OH MY GOD!!!! IS BEEN MORE THAN 1 MONTH SINCE I ENTERED MY LAST POST…..
Gesh…..for the past month(May), I’m not really sure where had I been busy with. Ha!! guess mostly is related to work.
It had been really busy for the past few weeks and most of the time, I had been busy with work. Hence there’s really nothing interesting that is going on or exciting enough for me to post in my blog.
Well, then again, the month of May is not just about work, I did have a few gatherings and outings with my friends and family, however, is not really worth mentioning. Nevertheless, it had been a fruitful month for me, at least I still get managed to continue to clear my debt.
Ha, once again, it was a happy event when I was keying the amount to be transfer to my lender’s account. The feeling of able to return the money on a consistent and discipline just make my day.
With my goal of clearing my 1o over thousands dollars by 1st Oct is just 4 months away. It’s really starting to be a stretch for me. However at the same time, I also understand that the day where I’m debt free is also just 4 months away!! Ha, as long as I keep doing what I doing for the past 8 months, I’m sure that I can achieve my goal on children’s day.
With the latest fund transfer my debt is down to just under $4k, which means for the next 4 months, by hook or by crook, I will need to repay at least $1000 per month. Phew!! To be honest, if my current income, it is really a stretch but at the same time, I’m also excited and eager to know how I can manage to achieve this feed.
So people (if there is still someone reading my blog) ,do wish me all the best man!!!
Oh boy!!! Am I Happy??? You BET!!! I’m a Happy Boy/Man!!!! Wahahaha!!!
I had been toying with the idea of getting an iPod Touch since my last iPod Shuffle went “swimming” in the washing machine last year.
YES!!, IT (iPod Shuffle) “drowned” after just spending less than 6 months with me.
And believe it or not, that Shuffle was my 1st ever mp3 player in my life!!!
Before that, I had a Sony radio receiver that is still workable till today. I had it with me since my army dayz, however, it started to give me problems for the past 2 years, like it would auto shut down, auto reset and deleting all the preset radio channel by itself. It was really irritating for me to keep on re-setting the channel again and again and because of that ,I had stopped using it since last year.
I’m a guy who enjoys listening to music when I’m on my way to work or travelling to places, so when my Shuffle gave up on me, I felt weird when I got nothing to listen to. And that’s why I want to get another mp3 player after my receiver and Shuffle had given me their best.
And for the past few months I had been actively looking for a player that I like and that the reason why I ended up with the iPod Touch….. But why iPod Touch and not any other brand or player??? Well, I guess because I’m a guy and I can be a sucker for technology too and my mind was set on iPod Touch was largely due to a video clip that I saw while looking at the features of different players.
So after watching the clip, the rest was history………….
Time really flies!!! A few more days, the month of April will be gone. Gesh, and that means a third of the year will be gone as well.
Time really wait for no man, it just goes on and on and on…. Haiz…
Anyway for the last 2 weeks, it had been a busy tiring but yet rewarding and meaningful week for me. As stated in my previous post, I was involved in a Residential Program with APS for the past 2 weeks, the program was about letting the student getting used to living in a community setting, getting used to a fixed routine and structure, getting used to discipline, doing things that they normally don’t like to do.
We also train them to get used to wait for friends for meals and activities, getting them used to thinking and caring for others and not on one self only. Getting used to think before they act and do the right thing at the right time and at the right place. We also taught them to be brave and to get them used to being responsible for their action despite the outcome.
Well, I guessed that there’s many other learning they will pick up along the way, as for me, I think the key learning was a reminder for me to be at ease with my current situation, accept where am I today was all because of my own action. It also let me realised that nowadays, I pretty used to the routine (in terms of financial management) that I having now. Getting used to the discipline of clearing my debt and at the same time still live the way i want, buy the things I want and at the same time planning for my future.
However don’t get me wrong, at ease with my situation doesn’t means that I’m in my comfort zone and happy with my situation to the point that I not doing anything more. I am clear that eventhough I getting used to the routine of saving, repaying and buying, I’m still far away from my ideal living lifestyles, like there are still things that I want to buy, food that I want to eat, places I want to go. My bank statement is still in the low low end and my own net worth is also super low, so there are how work for me to do and more roads for me to travel in order to get me to where I want.
Well, despite all the low net worth and stuff, there is one area that is getting lower and lower too and of course, that is the amount of my debt. With this post, I am so happy to declare that I had cleared a fair of my debt and the amount left had just dropped past the $5k mark. Well done, Jones!! I guess I really need to give myself a pat on the shoulder, ha!!
