have always wanted to do or to reduce the stress level that has affected their health. Whatever the reasons might be, the key point is still doing what brings

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-53220739286253296402009-05-30T12:52:00.000+08:002009-05-30T12:53:01.115+08:00

 Taken from the Esplanade Bridge on the Water Front stage. This is the lighting condition, when the shots were taken without flash (not permitted anyway). So the only way is to use a tripod, and this will not work, as the performers are moving around. Hence, I needed to play with the ISO for the photos on the performers. This photo was taken at 200mm, at 1/2 sec and f/4.5. The camera was placed

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-55803720154901879672009-05-30T12:30:00.000+08:002009-05-30T12:30:27.462+08:00

 This is taken at the Singapore Esplanade Water Front, where the LoveWee Japanese young band was performing on May 29. The exif for this photo is ISO 10000, f5.3, 1/180 sec with a 400mm zoom with the Fuji Finepix s100fs. I have never taken shots beyond ISO 3200, and this is my first attempt to see if it can work. The stage is lighted up in the night.I will post several shots.

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-36579806003177386232009-05-16T12:41:00.000+08:002009-05-16T12:42:40.270+08:00

Everytime I visit Bangalore, India on business trip, without fail, I will go to Forum (just a couple of blocks from my office) to pick up a few books on spirituality. This time round, a new shopping mall (Star Bazaar) has started just next door! Ah, I have not visited India for the last two years, and things do change.I have always wanted to find a book on the "Bhagavad Gita" except that I have

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-15727202507597377772009-05-16T12:23:00.004+08:002009-05-16T12:37:53.902+08:00

I have known this saying for over forty years now and it still remains as true as it was then. Why this title?I had lunch with a group of good buddies, all over fifties at Sushi Teh, at the former Big Splash at East Coast Park, Singapore. The discussions were over multiple topics and boisterous for each one of them. They ranged from living in Australia versus in Singapore, racism, globalization,

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-57680777138093536742009-03-03T22:23:00.004+08:002009-03-03T22:56:24.097+08:00

Much has been written about the current global economic crisis. To write about it will not add any solace to the majority of us. Wealth is very much a psychological comfort feeling. It is all so unreal, when one hears about the trillions of dollars to "rescue" the greed of the few who created this mess; it is really a case where fact is stranger than fiction. Like the ominous dark cloud that

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-37467436487096718422009-02-21T14:35:00.004+08:002009-04-15T10:28:23.591+08:00

I took advantage of the Keppel Nights tickets subsidy of 50% and took the family to attend the "Folklore and Legends" on February 20, at the Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO)Concert Hall. It was conducted by Mr Choo Hoey (see photo) with a guest appearance of a young violinist, Mr Jin Li (see photo). I have never been inside the Singapore Conference Hall before, despite having lived in Singapore

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-71182092367328324172009-02-20T11:20:00.001+08:002009-02-20T11:20:50.742+08:00

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-76480718235839274782009-01-29T15:49:00.002+08:002009-01-29T16:15:31.884+08:00

January 24, 2009 at 0516 will go down in my memory as "my subprime" - an unforgettable one. I wanted to beat the traffic jam, by asking my family to wake up early at 0430 and packed with breakfast, I started for the Tuas Checkpoint. I checked the traffic on the phone and was informed of a massive traffic jam. So, what should be my decision? I wanted to get back on time for lunch, which I

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-31381589669846421382009-01-22T22:03:00.003+08:002009-01-22T22:28:07.527+08:00

The Chinese all over the world will celebrate the lunar new year on January 26, and it will last for fifteen (15) days! As a Chinese educated in English in the then Malaya, I have little clue on the significance of this festival. I remember it as a time when as a young child, I got to wear new clothes and shoes. I got to eat chicken, drink Sinalco, Evergreen and F&N (Fraser & Neave). Today, both

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-57433422151756012952009-01-17T10:31:00.005+08:002009-01-22T22:29:35.965+08:00

