Ramp ramp ramp it up

It's been four weeks at Ramp Services and I've been climbing this steep learning curve ever since. But I'm really lucky to have awesome seniors and wonderful colleagues to help me integrate into the work environment. No doubt it looks challenging and definitely demanding, I am hoping to conquer it bit by bit and show the world new executives can survive in this harsh conditions.

On a lighter note, the festive season is upon us! 2 more days to Christmas and 9 more days to New Year, and my favourite month of the year will be here! Yep, January! Don't you feel that January signifies a new start and brings hope to all? It's like asking you to put your past follies behind with December and taking a big step forward into the new year! And not forgetting that one very important day in that month too ^^

Looking back at my resolution, I was hoping to repair some damaged relationships and I think I managed it decently well. But I also felt that some friends also slowly drifted apart. It could be due to the nature of "everyone starting to work" and therefore "has less time for friends". Oh well, it's like a problem that will only worsen with time, like Singapore's aging population, and Singapore's manpower/labour crunch.

So I leveraged on Christmas to bring my friends together, well as much as I could. With so many different people and conflicting schedules, at least we get to meet each other to catch up. It's been nice to know that despite knowing each other for 8 years, we could still have topics to talk about like before. And those that I only knew 6 months, it felt like we've known each other for a long time. And for that, I am very thankful and blessed to have known them.

#gapsters2015 Christmas Gathering

#13/07 Christmas Gathering

With the new year coming, I would definitely come up with another resolution for myself and make it happen. As Pris always say, things I say when I get high on alcohol tend to come true.

One fateful day

It just seems that whatever I say has absolutely zero importance. Why does it feel that everyone has something to refute in my statements? Every time I try to make a point, I always get one of these responses:

1) An overpowering voice asking me to shut up.

2) An unrelated point trying to prove that I'm wrong.

3) A total neglect of my existence.

Sometimes I really feel that there is no need for me to even care anymore. Why bother to care? Why bother to give your opinions? Why bother to share? When in the end, all you get is something that you do not wish to receive from the start. Is it even worth it?

But it just isn't me to not care. I always felt a need to be there for people I care, but I am always hurt by these people I care. I really want to pull myself out of all this emotional drama one day. Do what I really want to and wish to do one day. And perhaps, not have to worry about anyone or anything one day.

Maybe, that day might just come.

Operating Efficiently

And so, I have come to the final week of being a GAPster. The past 21 weeks in GAP opened my eyes to all the various operations in the different BUs in SATS, and as executives, we are tasked with the important task to keep our operations moving forward. Naturally, we will face problems here and there, more so in terms of operations. Along the way, I've attended many workshops and found that this is a very important skill that I've learnt, and I would like to share it with everyone.

LEAN SIX SIGMA

Lean Six Sigma - DOWNTIME

Yes, I know many of you already know about this, but it's something that I have been exposed to for the very first time. "Lean" and "Six Sigma" are basically project management techniques targeted to reduce waste and maximize returns on investments. As such, it is a very strong tool that can be used across all different types of business to help identify what is not going right with your process, and how to go about rectifying it. "Waste" simply refers to the loss of value of something due to unnecessary or ineffective methods. In this case, it can be as simple as a defect in your product, or as complicated as perform additional steps that do not add any value to your consumers. By applying DOWNTIME (as shown above), it becomes very easy to identify the areas that require improvement and implementations to make your business better.

On top of that, Lean Six Sigma can also be applied to your everyday life, from preparing a meal, to organizing your wardrobe. By discussing the techniques used in a practical way, you can try to classify any additional steps that you have been performing in your daily life, such as walking up and down your kitchen to get condiments, or even moving around your room while getting dressed for work! I find it really cool that I am able to apply such skills that I learn at work to other aspects of my life!

Simple and sweet post which I hope can add value to your life!

Burning weekend

Today is my first weekend working! Starting to embrace the working life and it's surprises in store for me. So I'm back at SATS Institutional Catering on a Saturday because we are relaunching weekend meals for the army boys in camps, and today is for Pasir Leba camp. So if you are there right now, hope you enjoy the yummy boneless chicken thigh and wedges, and I don't mind if you drop me a thank you text. ^^

So working so far has been full of ups and downs, with lots of unexpected dynamic curve balls thrown at you. I've been adapting well, from the first day when I mention that I hate kitchen ops, up till today, I'm actually learning how to appreciate the operations running around in the Main Kitchen. Even though the current layout of the MK is quite outdated and old, we are able to churn out an amazing number of meal to support our customer's demands. So hopefully, I have the chance to be back after the major project is completed, which I can't share much because it is confidential, but you can know more about it during my presentation on the 30th Nov. *chuckles*

Regarding my life outside work, everything has been going well, meeting up with friends, reconnecting with family, and my occasional visits to the gym and the pool. I don't dare to harbour to much hope in the relationship part of my life, but if it comes, it will naturally come. *winks*

With that, I shall conclude this short post on my current feelings and till my next post! xo

The first thing you do... matters!

