As part of an ongoing challenge amongst my close friend, i am openly requesting for any body who can get me some connections with a Mr Tay Ping Hui.....(Media Corp Artiste)
the idea is to get this guy to within my 3 degrees of separation so that i can tell him an interesting story and seek an opportunity to link him up with my friend
the links to his website is this (in case you wanna confrim who he is...)
http://www.taypinghuionline.com/
steady!
Monday, December 10, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
We are in media again!
Got a interview with ACE - Action Community for Entrepureners.
http://www.ace.org.sg/Site/Page.aspx?id=59654B03-48CB-4351-B9C8-B01F528792E3
http://www.ace.org.sg/Site/Page.aspx?id=59654B03-48CB-4351-B9C8-B01F528792E3
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Alpha's First seminar....
Hah....
who would have thought that 2 civil engineers running a biofuels company would be co-conducting a biofuel workshop.....
still dunno what to present though.....
Monday, October 1, 2007
Future of Bioenergy
Future of Biofuel? A first glimpse of our research into Gen 2 fuels
this may be the shape of things to come....have tons of these things mounted on roof tops...all over the world....
till....then...it's back to more slimes.......
Friday, September 21, 2007
Bike on 100% Biodiesel breaking land speed record
Finally a bike that runs on 100% BD!
the max speed is 210kmh.....
http://www.thecrucible.org/about/diemoto.html#4
looks like a bike from mad max thunderdoom!
wonder when a commercial model would be avaiable.....?
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
I made it!
timing is out finally!
Swim 00:49:15 Swim rank 133
Bike 03:55:46 Bike Rank 185
Run03:44:59 run Rank 189
total 08:29:59
Overal rank in category 189
I made it to become Singapore's first "Last Ironman"
IT was a nail biting one sec!
Swim 00:49:15 Swim rank 133
Bike 03:55:46 Bike Rank 185
Run03:44:59 run Rank 189
total 08:29:59
Overal rank in category 189
I made it to become Singapore's first "Last Ironman"
IT was a nail biting one sec!
A very long day
It is finally done.
I have signed up for the Inaugural Ironman 70.3 Singapore during the Race Expo of Singapore Marathon in Dec 2006. that was 9 months ago.
I was 9 months of training almost every weekend, 3-6 sessions a week, some involving jumping into frigidly cold waters at nights for swim training while others are keeping warm at home.
Race day went as planned. at least for the beginning until accident struck,
I fell off the bike.
In a freak accident, i lost balance when my cleats suddenly came off the pedal and i crashed into the road kerb. My first thoughts, as i was lying flat on the road, was "this sucks!". that i would have to give up the race.
Then i realised that i may still have a chance when i realised i could walk. the medic gave me a dressing as i assess my bike-
1) handlebars are bent
2) chain is stuck between hub and cassette
3) Rear D not responding
so i struggle with what i have to get up and going again.
the rest of the bike trip was done at a dismayal speed and i had to climb Sheares bridge with the gears stuck to the biggest ratio. Throughout the bike leg, i was too busy managing the bike to really take stock of my wounds. I know i have a wound on my head as i could taste blood as it flows down my chin.
"To complete no matter what " was the only thought on my mind when i decide to squeeze water over my head to cool down towards the last lap. Bad Mistake. The water was actually power drink , i.e. saline, and within seconds the wounds starts to react to it....like a hundreds ants biting u all at once.
Made it to T2 finally. It took another few minutes of time lost for some medic to apply a really inadequate dressing and i was off to run. As i walk out of T2 i realised i could not bent my left knee. And the only choice i have is to try to walk really fast. And so it became a 21km brisk walk.
Rain started to pelt down as i pass Kallang and the dressings gave way and the pain was very sobering. Each drop of rain that hits the spots sends a tiny shock to the brain, it was like some kind of sadistic torture. The more sadistic experience is having to go thru rain and sun and then rain again as i walk the lonely road.
When i came round on my first lap, i saw the familair faces of my love ones and my friends. some of them with a pretty shock look when they realise the stat i am in. Ju and Mei held up a fantastic banner saying " Ah Ku You Are My Hero"
The cheering and support gave me the determination to finish whatever i have started.
the next time i got back to T2 i was hoping to still have a chance to cross the line before cut off. And Terence started the las stretch of the race walking next to me and shouting at the onlookers to give way.
As i turn into the finaly 100m strech i could see some people shouting to me that i could still make it and i started to run. forgetting the pain and willing my legs to push forward at all cost.
Cross the line and fell. Not from exhuastion but from the knee seizing up.
Yes i have cross the line. Finished what i started and i could give nothing more.
It's been a long day.
I have signed up for the Inaugural Ironman 70.3 Singapore during the Race Expo of Singapore Marathon in Dec 2006. that was 9 months ago.
I was 9 months of training almost every weekend, 3-6 sessions a week, some involving jumping into frigidly cold waters at nights for swim training while others are keeping warm at home.
Race day went as planned. at least for the beginning until accident struck,
I fell off the bike.
In a freak accident, i lost balance when my cleats suddenly came off the pedal and i crashed into the road kerb. My first thoughts, as i was lying flat on the road, was "this sucks!". that i would have to give up the race.
Then i realised that i may still have a chance when i realised i could walk. the medic gave me a dressing as i assess my bike-
1) handlebars are bent
2) chain is stuck between hub and cassette
3) Rear D not responding
so i struggle with what i have to get up and going again.
the rest of the bike trip was done at a dismayal speed and i had to climb Sheares bridge with the gears stuck to the biggest ratio. Throughout the bike leg, i was too busy managing the bike to really take stock of my wounds. I know i have a wound on my head as i could taste blood as it flows down my chin.
