Welcome to my world. Hold on tight. It's going to be a bumpy ride.
Friday 29 June 2018
Guess where I am traveling to next?
Hi guys, I have another post coming up imminently but I have yet another long haul trip coming up after my "8 weeks in 8 countries" traveling stint over May-June. I will be going to Singapore in July, yup - my chairman was going to meet one of my Indonesian clients in Singapore and I said, "I really should be there, that guy is my client and I have a good relationship with him". So my chairman said, okay you have earned this, book a flight and join us for that meeting. I have some people to see for work in Singapore anyway, so I will stay a grand total of 13 days in Singapore - it did seem a bit longer than originally planned but oh well, I wanted to stay the weekend so I can spend quality time with my sisters and nephew especially since I know they will be busy during the weekdays. This will be an interesting experience as well because I will be doing this trip with my chairman rather than my CEO, you see I normally work a lot more closely with my CEO and not my chairman, but this will be a chance for me to get to know my chairman a lot better and hopefully improve my working relationship with him whilst in Singapore. This should be a busy but rather interesting work trip.
One thing I will be missing in London as a result of this trip is Gay Pride (I would be in Singapore then) and it'll be the first time in 20 years that I will miss Gay Pride in London - it's a shame as it is a lot of fun, but I do remember one evening back around 2001 when I was looking forward to Gay Pride so much I visited the roads on the parade route the evening before the actual event and I had a shitty job then. I wasn't happy and I needed something fun, something colourful and exciting to make me forget the crap at work - a Gay Pride parade, a carnival with parties and dancing that go on all night was exactly what I needed and I remember having this horrible thought: on one hand, sure I was looking forward to the fun I was going to have, then the other thought was, after the weekend will come the Monday and I would have to go back to the job I hated. That was a pretty depressing thought but I guess that is something that a lot of people go through all the time if they don't have a job that they particularly like but they have no choice but to do it to pay the bills. So when the weekend comes, they get drunk, go out partying and try to forget the inevitable return to the job they hate when Monday morning comes back around. I was reminded of this when I saw the music video for Keisza's Giant In My Heart.
But guess what? So many years later, I actually find what I do extremely exciting - I'm making a lot of money and I don't actually dread Mondays. In fact, I am now often working during the weekends because I am so dedicated to my work. I suppose one reason why I really enjoyed Gay Pride in the past was because I would perform my gymnastics on the parade and so many people would applaud, cheer, want to take photos and videos of me and of course, all that attention made me feel special in a way I never did at work back then. But thankfully, I am now getting a lot of credit (I wouldn't quite use the word 'love') from both colleagues and clients, so it really doesn't bother me that much that I am missing this year's Gay Pride parade as I don't need that one event to make me feel special, appreciated and loved - I am getting that on a regular basis at work and boy, compared to the period in the early 2000s when I had a lousy job, I am just grateful that I have come an awfully long way to get to where I am today. You know, it is not about earning more money, it is about finding a work environment where you feel appreciated from my peers and incredibly enough, I have that at the moment. Boy it makes a lot of difference to the way I feel about my work and no, it is not something I take for granted.
On a separate note, I recently had the most amazing fried rice in a restaurant in London - it wasn't so much the ingredients in the fried rice but the legendary 'wok hei' that infused that distinctive smoky flavour into the rice which turned ordinary white rice into a culinary delight. Can anyone recommend a good place in Singapore where I can get some proper 'wok hei' flavours please? Also, I am probably taking a trip to Johor Bahru whilst I am in Singapore - not very ambitious I know, but do you have any suggestions about where one should go in JB? Many thanks for reading.
Hey mate, wanna go JB together if you are familiar? :) I am not interested in Legoland, that's not my kinda thing, I'm not quite sure what to expect, I was there the last time with my dad on my last trip, but it was merely to accompany him to settle stuff at the bank where he has an account and we did little else.
Thats sounds like a nice weekend adventure. Although i am not Shenzhen level familiar as i have not been there as many times i'm still more familiar than you would be. If you are willing to risk it then we can go together.
The only thing is that I can't go on the weekend - I have to give my weekends priorities to my sisters who work insane hours during the week, as long as it is a weekday, yeah sure let's do it.