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a Career Planning Programme conducted by my company's Human Capital Development. I must say, it is one of the most important courses I've attended in my life, much better than those career ones from NUS Career Center. The programme is targeted equipping employees with knowledge for planning of your career path and building up of your current skill sets.

I learned about what you look out for in career is separated into deficiency needs, as well as growth needs. Deficiency needs include Security, Relationships, and Performance; these are the basic core needs you require to keep your basic life going. It refers to your financial income, your social interactions, as well as job satisfaction and learning outcomes. On the other hand, growth needs such as Transformation, Contribution, and Service; refer to needs that will continue to build your character and continue to grow outwards. These are the needs which keeps learning going, and essentially is what keeps someone in a career. This is because when there is no learning, your career will just be stagnant and your sight will be set on somewhere else which can provide you the resources to fulfill these needs. In addition, I learnt that it is important to see how a company's track can meet my personal plans, and together, form a strong organization together. It is through such strategy that we are able to know what we are capable of and match it with what the company is offering.

In addition, a careers anchors self-assessment was conducted to find out what do we seek out in a career and the style that we work. For me, I'm a balance between the "Autonomy" and "Lifestyle" anchors. "Autonomy" means I am a person who looks for own control in a job. For example, I would like to take ownership on the projects I'm working on, and not have someone breathe down my neck all the time for updates. With that said, I also feel that it is important to have freedom with responsibilities. Freedom is a very vague term, and what I'm trying to direct at is that the freedom should have responsibilities attached. Obviously, I can't have the freedom to not complete a project despite a deadline coming up. "Lifestyle" is also another easily misunderstood term, it doesn't mean to have a lot of free time or off-work time to enjoy. On the other hand, having a "Lifestyle" anchor simply means I would like to enjoy work, and I should engage in projects that can be integrated with my interest areas. It also means that while being able to enjoy work, I also look forward to enjoy my free time out of work, and being able to draw a distinct line between them such them they don't lapse into each other. Therefore, I would say that I find myself to be in a comfortable fit in my current job.

Coming into SATS, I've learnt a lot and I believe that our first experiences here is very crucial. It's parallel to orientation camps in universities. If you have a good entrance, you will have a good first impression and subsequently able to enjoy your time much better. Hence, it really matters what you do at the start of your career. For me, I've already been in SATS for four months and I roughly can tell where my interest mainly lie in. My first posting for this job is to the Gateway sector in December, while the position is still unknown, I've already lost my position in PAX, and to be honest, I was quite affected by it. I try not to show it but deep down, it's an ache I'll never be able to get rid of. Hopefully, with time, that ache would be less painful and I will get my chance at PAX soon. In the meanwhile, I hope everyone would enjoy their first term of office in SATS.

Presenting to you, GAPsters 2015

Email Etiquette

In the corporate world, words are all we have. We build our reputations, deal our businesses, and suck up to bosses with words sent out through emails, and hence, email etiquette is of utmost importance.

However, one particular recent email I received really pissed me off so badly, I cannot stop talking about it. Brief background information: A particular superior is trying to damage control before damage is done, but apparently, her damage control caused more damage than the situation might potentially cause.

"As the first job, it doesn’t really matter what you do, it is a process of learning and learning to know what you are good at and what you like more, and it is also a process, I quote Jack Ma, “make mistake” that you can afford."

First and foremost, it has every matter what we do as our first job. This is the entrance into the corporate world for us, and most (if not, all) of us landed ourselves in this job based on passion. By directly chucking our passion aside, and "forcing" us to accept what is given to us before it is even given simply shows how much we are worth in their eyes. It is an entirely a different scenario if you tell us to accept what we are given after the posting is given, but the fact that you are preempting us that we are not going to get what we like, shows you aren't even going to consider our preferences in the first place.

And i'm pretty sure the process of learning is deeply ingrained in every one of us. We do not need an outsider to remind us of that. In the event we do get something undesirable, I will definitely force myself to outshine the rest and not crumble and fall. You are clearly underestimating the eleven of us. Also, to make mistakes we can afford should have been done during this 5 months of training. I don't think any employer would be so generous to be accepting of mistakes made after being in an organisation for 6 months.

"You might get something that you don’t really like, but if you put your full commitment to try, I am sure you will gain a lot out of it, and you might start to like it.  The key word, take ownership, put in your full commitment!"

It's a career, not a game, obviously we are going to put in all our efforts to ensure we do well and get our well-deserved promotion right? Why should we put our salaries at risk just because we don't like what we are doing? We still have to earn money to put food into our mouths. And who are you to be sure? What do you have to guarantee that thinking? What if I do not gain anything? Are you going to give me a car or something? Last but not least, obviously I will take ownership if I wanna do well in it, hence that is a totally redundant repetitive line.