"To complete no matter what " was the only thought on my mind when i decide to squeeze water over my head to cool down towards the last lap. Bad Mistake. The water was actually power drink , i.e. saline, and within seconds the wounds starts to react to it....like a hundreds ants biting u all at once.
Made it to T2 finally. It took another few minutes of time lost for some medic to apply a really inadequate dressing and i was off to run. As i walk out of T2 i realised i could not bent my left knee. And the only choice i have is to try to walk really fast. And so it became a 21km brisk walk.
Rain started to pelt down as i pass Kallang and the dressings gave way and the pain was very sobering. Each drop of rain that hits the spots sends a tiny shock to the brain, it was like some kind of sadistic torture. The more sadistic experience is having to go thru rain and sun and then rain again as i walk the lonely road.
When i came round on my first lap, i saw the familair faces of my love ones and my friends. some of them with a pretty shock look when they realise the stat i am in. Ju and Mei held up a fantastic banner saying " Ah Ku You Are My Hero"
The cheering and support gave me the determination to finish whatever i have started.
the next time i got back to T2 i was hoping to still have a chance to cross the line before cut off. And Terence started the las stretch of the race walking next to me and shouting at the onlookers to give way.
As i turn into the finaly 100m strech i could see some people shouting to me that i could still make it and i started to run. forgetting the pain and willing my legs to push forward at all cost.
Cross the line and fell. Not from exhuastion but from the knee seizing up.
Yes i have cross the line. Finished what i started and i could give nothing more.
It's been a long day.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Why do i race?
Had an interesting conversation with the medical doctor last week at Alexander Hospital where I went for the full medical checkup.
Doc : "From what I am looking at...you are quite overweight"
Fata : "yes. looking at the BMI, I am almost obese"
Doc : "but I see you are training quite hard....your excercise level and intensity indicates you have strong cardio strength"
Fata : "yah...I do that to train for the coming race .... the Half Ironman"
Doc : "oh...Wow.....sounds interesting...tell me. Why do you race?"
Fata : "erh..."
I did not have the answer to this question . In fact these days I keep getting similar questions
" why do you race?"
"why did you decide to be an entrepreneur?"
"What is an civil engineer got to do with Bioenergy?"
Actually yah...the mother of all questions seems to be ... "Are you mad?"
Many of my close friends would have understand the kind of person I am..that my life philosophy seem to be "to commit to something really ambitious and kill myself trying to get to that target.."
Today my coach, my dear sensei, voiced concern over me cramping everything I want to do in a super short time. That I want to do everything without actually thinking of the consequences....that if I were to carry on like this I would crash badly.
I have been doing a bit of thinking about this, about all the comments from my friends and my coach . And my question to myself is :
" Am I sleeping very well?"
I am attempting to use this as an indicator of both my physical health and my mental health.
My FATALOGY on Sleep postulates that :
"The level of one's well being is directly proportional to how much and how well one sleeps"
Simply,
1) If you worry too much you cannot sleep.
2) if you sick, you always want to sleep
Ok, the exception is if you your hobby is sleep, then boh pian.
I start by assessing what’s on my plate:
1) I am CEO of a startup company
2) I am trying to be a father, starting a family
3) Trying to run my first ever 70.3 race
what are my possible risk ?
1) startup company fail - risk losing all my efforts and all my savings and opportunities
2) lose health if continue trying to manage everything all the time (thus no time to recover)
3) Cannot finish the race well
4) Cannot complete the race at all
5) stress out too much so that everything fails!
I don’t have the answers to mitigate these risk.
But I am sleeping well. That speaks a lot
Most of the time...I fall asleep quickly and I wake up naturally without alarm.
Dix complains that I am cursed with the not being able to sleep later than 930am...even on Sunday.
In fact the last time I had failed to sleep well was before I took the jump, when I was still answerable to my boss and the worrying about reporting bad news about projects.
These days...I report to myself, I know the implications of bad news, good news etc. I don't get overly excited nor do I get depress. Yes there are moments of anguish and frustration but somehow I have inherited the mutant qualities of my ex-boss (current mentor)- the nonchalant yet purposeful attitude towards problem solving.
As for cramping too much stuff, I don’t know how much is too much. I am crazy but I am not stupid.
Therefore, in conclusion, I realize the concerns are real and the risk could be huge. But compare to a person who is buying a 1.5 million house with a civil servant pay hoping to flip that ….. I have a lot less to lose.
At most I will
- lose my business (but I would gain the knowledge so I wouldn’t fail again)
- not complete the Race (but I would have gain better fitness from the training)
But I am sleeping well!
PS : I passed my complete health check this afternoon and the doc has cleared me for the RACE! ☺
Doc : "From what I am looking at...you are quite overweight"
Fata : "yes. looking at the BMI, I am almost obese"
Doc : "but I see you are training quite hard....your excercise level and intensity indicates you have strong cardio strength"
Fata : "yah...I do that to train for the coming race .... the Half Ironman"
Doc : "oh...Wow.....sounds interesting...tell me. Why do you race?"
Fata : "erh..."
I did not have the answer to this question . In fact these days I keep getting similar questions
" why do you race?"
"why did you decide to be an entrepreneur?"
"What is an civil engineer got to do with Bioenergy?"
Actually yah...the mother of all questions seems to be ... "Are you mad?"
Many of my close friends would have understand the kind of person I am..that my life philosophy seem to be "to commit to something really ambitious and kill myself trying to get to that target.."