What are we celebrating? We are celebrating an "ending" of a long corporate career of 26 years of my boss. Friends of Paul (FOP) flew in from Singapore, Japan, Korea and China to give a boost to his morale in an uncertain corporate world. I did not expect this "ending" and hence I was taken aback. It is really a time of reflection on the behavior of the new corporate universe. It has become a

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-28634540947348397622009-01-02T10:36:00.003+08:002009-01-02T10:58:00.844+08:00

The family took a short vacation to complete the ushering of the new year in Malaysia. We were in Melaka from December 27 - 29; then to Subang Jaya from December 29, 2008 till January 1, 2009. It was a quiet year for us, save for the kids who went to Sunway Pyramid to watch the countdown with the firework display. My first surprise was the high number of visitors to Melaka, so much so, that the

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-20970615950226714872008-12-23T12:33:00.004+08:002008-12-23T12:54:42.617+08:00

Upgraded the firmware as I noted that the camera is taking very bad pictures. The auto mode on white balance does not produce the color tones. In fact, as I stated in my feedback to Samsung; that the pictures produced such whitish colors as if the people are 'dead'! This is unfortunate, as the output is worst than my previous Nokia N73. After the firmware changed (PHONE/PDA: i900DXHJ1/DZHJ1), the

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-86863930284699952252008-12-14T22:14:00.002+08:002008-12-14T22:23:47.412+08:00

The GPS software provided in Samsung Omnia in Singapore is from Agis (http://www.asiagis.com.sg). I have another of it in a dedicated GPS as well. While well known places are easily located, less familiar places are not. Yesterday, I went to Eunos Avenue 7, and when I made a wrong turn at Avenue 5, it took the Omnia quite a bit of time to recompute. I was not impressed. I am not sure whether it

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-73965275106116773512008-12-14T12:40:00.006+08:002008-12-14T13:06:42.590+08:00

The Omnia boasts of 8G and 16G of memory space, in addition to a storage card of 1G. With such huge memory available, you would have thought that you will never face lack of it in your mobile phone. Unfortunately, unless you are very conversant with IT (information technology), you will find messages in Omnia telling you that you have lack of critical memory and will not receive SMS etc. The fact

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-18894218150307065792008-11-30T08:29:00.007+08:002008-12-14T13:08:25.693+08:00

What is the human spirit? A question that begs a thousand answers indeed! Suffice to say, one can interpret it the way one desires. In this article, it is simply the human creating a sculpture that brings smile to me and many others who went to this exhibition.Clay sculptures of people smiling and being happy are shown at the Soka Association in Tampines St 81 in Singapore. These eye catching

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-64044070287385763122008-11-22T21:14:00.012+08:002008-11-26T13:53:14.666+08:00

It was a hectic Saturday on enriching our sight to provide some insight. Instead of a "Saturday Night Fever" (starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton John); it was our "Saturday Day Fever", gallivanting around the "art zone" in Singapore.We parked at the Peranakan Museum, as our first stop to and have our "sight" on FOOD! This program was organized by the Hungrygowhere (http://

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-84237547980399518232008-11-15T23:48:00.007+08:002008-12-14T13:09:42.733+08:00

Singapore does have a safari, and it is next to the zoo in Mandai Road. So, the advertisement caught me off guard, as I thought it was an event at the Night Safari. I thought it will be good to have the family there to taste food which we may not normally eat. We had paella, which is Spanish dish, with its rice cooked with oil, instead of water with an assortment of meat. We had briani rice and

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-21332059980477013392008-11-15T23:12:00.003+08:002008-11-15T23:47:34.932+08:00

What could bring lawyer and scientist together? Appreciation of art and art as an investment. We have been colleagues for over a decade in Singapore. He decided to follow his passion into art, and I decided to learn "art" from my "scientific" thinking. I asked myself a few questions before investing in art: 1. Do I like the piece? 2. Am I willing to pay for what I like? 3. Is there any possible

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-49683525678360542162008-11-09T21:07:00.005+08:002008-11-30T09:43:50.004+08:00

Getting out of the house in Singapore is a must to destress and refill the oxygen in my lungs. With the economic crisis like a meteorite striking a big hole in my pocket, I discovered good events happening in Singapore which are free. This Sunday, November 9, 2008 has the West Winds performing at the Esplanade for free! The family arrived just in time to get into the Gallery of Esplanade, which

