The City Never Sleeps

Just minutes ago, we had said goodbye to the not so memorable 2008. Here I am writing to everyone, from these very beginning of 2009.

Many people said that 2008 is not a year which they would remember. True enough, even though the Chinese seems to love 2008, especially it marks the beginning of the zodiac cycle (with that little rat starting the year.) Bad memories filled the year with sadness, especially with many things that we do not wish to look back.

Look what has happened to the world in 2008: the moral behind the death of Heath Ledger: Never consume sleeping pills in excess, for you will never know that will kill you the next second. Melamine found in milk powders in China tells you that you should look out for what's inside your food. The moral of both stories: chemical kills.

The world is looking forward to Beijing Olympic Games in August 2008, since the Chinese loves eight, and having a double eight (read: August 08, which makes into 0808) makes everything goes smoothly. Never did they realised that 2 incidents puts China to a test: the outbreak of constant riots in Tibet during Mar and the Sichuan earthquake in May. Did China survived thru the tests during the Olympic Games? You judge that by yourself.

The collapse of Lehman Brothers leads to a economical crisis in Singapore and around the world in September. Recession hits us bit by bit, and now they are devouring our wallets, where they expect us to cough out our hard-earned salary to tide thru the recession.

I became a Singaporean in 2008, leaving my native country Malaysia. I met Alen in person finally, and I gave back something back to my alma-mater: Temasek Polytechnic.

Looking forward to 2009, everyone is hoping that with the Year of Ox, things will get much more better. Well, Ox gotta run fast, right?

Anyway, the reason why I could sit down here and write to all is obvious: I did not go for any countdown. Neither do many of my friends go for countdown as well.

Alen is staying at home.
Jasmond is back to Bedok Camp for guard duty tomorrow (or should I say today?)
Yaoda is not looking forward to any countdown parties.
I did not ask Lawrence and Jess out for countdown, cos I leave them to enjoy themselves.

In fact, when I walked down the streets of Orchard Road at 11pm, there wasn't seems to have much crowd, compared to 2006. Mabey it is because everyone had lost their mood to party?

No matter what lies ahead, all I can say is: May 2009 be a very happy, healthy, joyous and blessful year for all of us.

Happy 2009. =)

Seems that Singaporeans are still merrily shopping for the season despite facing the upcoming The Great Depression No 2.

And this is another year of lonely X'mas. Never mind. It seems that I am getting used to the lonely Xmas, New Year, CNY...

Every year around this period, we would tend to reflect on our deeds for the past 12 months. Lessons learnt from what has happened around you for the past 12 months. What can be done to make your next 12 months a better months for you...

Reflections 1:

Facing Life and Death When Disaster Strikes One.

Here, I am talking about Mediacorp actor Chew Chor Meng and the recently deceased Korean actress Choi Jin-Shi.

When the news of Chew suffered from a rare disease which can cause him to be bounded by wheelchair for life last week, Singaporeans are shocked. Our Singapore's most favorite Ah Bee was diagnosed with a rare illness, which affects his nerve system and causes his muscles shrinking. As there is no cure at the moment, he might be bounded by wheelchair forever.

Nevertheless, I could see from Chew that he faces the news that hits him, and decide to make the best of his everyday life. Compared to the late Jean-Dominique Bauby (the former editor of ELLE France, also the author of 'Le Scaphandre et le Papillon - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly'), Chor Meng is more fortunate. He was notified from the doctor when he was diagnosed with the rare illness, compared to Bauby, where a stroke strikes him leaves him with 'locked-in' syndrome. With his left eye the only body part of his body that is movable, Bauby completed his auto-biography in 1997 after blinking his eyes for 2 years.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly took him 2 years to tell a story of lifetime. However, 2 days after the book goes on sale in the market, Bauby passed away due to pnuemonia.

Chor Meng has a long way to go, but he make life to the fullest. This is something that I can see on his face.

On the other hand, Korean actress Choi Jin-Shi choose to end her life when life has become a tough challanged to her. She hanged herself in her home during September this year, leaving her only daughter to face the world after the custody of the child goes to Choi from her divorce.

Being a divorcee and a celebrity in South Korea, life has been unfair to Choi. She filed a divorce due to an exter-marital affair from her husband. While women around the world applauded her courage to free herself from a affair, she receive criticisms by the South Koreans. When one of her best friend cum former actor (which I couldn't remember the name) gassed himself to death in his own car due to running of high debts, fingers were pointed to Choi, as they believed that Choi pressurized her bestfriend to clear his debt.

Under the pressures from the criticisms and endless fingerpointing, Choi choose to end her life, just like Ruan Lingyu, the former famous actress from China in the 1930's, where gossips and criticisms puts a full stop at her life.

