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27 December 2006

Lim Peh Tng Lai Liao - Part 3


It has been raining non-stop at all the wrong times resulting in the loss of opportunity to go for a run as well as a couple of tennis games.

Haiz.... also dunno bring my jogging shoes back Singapore for what.....

- Voxeros

1. kelawarkilat left...
Thursday, 28 December 2006 1:57 am
You can go to the gym mah. For a moment, i thought the title was "Lim Peh Tng Ker Liao". Thanks to everyone for the very enjoyable night watching Ronaldo dance and Liverpool squashed. :)


2. spinnee left...
Thursday, 28 December 2006 12:25 pm
kekekek i wanted to tell u dun need to bring it back.. but before i knew it u're back ..hahahahaha
anywayz that's a nice shot from ur place. i just drove past the other nite when i visited my pal at gm. ;)


3. spinnee left...
Thursday, 28 December 2006 12:26 pm :: http://spinnee.blogspot.com
to clarify... the area nia.. not ur place.. *hahaha*


4. JayWalk left...
Thursday, 28 December 2006 4:51 pm :: 
Kelawarkilat: Thanks for showing up! It was good to catch up with you and the wife.

spinnee: Liew... nearby liao, then neber jio me go la kopi. How can?


5. hitomi left...
Thursday, 28 December 2006 6:37 pm
Sorry, too busy at work, didn't have time to really catch up with you. Dec is a crazy month for me!


6. sunflower left...
Thursday, 28 December 2006 7:25 pm
Thanks for the very enjoyable night.
Jay, thanks for the dinner!


7. akk left...
Thursday, 28 December 2006 8:25 pm
hey! thanks for the meet-up! havn't had the chance to comment cos of the disaster at taiwan, all systems down in my place. Take care and have a great new year!!


8. Jaschocolate left...
Friday, 29 December 2006 5:07 pm
Thanks for the dinner and ride.. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did :p


9. JayWalk left...
Friday, 29 December 2006 5:34 pm :: 
Hitomi: Hey. Good to see you but somehow you always end up quiet quiet one corner one. Will catch you next time.

Sunflower & Akk: Pleasure's all mine.

Jaschocolate: Thanks for locating Jiak Hong for me!


10. hiaoaunty left...
Sunday, 31 December 2006 8:14 pm
limpeh tng lai liao... u mean singapore or u mean back to spitland? very confusing u noe.... thanks for the good times (wink)... the meet up was wonderful.... and thanks for the sumptuous seafood dinner... we do it again next year???


11. JayWalk left...
Tuesday, 2 January 2007 9:01 am ::
Hiaoaunty: No lah. Haven't been able to access my blog due to the undersea cable damage.
See you next year!


12. hitomi left...
Wednesday, 3 January 2007 12:05 pm
cos table so big and i busy with the crabs. btw, tks for the dinner!


13. JayWalk left...
Wednesday, 3 January 2007 3:11 pm :: 
hitomi: Note to self: Get smaller table next time.


14. aloe left...
Thursday, 4 January 2007 9:31 am
Note to Jay: Dun eat crabs next time. LOL! Everyone will be busy trying to get the crab meat out of the shell!


15. JayWalk left...
Friday, 5 January 2007 1:19 am :: 
Aloe: So what do you have in mind for our next meeting?


16. aloe left...
Monday, 8 January 2007 9:29 am
=X =X


17. JayWalk left...
Monday, 8 January 2007 2:18 pm :: 
Aloe: You act blur har?

25 December 2006

Christmas Morning 2006


Christmas for kids is all about the prezzies and my thanks for all the kind friends for their generous gifts to Faith and Gabe.

My gift for Faith this year is a little different. It's not a candy or chocolate, nor is it toy or a dress.

This is her very first rotan.

I believe in the hokkien saying, "Bor Kan Bor Tua Han".

I really hope I don't have to use this often, none if at all. However, I am not a subscriber to those new age bullshit ideas of raising a child. A child without discipline will not grow up proper as far as I am concerned. Call me old skool if you would but that is the way I intend to bring up my kids.

May she grow up to be a useful, kind and considerate person who would love and respect thy neighbour as much as they would love and respect her.

p.s. Gabe will get his rotan in 2 years time when he is old enough to understand why the rotan is needed. Still, being the better tempered (and not to mention better behaved) of the two, I doubt if I would need to use the rotan on him very much.
 
- Voxeros

1. lancerlord left...
Monday, 25 December 2006 12:57 pm
You no wrap it up with wrapper and ribbon? :)


2. heather left...
Monday, 25 December 2006 5:20 pm
*lol* so fierce.., what did she do to the neighbour? and What does the hokkien words mean?


3. sunflower left...
Monday, 25 December 2006 10:31 pm
Aiyo simi taichi, why tio cane early morning???


4. DK left...
Tuesday, 26 December 2006 12:15 am :: http://decayonnet.blogspot.com
Rotan for Christmas? Wow...


5. wennie left...
Tuesday, 26 December 2006 2:30 am
rotan.. aww.. remove the plastic hook if possible... when i was young, my mom used it on me as well, then somehow the plastic hook got loose and when she swing the rotan to threaten me, the plastic hook flew off and hit somewhere just below my eye. i ended up at the doctor's >.< it's dangerous i tell you ! =\


6. JayWalk left...
Tuesday, 26 December 2006 8:50 am ::
Lancerlord: Welcome back dude. 5 rotans bundled up with rubber band counted or not?

Heather: Happy Birthday girl. Hokkien translates to "No Hantam, No Grow Up".

Sunflower: Bor lah. Haven't used it yet. Just bought it niah.

DK: This is call tough love. Bor bian one but some things just needed to be done for their own good.

Wennie: I dun think the plastic handle will fly as long as you are holding that at that end. But still, thanks for the heads up. Will keep that in mind.


7. akk left...
Tuesday, 26 December 2006 9:37 am
wah lau...u really give her as prezzie or u just buy and hide it behind the door? I remember my first teng tiao....I took it and whipped the cushion sofa, hear the swishing sound very shuang...Mother exploded and made me kneel in front of tih kong for stealing the rattan to play...


8. spinnee left...
Wednesday, 27 December 2006 9:09 am :: http://spinnee.blogspot.com
dun aim for visible areas hor... scarly got scar later bo sui liao!


9. JayWalk left...
Wednesday, 27 December 2006 11:29 pm ::
Akk: Very shuang? Wah.. you very kinky leh...

Spinnee: All the more reason to whack where it is visible. But dun overdo it in the sense that cane marks will disappear after a while.

Whack already then got mark to go to school only to be embarrassed by fellow school mates. That way, before they do stupid things again, they will think twice first.


10. Zhe Bin left...
Monday, 1 January 2007 11:50 am
Wah, what was her reaction?


11. JayWalk left...
Tuesday, 2 January 2007 10:24 am :: 
Zhebin: I think she got the message that I no longer going to tolerate her tantrums. She was very scared and quiet when I pointed that thing right in her face.

Good news is that it's been quite a few days since I am back in SpitLand and never once was the cane ever needed as somehow, Faith is more cooperative liao.

24 December 2006

Lim Peh Tng Lai Liao - Part 2

Has been a very busy week for me that the blog was neglected.

Met many people. Made new friends and caught up with old ones.

Thank you. Thank all of you.

- Voxeros 

21 December 2006

Lim Peh Tng Lai Liao - Part 1


Since I was on my way home yesterday, I have been busy smsing and calling people to firm up their "bookings". Given that it's the festive periods, restaurant reservations are all the more critical to securing that table.

Was supposed to head down to Ristorante Da Valentino on the day of my touch down and was met with a "Sorry Sir, we're full." reply when I had the good sense to call ahead to make a reservation, albeit a wee bit too late.

Fortunately, Plan B of Cafe Le Troquet was very good also.