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-38176311112430389132008-11-07T13:43:00.008+08:002008-11-13T13:34:25.788+08:00

My latest gadget is the Samsung Omnia i900, powered by Window Mobile 6.1 operating system. I have replaced my good old Nokia N73 which uses Symbian. The N73 has served me well for the last two years which is able to synchronize with my Outlook calendar, task and notes. It has the cool feature of Nokia Life Blog, which pulls down the messages, photos and videos into the PC. This feature I do miss

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-15195439127603990382008-11-05T23:10:00.002+08:002008-11-05T23:26:12.467+08:00

Singapore is a small island with an incredibly efficient infrastructure. By choosing to leave home early for work, I took only 15~20 minutes to reach office which is about 20 km away. A two way trip is less than 60 minutes. During my stay in Kuala Lumpur, it took me three hours for these two trips. This happened only if I leave office late to avoid the horrendous traffic jam. This is a saving of

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-70279376305639713692008-10-15T11:09:00.004+08:002008-11-15T23:11:12.059+08:00

Last week, I had yet another farewell lunch for two colleagues, whom I have known for a long time. There have been too many of such lunches in these past couple of years. They marked the changing of culture in a company, famed for its care for its employees then. How things have changed! And it will continue to change.Like Darwin's theory on evolution, one has to adapt to the changes as a part of

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-61031022986705808442008-07-27T10:06:00.006+08:002008-12-12T12:54:38.857+08:00

I am tardy in writing about living this good life on earth. I have so many ideas, but not enough perseverance to put them down in words. My family and I had returned from Japan during the June school holidays, and I am using the Picasa web albums to narrate the experience. A picture speaks a thousand words, and that's the reason why I have invested into a better camera to bring out the lesson

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-67320075973998941152008-05-22T00:07:00.006+08:002008-12-12T12:54:40.007+08:00

Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia has been my home for a good part of my life. Coming back every now and then from Singapore either for meeting or visiting my family, I see familiar yet unfamiliar sights. Some of the buildings are still the same to me; but the vibrancy of people moving around Jalan Bukit Bintang and the Petronas Tower gives me this insight that Malaysia is indeed

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-42920625087692541802008-05-01T17:35:00.006+08:002008-12-12T12:54:40.937+08:00

As usual, decision making is a rational process to select the choices but it becomes an emotional process to make the choice. From my good old Canon G2 to my Lumix FX9 and not forgetting my even older analogue Canon AE-1 (had it in 1977 in France); I decided to go one step up on the DSLR (digital single lens reflex). I was toying the idea of an entry level such as Nikon D40x, Canon 400D.... and

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-85713501820077137772008-03-03T10:20:00.006+08:002008-12-12T12:54:41.447+08:00

Many ask about the secret to success. I want to rephrase it as the secret to living a good life. I thought about this, and in my many readings, Stephen Covey's book about the "Seven Habits" still come to mind as being easy to associate these basic but deep principles of life. So, I revisit them so that we can recall them from time to time to make them real to us Habit 1 : Be ProactiveHabit 2 :

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-52427606348998014632008-02-08T09:04:00.002+08:002008-12-12T12:54:42.599+08:00

Every year, my family would try to come back to Malaysia, staying in Subang Jaya. The reason is simple - an opportunity to visit the old folks (my mother in Bentong and my mother-in-law in Subang Jaya) and to stay in contact with relatives and friends. This is a time where my daughter, Claudine would stay with her aunty and her cousin, Kian, and play with Michelle. Each year the family will have

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-1171229536489768662007-12-31T11:07:00.000+08:002007-12-31T11:25:42.474+08:00

One word kept ringing out from Ajahn Brahm's talk at the Singapore Buddhist Fellowship is gratitude. Indeed being grateful for every small things is the best medicine for peace and happiness. His talk was so well attended that the dharma hall was full and it has to be broadcasted to the other floors. Perhaps it demonstrates the spiritual hunger for answer to live within a globalized country where