Today my coach, my dear sensei, voiced concern over me cramping everything I want to do in a super short time. That I want to do everything without actually thinking of the consequences....that if I were to carry on like this I would crash badly.
I have been doing a bit of thinking about this, about all the comments from my friends and my coach . And my question to myself is :
" Am I sleeping very well?"
I am attempting to use this as an indicator of both my physical health and my mental health.
My FATALOGY on Sleep postulates that :
"The level of one's well being is directly proportional to how much and how well one sleeps"
Simply,
1) If you worry too much you cannot sleep.
2) if you sick, you always want to sleep
Ok, the exception is if you your hobby is sleep, then boh pian.
I start by assessing what’s on my plate:
1) I am CEO of a startup company
2) I am trying to be a father, starting a family
3) Trying to run my first ever 70.3 race
what are my possible risk ?
1) startup company fail - risk losing all my efforts and all my savings and opportunities
2) lose health if continue trying to manage everything all the time (thus no time to recover)
3) Cannot finish the race well
4) Cannot complete the race at all
5) stress out too much so that everything fails!
I don’t have the answers to mitigate these risk.
But I am sleeping well. That speaks a lot
Most of the time...I fall asleep quickly and I wake up naturally without alarm.
Dix complains that I am cursed with the not being able to sleep later than 930am...even on Sunday.
In fact the last time I had failed to sleep well was before I took the jump, when I was still answerable to my boss and the worrying about reporting bad news about projects.
These days...I report to myself, I know the implications of bad news, good news etc. I don't get overly excited nor do I get depress. Yes there are moments of anguish and frustration but somehow I have inherited the mutant qualities of my ex-boss (current mentor)- the nonchalant yet purposeful attitude towards problem solving.
As for cramping too much stuff, I don’t know how much is too much. I am crazy but I am not stupid.
Therefore, in conclusion, I realize the concerns are real and the risk could be huge. But compare to a person who is buying a 1.5 million house with a civil servant pay hoping to flip that ….. I have a lot less to lose.
At most I will
- lose my business (but I would gain the knowledge so I wouldn’t fail again)
- not complete the Race (but I would have gain better fitness from the training)
But I am sleeping well!
PS : I passed my complete health check this afternoon and the doc has cleared me for the RACE! ☺
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Finally, our Processor is ONLINE!
Today is a great day.
After 6 months of planning, designing and the last 2 weeks of slogging it out at in the lab and a dozen spillages covering me and haiwoon with loads of disgusting used cooking oil....
We have Biodiesel from the processor which we had painstaking brought to reality!
it's a great feeling being able to convert our ideas into reality through engineering and being a maverick about it!
quoting Hiro Nakamura on his impending quest to "save the world" : "Now for the Hard part".....
Here's a view of our processor!
After 6 months of planning, designing and the last 2 weeks of slogging it out at in the lab and a dozen spillages covering me and haiwoon with loads of disgusting used cooking oil....
We have Biodiesel from the processor which we had painstaking brought to reality!
it's a great feeling being able to convert our ideas into reality through engineering and being a maverick about it!
quoting Hiro Nakamura on his impending quest to "save the world" : "Now for the Hard part".....
Here's a view of our processor!
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Finally Our "1 Min of fame"
After Much anticipation, there is finally a day where:
1) the world is peaceful - no new war, no new disaster
2) the national leaders are resting - the boss is in Langkawi with our neigbour's boss
3) the only other news worthy item is - our neighbour's ex boss is in hosipital
the result of these "unhappenings" is ..... there is finally free air time for our segment is done 4 weeks ago shown. And it was on both CNA and channel 8 as well!
Let hope that this additional publicity would bring the company to yet more unopened doors and opportunities.....
But that;s for another day....Today.....life is good!
the channel news article
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/276119/1/.html
Will post up the chinese version as soon as i can
FATALOGY On Self Publicity
1) the world is peaceful - no new war, no new disaster
2) the national leaders are resting - the boss is in Langkawi with our neigbour's boss
3) the only other news worthy item is - our neighbour's ex boss is in hosipital
the result of these "unhappenings" is ..... there is finally free air time for our segment is done 4 weeks ago shown. And it was on both CNA and channel 8 as well!
Let hope that this additional publicity would bring the company to yet more unopened doors and opportunities.....
But that;s for another day....Today.....life is good!
the channel news article
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/276119/1/.html
Will post up the chinese version as soon as i can
FATALOGY On Self Publicity
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Week 1-2
Don't know if i would be able to log this journey into becoming my own boss as religiously (i doubt i can) but here are some of the happenings last 2 weeks
1) CNA interview
somehow the video we did on the bd trials with the Musso Club caught the notice of the PR people from ITE HQ and subsequently Channel News Asia deem it as news worthy and wanted to do a piece to be shown on Singapore Tonight.
The button was pressed 2 weeks ago while we were in the middle of scaling up the setup by 20X. So in the days that follows I had to juggle all the work really had. like writing a press document, helping setup up teh new system, finialised the design of the 100X sacle up set, manage Todd's new factory's building, keep up training......luckily we had the help of some ITE staff which helped prepared some of the materials needed to do the press wanyang....
Terence gave me last minute Tuition, more like a 5 minute tutorial, on how to constantly stress on the 3 points i want to talk and bending the answer to my advantage. (for a CEO of a 83 man company, 5 mins of 1 to 1 tuition is quite a lot!)