Coming back to this blog entry. So there I was firming up headcount for Friday dinner and all but Aloeve responded. I smsed her numerous times until finally I got a "Who's this?" reply. It was fairly common for this to happen since quite a few of the folks didn't not copy down my number despite printing it at the bottom of my timesheet.

Nairmind, I replied "Jaywalk" only for it to go to oblivion again.

Finally, when I landed in Singapore before I called the number. It was a gruffy sounding guy who picked up and it finally dawned on me that the number was incorrect and the whole to and fro exchanges with this number ended with a "Sorry, wrong number".

I got home and fire up my laptop and check my MSN chat history.

DOH!

Sorry, I copied wrong number!!

- Voxeros

1. aloe left...
Thursday, 21 December 2006 8:45 am
I'm curious... so what number did you call? =D


2. sunflower left...
Thursday, 21 December 2006 9:09 am
I wonder why you never record our number probably


3. JayWalk left...
Thursday, 21 December 2006 9:47 am ::
Aloe: I dun think I want to publish it up here lah. Sekali you all one by one go and call him.


sunflower: Got lah. Just that of all the numbers I zhun zhun got Aloe's one wrong lor.


4. ris left...
Thursday, 21 December 2006 1:37 pm
ahahaha! sibei suay! i think the guy was wondering why on earth you were hitting on him xD


5. zeenie left...
Sunday, 24 December 2006 1:21 am :: http://www.zeenie.blogspot.com
Welcome back! Sorry i didn't 'book' you this time round, kinda crazy over my side as well, so i guess maybe next time i'll buy you coffee!


6. JayWalk left...
Sunday, 24 December 2006 3:29 pm :: 
RIS: It was a honest mistake lor. I mean he could have easily tell me that I got the wrong number right?

Zeenie: No worries. Always got next time one.

20 December 2006

Homecoming Comic Series 10 of 10

  

Again, this is a 2-frame comic. Like yesterday's, please click on the comment link to proceed to the next frame.

Faith has been very obedient of late but there is one pet peeve that upset everybody in the household and that is the struggle to get her out of bed every morning.

It was so bad that the entire house would ring of her screams as the nanny fights to get her out of bed.

Faith is a smart kid. She knows nanny don't dare to whack her and so Faith climbs over her head. She knows grandma is nothing but empty threats and so also climbs over her head.

Yesterday was the final straw and I couldn't take it anymore. I just walked into her bedroom, grabbed her with one hand and whack one time solid solid with a clothes hanger in the other hand. Immediately was a scream of pain and shock and off to school she goes without any more fuss.

What I love about Faith is she bore no grudges and she was happy to see me when I got home from work later that evening.

I am happy to report that she woke up early and on her own to go to school the next morning.

I love this kid.
- Voxeros

1. JayWalk left...
Tuesday, 19 December 2006 10:14 pm ::


2. aloe left...
Wednesday, 20 December 2006 9:43 am
Hallow. Now a lot of parking lots are also paid by cashcard de. No need coupon. Got cashcard to land means can use cashcard to pay for parking too! =P


3. Ruok left...
Wednesday, 20 December 2006 9:53 am
Aww, thats just sho sweet.


4. JayWalk left...
Thursday, 21 December 2006 1:23 am :: 
Aloe: Imagine the amount the gantry will deduct for an aeroplane category!

RUOK: :)


5. aloe left...
Thursday, 21 December 2006 8:44 am
so the person who picks up this cashcard (if it's ever lost) sibey tan tio!!


6. JayWalk left...
Thursday, 21 December 2006 9:46 am ::
Aloe: Yah man..... may never need to top up ever again.

19 December 2006

Homecoming Comic Series 9 of 10


This is a two-framed comic, of which you are looking at the first frame. To view the second frame, click on "Comments" below. I've decided to hide it there to create a little suspense in between frames.

Anyway, Faith has been super cooperative patiently counting the days on the calendar. As we had one of those tear-a-page-a-day type of calendar, we let her be in charge of tearing a page everyday as we close in on the 20th.

Whenever she misbehaves, I would geh geh threaten to leave her in Spitland while I fly home to Singapore and her nonsense would stop almost immediately.

Smart girl.

-Voxeros

1. JayWalk left...
Tuesday, 19 December 2006 1:02 am ::


2. Pam left...
Tuesday, 19 December 2006 1:31 am
hey, have a great trip back to sg! when are you back in cyberspace? we're having our first christmas in our home since being here 4 years ago. It'll be great. we bought a real christmas tree (and thankfully the needles are not shedding all over the place!) and turkey etc all bought. Merry Christmas and a Happy 2007!! :)


3. Heather left...
Tuesday, 19 December 2006 1:41 am
alamak, the poor girl! :) you very naughty!


4. aloe left...
Tuesday, 19 December 2006 10:59 am
Wahahahahah!! Interesting. =)
You guys must be real excited now. One more day to go!! =)


5. JayWalk left...
Tuesday, 19 December 2006 2:15 pm :: 
Pam: Hey girl. Merry Christmas in advance! Chestnuts roasting over an open fire?

Heather: Yah. I also say... this Faith hor... very naughty.

Aloe: Indeed when you see Faith yesterday super teh.


6. Kevin left...
Friday, 5 January 2007 4:05 pm :: http://www.the-upperroom.com
This is a good one. Haha!


7. JayWalk left...
Friday, 5 January 2007 7:59 pm :: 
Kevin: Glad you enjoyed it. Welcome to the blog!

18 December 2006

Homecoming Comic Series 8 of 10


Guess who is the anxious one? :P

As I have said earlier, this is part of a 3-Part Mini-Series-In-A-Series (last installment, this.).

If you have stumbled onto this without first reading the first 2, it won't make any sense.

Click here to goto Part 1.
- Voxeros

1. Jaschocolate left...
Monday, 18 December 2006 8:04 am
Hahaha.. weird daddy, acting like a baby :p


2. JayWalk left...
Monday, 18 December 2006 9:33 am ::
Jaschocolate: Hee hee... *paiseh*


3. yanZzz left...
Monday, 18 December 2006 12:02 pm
now who is asking who to shut up ?? but somehow i guess was faith who wants this OLD MAN to shut up ba .. rite ?? *_^ ?


4. spellbound left...
Monday, 18 December 2006 5:22 pm
why did faith ask you to shut up?
maybe you are the one who wants to be back to SG fast right?


5. JayWalk left...
Monday, 18 December 2006 5:36 pm ::
Yanzzz: Er.... A bit the OBVIOUS right? I can't possible be the one screaming "DAD!!" right?


Spellbound: I see the punchline is lost on you. The plot flows from Saturday's frame thru Sunday's to today.

Click Here To Try Again.

17 December 2006

Homecoming Comic Series 7 of 10

Part 2 of the Series-In-A-Series as the plot slowly unfolds.

If you have stumbled into Part 2 midway, Click Here to goto Part 1 first.

Otherwise, Click Here to proceed to Part 3 (Final).
- Voxeros

1. jaschocolate left...
Sunday, 17 December 2006 10:03 am
Hahaha... Hope u will have a nice time being tortured by Faith.. then u will understand your wife's pain liao :p


2. JayWalk left...
Sunday, 17 December 2006 12:15 pm :: 
Jaschocolate: I shall reserve my comment until Monday's blog is published. Akan datang.

16 December 2006

Homecoming Comic Series 6 of 10



Just a short entry here given that it's the weekend and also since most folks here read the blog on weekdays DURING office hours. Yup, so much for our National Productivity Board. :P

Anyway, today marks the start of the first ever Series-In-A-Series where today's chalkboard is Part 1 of a 3-Part Mini Series.

On it's own, it may be meaningless but I urge you to follow me for these three days in order to land the punchline.

Enjoy.