Hey Limpeh! No need to reply, since my comment is not related to the post. But I just wanted to thank you for writing this blog. I’ve been reading it for the past 5 years since I was 15 (not all the time, but once in a while I come across your blog and catch up). Anyway, thank you for always putting across a reasoned argument, especially on controversial topics. I might not agree with everything you write, but it’s great to be challenged by an alternative perspective that’s grounded in evidence and clear reasoning.
Furthermore, it’s so nice to know that people still believe in format of longform blogger.com commentaries when most arguments now unfold (in a sporadic manner) through Facebook comment section debates. Thank you for all your effort over the years!
Hey Limpeh! No need to reply, since my comment is not related to the post. But I just wanted to thank you for writing this blog. I’ve been reading it for about 5 years since I was 15 (not all the time, but once in a while I come across your blog and catch up). Thank you for always putting across a reasoned argument, especially on controversial topics. I might not agree with everything you write, but it’s great to be challenged by an alternative perspective that’s grounded in evidence and clear reasoning.
Furthermore, it’s so nice to know that people still believe in the format of longform blogger.com posts, when most commentaries now unfold (in a sporadic manner) through Facebook comment section debates. Thank you for all your effort and intelligent thoughts over the years!
Thanks for your message and hello from Ang Mo Kio.
Oh I have no patience for these social media spats - I get my fair share of haters who come and pick fights on my blog through the comments section, but I simply delete their comments as I am not interested in getting into an argument. I just want to present my point of view and if others want to engage me in a respectful manner, then I am happy to talk to anyone but those who in here hurling insults will not be entertained.
Yo hope to see you soon! For wok hei, J.B. Ah Meng Restaurant at Geylang is a good choice as it was also awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand.
ReplyDeleteAs for places in JB to go, the safe choices are either City Square mall across the causeway or Bukit Indah Aeon or Legoland across the 2nd link.
Hey mate, wanna go JB together if you are familiar? :) I am not interested in Legoland, that's not my kinda thing, I'm not quite sure what to expect, I was there the last time with my dad on my last trip, but it was merely to accompany him to settle stuff at the bank where he has an account and we did little else.
DeleteThats sounds like a nice weekend adventure. Although i am not Shenzhen level familiar as i have not been there as many times i'm still more familiar than you would be. If you are willing to risk it then we can go together.
DeleteThe only thing is that I can't go on the weekend - I have to give my weekends priorities to my sisters who work insane hours during the week, as long as it is a weekday, yeah sure let's do it.
DeleteWelcome back to Sg! Try this - one of my favourites with wok hei (beef hor fun)
ReplyDeleteBEE KIA RESTAURANT
Address: #01-326, Balestier Hills Shopping Centre, 1 Thomson Road, Singapore 320002
Opening Hours: 12 noon to 11am. Closed on alternate Sundays.
Hey Limpeh! No need to reply, since my comment is not related to the post. But I just wanted to thank you for writing this blog. I’ve been reading it for the past 5 years since I was 15 (not all the time, but once in a while I come across your blog and catch up). Anyway, thank you for always putting across a reasoned argument, especially on controversial topics. I might not agree with everything you write, but it’s great to be challenged by an alternative perspective that’s grounded in evidence and clear reasoning.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, it’s so nice to know that people still believe in format of longform blogger.com commentaries when most arguments now unfold (in a sporadic manner) through Facebook comment section debates. Thank you for all your effort over the years!
Hey Limpeh! No need to reply, since my comment is not related to the post. But I just wanted to thank you for writing this blog. I’ve been reading it for about 5 years since I was 15 (not all the time, but once in a while I come across your blog and catch up). Thank you for always putting across a reasoned argument, especially on controversial topics. I might not agree with everything you write, but it’s great to be challenged by an alternative perspective that’s grounded in evidence and clear reasoning.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, it’s so nice to know that people still believe in the format of longform blogger.com posts, when most commentaries now unfold (in a sporadic manner) through Facebook comment section debates. Thank you for all your effort and intelligent thoughts over the years!
Thanks for your message and hello from Ang Mo Kio.
DeleteOh I have no patience for these social media spats - I get my fair share of haters who come and pick fights on my blog through the comments section, but I simply delete their comments as I am not interested in getting into an argument. I just want to present my point of view and if others want to engage me in a respectful manner, then I am happy to talk to anyone but those who in here hurling insults will not be entertained.