Well the taping happened in our worshop last friday, we had finished the setup just in time and i fixed the filtration system in such a way that you can turn on a tap and the golden liquid (BD) would flow out into the beaker (for the dramatic effect). The CNA guy came with a cameraman and proceeded to ask me questions about what is biodiesels, what is the market etc....i kinda stammered a bit because some of the questions i had not prepared for the onslaught of queries (MUST remember to ask for questions prior to interview if there is a next time).
Then there was the lab part and they shot our 2 champion student workers at work playing with titration and the GC. Huda was kinda nervous when they interview here but i think she did splendidly.....
Thereafter, we did the most exciting part.....the vehicle trials....Jeffery the the gang from the Musso Club volunteered thier trusty cars for the demo....and viola....the results were the same as the first trial we did....and this time we caught it on the CNA video (hope it comes up)
2) KT, Naina and Angelia
It's kinda wierd having the last day of work on friday, saying goodbyes to all the staff and yet appearing again on monday... as if nothing had changed...under the current arrangement, i will stay on to work on some projects for KT for survival to tie over the cash crunch at the business....this is an ideal arrangement although for myself it's a constant juggling act of trying to do many things at one time.....(like what's new)
Angelia and Naina were very concern about my welfare.....when they realised i have not even gotten a table for the office...they jumped into an action plan to help me get redisgn teh arrangements of the tables, explained to me the need for a airport, the need to have my back facing the wall.....and eventually they gave me an airport (the water kind...not themac kind) as a present....It's really a nice gesture! Cool!
3) On EBD
We went to EDB last month to inquire if we could tap into some grants to develop the yet to design 100X plant....after i submitted our first draft to the officer....she infromed me that it's her last day at work and she has passed my case to another colleague which is on leave......and up till last friday...no reply yet.
interestingly he most important criteria in the application of the innovation commericalisation fund is
1) innovation
2) project must not start before approval
with the depts delaying thier approval, we are running out of time. All i need is a simple yes or no so we could move on wirh decisions...
If yes.....happy....we get some money
If no....not game over....we will fund the development ourselves....
Simple?
Will try to call them again tomorrow to sort it out again!
ok that;s it....
looking forward to stalking the TV to lookout for my 1minute of fame tonight!
1) CNA interview
somehow the video we did on the bd trials with the Musso Club caught the notice of the PR people from ITE HQ and subsequently Channel News Asia deem it as news worthy and wanted to do a piece to be shown on Singapore Tonight.
The button was pressed 2 weeks ago while we were in the middle of scaling up the setup by 20X. So in the days that follows I had to juggle all the work really had. like writing a press document, helping setup up teh new system, finialised the design of the 100X sacle up set, manage Todd's new factory's building, keep up training......luckily we had the help of some ITE staff which helped prepared some of the materials needed to do the press wanyang....
Terence gave me last minute Tuition, more like a 5 minute tutorial, on how to constantly stress on the 3 points i want to talk and bending the answer to my advantage. (for a CEO of a 83 man company, 5 mins of 1 to 1 tuition is quite a lot!)
Well the taping happened in our worshop last friday, we had finished the setup just in time and i fixed the filtration system in such a way that you can turn on a tap and the golden liquid (BD) would flow out into the beaker (for the dramatic effect). The CNA guy came with a cameraman and proceeded to ask me questions about what is biodiesels, what is the market etc....i kinda stammered a bit because some of the questions i had not prepared for the onslaught of queries (MUST remember to ask for questions prior to interview if there is a next time).
Then there was the lab part and they shot our 2 champion student workers at work playing with titration and the GC. Huda was kinda nervous when they interview here but i think she did splendidly.....
Thereafter, we did the most exciting part.....the vehicle trials....Jeffery the the gang from the Musso Club volunteered thier trusty cars for the demo....and viola....the results were the same as the first trial we did....and this time we caught it on the CNA video (hope it comes up)
2) KT, Naina and Angelia
It's kinda wierd having the last day of work on friday, saying goodbyes to all the staff and yet appearing again on monday... as if nothing had changed...under the current arrangement, i will stay on to work on some projects for KT for survival to tie over the cash crunch at the business....this is an ideal arrangement although for myself it's a constant juggling act of trying to do many things at one time.....(like what's new)
Angelia and Naina were very concern about my welfare.....when they realised i have not even gotten a table for the office...they jumped into an action plan to help me get redisgn teh arrangements of the tables, explained to me the need for a airport, the need to have my back facing the wall.....and eventually they gave me an airport (the water kind...not themac kind) as a present....It's really a nice gesture! Cool!
3) On EBD
We went to EDB last month to inquire if we could tap into some grants to develop the yet to design 100X plant....after i submitted our first draft to the officer....she infromed me that it's her last day at work and she has passed my case to another colleague which is on leave......and up till last friday...no reply yet.
interestingly he most important criteria in the application of the innovation commericalisation fund is
1) innovation
2) project must not start before approval
with the depts delaying thier approval, we are running out of time. All i need is a simple yes or no so we could move on wirh decisions...
If yes.....happy....we get some money
If no....not game over....we will fund the development ourselves....
Simple?
Will try to call them again tomorrow to sort it out again!
ok that;s it....
looking forward to stalking the TV to lookout for my 1minute of fame tonight!