Click Here To Proceed To Part 2 .
- Voxeros

15 December 2006

Homecoming Comic Series 5 of 10


Wifey and Gabe left for home yesterday evening, leaving Faith and I to fly back a week later. If not for the fact that I can't get away for so long, I would have been able to join the wife and travel together. Hence, it was agreed that we each take a kid with us to fly back.

Faith, being the elder and the easier of the two to travel, stayed back with me.
I got home from work yesterday and Faith was especially sweet when she greeted me at the door.

"20 (referring to the date on the calendar), you bring me to Singapore. Ok?"

No wonder suddenly so sweetie pie. Got ulterior motive one. Wah liew.....

 - Voxeros

1. sunflower left...
Friday, 15 December 2006 9:44 am
lol, dont fart, no manner one you know????
As for faith, wooooooooooo damn sweet, but then like father like daugther ma.. wat you think?


2. yanZzz left...
Friday, 15 December 2006 11:13 am
isnt tat a good experience for the 2 of u to travel alone ... know ur daughter well .. ??
i wonder wat motive does faith has on her mind ... hmmm


3. Heather left...
Friday, 15 December 2006 2:21 pm
I agree with sunflower. muahaha.


4. JayWalk left...
Friday, 15 December 2006 5:26 pm :
Sunflower & Heather: Like father, like daughter? The sweetie pie part or the ulterior motive part ah?

Yanzzz: I think so too. It's also an opportunity for her to get to know me as well.


5. Deek left...
Sunday, 17 December 2006 4:00 pm
brother, like father like daughter..........


6. JayWalk left...
Monday, 18 December 2006 9:36 am :: 
Deek: No free lunch, dude. No free lunch....

14 December 2006

Homecoming Comic Series 4 of 10


I just had a thought. Since it is just Faith and I traveling, I can use Faith as leverage and unleash the unstoppable power of "Awwww...".

That's it lah... all the stewardesses on board will fall under my spell. Muahahahaah...... Entire cabin crew going to tio sian liao.

So to the crew of Silkair flying from SZX to SIN on 20 Dec 2006 who are reading this.
You have been warned. Hur hur hur.....

- Voxeros

1. spellbound left...
Thursday, 14 December 2006 5:02 am :: http://verniceloy.blogspot.com
to all the stewardesses on board, beware of this tee ko peh on the loose...
:p


2. aloe left...
Thursday, 14 December 2006 8:18 am
arh.... You think too much....


3. Jaschocolate left...
Thursday, 14 December 2006 9:27 am
Lao chee ko peh


4. yanzzz left...
Thursday, 14 December 2006 9:33 am
bless the stewardess .hopfulli they wont have to serve u ..hahaha


5. spinnee left...
Thursday, 14 December 2006 10:02 am
_ actually jay's not chee ko peh la. he appreciates beautiful things, living or not.
HOR, color wolf? ;) ;) ;)


6. JayWalk left...
Thursday, 14 December 2006 11:11 am ::
Spellbound & Jaschocolate: You all hor, very mean leh.... How can you call Faith tee ko?

Aloe: Speaking of thinking. Acherly, the real reason for this blog entry is just to test a theory. I was wondering if the world is really that small that this blog entry does indeed get onto my flight before I do. Just wondering.

Yanzzz: Oh please. I will be crossing the 1 million miles mark next year and I dare say that I have been a pretty good passenger all these while.

Spinnee: Indeed. It takes one to know one. HOR 色娘?? Hee hee...


7. Jaslyn left...
Friday, 15 December 2006 1:39 am :: http://precious-jas.blogspot.com
Wah! make use of your daughter! *shake head*

13 December 2006

Homecoming Comic Series 3 of 10


While many knows that Cathay Pacific has always been my first choice, I will be flying Silkair this time for the sake of the kids. Silkair flies to Singapore directly from ShenZhen, a route originally undertaken by Singapore Airlines. The kick in the balls is that from FSC (Full Service Carrier) to that of LCC (Low Cost Carrier), the air fare remained the same. It did not help matters that the Shenzhen-Singapore route is already expensive, albeit cheaper than Guangzhou-Singapore.

Hence, my preferred way of traveling to Hong Kong to catch a flight back to Singapore. Granted that I may end up doubling my travel time, I get to halve my air ticket price. Also, being a member of the Marco Polo Club, I stand a higher chance of scoring an upgrade.

Flight schedule wise, Hong Kong is a better place to fly as Cathay Pacific has several daily flights. Worst case scenarios would still be pretty good with Singapore Airlines, Valuair, Qantas, United Airlines as backup flight alternatives. On the Shenzhen side, there is only Jetstar Asia and Silkair both offering a single daily flight each.

If you ask me, the choice is very obvious but for the sake of saving the hassle of traveling with children, we have no choice but to fork out the dough.

As bleak as I may sound, this is mere temporary for it is only a matter of times before the kids grow up to be easier to manage during travels.

Ah yes... young road warriors in the making.

- Voxeros

1. KingMeng left...
Wednesday, 13 December 2006 12:50 am :: http://kingmeng.wordpress.com
Liew...U come back, I go Bangkok...


2. JayWalk left...
Wednesday, 13 December 2006 2:08 am ::
KingMeng: Not fated siah... perhaps next trip when I am back?


3. Heather left...
Wednesday, 13 December 2006 4:12 am
*lol* you are like super worried. Relax laaaa


4. spellbound left...
Wednesday, 13 December 2006 4:31 am :: http://verniceloy.blogspot.com
You har...very the anti SQ leh.
I still prefer SIA no matter what lor....wait till you try their new 777-300ER!


5. JayWalk left...
Wednesday, 13 December 2006 10:22 am :: 
Heather: You laugh at me some more..... nairmind. Wait till you have kids of your own then we see you kancheong or not?

But seriously, first time anxiety lah (virgin?). I think I go through this one time, then will be ok liao lah.

Spellbound: Don't get me wrong. I think SQ is also a good airline. However, my First Choice will still be CX. Being second choice doesn't mean I hate it. Main problem is the while SQ is also good, it doesn't give you value for money.

Let me illustrate the prices that I got when booking this trip home.

Silkair - HKD 2700.00 (ex-SZX)
Cathay Pacific - HKD 1600 (ex-HKG)
Singapore Airlines - HKD 1700.00 (ex-HKG)
* All prices exclusive of airport tax and surcharges.

Silkair is pretty straight forward. LCC and yet nearly double that of FSC ex-HKG. Daylight robbery.

Granted both CX and SQ are HKD 100 apart, I would look at them to be of the same price. A HKD 100 difference will not influence my choice decision.

Even if I am both a Marco Polo Club and Krisflyer member, I still stick to CX for the prior treats me better.

Over the 5 years in HKG, free upgrades to Biz Class
CX - 8**
SQ - 0

** The best part was that I didn't even ask for the upgrades. They just gave it to me. Can you honestly say that SQ is capable of such generosity? I rest my case.


6. JayWalk left...
Wednesday, 13 December 2006 10:33 am ::
Spellbound: On the note of the Boeing 773-ER, I would have no doubt it would be an exciting ride to be in the new equipment but don't you think that it would just be a matter of time before the other airlines have it as well?

Then again, I am more interested in the Boeing 7E7 Dreamliner and the Airbus A380.


7. aloe left...
Wednesday, 13 December 2006 1:48 pm
er.. actually I dun mind whichever airlines as long as they are not budget airlines, not unknown airlines, and boh stopovers.

The chalk drawings are really cute!!


8. JayWalk left...
Wednesday, 13 December 2006 4:37 pm :: 
Aloe: I share your sentiments with regards to LCC. But if push comes to shove, I would still take them but only as an inevitable resort.


9. spellbound left...
Wednesday, 13 December 2006 9:02 pm :: http://verniceloy.blogspot.com
I guessed it is individual preference.

NO doubt, CX is very generous to their upgrade. I got upgraded twice too.
For me, I just have to stick to SQ wherever i fly out of capetown or fly to other countries :p


10. JayWalk left...
Wednesday, 13 December 2006 10:58 pm ::
Spellbound: You different case lah.. You got "special" status one wor....


