A Mind of My Own

Robert Kyosaki is a businessman to learn from. After publishing his famous Rich Dad Poor Dad, he went on to publish other books and eventually came out with Cash Flow board game that depicts real life situations. The famous Rat Race is a cycle that everyone who has gone through and currently going through will know. The line between work and home are sometimes blurred when one is to be on 24-hour standby. I have friends who are stuck in the rut, as they call it.

The money is often used for expenses that we dare not calculate because if we do, we might just lose hope that there is life besides working hard for survival. I met up with a friend recently who is doing a lot of things and in his words, survival. After talking to so many people about how life is going, there is something in common that we have. We just want to be able to go to places without worrying about the money later.

We work only because we want the best in life for ourselves or family. It’s pure and simple. While some may have used the other methods of getting a lot of money, the majority is still copying from the people who want to be successful yet not there. Someone asked why we used to copy from homework from those As students when we were studying but not copy from those who are successful in life.

In my life at work, I have gone through situations that anyone who is working will encounter. That’s when I know that life in the corporate world isn’t permanent despite what the job states. We may be skeptical of certain things. However, in order to make the right decisions, we often have to analyse and find out what is being presented. Even if the opportunity is missed, someone else will take it up.

A favourite story that I found is shown below.

What God gives us may not be glamourous but if it can get me out of the situation and let me find myself in a place without limits, I will do it.

If anything that will capture the headlines, it’s the sex lives of performing artistes. Either it’s Edison Chen or Jack Neo. Else, Marcus Chen’s (陈健并), the Chinese characters may be wrong, divorce. Apparently, artistes have to play a role in telling everyone why they marry or divorce or have an affair. Or multiple partners and maybe the fetish of filming everything being done.

Let’s not forget that Gary guy who blogs or rather shows off his abs using homemade videos to the rest of the world and his females who were bedded by him, including his cousin. And then, there is this guy who decides that it’s a jolly good time to spread highly false news about someone’s health using a blog.

I thought Singapore is a rather conservative country. Anything about sex is rather hush hush. Perhaps time has changed to the point whereby if the question of sexual orientation isn’t on ourselves, the press will have a really good field day just questioning the same questions to the same people.

I still remember the tired headlines of NKF and its gold tap. There’s also this news about Ren Ci’s scandal of abused funds. Meanwhile, I wonder if the rest of the world is laughing their heads off.

For once, I took up some interest in cooking. I’m not sure if it’s the influence of the workplace that I worked previously or playing Cafe World and Restaurant City. Or watching Jamie Oliver dishing out such yummy and easy to cook dishes. Perhaps it’s the way he presented them whereby there’s no huge roar of food being fried. Frying stuff means that the food has to be dry or the oil will react violently with the water vapour.

Hence, I have often been dumping stuff into soup based meals. That’s besides instant noodles. Since I have learned how to cook soba and cha soba, I have a good time having them for lunch or dinner if I’m the only one. I usually use what’s available at home since walking out in the hot weather just to buy stuff is truly asking for the sweat to come.

The best invention is the rice cooker. Fried rice is also easy to do as long as there is just some oil to cover the base of the wok for the frying part. I’ve often used mushrooms for my meals. The main thing is to marinate them once they are soft; especially for dried mushrooms. After that, stir fry them for the fragrance. I do that if I have time and only for myself since my brother and sister don’t appreciate the fragrance.

So far, I have also managed to fry eggs, make steamed eggs, distorted benedict eggs, stew soups and just playing around with the recipes if I watch any cooking shows. It’s the cheesecake that I haven’t tried. Now I feel like eating something.

It seems that it is the year for marriages. My friends are getting married this year, including my younger cousins who are getting legally registered. With friends getting married, I just feel surreal. With younger cousins with the potential to receive Ang Baos from them next year, it’s a totally different feeling. I just wonder why the feeling is lousy as it seems like I’m having thick skin to even get one from them.

I’m not sure if it’s the age or if it’s because for the first time, I might be questioned by them instead of the uncles and aunts. I’m just happy for them but I guess it’s more of a mixed feeling. My cousins have even discussed the dates they want to register and telling one another not to get that particular date.

Thing is, I have something that they haven’t got. Not that I know of since they didn’t mention it. Upperhand? Perhaps but still, something is still missing. Let me at it!

Spring cleaning is useless when it comes once a year. I am trying to understand why it’s a huge amount of stuff to be gotten rid of only when it comes to the new year. If daily cleaning has been done, why must there be a huge amount of stuff to be thrown then?

It is then always a frustration when the stuff you have thrown during spring cleaning, that you realise that you should have kept them. The law of stuff thrown and to be used weeks later somehow is cruel. The year of the ox had been a rather hardworking year with mad rushes to the temples and whatever Godly places to pray that the stocks and whatever is going up except for inflation. Perhaps, we have been shown ways but it doesn’t come in the package that we have imagined.

We are just being shown that not all the prayers will be answered in the way we want since it is beyond our control except our feelings towards it. I spent quite some time to make a base for a bag only for it to be thrown away just when I was at the end of finishing it. Utterly lost my temper right there and then since it’s my hard work. How can someone just dump it away? Only the person who has done everything and only to discover the work being treated as trash will one understand the anger and frustrations.

Dwelling on this, I ask myself if it’s worth wasting angry moments. I believe that it could have been my suppression for holding on to my temper for a long time. Not that I want to be angry but it was really a few days of hard work and those cardboards aren’t easy to find, especially that size that I like. I have often thrown away stuff only to be sorted out by the person who ask me whether I truly want to throw. For crying out loud, I am throwing away stuff that I am requested to, why am I being asked that question?