Sunday, April 8, 2007
A tale of a coffee shop
Assuming there is a famous coffee shop called "Tua Zhong Kopitiam"
This Kopitiam is the best in the area, as it has the best stalls in Singapore. the tables are clean,it's services are very good and it has always been ranked top kopitiam to makan in amongst the kopitiams of the world. It has also has food stalls that are ranked tops by any measures and these stalls are run by the best hokkien mee fryer, best chay tao kuay maker, best fish ball soup etc
The owners of the kopitiam stalls hires a full team of managers to run the different aspects of the shops. They have a manager to take care of the health of the stall owners, a manager to defend the kopitiam against thief, a manager to developed the kopitiam into the kopitiam of the 21st century, a manager to keep up foreign relationship with other kopitaims and suppliers so that they will supply the shop with cheap coffee powder to keep the sales going. The managers of this kopitiam is being elected to to their positions by the customers and the stall owners. And the managements collects monthly contributions from the stall owners/customers etc to keep the various departments running smoothly.
One day, the General Manager realised that his team member's pay package is not up to par with the other kopitiams and if he doesn't do something quick he may risk losing his well oiled team of managers to food stalls which can pay these manager a higher pay. So he held held a meeting with all the stalls owners and announce that a decision is made to raise the pay of the managers.
Since the managers have been doing such a good job running the kopitaim for the last 40 years, all the stall owners, customers agree to the pay raise. The way to pay the managers is based on a average of the earnings of the top eight stall's takings in the the kopitiam.
After the decision is made, some of the stall owners and customers raised some questions,
Mr Ter Bak Che (owner of the Tok Kong Bak Kut Teh):
"Running a stall is differently from managing the kopithiam, the stall owners take on a lot more risk than the managers....if tomorrow kena some ban on pig import or mad pig disease, the stalls would face a risk of closing business. The manager (grant that he works very hard to ensure that the risk is minimum) would only get voted out of office every four to five years when the stall owners and the customer's vote. As we stall owners takes on the risk.....it is only right that we reap the rewards....should we actually give the managers some risk...to make them earn their pay rise?"
Mr Lim Goh Pee (Regular customers of the Kopitiam):
"I don't mind giving the managers a pay raise, and it is logical since they have worked hard to manage the shop well, but should the pay rise be based on something more than the average takings of the the stall owners, what about some kind of appraisals? some kinda of KPI?"
"for example, the manager in charge of the health and hygiene can get a pay bonus if by the end of the year (baring all the extraordinary incidents of Bird flu, SARs etc) there is an improvement to his scope as assessed against previous records and the international Kopitiam health standards"
"Maybe, like many stall owners and their employees, a portion of the pay is fixed and the big big bonus would come at the end of the year upon the assessments"
This analogy is what i used to explain the minister's pay rise issues with the kopitiam uncles at my office area. 40-50million (i may be wrong about this one)in total for the minister's pay may not big enough sum for the average public to gripe about. But a prawn noodle uncle who faces risk and returns issues everyday.....even a $10 increase in rent which his kopithaim ask for which they don't deserve is a lot.
Personally i think there can be a better way to reward our super hardworking, under appreciated ministers.
FATALOGY on Minister's Pay rise,
This Kopitiam is the best in the area, as it has the best stalls in Singapore. the tables are clean,it's services are very good and it has always been ranked top kopitiam to makan in amongst the kopitiams of the world. It has also has food stalls that are ranked tops by any measures and these stalls are run by the best hokkien mee fryer, best chay tao kuay maker, best fish ball soup etc
The owners of the kopitiam stalls hires a full team of managers to run the different aspects of the shops. They have a manager to take care of the health of the stall owners, a manager to defend the kopitiam against thief, a manager to developed the kopitiam into the kopitiam of the 21st century, a manager to keep up foreign relationship with other kopitaims and suppliers so that they will supply the shop with cheap coffee powder to keep the sales going. The managers of this kopitiam is being elected to to their positions by the customers and the stall owners. And the managements collects monthly contributions from the stall owners/customers etc to keep the various departments running smoothly.
One day, the General Manager realised that his team member's pay package is not up to par with the other kopitiams and if he doesn't do something quick he may risk losing his well oiled team of managers to food stalls which can pay these manager a higher pay. So he held held a meeting with all the stalls owners and announce that a decision is made to raise the pay of the managers.
Since the managers have been doing such a good job running the kopitaim for the last 40 years, all the stall owners, customers agree to the pay raise. The way to pay the managers is based on a average of the earnings of the top eight stall's takings in the the kopitiam.
After the decision is made, some of the stall owners and customers raised some questions,
Mr Ter Bak Che (owner of the Tok Kong Bak Kut Teh):
"Running a stall is differently from managing the kopithiam, the stall owners take on a lot more risk than the managers....if tomorrow kena some ban on pig import or mad pig disease, the stalls would face a risk of closing business. The manager (grant that he works very hard to ensure that the risk is minimum) would only get voted out of office every four to five years when the stall owners and the customer's vote. As we stall owners takes on the risk.....it is only right that we reap the rewards....should we actually give the managers some risk...to make them earn their pay rise?"
Mr Lim Goh Pee (Regular customers of the Kopitiam):
"I don't mind giving the managers a pay raise, and it is logical since they have worked hard to manage the shop well, but should the pay rise be based on something more than the average takings of the the stall owners, what about some kind of appraisals? some kinda of KPI?"
"for example, the manager in charge of the health and hygiene can get a pay bonus if by the end of the year (baring all the extraordinary incidents of Bird flu, SARs etc) there is an improvement to his scope as assessed against previous records and the international Kopitiam health standards"
"Maybe, like many stall owners and their employees, a portion of the pay is fixed and the big big bonus would come at the end of the year upon the assessments"
This analogy is what i used to explain the minister's pay rise issues with the kopitiam uncles at my office area. 40-50million (i may be wrong about this one)in total for the minister's pay may not big enough sum for the average public to gripe about. But a prawn noodle uncle who faces risk and returns issues everyday.....even a $10 increase in rent which his kopithaim ask for which they don't deserve is a lot.