11. Sheena left...
Wednesday, 13 December 2006 11:36 pm
Hey TPP, I need your timesheet booking password. Can email me? I know you is super 'ang pai', don't book first bueh sai. Like machiam booking the hottest hostess in the lounge like that, mwahahaha.

Acherly hor, I is also sibeh the free for the entire period of time you is in SG because I is dog sitting again from 20th to 6th (the dog people is on another holiday then - but on my farking birthday!) and I will be situated in the Stevens Road during then so want to meet is very convenient.

You have have have to celebrate my birthday with me because this year I sibeh cham, stoopid boyfriend tio reservist, somemore next week he in field camp so cannot even give me a call to wish me happy birthday. And I is not celebrating with friends because weekday, plus I want to save money. I is very the sad liao. Hopefully sugar daddy can chu ma and save the day!


12. spellbound left...
Thursday, 14 December 2006 5:05 am :: http://verniceloy.blogspot.com
oops!
who knows i might not have that special status anymore and will be serving among those cabin crews.


13. JayWalk left...
Thursday, 14 December 2006 9:08 am :: 
Sheena: SMS you the password already. I am trying to get Meepok to commit 27th dinner but he no sound no picture leh. Can get K along and make you fulfill your promise of supplying chiobus to him.

p.s. Good luck with your search for a sugar daddy.

Spellbound: You cabin crew? I didn't know that!


14. Sheena left...
Thursday, 14 December 2006 4:37 pm
I already told K then, I'm the chio-est chiobu that I know. =D


15. JayWalk left...
Thursday, 14 December 2006 5:27 pm ::
Sheena: Awww... You poor girl. I guess it's time to let you out of the house. *pat pat*

12 December 2006

Homecoming Comic Series 2 of 10


For the first time, Faith will be traveling with me without mommy. Guess who is the nervous wreck here?

If Faith needs to go to the bathroom, it's easy. I just bring her to one of the stalls in the Men's Restroom.

What if I need to go to the bathroom?

Problem is that I can't leave her waiting outside the toilet for safety reasons. I also don't think Faith is ready for THAT lesson in biology yet... *sweat*

I have been scratching my head for the past month trying to find a solution to that.
Help anyone?

Maybe I should not drink water the entire day until I get on board the plane.

- Voxeros

1. Jaslyn left...
Tuesday, 12 December 2006 2:33 am :: http://precious-jas.blogspot.com
Hmmm.. Cant leave her at her seat? Get help from the friendly cabin crew :)


2. Heather left...
Tuesday, 12 December 2006 5:56 am
ask one of the air stewardess to look after her for awhile! :) It's in the plane, should be quite safeee.


3. aloe left...
Tuesday, 12 December 2006 8:40 am
Get the airport staff to help. But how come Gab and wife not coming home too??


4. hiao aunty left...
Tuesday, 12 December 2006 10:18 am
Tell the stewardess about it. Let them stand outside the toilet while you go in for a quick relief. That way, your daughter will feel secure knowing you are near her. (Hiao Aunty is ex-cabin crew)


5. JayWalk left...
Tuesday, 12 December 2006 12:33 pm :: 
Jaslyn, Heather, Aloe, HiaoAunty: Like I mentioned on my blog, not drinking water until I get aboard the plane. My concern is at the airport.
I would have been less paranoid if it were Hong Kong airport. This time I flying from ShenZhen.


6. sunflower left...
Tuesday, 12 December 2006 1:00 pm
Yes, please don't drink and you wont die!


7. JayWalk left...
Tuesday, 12 December 2006 1:31 pm ::
sunflower: That's true and probably what I'll be doing.


8. spinnee left...
Tuesday, 12 December 2006 5:29 pm :: http://spinnee.blogspot.com
pee b4 boarding. and dun drink water :P


9. JayWalk left...
Tuesday, 12 December 2006 7:09 pm ::
Spinnee: Alamak. Another one. The pee part is when I am on the ground at the airport lah. In the plane ok liao. All the xmm stewardesses will be queuing up to take care of Faith!


10. OLLie left...
Tuesday, 12 December 2006 11:00 pm
Aiya, don't drink water the night before, and empty your bladder before going out lor. Should be able to last ba.
Otherwise, cross your legs lor.
Ooooh. Got one way, bring her to the toilet, go into the stall, make her face the door while you face the toilet bowl and pee. Not bad an idea? hahaha..


11. JayWalk left...
Tuesday, 12 December 2006 11:37 pm :: http://jaywalk.blog-city.com
Ollie: Tie rubber band liao lor.....


12. spellbound left...
Wednesday, 13 December 2006 4:28 am :: http://verniceloy.blogspot.com
you can use what Gabe has been using lor...
DIAPERS!!!!


13. aloe left...
Wednesday, 13 December 2006 9:07 am
That's why I say airport staff and not air stewardess mah!! Arh Duh! *hammer*
If cannot find airport staff, get the security guard or go to the excess baggage counter and get the staff to help loh.


14. JayWalk left...
Wednesday, 13 December 2006 9:20 am ::
Spellbound: Er... got one problem. Gabe's diaper too small for me. -_-"

Aloe: If this were HK Airport, that would be fine. But....


15. aloe left...
Wednesday, 13 December 2006 1:39 pm
There's this thing called adult diapers!! LOL!!


16. JayWalk left...
Wednesday, 13 December 2006 4:39 pm ::
Aloe: Don't want lah.... damn unglam leh....


17. spellbound left...
Wednesday, 13 December 2006 9:04 pm :: http://verniceloy.blogspot.com
nobody knows if you got those tight hugging ones...
people might think that you have a bulge front & back after some beer drinking session.


18. JayWalk left...
Wednesday, 13 December 2006 10:55 pm ::
Spellbound: Bulge?? Cannot!! After all the work I put into gym?? How can??!


19. yanzzz left...
Thursday, 14 December 2006 9:29 am
i got a qns .. where is ur tai tai ?? how come not joining u 2 ? hmmmm - worst case , get u seat nx to the toilet lol..then u wont have to worri faith will b alone for too long..

11 December 2006

Homecoming Comic Series 1 of 10


10 more days and I'll be home. To count down, I have decided to do it via the form of a comic strip. I will be using my chalkboard to do the doodling and as I have told AKK , chalkboard no need to do colouring mah.

Stay tuned to the chalkboard as I will try to do a new one everyday until I come home.
In the mean time, my booking timesheet is now opened. Please make your reservations fast. I is Ang Pai one. Don't say I neber tell you hor!

- Voxeros

1. Jaslyn left...
Tuesday, 12 December 2006 2:34 am :: http://precious-jas.blogspot.com
Ang Pai! Got book slot for me?
2. JayWalk left...
Tuesday, 12 December 2006 1:26 pm ::
Jaslyn: Go in and pick a slot mah. I won't know when is convenient for you or otherwise right?

Homecoming (16 to 21 Dec 2005) - Part II

9 days and I will be back home. I REALLY need that hair cut. It's been a year since I was home and I really miss the food and midnight la kopi sessions.

This is the longest I have been away from home as a result of using my midyear vacation to travel to France. We are almost afraid of opening our letterbox when we get back. It takes about 2 to 3 days to clear half a year's worth of mail. I wonder if it would be doubled this time.

Yikes.

As usual, within the limited space of time, I am allocating them to meeting up with friends both new and old. Saturday tennis is a definite must (Hint Hint: Cham).

From past experience, meeting friends in clusters is perhaps to most efficient way to meet as many people in as little time. However, past experience also taught me that 4 or 5 is just nice as sometimes when a conversation get too caught up, there would be that odd one who would be accidentally left out. Besides, 5 fits nicely in a car.

So without further ado, my timesheet is now opened. Password has been change but the drill to obtaining it remains the same.