This year, Chinese New Year falls on Valentine’s Day. It’s my first time, I think. Since I have no recollections of previous years falling on which day. The tigers are coming and the oxen will have to give way. May this tiger year be the year whereby things that are to be thrown, will be thrown away at the right time.

It’s always fun to plan a day of fun. For starters, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so I’ll be at Ya Kun Toast having a set meal with my DD. After a hearty breakfast, we’ll be at Atlantic Optical to pick out some trendy sunglasses since this is the hottest season in Singapore!

Next, we’ll check out Spin The Bottle to try building our own bags. I rather like the idea since I’m always on the search for the perfect bag to contain all my stuff that I can’t help but bring around every time. Then, on to egg3 for some funky shopping for accessories, furniture, etc.

After having so much fun, time for lunch at Billy Bombers. After lunch, it’s on to Adidas and Totally Hot Stuff to check out more fashion. As a woman, it’s a natural thing to look at fashion. With Ben & Jerry’s nearby, we’ll just have some ice cream there too.

Then off to to-a-tee, XSQUAD and Metallurgy – jewellery is a must for ladies. After walking, it’s time to head to Spa Elements for some massage. Since the mobile phones can be liven up, DigiSkin is the place to either protect the cover or just beautify them. Finally, we’ll have dinner at Aston Specialities.

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I may have taken a cruise on Star Cruise Virgo, however, I had never had the chance to be chartered on board a Summit Marine.

This chartered cruise will be given away by Reebonz! Spending a special day at sea being served by the professionals, it is definitely a different feeling. That special day can be from birthdays to parties. Enjoying 4 hours of pampering is truly a lifestyle.

DD had mentioned that he would really love to have a private yacht even if for a few hours with just the two of us on special days. When I think of romance as sea, I keep being reminded of the scene in Titanic where Rose and Jack stood at the very front and stretched out their hands.

I’ve been watching Cruel Temptation/Temptation of Wife/Wife’s Temptation (아내의 유혹 or 妻子的诱惑) in DVD format. After knowing that there is a total of 129 episodes, I just couldn’t stand it any more and simply watched the last disc. I still managed to catch what had transpired before. With flashbacks, no worries.

It’s an engaging Korean drama with lots of cat fights, sharp remarks, crying, revenge plotting, money and back stabbing. Seriously, some of the scenes made me cringe as it’s absurd that their eye vision can be so narrow! How can they not see their enemy standing next to the pillar? How can a mother who was already told not to do something, still go ahead and do something only to be overheard by some nosy person?

It is also strange to find that it’s so easy to steal someone’s signature seal just for confirming legal documents without the person’s permission. It’s also too coincidental to have all the characters related to each other in some strange way. The obsession of having a complete family by Ae Ri is also scary with her personal tactics.

Seriously, I can’t believe that this guy, Gyo Bin can be so callous. Perhaps, there are such guys around and I do pity the women who fall prey to such worms. The one thing I like about this drama is the earrings though. So many different earrings! Even if they are costume jewellery, I would like to have a few for everyday use.

I have been through this before and I am trying to stay calm. It’s not easy when the contract stated one thing but the recruitment agency decided to modify the ambiguous statement to their benefits. Of course everyone is out to gain something. However, this delay of my salary has gone too far. How can a requirement agency be unable to get a person after 3 weeks? Unless something serious happened to the person or the person had simply gone overseas.

Yet again, I had to demand my salary. This time, throwing in Ministry of Manpower’s name did not help one bit since the person in charge stood by the company’s standard reason “The client has yet to respond.” Well, in whatever you do, as long as it’s to do with the company and money, you do your utmost best to get that sum of money, right? If it were your pay, how would you feel about having to delay by every 2 months? Whaddaya mean I have to eat grass for 2 months?

The most ridiculous excuse? “The temp staff…” I don’t care what temp staff or perm staff. They are still humans, right? Humans need to eat in order to have strength to continue working, right? If you get your pay on time, I expect the same too!

With this, I am battling with my conscience whether to expose the name of the agency or just keep it a secret. Perhaps, as a cautionary measure to those who are considering temp positions, I have no idea if they pay the perm staff on time but as a temp, I suggest that you use the services of Robert Walters, Addecco, Recruit Express, Kelly Services, Manpower, and Today’s Career. At least your pay gets paid on time as stipulated in the contract.

Without limits, I can just buy anything and do anything at the drop of a hat. I don’t have to inform any boss why I am taking leave and whether the tasks can be completed before I am on long leave. I always believe that no matter what, anything related to work can’t be finished even if I do the urgent stuff before I am on leave.

When I return from any number of days from leave, the tasks are always there. Without limits, I can simply buy way too much clothes for me to fill up my tiny wardrobe, perhaps upgrade my wardrobe to a walk-in so that I can put all my clothes there.

Without limits, I can buy all the shoes I like, take holidays anywhere without worrying about how much there is left in my bank account, throw a party at any place I fancy, buy way too much stuff on impulse just because I like them. Without limits, I’m wild on purchases. Not healthy but I feel happier spending money then trying to earn them.

Earning money has always been and will be a tough job because facing humans is a problem by itself since dealing with people isn’t my forte. I’m improving and after mixing around with other people, I’ve come to a conclusion. Humans love to live without limits. With limits, they lament about the pay, the boss, the weather, the leaves they have to take even though they have no money to travel overseas, the noisy kids, the obnoxious people hugging the poles in trains, the naked people running about in some parts of Singapore, the ridiculous complains about the same things over and over again at Stomp, and so on and so forth.

Without limits, I may not have discovered that I have been stopping myself from certain things. I have realised that limits on certain things help me grow in certain ways that I have never thought possible. Still, I like to buy without worrying about money. That’s the one limit that I will be rid of.