In conclusion, the whole email angers me because it insults my intelligence, shows how brainless a higher management could be, and shows how worthless we are to them. I am so angry I don't even think I make sense here.

And quoting Sam Smith, "I know I'm not the only one." (to feel this way, that is.)

Actions, Reactions

It's been a brutal two weeks for me, feeling like a fucking outcast because I chose to stand for what's logical. It resulted in standing on opposite ends and harsh words, not from me but directed at me. It resulted in a dying heart and resolved mind, growing from what used to be weak and small. It resulted in a deciding move away from the norm, leaving where I am now. Sometimes, I wonder if it is all worth it, and whether I've been acting too rashly, but you never know until the problems start coming and piling up on you.

How I wish I could have kids I could call my own. It doesn't matter if I'm married or single, I just want to see the smile on my child's face when I come home from a long and tiring day of work. To enjoy spending time and doing things we love together. Isn't that the most simple and basic form of happiness?

I guess I am just being really random right now. SFI has been good so far, I just don't like going into the kitchen so much.

Last day in Cargo ):

So today marks the final day for Phase 1. It's my last day in Cargo, and truly it's a little bittersweet for me. I've grown to like the environment and culture here. The people are very nice and forgiving, helping you to grow as a newbie, instead of trying to shut down your chances of promotion. On top of that, interaction with my bosses also allowed me to grow inside and outside. Inside, I feel that I have matured a lot in my thinking and reasoning. Outside, the way I handle people and things are also vastly different from last time. Overall, I would believe that it is a positive change.

One thing that comes with change is the ability to accept and adapt. Moving into my late-twenties, it is important that we appreciate the changes in our surroundings and assimilate into them. I shall call it the 4 As to combat change - accept, adapt, appreciate, assimilate.

Someone once told me, "It is childish to be using vulgarities." However, I do not agree with that completely. Having started work myself, vulgarities are more prominent than in school. We should grow to understand them, and not shut them out completely and force ourselves back into schooling days. In my opinion, by not accepting vulgarities, you are actually being the childish one, being the one sheltered from all the weathering and onslaught.

Changes happen anywhere and anytime, and it is up to you to decide how you are going to react to it. An egg hardens in hot water, while a carrot softens in hot water.

Post elections thoughts

And so, the long elections weekend is over. It's been a good year for PAP, clinching almost 70% of national votes. However, that does not mean that they should rest on their laurels, instead they are supposed to be working even harder to meet to the demands of the citizens. On the other hand, it's a devastating year for the opposition parties. The best performing one, WP, only managed 57% in Hougang and 51% in Aljunied, signifying a wake-up call to them.

"The 2011 elections was a wake-up call to the PAP.

The 2015 elections is a wake-up call to the opposition."

With that said, I can bravely conclude that the strength of the silent majority should not be underestimated. The crowds at the WP rallies ultimately did not translate to votes, possibly because they are the same people over and over again; or they could be people from constituencies where the WP are not contesting in. Hence, the stark difference in actual votes and "perceived" votes. However, with that said, living in an opposition GRC did not change my life any better or worse the past 4 years. True, people may argue that oppositions do not have much power in the parliament. However, it's the case whereby I don't even see Sylvia's face during her term of office, and if I don't see her, how would she know what my family needs? Well obviously, one flaw in the opposition parties is probably their area of focus. Their ideas and proposals are very tempting for the lower - middle class residents, with more subsidies and lower costs of living. However, all these actually to translate to higher taxes to be borne by the middle - upper class residents. This could also potentially be one of their downfalls.

In addition, being in parliament also means that you must be ready to represent Singapore in the international stage. However, quoting opposition leader LTK, "WP's aim is for opposition voice in the parliament, we have no intention to take over." Coupled with the fact that most of them have trouble presenting themselves decently, and their poor command of English, how do you think Singaporeans feel handing their country over to them to run? Singapore leaders are well respected all over the world, I can't imagine replacing any one of them with one of the jokers at the current stage. My prediction is that people would lose their respect they have for us, diplomatic ties may be strained, and worse case scenario, an economic downturn leading to foreign investors pulling out from our country. When that happens, it will be too late to get the PAP back into power, won't it?

To me, I don't see any problem to have oppositions in our parliament, however, we should only allow a maximum of 10% seats to them. I acknowledge that they do act upon the people's needs and voicing them out in parliament for discussion sake, however, having too many will probably hamper our policy making decisions, which I believe would ultimately have an adverse effect of us.

General Elections 2015

Disclaimer: This post is purely some food for thought, and not who I will be voting for on Friday.