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-65847178812742580342007-12-29T17:51:00.000+08:002008-12-12T12:54:42.758+08:00

Boxing day or rather night was the reunion of five of us from Bentong Gospel Centre (BGC). I have not met them for over a decade. Imperial Palace, at Subang Jaya was the chosen location. The food quality was not great, but the conversations were. The bonding as friends is as remarkable as the religion that made us "brothers and sisters". It is an evening that I will remember for a very long time

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-45622272063726707062007-12-25T09:17:00.000+08:002008-12-12T12:54:43.306+08:00

I changed the blog URL to "living-a-good-life" to feed my behaviors toward that goal in life. Indeed, during this Christmas festive season in Subang Jaya, all activities are contributing to this goal.Christmas is a public holidays in both Malaysia and Singapore. That's already a good thing to have if you were an employee. My company shuts down during this season for the whole week to save cost

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-86601524319547786262007-12-19T09:36:00.001+08:002008-12-12T12:54:45.098+08:00

Staying at the Phuket Marriot was a suggestion of our friends who are members of the Phuket Beach Club. It came just as I failed to get my Japan vacation plan to work, as I could not get tickets for the period I wanted. And so we went on Tiger Air, a budget airline that operates out of Budget Terminal in Singapore. Purchasing tickets and communicating with JW Marriot to set up the 4 days 3 nights

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-51883226114962840042007-11-25T16:53:00.000+08:002007-11-25T17:28:19.919+08:00

Is the global warming real? Did Al Gore exaggerate the phenomenon in his recent book, "An Inconvenient Truth"? Are all these natural disasters, whether there be bushfires or earthquakes part of the whole "package"? Read more about it at the official link.I know one thing for sure that the wealthy countries are overconsuming, using up what the good earth is yielding. I admit I am guilty of this as

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-33761303203079865672007-10-07T16:14:00.000+08:002007-10-07T16:26:38.854+08:00

As I experiment with blogspot which is part of iGoogle, I am beginning to feel its power to integrate. The article on Natural Cure, is posted directly from Google Docs (Beta) in which the original resides. This is the first time I attempted this action, and it works seamlessly. I can now easily write an article in word document, store it in Google Docs (Beta), and then publish it to my blog.If

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-66069064737056044432007-10-07T16:00:00.000+08:002007-12-19T10:40:26.404+08:00

NATURAL BLEACHING EFFECT PRODUCTSNOTE: This is an article forwarded to me, probably documented by some Chinese TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) practitioner. It is certainly economical, compared to seeing a doctor. However, please use your discretion, if you intend to try it. If it works, do put some comments into the blog. I take no credit for its recommendation, but I do not know who to

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-62370875656094581432007-09-23T15:19:00.000+08:002007-09-23T16:05:54.138+08:00

Last week, a colleague in his late thirties came by at my desk and asked whether investing in properties can be taken as a mean of diversification of financial planning. My response is "it depends" as decisions on allocation of our money depends on our objective as well as our risk profile.In recent days in Singapore, the big "talk about" is on the returns on CPF (Central Provident Fund); which

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-85482327726143666442007-08-05T14:46:00.000+08:002007-08-05T17:46:13.623+08:00

My classmate in Malaysia has retired. He is fifty five (55) years old. My company doctor has finally decided to call it a day, and soon, he will be sailing in his boat, enjoying the sun rise and the sound of the sea. I know a friend who is golfing all over the world and goes to New Zealand to help out her relatives in business. She lives in Kuala Lumpur. I also know of many who are still enjoying

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-38687197430216541022007-07-02T11:21:00.000+08:002008-12-12T12:54:45.506+08:00

The graphics showed the 10 years GDP growth and the stock market index of the countries in Asia Pacific. Here is a GDP definition. Gross Domestic Product is the total market value of all final goods and services produced in a country in a given year, equal to total consumer, investment and government spending, plus the value of exports, minus the value of imports. Few countries will have double

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-91040887212019085812007-06-30T22:09:00.000+08:002007-06-30T22:47:27.840+08:00