Click Here To Proceed.

Cheers and see you in 9 days.
- Voxeros

1. yanzzz left...
Monday, 11 December 2006 11:16 am
wow coming home soon ... good good .. curry chicken roti plata all waiting for u ...


2. sunflower left...
Monday, 11 December 2006 12:05 pm
YanzZz, I have one session with Jay on the Sat, you might wan to come along?


3. hiaoaunty left...
Monday, 11 December 2006 2:51 pm
wahhhh timesheet for dating ar???!!!!! oi count me in... and tell me password leh... hiaoaunty@hotmail.com


4. JayWalk left...
Monday, 11 December 2006 5:30 pm ::
Yanzzz & Sunflower: I getting ready to stuff face liao. Hur hur hur....
Like I said, I try to keep the group to about 4 or 5 each time. Or else car cannot go in. Unless of course, somebody also got transport lor. Then again, hard to have conversation with too many people at the same time lah. =)

hiaoaunty: Send liao. I think I will group you together with meepok since you and him also quite gum. You move to Clementi side already or not ah?


5. Sly left...
Monday, 11 December 2006 7:42 pm
Yo, welcome back....


6. JayWalk left...
Monday, 11 December 2006 10:22 pm ::
Sly: Thanks. I am going to eat all the food that you put up on your blog!! CHOMP!!

06 December 2006

XBox vs Carton Box

Well, caught this picture of Gabe having fun sitting in a carton box. It's nothing fancy but a mere humble little brown box that we decide to keep for a couple of days before chucking it out with the rest of the trash.

I was just thinking that kids these days have toys that are so fancy that we would never even dream of when we were kids. Toys these days have better packaging, graphics, sound, feel, technological sophistication.

Does that mean that when we were kids, we had less fun?

The best toy a kid can have is the power of the creative imagination. It makes me wonder if game consoles like Microsoft XBox or Playstation take that away from the child.

Somehow, all the scene building and story boarding are all created by the script author and force fed into the child. Whatever happen to letting the child explore, create and learn new things on their own? It seems all you need to do these days, is flick on the switch, stick the child in front of the screen and that's it.

I seriously think we need to get these kids out into the sun and let them run free with a kite or a ball.

- Voxeros

1. akk 'kiam kanna' left...
Wednesday, 6 December 2006 12:00 pm
I am prepared to give as many cartons as I can to my future kids...i can't be having with buying too much toys. they cost!


2. Zhe Bin left...
Wednesday, 6 December 2006 12:48 pm
I used to have a lot of fun with playing scissors paper stone lor. So, it doesn't really matter what you are playing, if you are having fun. I would say that pressing a few buttons and watching unreal characters do unreal stuffs boring for me. Kids should really be out in the sun. But but but, why are all the adults doing all their stuffs in the room. ; )


3. Pam left...
Wednesday, 6 December 2006 6:35 pm
with the 'new ways' of play activity for children, it's no wonder that a whole new generation are growing up with less creativity, fatter and more lethargic and so on! get them out in the outside air... it's good for them. esp if the neighbourhood is still safe. over here, when D was growing up, everyone walked to school or took the bus by themselves.

nowadays, parents drive their kids to school, even if it's nearby for fear of rape/attacks and murders, and kidnapping (seriously). kids don't play in the garden now because of 'allergies' and so on, and neighbours don't play with neighbours anymore because people aren't friendly. it's a whole new world...! scary.


4. aloe left...
Thursday, 7 December 2006 8:56 am
Although I did not grow up in a kampong, I think those times are ze best! Kids are left to their own and played with other kids in whatever scenerios they can think of. Arwww.... friendships are trully made then.

Last time, mine was "I want", then "CANNOT!" and if you persist and even start crying, you still would not get the toy. Last time, we were happy playing with sofa cushions, kites, legos, five stones, hopscotch... Now it's "i waaaaannnnttt....", then giving a pityful look and the kids will get what they want. After playing for a short time, it's put aside and a new "i waaannnt...." will start.. Sigh....


5. JayWalk left...
Thursday, 7 December 2006 1:11 pm :: 
Akk: We bought a plasma tv a few years back and the box was huge. We wanted to paint it into a little house for Faith but grandma throw the box away. Damn.

ZheBin: Coz doing it outside the room will get your arrested by the police for gross indecency contrary to good public order.

Pam: And don't even let me get into the amount of sun screen smothered onto the kids...


Aloe: Ah yes, I remember using the loose cushions of the sofa and building a couch fort. Great fun.


6. Rachel left...
Friday, 8 December 2006 4:31 pm
My girls also like to play in carton boxes. They will invent stuff like "taking the bus" or "castles and princesses"..


7. ris left...
Saturday, 9 December 2006 10:48 am
kids nowadays are too lazy to think of what to play with, they just ask for toys and dont come up with creative uses for it... cartons are fun! but really stuffy ~_~ i used to play in those super huge boxes and cut out little windows so that i could spray people with a water gun as they walked past xD


8. JayWalk left...
Saturday, 9 December 2006 1:12 pm :: 
Rachel: Hi Rachel! Welcome to the blog. And yeah. So do I when I was a kid myself where the box could be transformed into a plane, a bus, a train or a ship. All it took was a little pinch of imagination.


9. JayWalk left...
Monday, 11 December 2006 6:50 pm ::
RIS: My time, we got poke holes in the box to let the air in lor. I remember bringing a torchlight inside the box as it was quite dark inside.
Too bad, cannot install aircon. Damn hot!

05 December 2006

Sian XMM Episode X

Just a little background information on what was going on in order for you folks out there to catch what this conversation was all about.

C.O.O.L, hawk and I are football fans and we were all gathered together to watch last Sunday's game where Manchester United played Chelsea. This was an important game between the two team whom were both currently occupying First and Second place respectively, in the English Premier League.

Anyway, while we are all watching the same game, three of us were in different places. C.O.O.L was in Singapore watching the game on SCV, hawk was in Malaysia watching the game on Astro while I have Cantonese commentary on Guangdong Sport Channel.

Because of the fact that we were all receiving the game via satellite, it is not uncommon to have a time lag at different locations. In hawk's unfortunate case, he was 2.5 minutes behind us i.e. we are watching the game 2.5 minutes ahead of him.

Read the chat log side by side where the group chat is in the left column while C.O.O.L and I were hatching our evil plan to fake a goal and confuse the hell out of hawk, in the right column.

.
< Group Conversation >
Session Start : Sun Nov 26 23:22:18 2006

[00:09] hawk: my Astro is slow
[00:09] hawk: at least 2 and 1/2 mins behind

[00:09] C.O.O.L: now is 6.40 mins into the match

[00:09] hawk: it is 5.28 mins
[00:09] hawk: for me

[00:09] JayWalk: 7:09 mins now.
.
< Private Chat With C.O.O.L >
Session Start : Mon Nov 27 00:10:58 2006




[00:10] hawk: it's like...you are in the future...and telling me what will happen

[00:10] C.O.O.L: 7.30 mins

[00:10] hawk: 6 mins

[00:10] JayWalk: and ch1na is supposed to be the backward country . lol

[00:10] C.O.O.L: 8 mins

[00:10] hawk: 6.34 mins

[00:10] JayWalk: gary: i am 3 secs behind.
[00:10] JayWalk: eh.

[00:10] C.O.O.L: ??

[00:10] JayWalk: want to play a trick on hawk?

[00:10] C.O.O.L: what

[00:10] JayWalk: we say goal!!!! giggs score!!!

[00:10] C.O.O.L: and then

[00:10] JayWalk: he has 2.5 minutes to find out that we talking kok lor.

[00:10] C.O.O.L: okok

[00:10] JayWalk: hahahah

[00:10] C.O.O.L: you start the cue first

[00:12] JayWalk: oh shit!!
[00:12] JayWalk: GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[00:12] C.O.O.L: yes..
[00:12] C.O.O.L: 1-0

[00:12] JayWalk: Giggs!!!!!!!!!!!