Residing in Aljunied, we had the most exciting general elections back in 2011, whereby an opposition party first took over a GRC. This year, we are facing a situation whereby all 89 seats were contested, which is the first time since independence in 1965. Personally, I feel that having opposition parties present is beneficial for us because they are able to present an alternative view a one-party ruling government may miss out. Similarly, having opposition in the parliament also help keep tab on what the government is doing, and prevent any outrageous decision being made which may affect the general public adversely. After all, we are electing them to help us in essence.

However, after watching some rally videos, I am really concerned at some of the people that are actually contesting for the wards. Their ideas tend to revolve around stripping Singapore off their surpluses, or they seem to be really out of touch with the general public.

For instance, my favourite example would the return of CPF to the people. Personally, I feel that CPF is a brilliant scheme to safeguard our finances and wealth in our later years. However, I do think that there should be more transparency to how our funds are being managed. I believe many people are not happy that the excess money generated using the people's money through the investments are not coming back to the people. Well obviously, they think that the money for upgrading roads and HDB fall from the sky. And also, we do not need any surplus to tank ourselves from economic slumps. By allowing people to fully draw out their CPF at let's say 55, who can guarantee that these people will appropriately fund themselves such that the money would last them till their last breath? Assuming these old people spend all their money womanizing, or getting scammed by conmen, our government would be pressurized to provide them with financial welfare and aid. Ultimately, where do these money come from? Our taxes obviously. One fine example would be the welfare states in Europe, the taxes the people pay is actually almost double of ours, and yet they are unable to support their social structure properly! Is that a country you would want to reside in?

Another point that pisses me off is providing free tertiary education, following the Scandinavian countries. Well obviously, those who proposed this have no idea how expensive education is and want to increase the financial burden of the country. Also, they are probably unaware that the government is providing a tuition fee grant of 70% to all locals, which pushes our fees to lower than many other countries in the world. In addition, our universities are prestigious and not some lok-kok college present in certain parts of the world. Hence, is providing free education really necessary, or should the funds be channeled to more pressing issues like drug development for an aging population?

The labour market crunch is also an increasing problem to our society in my opinion. Many Singaporeans do not like the idea of having too much foreign manpower in our workforce, however one thing that they miss out is that there is a clear distinction between foreign talents and foreign workers. Yes, I do believe that foreign talents should be limited because ultimately they are the ones who will be competing against us for high-value jobs in the industry, whereas foreign workers tend to take up the roles us "atas" Singaporeans refuse to do. As a result of restricting these intakes of foreign workers, companies are actually facing a very tight labour force. One example would be my current company SATS, who employ many overseas ground staff to handle daily ops roles such as cargo handling and aircraft interior cleaning. Without them, the company, and I'm sure many other ground handling companies, would probably not able to function. Is it fair to have an generalized sweeping statement that could possibly cripple our economy?

There is also talks regarding the high ministerial pay given to our leaders. Well, I can't deny the fact that the pay is high, however, the need to deter corruption should be the main focus here. Would you rather pay your government more to prevent corruption, or would you rather the rich people running your country while throwing their spare cash at your political leaders?

Last but not least, PAP posters in Aljunied has been torn down and vandalized. In a democratic election, you don't have to show any disapproval for opposing parties, but just support for your idealistic parties. If opposition party supporters could show such uncouth behaviour, what would Singapore become if the government ends up as a coalition of opposition parties?

Like I said, food for thought. (:

August buckust

Work so far has been pretty fulfilling for me. Being in the cargo warehouse environment, there are many challenges faced, such as safety concerns, manpower crunch, constant upgrade and improvement, etc. There is lots of room for growth and opportunities to learn, which I've been grasping at every day.

August has been a really hectic month, with the announcement of elections being the big hoo-hah, which I'll be talking about in my next blog post. Not only that, I did my first work presentation and was shot down mercilessly by the bosses. It was painful, but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and I've since then worked to tighten my focus and not to take on too many tasks at once. There was also lots of BU visits which really opened me up to the various operation of SATS. But of course, my favourite is still Cargo! I just feel a sense of attachment there, probably because that's my first job.

And since the first rotation is coming to an end soon, we've picked our second project, and I'm stuck with stinky old SFI. I'm going to have an open mind about it and try to enjoy what it has to offer. But other than that, I'm dreading to travel 1.5 hours one way to work. It's like going back to school without a car ):

Other things have also happened which left me in a whirl. Perhaps I'm just not good at maintaining relationships with people.

Moving on with life.

It's been a really hectic and happening July for me. Start of work, reservist, graduation, and not forgetting, how awful I am at handling relationships.

First and foremost, I would like to thank everyone for having me experienced this eventful July, for without it, I would not have found out so much things, be it good or bad.