What a tiring training program, for the past 4 days, it was really a physically and mentally draining time for me, in fact, it was the most demanding program I had ever had in my whole life!!
Everyday, was a “war”. Everyday, there were “fights”, Everyday, there were “confrontation”, Everyday, there were “disagreement”. Everyday, there were “arguments” and Everyday, there were “crying”.
It were those non-stop “action” that really made this program so demanding and yet at the same time making it one of the most meaningful, worthwhile and mind-reflecting program for me.
This program was “special”, “special” in a way that the participants are not your normal mainstream students, “special” in a way that the teachers were a bunch of passionate people, “special” in a way that the training team were a bunch of committed and determined people.
The program was SPECIAL as it had able to create a big positive difference to all the people in this program. Well done, people!!!
Students from APS(Assumption Pathway School) are a group of young teenagers that either has Autism*, Dyslexia**or Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)***. Hence managing them is already a challenge let alone teaching them. However, with the passion and heart, commitment and determination, the team was able to move and see many forward movements in this groups of unique students.
Working with them had bring me to a new level of making a difference to another human being.
Working with them, let me see the beauty of belief and faith.
Working with them, let me understand what is acceptance and be at ease.
Working with them, show me that love and care has no boundary.
Working with them, let me see how life can be so different from one person to another.
Working with them, had given more reason why i choosing the path of training.
And working with them, made me more committed to the work I am doing.
Seeing the student morphing from a kid that only know how to create trouble and fights to a kid that can pull the class together and work towards a win in an activity in just 4 days had brought great joy and excitement to me.
Seeing another student changing from a kid that only know how to shout out loud when he is angry or being provoked to a kid that tell himself to take a deep breath and count to 10 so that he can calm down in just 4 days, had brought
great satisfaction and a sense of achievement for me.
Seeing how the passionate teacher maintaining a smile on their faces and always encouraging the kids had brought me great learning for me.
Thank you once again APS, for the 4 days of emotional roller-coaster ride that’s comes with great life-experiencing learning.
*Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder diagnosed among children who exhibit severe social and communication dysfunctions and repetitive behaviours.
**Dyslexia is a learning disorder characterized by difficulties in reading and spelling.
***ADHD children always seem to be in motion. They dash around, wiggle, squirm, fidget and talk nonstop. They are whirlwinds that leave messes, throw tantrums, start fights and act obstinate.
Ah…. another great sunny day was well-spent creating something that is “WOW” and meaningful for others and of course for myself.
I was at Hort Park today, participating in a Charity events organised by yet another batch of people that care enough to create a difference to this world(at least in this small little country). I was there as a volunteer and was part of the logistic team.
We there early in the morning “working” together to create “A walk” that can be remembered by the elderly and the children where both are the beneficiary of this event.
It was really a simple event, where there is the basic entertainment, food and fun for them to indulge in. However, what really make this kind of events special, is really the love and heartfelt warmth that is spreading around as well as the genuine care and concern for another human being.
Looking at smiling faces of the Ah Gong’s and Ah Ma’s, the everlasting energy of the children and pesperation on the committees and volunteers faces shows that love and care can really be border less and unconditional. If you were there, you can really see the effort put in by the committees and the volunteers as well as the gratitude and thankfulness from the elderly and children.
That kind of image and that kind of feeling, gives one(me) a feeling of love, hope and peace, I can’t really explain how i feel here. It is just that whenever I in this space, I just realised that I’m indeed fortunate to be alive and also that there is always hope and peace around and so much to hope and work for in life.
Really, life is not just about yourself, life is not a individual process to be completed alone, life involves people and yourself. YOU can make a difference to your life and other people’s life and of course the people around can make a difference to their own life as well as your life.
Whatever it will be and regardless who they are, as long as they are living and breathing, just remember all can make a difference and everyone do deserved to have a great time and great life. All we need to do is to remember to create and make a positive difference at every moment and soon everyone will always have a great WOW Day and a great walk to be remembered just like today.
4 months…. that’s how long since I put on my running shoe to go for a run…. (beside the recent IPPT test)…. and man!!!!, It was damn shag but at the same time it was a great feeling!!!.
I met up with a friend of mine to go for a run tonight, as we had not been running, we set a short distance for ourselves, just to test out where had my standard of running had drop to.
We decided to run from Downtown East to a canal just after the Loyang Temple, the distance, 6km. Ha, and guess what, just above 1km plus, I already start to feel my leg getting stiffen up, and even before I cleared Pasir Ris Area, my singlet was already wet and i’m already panting…. In my mind I was like “Gesh, can’t believe it… am I getting old or what? I had yet to reach the turning point and I already going to shag out…. ha, you must be joking.”