[00:12] hawk: really? who?

[00:12] C.O.O.L: giggs score..

[00:12] JayWalk: woo hoo!!!!!
[00:12] JayWalk: wait wait.. watching instant replay now.

[00:12] C.O.O.L: nice build up sia

[00:12] JayWalk: sloppy defending

[00:12] C.O.O.L: i donno what was terry doing..
[00:12] C.O.O.L: able to let giggs score

[00:12] JayWalk: hahaha.... hawk confirm now blur liao

[00:12] C.O.O.L: lol

[00:12] C.O.O.L: this is a nice chat for your blog

[00:12] JayWalk: yah man... kekeke..... but i will save this for next week. after rff week

[00:12] C.O.O.L: haha

[00:14] JayWalk: wah... restart kick off, chelsea fast and furious siah....
[00:14] JayWalk: playing damn rough now....

[00:14] C.O.O.L: ihawk.. you manage to catch the goal??

[00:14] JayWalk: i am laughing like mad now....

[00:14] C.O.O.L: i also


[00:15] JayWalk: ihawk suddenly all quiet liao....

[00:15] hawk: watching my game

[00:15] C.O.O.L: ok

[00:15] JayWalk: orh.

[00:15] hawk: the goal still hasn't happened on my tv.

[00:15] JayWalk: wahahahahahahahaha

[00:15] C.O.O.L: lmao

[00:15] JayWalk: stomach pain.
[00:15] JayWalk: hahahahahaa

[00:15] C.O.O.L: hhahahaha

[00:15] JayWalk: time to tell him?

[00:16] JayWalk: eh hawk,
[00:16] JayWalk: BLUFF YOU ONE LAH!!

[00:16] C.O.O.L: hahaha

[00:16] JayWalk: ouch... stomach ache siah....

[00:16] hawk: too much....bish

[00:16] JayWalk: hhahahahahaha

[00:16] C.O.O.L: i laugh until tears come out sia

[00:16] C.O.O.L: yeah..
[00:16] C.O.O.L: i cant stop laughing



[00:17] JayWalk: this is going to be on my blog.....
[00:17] JayWalk: let me save this.....

[00:17] C.O.O.L: hahahaha

[00:17] JayWalk: *tears*

[00:17] hawk: 'knocku

[00:17] C.O.O.L: stomach cramp

Session Close : Mon Nov 27 02:03:47 2006












Session Close : Mon Nov 27 02:03:47 2006
.

Ok ok.... so hawk isn't exactly a Xiao Mei Mei but it goes to show that I am an *cough* equal-opportunity kinda guy. With this, nobdy can accuse me of sianing XMMs all the time.
Well, unless XMM also stands for Xiao Man Man. *pengz* 

- Voxeros

1. aloe left...
Tuesday, 5 December 2006 9:18 am
Hallow... this cannot be counted as sian XMM epi x lah! The person is not a XMM, nor even a gal.... Arh Bish!! Some more, you two are playing a prank on the person based on the satelite speed and not cos of the person's own blurness. Arh Bish! 不要硬硬特意去筹成十个 xian 小妹妹 episode leh. blee!
Come on... one more to go... =P


2. sunflower left...
Tuesday, 5 December 2006 9:20 am
you is bad!


3. JayWalk left...
Tuesday, 5 December 2006 9:22 am :: 
Aloe: Wah raoz.... at the bottom I got write maybe this one is Xiao Man Man mah.... Aiyah, this type of thing cannot force one lah.. if by end of the year have one more, no reason not to put it up just for the sake of keeping the number 10 right?

Sunflower: Muahahaahahaha. *evurl*


4. Gary left...
Tuesday, 5 December 2006 7:25 pm
jay, you forgot about the fact when the real goal happens, ihawk dont believe sia..


5. aloe left...
Tuesday, 5 December 2006 10:06 pm
*shake head* Xiao man man... poor guy.. I wonder if he reads your blog... whahahah!!


6. JayWalk left...
Tuesday, 5 December 2006 10:32 pm ::
Gary C.O.O.L: Well, I left it out in order not to make this blog entry too long mah. Besides, the first time was the best lor. kekekekekeke... I wonder if he read this blog?

Aloe: Only one way to find out. Wait to see if he comments here or not lor. Hee hee....

04 December 2006

Sian XMM Episode IX

Just when I thought I have failed in my quest for 10 Sian XMMs episodes this year, I am happy to report that I've got them sewn up and in the bag!

It's funny how when you are looking all over the place for the last 2 episodes to write about, they are nowhere to be found and just when you least expected it, WHAM! Two of them back to back on your lap.

Like what I always say about buses and taxis in Singapore...

... one come, all come.

Anyway, I shall spread these two episodes over two days in order for you to digest each one properly and also give me the chance to slack off a bit since I don't have to come up with another blog entry for Tuesday. Ngek ngek ngek......

Yah lah. I is Singapore Idle, can?

So without further ado, I present to you the first of the last two episodes.

Enjoy.

.
Session Start : Fri Nov 24 09:18:30 2006

[09:28] Maraschino Cherry: he* is like hot water
* refering to a common friend. We were discussing what kind of beverage would best represent us.

[09:29] JayWalk: eh?

[09:29] Maraschino Cherry: he just has to come close and you feel his personality
[09:29] Maraschino Cherry: like heat
[09:32] Maraschino Cherry: you?
[09:32] Maraschino Cherry: hmmm
[09:34] Maraschino Cherry: must let me think

[09:37] Maraschino Cherry: mean time hor
[09:37] Maraschino Cherry: wat drink you think i am?
[09:37] Maraschino Cherry: milo? kopi? teh?
[09:37] Maraschino Cherry: heheheeheh

[09:38] JayWalk: ribena.

[09:38] Maraschino Cherry: huh?

[09:38] JayWalk: sweet
[09:38] JayWalk: my mother say is good for me.

[09:39] Maraschino Cherry: i SWEET!!!
[09:39] Maraschino Cherry: muahahahahahahahah

[09:39] JayWalk: can i have some?

[09:39] Maraschino Cherry: best lah!

[09:39] JayWalk: yes, but not too much. :(

[09:39] Maraschino Cherry: u very jidan

[09:39] JayWalk: hahahaha
[09:40] JayWalk: thank you ... thank you......
[09:40] JayWalk: ngek ngek ngek.....

[09:41] Maraschino Cherry: you are like CENDOL!!!!

[09:41] JayWalk: ah?

[09:41] Maraschino Cherry: increase blood pressure!!!!
[09:43] Maraschino Cherry: also full of local flavour (read: beng)

[09:43] JayWalk: hahaha.....
[09:48] JayWalk: ok ok... you are like NYDC Elephancino.
[09:48] JayWalk: big cup.

[09:48] Maraschino Cherry: i'm big and fat??!!!**
** This is where she gabra liao.

[09:48] Maraschino Cherry: aarggghhhh!!!
[09:48] Maraschino Cherry: *burst into tears*
[09:49] Maraschino Cherry: dun luan luan categorise me leh!!!
[09:49] Maraschino Cherry: be serious!!!
[09:49] Maraschino Cherry: *whack*

[14:28] JayWalk: you heard of  大悲咒 ?
[14:28] Maraschino Cherry: wat wat?
[14:28] Maraschino Cherry: ring tone??

[14:29] JayWalk: you is more likely "大杯" 咒.
[14:29] JayWalk: hahahaha

[14:30] Maraschino Cherry: wah lau.....dun like that leh
[14:30] Maraschino Cherry: haiz....

[14:31] JayWalk: ok ok......

Session Close : Fri Nov 24 14:35:11 2006



Session Start : Tue Nov 28 21:29:37 2006***
*** 4 days later....

[21:29] Maraschino Cherry: chendol wu di boh?