Starting off with commencement, the celebration of the graduates moving on to their next phase in life. Yes, I feel sad initially because I am probably the only idiot walking around without flowers (even though I say that receiving it is useless and a waste of money), but come to think of it, so what if I don't have flowers? At least I know what I gained is intangible and cannot be measured by how many flowers I get.

I would like to thank all the Chemical Engineers for giving me such a tough 4 years, including failing a core module and collecting tons of B-/C+ under my belt. They also made me decide not to enter the engineering industry because obviously I have no talent nor passion in it. I would also like to thank my peers for being there with me throughout my uni life. You know who you are, and I am really grateful for spending time with me, asking me out to celebrate joyous occasions, as well as bitching about people we all don't like. For spending break times together, to mugging for finals during the last stretch to exams. I would also like to thank Priscilla, Dennis, Weiyuan and Valerie for coming to take photos with me during commencement, it really means very much to me, and I know that there are people who will stand by me despite me being a fucker to them, people who are there to guide me out of being an utter annoyance, and people who don't mind going crazy and not afraid to be judged. I truly believe these are the people whom I will cherish in my life, and will go all out to keep by my side. Not forgetting Anand, Zhikang, Samuel and Mabel, the drinking gang. Always there to accompany me to drink when times aren't too great. My hall buddy Eleanor, for always taking time out to hear my nonsense. You've been an excellent listening ear, and I hope I can be a better one for you too. My sexy OG, Melvin, Ansel, Yunzhen and Zemin, thanks for the crazy times we had and still sticking by each other through all the ups and downs. The Chem Eng people who always go for buffets together, Dawn, Stanley, Jiaqi, Cheryl, Casey, Yanshi, Choonboon, thanks for the sharing of notes and of course the good times together. My buddy Jingda, who can be a joker at times but always tries to understand and accommodates me, all the best with your studies for the next 2 years! My #QXYZ, Ziliang, Xinyi and Qiyuan, thanks for all the fun times we have BAS and screaming in L4D. You guys are one of the reasons why my uni life isn't sad and depressing because there is always laughter when I'm with you guys. Last but not least, my first friends in uni, Jason, Dallan and Xuezhe, thanks for all the help and guidance you guys have given me. I would have probably be a wreck if not for you guys. Special mention to Jason for ALWAYS being there for me. I seriously don't know how you do it, but I am really happy to have known you during rag, and I hope you will find the happiness you truly deserve. xo

Another phase of life has begun for me, and I am going to try my best to hold on to what I have now and also build up my network of friends, because true friends will stand by you through thick and thin.

Kangaroos jumping, Yixuan eating.

As everyone knows, I've been enjoying myself in Australia for 20 days, and boy it was really rewarding. I've seen so much and felt so much I can't even put it in words. So I'm just sharing some beautiful pictures I've taken using my iPhone 6Plus. (:

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Brisbane

Harbour Town Shopping Center, Gold Coast

Mount Dandenong, Melbourne

Brighton Beach, Melbourne

Lake Daylesford, Daylesford

Great Ocean Road, Anglesea

Twelve Apostles, Princetown

Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne

Museum of Old and New Art, Berriedale

Bay of Fires, Binalong Bay

Mount Wellington, Hobart

Cataract Gorge Reserve, Launceston

Sydney Opera House, Sydney

Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney

Darling Harbour, Sydney

Sea Cliff Bridge, Clifton

Caversham Wildlife Park, Whiteman

Fremantle Market, Fremantle

Fremantle Prison, Fremantle

Fishing Boat Harbour, Fremantle

Crawley Edge Boatshed, Perth

Peron Point, Rockingham

Bello!

This movie has probably enough hype that I don't need to talk about it right? So in short, Kevin brought Stuart and Bob out to find a new leader for the minions, encountered Scarlet Overkill, took over England, met Gru, happily ever after.

Personal opinion, interesting movie with a great plot but poorly developed. The movie ended a little too quickly and more details and events could have been added to make it better.

Rating: 3.5/5

I am not mad. Period.

Recently went to watch this film because it has super high reviews on everywhere. It's about some futuristic post-apocalyptic setting whereby the whole world is destroyed, leaving only small pockets of population being controlled by warlords. And this woman tried to smuggle these other women away from this warlord and a 2 hour car chase pursued. It ended with lots of people dead and yeah killings and more killings. However, on top of all that gruesome scenes, there are plenty of touching scenes which left me thinking, what would I do if I were to be in that situation?

"Where must we go, we who wander this wasteland, in search of our better selves." - The First History Man

Rating: 4/5

赤道

A fully action packed film with a really complex plot. But in essence, it's about nuclear weapon trading and how the Hong Kong police collaborated with the South Korean defence forces to prevent it from happening. I really like the twist whereby they unknowingly invited the criminal mastermind, Helios, into their intel task force, which subsequently led to their defeat, and the death of many good people. The movie ended with a hint that the war has just begun, indicating a sequel coming up, and I am really stoked for it!