Fast forward ten years to July 2007, and it looks like "irrational exuberance" is here once again. The prices of properties in Singapore are escalating. Unheard of prices of S$4000 per square feet (psf) have been breached. Prices in prime areas are over S$2000 psf. It means that if you want an appartment of just 1,000 sf, you have to pay S$2 million. This is no small sum, for many.Reverse back

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-14922648587569265512007-06-23T22:27:00.000+08:002008-12-12T12:54:45.892+08:00

June 18 was a new experience for me to see how creative children can be, even under stress. There were about 80 of them, from Primary One (7 years old) to Secondary Four (16 years old). They were given a story (The Pancake, by Asbjornsen and Moe) and then to creatively act it out, either using that story line or changed the setting. Incredibly, the Secondary One (above picture) was able to

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-61970651249075654152007-06-18T22:04:00.000+08:002008-12-12T12:54:46.065+08:00

June 16, 2007 (Saturday) was the TARC (Tunku Abdul Rahman College) reunion dinner. It is the meeting of old friends. The people in the photo are Chow Yee Fee, Tan Jor Lan, myself (standing). Mr and Mrs Lee Sin Meng, Tracy Tee and Alan Tan. We graduated in 1976. That calculates to be 31 years ago. It is difficult to imagine the passing of time, while we build our careers and our families. In the

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-5344510748301667712007-06-10T11:06:00.000+08:002008-12-12T12:54:46.239+08:00

I am a late comer to investing in the stock market. I am not a big risk taker when it comes to growing my cash. Especially now that I am near retirement age, to err on the site of caution is better than having sleepness nights on your potential losses in the unforgiving equity market. In the decade that I was involved in managing my own fund, my investment in the Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX)

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-18424553545032052712007-05-30T20:37:00.000+08:002008-12-12T12:54:46.415+08:00

This article is for readers who are invested in the equity market, or who are thinking of making some money out of it. Money is the mean to an end not an end in itself. This ought to be the guiding principle in investing. I have seen a few cycles of bull and bear market. In the early 90s, there was a super-bull run, whereby the joke was to paste the stock market page on a wall, and then you throw

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-77714309506604583442007-05-21T20:13:00.000+08:002008-12-12T12:54:46.590+08:00

Last week I attended two "talks" at the Arts House in Singapore. The first one was by the author, Satish Kumar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satish_Kumar) and the other by a young man, Yi-sheng Ng. The environment of the two sessions were so very different. Satish in his 60s seriously talked about his adventure of walking for world peace, without a penny in his pocket, as he walked into hostile

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-28555956113815810072007-05-19T09:27:00.000+08:002007-05-19T10:04:06.332+08:00

One needs to plot well to blog well. This insight came to me, after the fact. I attended two literary sessions at "The Arts House" in Singapore this week. If I wanted to portray the dynamics of people in both the sessions, I need photos and video. As it is harder to integrate video into blog, the next best thing is photos. Yet, I missed taking photos that brings to life the interactions, even

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-59452692714241889912007-05-09T20:51:00.000+08:002008-12-12T12:54:47.419+08:00

Last night my family went to see Spiderman 3. We enjoyed the show firstly as a family outing and secondly as pure entertainment, with such good sound system.As a philosopher by nature, I tend to project the sight (what we see) into insight (what we can learn) from the movie. Here is a good hero, adored by many for bringing to justice of people who find it difficult to bring happiness to others.

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-33059869319152111762007-05-05T16:09:00.000+08:002008-12-12T12:54:48.266+08:00

From the calm of Japan to the frenzy paced in Beijing is certainly a contrast. Beijing is preparing for the 2008 Olympic, a very important image building event for all who come to the capital of China. As of now, the air pollution is all too obvious for all to see, as you gazed into the sky. It is yellow in the day and you can hardly see any stars in the night. This is the price of economic

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-71374817028297130332007-04-24T21:55:00.000+08:002008-12-12T12:54:49.377+08:00