Personally i think there can be a better way to reward our super hardworking, under appreciated ministers.
FATALOGY on Minister's Pay rise,
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
FATALOGY ON GYMs
Last sat, out of desperation to clock my required training hours, i decided to hit the gym, The kind that gives you a towel and a locker and a whole ton of machines to movtivate you.
i bought the day entry pass, took the locker keys and head for the "ellipitical runner" i press a few buttons and decided to do a fat burning workout...the computer then decides that i need to work at a heart rate of 155 and promptly starts to blink all sorts of information like:
1) no of stride per min
2) no of steps per min
3) no of calories burnt so far
4) no of i could burn if i keep this speed for 1 hour
5) current level of resistance
6) next level of resistance
that's just the amount of info on the big screen, i cannot even remember whats on the small dials etc....
As i was grudgingly running along staring into nothiness...hoping beyond hope the machine don't scold me for running too slowly, i started to observed the Body Combat class being held at the opposite room......
the music is loud, the room was packed and there was a lady instructor on the stage shouting instructions for the people to punch! Kick! duck! jump!
that's when i realised there is a lot of angry people in singapore.....these people all looked like they are punching somebody's guts out. And most importantly they all have that intense killer look on their face.......and lagi best.....most of them are ladies!
Today, i went back to that same gym, did that same hullabalulah and started on the stupid machine again.....that's when i realised why i hate gym....
1) in the gym, your sole motivation is the approval of some heart target...on the tracks.....HR is just an indicated...the real real rush is getting to the finish line and runnign your hearts out.
2) in the gym you punch some imaginary person's guts out, while you bike you just push a little harder to get a head of your buddy to fart in his face!
get it??
i enjoy sports.
i do sports because there is something more to it than heart rates and calories burnt, looking good and staying in shape.
i ilke the idea of running across a finish line, biking up a stubborn hill, tossing the frisbee across the end zone.
i love the friendly banter and tuants exchanged during a cycling sessions, i love coming home from a workout knowing i have discovered new biking route and improved my cadence....
to me, sports is a way to interact with the world, not a mean to release some hidden frastration.....(in fact i have never resort to working out when i stress.....i eat really good food!)
ok....enough rambling.....my conclusion....in desperation....i will be slave to the machine....but as long as there is a sunny day....you know where i'll be....
FATALOGY on GYM
i bought the day entry pass, took the locker keys and head for the "ellipitical runner" i press a few buttons and decided to do a fat burning workout...the computer then decides that i need to work at a heart rate of 155 and promptly starts to blink all sorts of information like:
1) no of stride per min
2) no of steps per min
3) no of calories burnt so far
4) no of i could burn if i keep this speed for 1 hour
5) current level of resistance
6) next level of resistance
that's just the amount of info on the big screen, i cannot even remember whats on the small dials etc....
As i was grudgingly running along staring into nothiness...hoping beyond hope the machine don't scold me for running too slowly, i started to observed the Body Combat class being held at the opposite room......
the music is loud, the room was packed and there was a lady instructor on the stage shouting instructions for the people to punch! Kick! duck! jump!
that's when i realised there is a lot of angry people in singapore.....these people all looked like they are punching somebody's guts out. And most importantly they all have that intense killer look on their face.......and lagi best.....most of them are ladies!
Today, i went back to that same gym, did that same hullabalulah and started on the stupid machine again.....that's when i realised why i hate gym....
1) in the gym, your sole motivation is the approval of some heart target...on the tracks.....HR is just an indicated...the real real rush is getting to the finish line and runnign your hearts out.
2) in the gym you punch some imaginary person's guts out, while you bike you just push a little harder to get a head of your buddy to fart in his face!
get it??
i enjoy sports.
i do sports because there is something more to it than heart rates and calories burnt, looking good and staying in shape.
i ilke the idea of running across a finish line, biking up a stubborn hill, tossing the frisbee across the end zone.
i love the friendly banter and tuants exchanged during a cycling sessions, i love coming home from a workout knowing i have discovered new biking route and improved my cadence....
to me, sports is a way to interact with the world, not a mean to release some hidden frastration.....(in fact i have never resort to working out when i stress.....i eat really good food!)
ok....enough rambling.....my conclusion....in desperation....i will be slave to the machine....but as long as there is a sunny day....you know where i'll be....
FATALOGY on GYM
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
The Leap
Leap
–verb (used without object)
1. to spring through the air from one point or position to another; jump: to leap over a ditch.
2. to move or act quickly or suddenly: to leap aside; She leaped at the opportunity.
3. to pass, come, rise, etc., as if with a jump: to leap to a conclusion; an idea that immediately leaped to mind.
-idioms
leap in the dark.
1. leap of faith, an act or instance of accepting or trusting in something that cannot readily be seen or proved.
Today I took a leap.
After much procrastination, self doubt and contemplation, I have done it. I traded the security of a steady job with the opportunity of making my life story a little more interesting.
What is life going to be in 30 days? come April, i would not need to report to work at 9am, i can plan my own time, pay my own salary and make my own decision on how i want to run my company. For some people this may be the most scariest thing but i beg to defer, i think this is a privilege. A privilege given to me by
1) My Boss - that he assure me that i am doing the right thing and that the path can only be walked by one alone in order to understand the meaning of the struggle
2) My wife - that she allow me to spin in seemingly aimless orbit and sometimes biting more than i can chew. She is the center of my world, my constant and my source of hope and dreams.