Apparently, it seems that the cause of the death of Korean celebrities are due to endless criticisms for issues that seems big to the Koreans, but a norm in other Asian countries. U-Nee, Jang Da Bin, Choi Jin-Shi are just some of the names which has been listed as 'vulnerable women who collapses due to emotional attacks'. (The truth is, U-Nee and Jang Da Bin commited suicide over plastic surgery failure, which they feels that they are 'too ugly to see the people.' )

A lesson learnt from a movie from China, Tuya's Marriage: man can be killed, but cannot kill itself. Both Chor Meng and Jin-Shi had a long way to go. Both are in their 40's. One is married with kids, another divorced with a child. One knows that he will be paralysed for life, another knows that people will criticise her for the divorce.

And you had 2 different endings: one choose to face the challange, another choose to end her life.

It's only a line between life and death. What matters most is, it's all about how to see things right.

Reflection 2:

Chaos.

Let's rewind the clock back to months ago.

George W Bush was attacked by a reporter in Iraq when the reporter throws a pair of shoes at him during a speech.

Mumbai terror attacks causes deaths of several Americans, Englishmens and a Singaporean.

Demonstrations at the airports in Thailand, causes several disruptions, and a dead body found at the rubbish dump. (Human beings becomes disposable waste.)

Anymore?

Had lunch with WC and Jasmond yesterday, and was told that there are chaos in my previous units. Several storemens goes to prison for assault. Kim broke his finger...

Is it true that the moment I left my unit, things are getting from bad to worst? As what Alen says, I am the guardian of Bedok Camp?

So much for this X'mas.

Hope that things get better when I wake up tomorrow.

When I was flipping thru Dec's issue of Men's Health, a female writer wrote an article on why women love shopping, just like a man who couldn't stop enjoying football, hot babes and fast cars.

Sure, women loves shopping. The girls that I know loves shopping. Ranging from bags (from my TP Yr 1 classmate, Cindy), shoes (Jess, my sec sch mentor aka a good friend) to skincare product (exchange session with Bee Ling, my colleague in Corp Comm), you can't say that women are wasting money to do shopping.

Borrowing a term from Jin Zhengkun, lecturer from Beijing People's University, where he shares tips on social etiquette in CCTV's Lecture Room series. He says: women tend to have more variety and more choices when it comes to fashion, and thus women will tend to buy more clothings, shoes, accessories etc to match their outfits, whether in work or in leisure. When goes along with the right steps for skincare and makeup for apperances, it not only makes one looks pleasant, but also shows courtesy and respect to the others.

So it is not wrong to say women are wasting money by splurging on so many things. Well, I suppose it is OK for us to buy apparels and accessories when necessary, apart from our daily needs. (Hey, one of the basic human needs is clothes. One cannot simply wear the same clothing everyday, right? Even I get tired of wearing the same old outfit when meeting friends.)

And so today is payday. I am extra richer today. And I decided to do some shopping. Some serious X'mas shopping. Trust me, doing some retail therapy don't hurt.

And so this is what I bought:

1. Dec's issue of Men's Health and First magazine X 2 copies. First will be given out to my friends in Malaysia as a surprise gift. For those who did not know what has happened, you can see the photo of me having a conversation with Wayne Wang printed on the magazine.

2. Calvin Klein's Steel Briefs. Now going on 20% off for DBS/POSB Debit/Credit card holders. Free X'mas wrapping from Isetan when making a purchase of $30 and above. Lesson learnt: make use of the discounts and perks from a department store that is offering. If the debit/credit card you are holding on to gives you certain perks when making a minimum purchase, enjoy the perks when you can do so.

3. A brand new pair of Nike Running shoes from Nike Flagship store in Wisma Atria Shopping Centre. For those who did not know, they are the 1st Nike Flagship store in Singapore and S.E Asia. And they are occupying the former location of Topshop/Topman.

Oh yes, it's not so cheap after all. SGD$169, NO DISCOUNT. And should I say the price is worth paying, when I had a feeling that I am actually following the words of a young salesman which gives me a feeling that he is forcing me down the throat for the shoes?

He told me that the current shoes I am wearing are oversized, so I need to get a Size 10.5, as it fits in well. Anything more than 10.5 can cause long term damage/injury to my legs due to the extra space I had in my shoes, and the pressure point had to be exterted to my feet when running, instead of the sole at the tip.

So after trying the shoes for an hour, I decided to get that Size 10.5 Nike Air Max Moto +6. All for SGD$169. As I bought it at 9.08pm, I am entitled to a free $10 vouchers from Wisma Atria SC as part of their late nite shopping promotion.

Lessons learnt? If you know you are going to fork out that extra large sum of $$$ for something you like, especially clothings, go for: 1. Brand new ones even though those at the shelves fits you. You never know the condition of the previous person who uses it. 2. Make money works for you, if you know that you can't get discounts, and yet the mall is providing perks for your minimum purchase. That should explain for the $10 vouchers.

Learnt to shop smart, and save smart. And that is the rule I go with when shopping. =)