[21:29] JayWalk: elephancino!!

[21:29] Maraschino Cherry: aaarrggghhh!!!
[21:30] Maraschino Cherry: choujidan!!!

[21:30] JayWalk: hehehehe

[21:35] Maraschino Cherry: jidan... huge-ass kopi drink liao

[21:36] JayWalk: not huge ass lah. Big CUP

[21:36] Maraschino Cherry: hahahahhaah
[21:36] Maraschino Cherry: OOOHH! ****
**** Note the time and date this joke first started and the time and date now that she finally caught it.

[21:36] Maraschino Cherry: is that what u were meaning all this while?!
[21:36] Maraschino Cherry: hahahahahahahah

[21:36] JayWalk: you mean all along you thot i say huge ass har?
[21:36] JayWalk: NO LAH>>>>>>

[21:36] Maraschino Cherry: wah lau!!! i so upset!

[21:36] JayWalk: i already say Big Cup

[21:36] Maraschino Cherry: i tot u so mean, hahahahaa
[21:37] Maraschino Cherry: ya lah! big size everything!!

[21:37] JayWalk: wah raoz.... ol' ye of little faith.
[21:37] JayWalk: bish

[21:37] Maraschino Cherry: *humbled humbled*
[21:38] Maraschino Cherry: but really, the elephancino cup?

Session Close : Tue Nov 28 22:41:33 2006
.
 - Voxeros

1. cher left...
Monday, 4 December 2006 3:41 pm
ur editing skills CMI lah, so many other bits in between u never put out, no wonder i read the exchange I also tot I sound like an absolute airhead. That is, until I went back to msn history to verify.

In any case, i'm neither small nor being sian-ed. And you are still exasperating, bad for health and filled with funny green bits. ahem.


2. JayWalk left...
Monday, 4 December 2006 8:02 pm :: 
Cher: Oh please. The bits were deliberately left out for your protection ok? Quit while you are ahead is what I'd say.
So *bleh*


3. hitomi left...
Monday, 4 December 2006 8:55 pm
I think I kn who leh... :-P


4. JayWalk left...
Monday, 4 December 2006 9:27 pm ::
Hitomi: You know, I know can liao. Keep it to yourself ok? Shhhhh.....


5. hitomi left...
Monday, 4 December 2006 10:05 pm
I need to be bribed! ;-)


6. JayWalk left...
Monday, 4 December 2006 10:14 pm :: 
Hitomi: Well, in that case, you are blackmailing the wrong person. I will get Cher to get in touch with you on this one then.

01 December 2006

Run For Funds 2006 - What It Means To You

"What it means to you" here does not refer to RunForFunds per se but rather the things that we can do to help plug the little holes, in general.

Today, I have a message from Adrian to one and all as we throw the proverbial microphone to the floor and hear what anyone has to say.


 Dear All,

This week, we have featured folks who shared their thought on how we can all contribute to plug small gaps in our welfare system. I hope it has triggered some thoughts on how you can make a difference to someone's life. It need not be a $10million donation to a foundation. It just needs to be an act from the heart.

Maybe you can buy a cup of coffee for the cleaning Ah Soh in your company who is struggling to make ends meet.

The principle stays the same. If you don't do anything about it, there can be no change. As Ghandi said, "Be the change you want to see in this world."

I would like you to leave a comment on how you will be a change agent in your small way.
My parting words...

"The smallest good deed is better than the grandest intention"
- Adrian 

- Voxeros


1. akk left...
Friday, 1 December 2006 1:21 pm
WELL SAID!


2. akk left...
Friday, 1 December 2006 2:06 pm
oh yah, change: mirrored ur site and donating blood and money. 3months up for another round at the blood pound, great!


3. JayWalk left...
Friday, 1 December 2006 9:38 pm :: 
Akk: For your heartfelt contributions to the blood bank, I salute you.

30 November 2006

Run For Funds 2006 - What It Means To Pam

 Pam has been a long time friend of both Adrian and I since our Uni days. After graduation, Pam moved to Japan and then to the UK but we have all along, thanks to modern technology, been keeping in touch with each other.

Granted that Pam is thousands of miles away, she remained a steadfast supporter of the RunForFunds project both on account of our long standing friendships as well as the fact that we all share a common vision towards what this project is all about.

Like me, who is based far away from home, it may be our regret that we weren't able to participate directly in this project, we nonetheless are just as active as we find alternative ways to help out.

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you. Dr Pam.


Dr Pam says....

Wow, I got an IM from my very good friend JayWalk out of the blue (ok, I exaggerate, but I’ve not heard from him for a few days now, and that is a long time!), and after a couple of minutes of catching up, he asked if I’d contribute a guest blog about RunForFunds. I thought for a second and decided that I would do it (after all, I’m in the company of an esteemed crowd!).

I am a big supporter of all things charitable. When I lived in Singapore, I used to drop money into the cans on Saturdays; when I was at university, I was part of Rag and Flag and did bits for charity. I gave free tuition to the ‘less-fortunate’ (as they were labelled) as part of a charity foundation. When I lived in Tokyo, we collected money for the ST Pocket Money Fund during one of the Christmas dinners organised by the Singapore Association. 

Since coming to the UK, I volunteer weekly at the local Cancer Research charity shop, where people shop there for good second-hand clothing and some brand new stuff too (like greeting cards, toys, china etc) and money goes towards cancer research labs, cancer awareness etc. My job as a volunteer is varied – I may man the cash register some days, I might sort through old clothing another day, and I really enjoy it. This job is so different from my regular job! There’s a sense of achievement which sometimes you don’t often see in regular work (well, I don’t anyway!). Our oldest volunteer is 78 years old, and she’s been doing this for at least 10 years. 

But…back to the point of RunForFunds and why it’s so small, yet so special; so informal, yet so necessary. I don’t know much about the charities in Singapore, but I do feel that there are plenty of charitable cases out there that for whichever reason do not ‘qualify’ for charity. When I first came to the UK, I was proud of the fact that Singapore was not a welfare state (I still am to a certain extent). However, I soon realised that when the welfare state system is not being abused and taken advantage of by crooks and ne’er-do-goods, it is actually a very sound system. It supports the genuine hardship cases – such as people who have lost their jobs through no fault of theirs and need to support their families; older folk who have contributed to the pension schemes all through their lives and need support now, children whose families can’t take care of them, and so on. There are many small charities out here which run with the help and generosity of volunteers, and without whom they would not be able to exist. Recently, the BBC ran a ‘Children In Need’ fundraising event (http://www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey/) where celebrities and ordinary people across the UK held events to raise money for children in need. There were people who shaved their tresses (women included), men who had their legs waxed (ouch!), children who held bake sales in school, schools holding public concerts, schools having a ‘pyjama day’ where everyone (incl. the headmaster!) comes to school in their PJs, to raise money for children in need. Their beneficiaries were numerous – there was one that was catered to children with incurable diseases, where the money is used to help to give respite to the families once a month so that the families can be ‘normal’. 

If one is to look at Singapore’s economic system, it appears that most people are fairly well-off, or at least able to survive. From what I’ve been told and from what I know, there is still a section of society in Singapore which aren’t being looked at (for whatever reason). I think it’s time to put our cynicism aside and ask, even if the Government or powers that be don’t appear to be listening, what can you and I do to help? It could be a few hours a week at an old-people’s home, it could be helping out at the local school with your skills and knowledge, it could be buying an older/destitute person a meal at the hawker centre. 

 And I think that’s what RunForFunds is trying to do, it’s about trying to make a difference where the difference means a lot. 

I don’t necessarily count myself as a Superfriend – by virtue of the fact that I don’t live in Singapore now and any support I can give is remote, or cash, when I see Adrian, but I do support it wholeheartedly, and it is really the case of ‘every little helps’. 

Thank you for reading thus far, and I hope that you will be inspired by the good that Adrian and his Superfriends are doing and start to do your little bit to help others gain a lot. 