3) My friends - they have given me the courage so that i may jump knowing that no matter where or how i land, they would be the same old pals who's got my back in good times and bad.
So thank you all for the previlage and I hope in 10 years time when i look back at this blog entry, it would prove that the efforts was well worth it!
–verb (used without object)
1. to spring through the air from one point or position to another; jump: to leap over a ditch.
2. to move or act quickly or suddenly: to leap aside; She leaped at the opportunity.
3. to pass, come, rise, etc., as if with a jump: to leap to a conclusion; an idea that immediately leaped to mind.
-idioms
leap in the dark.
1. leap of faith, an act or instance of accepting or trusting in something that cannot readily be seen or proved.
Today I took a leap.
After much procrastination, self doubt and contemplation, I have done it. I traded the security of a steady job with the opportunity of making my life story a little more interesting.
What is life going to be in 30 days? come April, i would not need to report to work at 9am, i can plan my own time, pay my own salary and make my own decision on how i want to run my company. For some people this may be the most scariest thing but i beg to defer, i think this is a privilege. A privilege given to me by
1) My Boss - that he assure me that i am doing the right thing and that the path can only be walked by one alone in order to understand the meaning of the struggle
2) My wife - that she allow me to spin in seemingly aimless orbit and sometimes biting more than i can chew. She is the center of my world, my constant and my source of hope and dreams.
3) My friends - they have given me the courage so that i may jump knowing that no matter where or how i land, they would be the same old pals who's got my back in good times and bad.
So thank you all for the previlage and I hope in 10 years time when i look back at this blog entry, it would prove that the efforts was well worth it!
Monday, February 26, 2007
After thoughts of "Protege" the movie
The question is :
Is Addiction a solution to Emptiness?
By inference, the premise of the show it seem to suggest that we are all seeking instant gratification in this empty and lonely world.
Some of us choose to suck compress air, jump into deep open water to experience the high of scuba while others seek the thrills of jumping out of an aeroplane with a parachute. the less adventurous would look for the hottest chilli crab, best shopping experience etc.
My take on this,
Yes we do feel empty sometimes, and sometimes we resort to some form of transgressions to feel alive. Sometimes we bite off a bit more than we can chew and still believe that we can still beat the odds, that we can reverse whatever damage we may cause to ourselves or to others.
life is too short to think in retrospect all the time. And I have never been a person who would stop and think about life. But sometime i can;t help but wonder if i would ever lose the will and courage to take the next step....to jump into the next dive site, to run the next tri race. The op cost seem to creep up on you unknowlingly until it become so obvious to u one day that you are compel to stop.
don;t worry, i have not come to that stage yet.....right now my life is full....to the brim.....so come get me if you can you bloody emptiness!
Is Addiction a solution to Emptiness?
By inference, the premise of the show it seem to suggest that we are all seeking instant gratification in this empty and lonely world.
Some of us choose to suck compress air, jump into deep open water to experience the high of scuba while others seek the thrills of jumping out of an aeroplane with a parachute. the less adventurous would look for the hottest chilli crab, best shopping experience etc.
My take on this,
Yes we do feel empty sometimes, and sometimes we resort to some form of transgressions to feel alive. Sometimes we bite off a bit more than we can chew and still believe that we can still beat the odds, that we can reverse whatever damage we may cause to ourselves or to others.
life is too short to think in retrospect all the time. And I have never been a person who would stop and think about life. But sometime i can;t help but wonder if i would ever lose the will and courage to take the next step....to jump into the next dive site, to run the next tri race. The op cost seem to creep up on you unknowlingly until it become so obvious to u one day that you are compel to stop.
don;t worry, i have not come to that stage yet.....right now my life is full....to the brim.....so come get me if you can you bloody emptiness!
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
2 out of 5 is equivalent to 40%
Just realised that the 2% point increase from current 5% is equivalent to about estimated 23% growth in the government's collection from GST. According to the budget speech a few days ago this could amount to about 900million sgd. To put things in perspective
1) building cost for one brand new school : 15million (estimate)
2) one new flyover at a busy junction : 20million (estimate)
3) one new F15 fighter : 10-15 million (estimate)
I am not saying that 900million is a lot of money, on the contrary, i think the GST system is a good way for collecting tax revenues while keeping the income tax low. However, I think it would be nice if we could have more understanding....in more micro terms.... about
1) how this money is going to be used.
2) how and under what circumstances do we review the next GST rate should the economy slow down or rise again.
Ok there are the GST rebates and credits to cushion this increment and I believe if the govt is as level headed as they were in the last decade, we should be able to continue to enjoy these goodies as long as we are doing well. But my concern is if we get into a doudrum, will there be more social welfare support?
Bottom line is, in good times ....giving us 700-1200 dollars in all the NRS shares etc could mean a brand new plasma tv but $300 could feed a family a for a few weeks in bad times.
i guess these would be the questions to be brought up by the Parliament in the coming weeks.
We'll just have to wait and see.....
1) building cost for one brand new school : 15million (estimate)
2) one new flyover at a busy junction : 20million (estimate)
3) one new F15 fighter : 10-15 million (estimate)
I am not saying that 900million is a lot of money, on the contrary, i think the GST system is a good way for collecting tax revenues while keeping the income tax low. However, I think it would be nice if we could have more understanding....in more micro terms.... about
1) how this money is going to be used.
2) how and under what circumstances do we review the next GST rate should the economy slow down or rise again.