Rating: 4/5

How will you love if you never aged?

"It's not the same when there's no growing old together. Without that, love is just heartbreak."

With that, it completely summarizes this touching movie of how this 107 year old woman stop running away from love and finally settles down with a fine young man. Of course, there is a twist at the end so that she doesn't grow all the way to a million years old. On top of that, she is really pretty! A must-watch in my opinion!

Rating: 4.5/10

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And after the movie, I started to think about love. I think most friends know that I haven't been having much luck in that aspects, and I am starting to understand why. Sometimes, love is just a facade for a relationship to sustain. Like how having a kid actually helps prevent divorces, love actually keeps two people together. But love is a complicated issue.

Being in a conservative society, love is perceived to be a heterosexual matter. And anything that deviates from the norm is actually being ostracized, especially by the older generation. I know many people who are actually riding against the tide, they may appear happy on the outside, but in the inside, they are facing loads of trials and tribulations. And our country still doesn't not accept such behavior. I do hope that being a leader in the South East Asia region, we may break out of this mindset and follow our Western counterparts' footsteps.

Just some of my thoughts being penned down. I would love to open this for discussion, so if anyone is interested, don't hesitate to contact me via WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. (:

To the land of the dimsum and kangaroos

From the title, I think it's rather easy to guess that it refers to Hong Kong and Australia. And yep, that's my last 2 grad trip destinations! After much persuasion and logical reasoning, my parents caved in to my HK request. I mean ultimately, I am not spending their money, but I guess they are just trying to cultivate the "don't spend unnecessarily" habit in me so that I don't have a case in future whereby my expenditure > my income.

And yes, I do see where they are coming from, but it is also true that once I start work, it will be difficult to coordinate trips with friends. Like how often can we apply for the same days of leave to fly away? I totally foresee myself travelling like a lonely old man in future. Partially because life isn't made to be the way you want it to be. So I guess most of the time, I just have to suck it up and move on.

HK: 27th May - 31st May

Australia: 4th Jun - 24th Jun

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you

As my Instagram followers may have noticed, I've been feeling a little under the weather due to some incidents that happened. In fact, it made me rethink what I really value from something I treasure a lot - friendship.

It seems that hoping for an equal return treatment from someone is naive, and to a certain extent childish. People may think that there is a motive involved when it comes to making friends, but looking at it from another perspective, friendship is also another form of relationship which requires two hands to clap. As such, as ridiculous as it sounds, it inevitably has to be built on the basis of making use of each other.

And maybe it's just me being too sensitive, or me being me; but certain events just left me thinking maybe I am just left to fend for myself. Ah screw it.

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The Cobbler talks about this magic sole stitching machine that Max Simkin acquired from his ancestors. The machine creates magic in the soles of the shoes and allows the wearer to become the owner. Initially, he uses them for his own benefit, but subsequently he used it for the greater good. And not forgetting the amazing twist at the end. However, it's a little too draggy overall.

Rating: 3/5

Graduation.

[Disclaimer: This post should have been up long ago, but I've been too busy. So...]

And so, I have successfully completed my final semester. *release the fireworks* And with the end of this phase of my life, comes many things to do and look out for. Talking about exams, I feel that I've done decent to graduate with a second lower honors.

But like I said before, grades aren't really important to me because I care more for the experience and the sharpening of my soft skills. Moreover, this semester also showed me who matters, and who are there merely for the high. In addition, I made a lot of stupid decisions, but I will not regret any of them, because they help to build who I am today. Call me selfish, but I am definitely making them based on my own benefits. All I can say is you just have to live through them.

And my life seem to have been going back on track. I received a verbal acceptance from SATS to start their GAP programme, even though the pay is a little below expectations, I believe that it is a good start to my career OUT of engineering. The best thing is that it's quite near my house! Yay me! I am going down to do the security clearance and hopefully sign my contract early June. I am really stoked to start this next phase of my life.

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Grad Trips

And with graduation, comes the exciting grad trips. So far, I've been to 3 destinations on budget.

Penang, Batam, and Bangkok. Of course, Bangkok was the most fun.

Right now, I am already booked to go to Australia in June. And me being me, I'm trying to squeeze in Hong Kong. So, let's see how it goes.

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Movies

Have been watching a few movies but didn't have the time to review them, so here they are!

Inspiring movie that shows how a dad realizes his mistakes and changed his ways for his son. Lovely twist at the end!

Rating: 3.5/5

'Nuff said. Love it to bits. Action packed from start to end.

Rating: 5/5

Funny as hell! A good watch if you need a good laugh!