Determined not to give up, I started to think about my purpose of running and my missed opportunities in the past two marathons. I reminded myself that my purpose of running was not only to keep fit but also to use it to remind myself that whenever I stopped running, my fitness will start to drop, and that’sserve as a reminder to my life too, whenever I stop working hard, things will start to deteriorate, at the same time running also remind me that, as long I continue to work hard, I can increase my distance and timing as time goes by and it’s the same when it come to our life. As long we continue to work hard and improve, our all aspect of life will improve as time goes by.
Next, is my goal to run my marathon, twice in the past two years, I had fallen ill at the last moment and thus failed to attend the annual running event. Is time to break the cruse, and for this year, I’m determined to start my training early and set my physical condition right so that I will not make it 3 times in a row that I will miss the marathon.
Amazingly from the few seconds of self-thoughts, I managed to gather my energy to finish the run and in the end, I was able to last the 6km run and not feeling tired at all. Yes, I was totally soaked with my perspiration but I feel great and refreshed!!!
It’s really great to be running again, now I just can’t wait for the next run and this time round I will go for a further distance and trust me, sure and slowly I will be running a longer and longer distance in no time and of cos, when MARATHON 2009 come, I will ensure that I will be fully prepared!!
FIERCE!!!!!!! This month is the month that I used the most CASH since a long time, the last time I had such a big money output was in 2006 when I decided to pursue my degree at SIM. At that instance, I paid S$10K straight for my 1st year tuition fee. It was pure hard cold cash…. man.
For this month,it was pure hard cold cash again, however, it is slightly different as the money output were for varies purposes and reasons rather, and that includes, my holiday expenses for my FIRST-EVER trip to TAIWAN, and before that, I had spent abit for my FIRST-EVER trip to HONGKONG & MACAU as well. Up next, I had also made a payment for my family FIRST-EVER FAMILY PROTRAIT, and I also started a monthly (S$2oo per month) investment account recently and of course the most important, today, I continue to repay my debt.
It was really amazing for me at least, that with a single source of limited income, I had managed to do so many things in this brand new year. To be honest, I’m really happy and surprised at how a simple income distribution formula and what commitment and discipline can to do me. Without the above mentioned, I really don’t think I will be able to have so many “FIRST” for me in this first quarter of the year.
Yes and of course, with all the cash output recently, my bank account is once again not in a healthy line but at the same time, it is at a ”OK” line that can allow me to survive, to pay my bills and of course to repay my debt, at least t can last till my next payday.
Right now at this moment, despite the low numbers on my bank statement, I’m still a very happy man, and that’s because, by looking back for the past 3 months, I had created, gained and experience quite a lot of new things from the stuffs that I put money in. The value of what I had gained was definitely worth more than the cash I put in. Whats the point of keeping alot of money and not spending it? I will rather spend it and enjoy my life or even spend it to create special memories with the people I cared about.
However, before we can do that, we must also ensure that we must follow what almost all the financial advisor will always tell us to do, and that is to save a sum of money for the raining day, and to start saving money for future uses.
And of course, rest assured, I had did the above mentioned, and because of that, I’m able to enjoy my life, and started to be a happy man and it had also made me a man that’s is always looking forward to create more ”FIRST” with his future pure, hard, cold cash.
Guess most had already known that the just ended I.T. Show at Suntec City had racked in S$58.5 million in revenue. Man, that’s hell lots of money in the current economy downturn…Aren’t we suppose to be more money savvy rather than spending too much??? It is the financial crisis now, isn’t it???? These people, don’t know what are they thinking.. ha!
Hahaha, guess what, I was also one of the “culprit” that had contributed to the record-breaking sales number. Although, I didn’t make any big purchase, I still spend a few hundred on the last day of the I.T. Show. I bought myself, a TARGUS, Laptop bag that costs me $113, and spend hundred dollars for my printer ink cartridges.
High Perfomance Materials, Weatherproof Manufacturing, Extraordinary Design.
Well, as I was squeezing through the crowd, I was really thinking that “Wow, are you sure, we are in crisis, or is that that Singaporean are really rich that they don’t feel the damage done by the economy?”
Frankly speaking, I do not have any answer to that. All I knew was that I was there too, despite the downturn, I was still looking for things to buy and I was willing to spend even though I doesn’t belong to the “rich” category (I’m still in debt hahha)
Maybe, I guessed that given the situation and I think people just really want to spend and make themselves happy, besides, the prices for the items were really affordable. So, I think it is really good that people are still spending, not only it’s helping the economy but at the same time, it makes the seller and buyer happy too. I just hoped that, the spending is a calculated spending and not splurging.