One book I would strongly recommend anyone to read is The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell, where he talks about how people can start their own ‘positive epidemics’, where you can create a change with limited resources. 

Read it, and be inspired.
Dr Pam 

- Voxeros

29 November 2006

Run For Funds 2006 - What It Means To Dicta

 Unlike me, who only know how to wave pom pom and do my own version of the marathon via the keyboard, Dicta, in contrast, is one of the true blue Superfriends. One who runs the marathons. One who was present to personally hand over the aid to the kids and also now, one who writes eloquently for the RunForFunds week.

This superhero has no kryptonite.

Still, similar to Clark Kent, he is a lawyer in disguise by day. We passed him by everyday without realising the Orange RFF shirt hidden behind that pair of glasses, immaculately pressed shirt and the attorney-oozing tie (What about Orange underwear?).

Singapore, meet RunForFunds Man.

So without further ado, up, up and away.



RunForFunds With Me
By Dicta

The RunForFunds movement means this to me: That every effort given, is every effort received, multiplied by the number of willing souls. 

In short, [RFF = (S$ + sweat) x soul].

Yes, the Singapore Gahmen is an initiator of sorts. And it has to her credit initiated and grown several charities, some to the mammoth of the NKF which we saw skinned alive on national TV back in 2005. And because charities need proper management, they deem paying for management out of the receivables as justified as the existence of the charity. Hence, corroborating the axiom, ‘Nothing is For Free’.

But I dare say we have been misled. 

 For charity really is love. And the act of giving is the result of that love for the needy. And over the years, I have discovered the true axiom to be this: “True giving is giving until it hurts”. 

What is a mere S$ note dropped into a collecting can or bag held by school kids in town every odd Saturday? Sometimes, I dare say (and I have been guilty of the same) that it could have been simply a means of emptying one’s pocket of change. While it might mean a lot to some, to most Singaporeans, it truly is peanuts (no pun intended). 

So if it does not pain us to give, then giving it is not.

The RunForFunds movement is different. It causes us to painfully give to another’s need. Or to put it another way, it has a peculiar way of turning us masochistic for the sake of others. And to painfully give, is to realize that there is no need for repayment, reward or return; no need to pay for management or administration; no need for praises. The only need is probably accountability to one another. Accountability that all that is given is being received, for instance, by the kids in Geylang whom we have met. Then multiply this equation by the power of willing souls, and let the flight begin.

Still, allow me to say that there is really nothing intentionally revolutionary about the RunForFunds movement, nor is there anything remotely subtle about it. For me, it draws inspiration from the true meaning of giving - the true meaning of charity.

So you see, anyone can Perform charity. And so also, anyone can perform Charity. For there is charity, and then, there is Charity

Come run for funds with me
The best is yet to be

- Voxeros

28 November 2006

Run For Funds 2006 - What It Means To Adrian

Today we feature Adrian, Founder of the RunForFunds Project. A person we are all familiar with if we have heard of RunForFunds to begin with and as such needs no further introduction.


 I don't want to save the world.
I can't.

The statements above are true, especially for someone coming from a kia-su, kia-see, "no time to do social work" Singapore.

On one starry night in Egypt in Feb 2002, I was contemplating the meaning of life.

I struggled to define my role in society and the legacy I wanted to leave behind.

Mega bucks in my bank account, lofty ideals, self gratifying material needs flooded my mind.

It dawned on me that I came into this world with nothing, I will leave with nothing.

It was then that I decided that I will leave my legacy in the lives of people.

I can't save the world.
Maybe I can do something small.

I realized I could start by helping make lives of some people (who really need help) better and giving some them hope in an otherwise cold and materialistic society like Singapore.
But where do I start? So many people need help.

I can't save the world
But helping one person is better than none.

These thoughts form the fundamentals that initiated the Run For Funds (RFF) movement in 2002.

In the past 5 years, friends and family have supported RFF by pledging donations for me and my Superfriends who run the annual Standard Chartered Race (10, 21, 42km).

Note: We do not raise funds from the general public ie. people we don't know.

My Superfriends and I do not aim to save the world.
We assist within our means via a targeted approach.

The RFF funds are used to help people who really need assistance, when they need assistance.

Assistance can come in the form of groceries, bursaries, beds for old folks, pocket money for hungry school children etc.

The Government's plugs most (big) gaps in our social welfare system.

RFF aims to plug the small gaps that may be below the Government's radar or are created by the Government's red tape.

Take ZZ's (pri 5 boy) predicament for example.

ZZ's mother left him and his sister when they were babies and their father is an unskilled worker.

When applying for state assistance, the authorities asked ZZ's father for his IR8A form (income tax return) to prove that he earns less than $1,500 per month to qualify for grants.

Here is a man who earns his keep doing odd jobs, earning bit and pieces from all over the place and still not making ends meet (earning $600-700 per month).

Where is he going to get his IR8A form?

The authorities' stand is clear.

No IR8A, no help from Government.

While waiting for the school to appeal on ZZ's behalf, RFF moved in to help ZZ pay for his books and school fees.  

He was also given pocket money from RFF until the state assistance was granted.

It is worthwhile to note that the school ZZ attends is not on the Straits Times Pocket Money scheme.

I'm not sure how ST chooses the schools it supports.

Hence RFF started a pocket money fund for ZZ's school in Geylang.

Our Government can't save the world.
We can help plug inadequacies in the social welfare system.

The ZZ's example is just one of many, many case of how RFF is plugging small gaps in our social welfare system.

It works to complement what our Government has already set up.

Some may point out that our Government can do more.

True, but hey, no system is perfect.

Rather than whining and complaining, why not do something about it ourselves?

RFF is a movement where every $ raised goes directly to the people in need.

No admin fees, no corporate overheads, no golden taps.

RFF exercises discretion in funds disbursement.

There are a lot of crooks out there, waiting to sponge and exploit sympathetic givers.

Money will be spent when it can be justified, not because funds are available.

Details can be found in the November update of RFF @ runforfunds.blogdrive.com.

What RFF means to me?

It's a movement started by the non-elite, man in the street to help those in need.

It not a political statement to the Government showboating that RFF can do a better job helping the poor.

It is a reminder that no social welfare system is perfect and each of us can plug a small gap and make someone's life better (provided the Government continues to work hard for the people).

You can't save the world.
But you can make a difference to someone's life.
Why not start something with your friends today?

A fund raising mahjong marathon amongst friends or a 100km walk around the island, maybe?


- Voxeros

1. spinnee left...
Tuesday, 28 November 2006 4:25 pm :: http://spinnee.blogspot.com
when will anyone donate me some money, say 100k?
*wait long long*


2. akk left...
Tuesday, 28 November 2006 5:58 pm
the 100km walk may be a good idea as an alternative to the standard chartered run.


3. JayWalk left...
Tuesday, 28 November 2006 9:21 pm :: 
Spinnee: Aiyoh. You don't need people to donate 100k to you lah.

Akk: 100km walk sounds like fun and something that I would survive compared to a marathon.


4. Pam left...
Tuesday, 28 November 2006 11:15 pm
and if people cannot do the 100k, you can do smaller versions, like 10k. the husband is part of this running club where they have regular running events, and they have small fun runs, and longer runs for the more serious runner.


5. JayWalk left...
Wednesday, 29 November 2006 12:21 am :: 
Pam: Ah but you just can't sukah sukah organised an impromptu walk and start to raise funds.

You need something with a critical mass, a platform with a general audience i.e. you need an event.


6. Pam left...
Wednesday, 29 November 2006 7:31 pm
well, i think at this rate, we'll need to start small-small. don't you think?


7. JayWalk left...
Friday, 1 December 2006 1:06 am :: 
Pam: Yes and No. Yes, we need to start small as far as managing headcount, finances and logistics. No, we need to latch onto a big event for leverage.