Ok there are the GST rebates and credits to cushion this increment and I believe if the govt is as level headed as they were in the last decade, we should be able to continue to enjoy these goodies as long as we are doing well. But my concern is if we get into a doudrum, will there be more social welfare support?
Bottom line is, in good times ....giving us 700-1200 dollars in all the NRS shares etc could mean a brand new plasma tv but $300 could feed a family a for a few weeks in bad times.
i guess these would be the questions to be brought up by the Parliament in the coming weeks.
We'll just have to wait and see.....
Monday, February 12, 2007
Time of our life
As a 34 year old singaporean, many people say that this is the time of our life, I realised that in the last 3-4 years I experienced (in order of rate of occurence)
1) Weddings(friends/relatives) = 10 per year
2) Birth of a child (Friends/relatives) = 3-4 per year
3) Friends parents passing away = 1-2 per year
4) Friends divorcing = 1 per year
I just occurred to me this morning, that the trend will change soon.... and it will be very likely that the above order will be reversed. What it means to me is that i will be doing more counselling, comforting people, providing a shoulder to cry on more than standing on a stage shouting "YAM SENG".
While i am quite tired of waking up in ungodly hours to dress up in a suit to bang on a metal gate and drinking a croacroach to help my friend "win" the bride. I certianly perfer doing stuff like this than attending funeral wakes or counselling my friends when they breakup.
But these day, we can't really pick and choose which friends to have and what could happen to them......
I am only thankful that i have been a part of many of my friends life as they are going through the these events.
It;s a lovely day! Let's enjoy it while it last!
Cheers
FATA
1) Weddings(friends/relatives) = 10 per year
2) Birth of a child (Friends/relatives) = 3-4 per year
3) Friends parents passing away = 1-2 per year
4) Friends divorcing = 1 per year
I just occurred to me this morning, that the trend will change soon.... and it will be very likely that the above order will be reversed. What it means to me is that i will be doing more counselling, comforting people, providing a shoulder to cry on more than standing on a stage shouting "YAM SENG".
While i am quite tired of waking up in ungodly hours to dress up in a suit to bang on a metal gate and drinking a croacroach to help my friend "win" the bride. I certianly perfer doing stuff like this than attending funeral wakes or counselling my friends when they breakup.
But these day, we can't really pick and choose which friends to have and what could happen to them......
I am only thankful that i have been a part of many of my friends life as they are going through the these events.
It;s a lovely day! Let's enjoy it while it last!
Cheers
FATA
Sunday, February 11, 2007
The Premise
I have been thinking hard about an outlet for my random thoughts and the idea of bloggin them did occur to me quite a while ago but i have been hesitating about sharing my thoughts with people. It is not that these thoughts are intimate or radical, most of the time they are random and uncohesive. I fear the readers of my blog would find the entries fruastrating.
But what the heck, for what's it worth.. here goes.
I am an average joe, a singaporean, entrepurener, triathlete, diving instructor and father wannabe. I lead a very active life and my day is packed with tonnes of things to do (work,family,play etc) so full that sometimes i feel that i could burst. Life is beautiful and in my opinon, i would be sleeping a lot when i die and therefore why sleep so much....
The premise of this blog is to record my thoughts, the reflection of my mind in solitude. And the only time i could let these thots run free is when i am on the bowl where there is absolutely nothing else better to do. I realised i could do a lot of thinking while i am crapping....and these ideas will dissappear upon the flushing of the toilet. That being said, it does not mean i am going to be writing this while i am doing the do....i shall attempt to remember them and distill them throughout the day and find another peacful time to blog them..
I don;t believe in the idea that the blog should be private and anonymous. If one need to do that ....just keep a diary!....thoughts and idea are meant to be shared, discussed, celebrated. It's only through this sharing that we move on to become a better person. As socrates championed " the ultimate wisdom is the realisation that one does not possess wisdom". According to Uncle Scorates (not the brilliant Soccer Player) the ultimate wisdom is the understanding of the soul. This is the direct result of our interaction with the world, and by inference, the least we share our thoughts and poorer our soul will be.
I do hope that in the years to come these entries could become a record of my thoughts and also my life. And maybe through this sharing of ideas....some good may come out of it.
Cheers
FATA
But what the heck, for what's it worth.. here goes.
I am an average joe, a singaporean, entrepurener, triathlete, diving instructor and father wannabe. I lead a very active life and my day is packed with tonnes of things to do (work,family,play etc) so full that sometimes i feel that i could burst. Life is beautiful and in my opinon, i would be sleeping a lot when i die and therefore why sleep so much....
The premise of this blog is to record my thoughts, the reflection of my mind in solitude. And the only time i could let these thots run free is when i am on the bowl where there is absolutely nothing else better to do. I realised i could do a lot of thinking while i am crapping....and these ideas will dissappear upon the flushing of the toilet. That being said, it does not mean i am going to be writing this while i am doing the do....i shall attempt to remember them and distill them throughout the day and find another peacful time to blog them..
I don;t believe in the idea that the blog should be private and anonymous. If one need to do that ....just keep a diary!....thoughts and idea are meant to be shared, discussed, celebrated. It's only through this sharing that we move on to become a better person. As socrates championed " the ultimate wisdom is the realisation that one does not possess wisdom". According to Uncle Scorates (not the brilliant Soccer Player) the ultimate wisdom is the understanding of the soul. This is the direct result of our interaction with the world, and by inference, the least we share our thoughts and poorer our soul will be.
I do hope that in the years to come these entries could become a record of my thoughts and also my life. And maybe through this sharing of ideas....some good may come out of it.
Cheers
FATA
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