As long as the deal is worth it, then why not? Just like mine, I paid $113 for my new laptop bag but in return I got 2 more bags for free, one Targus sling laptop bag as a free gift for purchase above S$100 and the other, a Outdoor Diaper Bag from the sure-win quick dip. 3 Bags with good quality for the price of S$113, I felt that I got myself a great bargain. So, really, no harm to spend some money, right?
Well, really, the thinking I have now is really, despite the financial situation, and given that I’m aware of my own cash management, I will still continue to spend. So If there is another sale or show going on, you bet, I will still be there looking out for a good deal and do my part to help the economy.
Oh yeah!!! 2 holidays in less than 2 months, I must be crazy!!! Hahaha, but man, I love every single moment of it man!! Hong Kong and Macau and then followed by Taiwan and both was my first time there, COol man!!
Although, now I’m back to reality, and pocket also with a big big hole….. but I loved it hahaha!
LIfe should be like that, work hard play hard!!!
NOw is time to work hard!!! Is been really busy since I’m back in Singapore. Can you imaging, it was only last week Thursday, 12th march that I touched down back here at 1am, at 8am, I was in office preparing for a meeting. and then on the 13th and 14th March I was doing training at a local Secondary School. Next, 15th was a Sunday, and I was back in office too, as I need to be attend a briefing for the 16th and 17th March program!!
Then next was 18th March, Wednesday where things got slower, and by 19th Thursdaywhich is today, I was down… withpiles… OUCH!!! (guessed is body too heaty and lack of rest, anyway…..)
It really have been a mad rush, but don’t know why, I just feeling excited. I think the main reason could be for the first quarter of 2009, I did really have a great time and hence despite the mad rush, I still feeling excited and I want to have more interesting events for the rest of the year!!!
So I hoped you have a great first quarter of 2009 too, yar!!
The weather for past few days were really crazy, it could be sunny and shiny for one second, and the next moment, is pouring like no body’s business. It was not just a normal rain but a thunderstorm for the past few days, the thunder and lightning was so furious to a point that it even struck on our Singapore icon, Merlion’s head. Poor Merlion, not only it lost some of its mane but its left ear as well.
Man, for me, it’s really a love-hate relationship with the rain. I mean, I love it when it is a thunderstorm, especially I want to stay and rest at home, the cold yet comfortable and dark feeling provide the best enviornment for me to take a good nap. However, when it comes to having activities to do, I hate it when it rains, almost 100 percent of the time, you will be trapped indoor with nothing much for you to do.
I don’t know about you, but it happened to me alot time and most recently, I was trapped by the rain again. This time round just a few days back I was trapped once again in the evening, luckily, I was trapped in office which is still not so bad, at least I can stay back and still do my work.
Frustrated at first, as it was already late in the evening and I’m trapped and doing some stuff that I didn’t want or didn’t plan to do. The mood I had at that moment was exactly like the weather, DARK, CLOUDY,RAINY and HEAVY.
Guess without much choice, I found my energy back and focus on finishing a clients’ video that I had started doing on that day itself, and soon without much of my realisation, an hour went by and the rain had stopped.
And surprisingly, I had just finished my video clip. Ha, decided that since I was “trapped” for more than a few hours(including office hours) becuase of the rain, I went out to take a breather… and below was what I saw….
And Yes…IT was a “WOW” a rainbow…. it was the largest rainbow I ever saw in Singapore, and my mood just changed in a instant. Suddenly, my cold, cloudy and heavy feeling was replaced by the warm, shiny and beautiful rainbow and it made me felt so light, calm and peaceful. “Ah, that’s is so nice” I talked to myself as I looked up onto the rainbow, “Guess it’s not a bad day after all….” and soon, I packed my bag and was on my way home.
Come to think of it, it was such a interesting evening for me, at one point Iwas grumbling about being trapped and had to stay back in office and did some of my work and not long after, I was a happy man, with my my video clip done and enjoying the beauty of the rainbow. Such an irony.
Well, I guess that’s life isn’t it, at one moment, it can be dark and cloudy and at the other moment, it can be bright and shiny with a rainbow beautifying it.
Just a note to end this post off, remember my friends, life is much like a rainbow, you need both the SUN and the RAIN to make the RAINBOWappears… so learn to learn both the “SUN” and the “RAIN” so that your RAINBOWcan appear…
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