I have lived in Malaysia for most of my life. I spent six years in France for my doctorate studies. I am now living in Singapore, and travel around the region. The contrast of Japan against other countries is its people's focus on quality, be it food or manufacturing. The civic mindedness of Japanese in keeping the environment clean is difficult to comprehend. This is so evident when we visited

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-83248458695848065802007-04-21T16:00:00.001+08:002008-12-12T12:54:51.533+08:00

This was the exact word of an ex-colleague who is 63 years old (see picture), owning a beautiful cottage on a mountain resort (see picture), just about two hours by train from Shinjuku station. Why do I want to write about it? The simple answer is that corporate ladder climbers have forgotten that there is life outside of work! He is the prime example of this story by demonstrating that he is

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-52535663833685146312007-04-03T17:38:00.000+08:002007-06-10T11:54:01.602+08:00

This topic has been written by so many authors. So what is different from what I am writing? The simple answer is that I am part of that web of debate and I have and am still experiencing the emotion of it all. Your interest in reading is because you are living personally in the system in which you draw your paycheck.Depending on your age, which correlates to your emotional reaction to leadership

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-2716435953332786442007-03-31T22:49:00.000+08:002007-03-31T23:01:31.081+08:00

Power or Tower?The powerful dictates our lives in most cases. The powerful put fear in our hearts at home, at work and even on the street. The powerful can give us a "powerful" position or make us powerless. Doesn't it then sound like we are like puppet on a string? It sounds so pathetic a situation. It makes us seem like cartoons, drawn by an all powerful artist with his pencil.Perhaps, the flip

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-38357412455520522562007-01-22T20:50:00.004+08:002008-12-12T12:54:52.491+08:00

The world has full of talents - be they architects, engineers, artists, dancers, singers, inventors and so on. For me to have my daughter drawn from a picture inside a snuff bottle not bigger than 4 cm in breadth is so incredible! This is my gift to her - the only one that exists in this whole wide world, painted by a famous artist in China.Snuff bottles collectors are getting sophisticated and

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-16220199922107596192007-01-22T20:22:00.000+08:002007-01-22T20:29:28.233+08:00

All the world says,"I am important;I am separate from all the world.I am important because I am separate,Were I the same, I could never be important."Yet here are three treasuresThat I cherish and commend to you:The first is compassion,By which one finds courage.The second is restraint,By which one finds strength.And the third is unimportance,By which one finds influence.Those who are fearless,

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-8505145989945908262007-01-22T16:29:00.000+08:002007-01-22T16:31:59.406+08:00

The Way takes no action, but leaves nothing undone.When you accept thisThe world will flourish,In harmony with nature.Nature does not possess desire;Without desire, the heart becomes quiet;In this manner the whole world is made tranquil.----------------------------------------------------------Is this a contradiction? Takes no action, yet leaves nothing undone? I think over this for sometime. I

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-22059298802585084172007-01-21T18:24:00.000+08:002007-01-21T18:45:27.648+08:00

I don't know a lot about Art, though I did read about him in my earlier years. I remembered him as writing humorous articles. Only today, I read in the newspaper that he has moved on. Curiosity made me to a search, and just reading a short brief on his life, showed me a man who lived a very fulfilled life. Ethel Kennedy said that heaven is a much better place because he is bringing along his

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-77866556094408351142007-01-15T18:39:00.000+08:002007-01-15T19:14:28.872+08:00

"It's not fair!" screamed the wronged adult. Why should a failed CEO be paid U$210 millions, while I worked my butt out, and yet unable to pay my bills! Haven't we heard this familiar phrase before that the world isn't fair? It comes in all sorts of form - an innocent statement, a passive resistance downright to active violence, because of the desired "justice must seen to be done."Is justice

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2283949359520888625.post-27585149204519587752007-01-07T21:46:00.000+08:002007-06-10T11:52:25.798+08:00

Thomas Friedman wrote the book, "The World is Flat" and being a famous journalist and writer, he gets attention. He may get a few critiques, but mostly he gets praise. After all, would a book with more criticism than praise make money for the publisher?I think the world is round. I tell you why. What goes around comes around. The saying that "every dog has its days" is as true as when it was

YSLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09822983813217847316noreply@blogger.com0