Rating: 4/5

There is no murder in paradise

Caught Child 44 on Monday night and I really liked the plot a lot, just that the movie is a little too draggy. It talked about how in the Soviet Union, termed to be "paradise", there is full reign under Stalin and his communist party. In paradise, there are no murders, but when young boys appear dead and naked, Leo Demidov (Tom Hardy) set off to try and solve these murder while ignore higher orders. Circumstances stacked against him, he managed to come out strong and overcome all the odds against his favour.

Rating: 3/5

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This has been a really emotional month with hectic school schedule and lots of other stuff happening. And I am not sure if I am coping well, but I think that having people to talk to is really important and it definitely helped to keep me going. Anyway, it's the last 7 days and I hope that this will be over soon.

Crazy Intense Final Sem

Yesterday was probably my most stressful day in my 4 years. Not only is the final boss of Chemical Engineering (Design Project Team Report) due, I still have a mini boss (CN5222 term paper) to complete. It was terrible, but it made me realize what is important to me, and what keeps me going.

Grades are definitely not it. Though it may be important, it isn't the end of the world. One thing I keep telling myself, "Do what I want, not what I need". Because by doing so, you will not regret your actions, but more so enjoy the process. However, there is still the bare minimum that you need to do. And I hope that I have met that bare minimum.

The past week was hell for me, and I am glad some friends made it much bearable. My family would work to, just that my parents are overseas and everyone else is busy af. So back to my friends. Thanks to my group mates for grinding through that monster together. I would never have imagined myself completing it, if not for the support that you guys gave. Thanks to the RH group for the constant rubbish and motivation to keep our spirits high. Thanks to the people who met up with me during this dark period, to pull me out of the dark and showed me that there is light. Thanks to the individuals who gave me encouragement and motivation to complete all that monstrous assignments. Thanks to the people who made my Thursday - Sunday much bearable, instead of despair. Last but not least, thanks to my bestie Jason for all the random conversations to keep myself calm and relaxed. This experience only made me more resilient and reinforced the fact that I work better under stress.

With that, one more presentation and two finals to go!

Perhaps 1 and 1 don't always give 2.

Initially, he thought it was going to be a happy ending, after all he isn't getting young anymore. It started out with fun and laughter, peace and joy. They enjoyed every moment together. But they did not realize they were progressing too quickly, and soon they started expecting things from each other that they weren't even sure they possess. He wasn't able to provide the sweet talks, the consolation, all the small little things that is required to maintain that. It became a turmoil very quickly when stress piled in, he couldn't cope with the additional emotional burden and started lashing out. It turned nasty. He didn't want it to end up this way, and had no idea why it went up this path of no return. They quarreled, they fought, and soon it was the end of them.

Perhaps, one and one don't always give two, but zero at times.

The Glass Slipper

Caught Cinderella with the Chem Engin peeps last Friday as a post section report celebration. Everyone knows her story, abused by her stepmothers and stepsisters, helped by her fairy godmother, and left her glass slipper for the prince to find her. Cliche as it may sound, it was really a sweet love story. Though some parts were really harsh, like when the stepmother destroyed one of her glass slipper, I felt my heart wrench and wanted to cry. Nevertheless, ain't she gorgeous?

Rating: 3.5/5

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The design project section report was really a nightmare for me. I am never good at projects, much worse one that deals with such a great deal of required readings, and limitless simulations and optimization. I must say I definitely did not do a good job with it. I am just hoping for a B to get it over and done with.

And I recently got myself an iPhone 6+. To be honest, I don't know what triggered me to get it. I just had to recontract, and I managed to get the most expensive phone in the market. Initially, I wanted to sell it, then my mum said that it is not worth it if I am only earning 200-300 bucks from it since I will have to bear it in my monthly bill anyway, so here I am with a new phone when my S5 is only 4 months old. Spoilt much.

Knowing people

Recent conversations had set me thinking. How do you define a friend?

Well a conversation with a friend in Starbucks today sparked a very interesting debate. Many people we know in university are there to leech on us. They are there for the merry times, but disappears in times of need. They come to us when they need our help, but ditch us when we need theirs. If that is so, do we still regard them as our friends? And after talking to him, I got reminded of my project situations. After Jason & Dallan graduated, I felt like I have no one to go to in Chemical Engineering anymore. So for projects, I don't dare to approach anyone and allowed the profs to allocate me into random groups, apparent in CN3121, CN3135 and CN4122. I honestly thought that the friends whom I hang out with more would approach me, but I was wrong. Not only that, I was desperately finding a design project group during winter vacation but no one came and ask me. To the extent that I was almost thrown to a random group again, but luckily I was adopted into my current group. Even though I don't know them as well as others, I was really glad that we bonded well and had really good teamwork. And back to my initial question, what do you call a friend?

Another conversation with another friend looked into how well you know someone. If you haven't met, but have been talking on social platforms for awhile, do you think you know that person well? Comparatively, you have seen a friend for a few years, but is that friend really what you know? How sure are you that the image you see is the real he/she, and not a facade that was put up to hide their true self? Everyone has masks, they put up masks to protect themselves, to prevent themselves from getting hurt. If so, how sure are you that you are able to look through all the masks that were put up? After watching The Fall, I am not sure about that anymore. Paul Spector, seemingly a family man, a good father with a good job as a bereavement counselor, ended up to be a brutal serial killer of 4. So with that said, do you think you are closer with someone you sat with for classes fro 4 years, or someone you just talked to on social platforms for 4 days? To me, it honestly doesn't matter, because both ways, I am only going to the mask that you put up for me to know.

I guess I am still better at complaining about life.

None of your business

Unfinished Business is a comedy targeted at adults. Really funny and ridiculous and definitely helps to destress after a long week of submission, job hunts, and FYP presentation. It talks about how this guy quitting his company, and recruited 2 other people, an old guy sacked from the same company, and a retard who tried to interview to intern in that company. And together, they formed a team to go up against that same company. Ultimately, the main character's family was his motivation to work hard and it was really really heartwarming to see how it ended. Not a bad choice of show if you have nothing you really want to watch. I really think Dave Franco is damn good at this show!

Rating: 3.5/5

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Sometimes, I get really emotional and negative, and I tend to explode on my social platforms. I guess this has to change since it's my business and no one else's, meaning I have to be the one to clean up the mess. I have to be the one to fix that problem. No one can help me if I don't start to help myself.

With that, hope my interview on Friday goes well!

Our favourite sponge

Last week, I went to watch this awesome cartoon with 2 kids, Jason and my brother.

This story started out with the Krabby Patty recipe disappearing and Bikini Bottom plunged into chaos. So our heroes set out to recover the recipe, and it sent them to land, facing against the pirate who stole it by rewriting the story, Really funny and interesting and a good watch for families!

Rating: 4/5

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And so it's the start of e-learning week. But for me, it's desperate catching up of deadlines because I was too slack during CNY period. Oh well, honestly, I can't give a fuck because I just want to pass all my modules and move on with life. I can't even be bothered to try for quality grades. That's me for you, cushioning bell curves in Chemical Engineering since 2011.

Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is always my favorite festive season, and this year is no different. I love to catch up with some relatives, get to know them a little better and also what they are up to. It's like many things can happen within a year. You might be really rich today, and when I see you again next year, you might be running away from debts. That aside, I believe this year is also the same.

Kids are growing up, evidently from the increasing Blackjack circle we are all familiar with. Not only that, they are maturing way faster. I remember when we were 12ish, we are only playing blindmice and block catching. Right now, they are actually gambling even before the age of 12.

The older generation looks a lot more aged, especially evident in one or two. Parkinson's and falls are definitely the major contributor to the sudden weakening of their bodies and their state of mind. Losing the memory of people who were once close to you, definitely a scary one for me.

The young adults transition phase, including myself, moving into the workforce and starting their own families. The mere thought of it shudders me. Like I said, I am really not a fan of change, but all these is inevitable. I wish all the happy moments will just freeze in time, and we would not need to face up to such harsh reality.

Lastly, I broke down once again, due to alcohol. I really didn't expect it, especially when I was still able to control myself this time. I guess, it is when people hit a nerve; while you are trying to escape, trying to avoid the reality. It did feel good letting it all out, and perhaps, that is what they are there for. Perhaps, it's time for them to know, after all, we have been the closest bunch of distant cousins people might know, and I believe we will be there for each other through thick and thin.

I didn't expect this to turn out quite grim and sad, but yeah, I still love CNY <3

The suit is the modern gentleman's armour

Recently, I caught another 2 movies and I must say, Kingsman was by far the BEST of all 8.

Kingsman is about this secret service agency which helps to save the world anonymously. So the story started with Eggsy, the son of a deceased agent. And he managed to join after he was bailed out by Galahad. So after a stringent selection process, he lost to Roxy at the final selection round. But when Galahad died on a mission to Valentines, he witnessed the killing and he went to find the head of Kingsman - Arthur. However, he realised that Arthur was also bought over by Valentines, so he managed to feed Arthur with his own poison and embarked to a trip to save the world with Merlin and Roxy (who was crowned as Lancelot). I swear, you won't regret watching it.

Rating: 5/5

Are we going to stand around all day or are we going to fight? (Harry Hart/Galahad, Kingsman: The Secret Service)

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The Voices was a really ridiculous show. Funny, but yet also lame and predictable. It's about Jerry having a mental problem and refuses to take his medicine to escape reality. As a result, he could hear voices from his cat, dog, and the heads he chops off. Quite a sad but stupid ending if you ask me.

Rating: 1.5/5

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With that, I wish everyone a Happy Lunar New Year!