Promo Poster

I have to admit that I don't have the eye for minute details. But today was an exception.

After taking the family down for dinner at Purvis Street, we did a bit of shopping and came back to our estate. Noticing bright lights coming from the neighbouring block, we decided to pay the exhibition a visit

Just a bit of background. the estate which I am currently living is scheduled for volting for MUP & LUP. The void deck of one of the blocks have been transformed into a exhibition hall where minuture models are built to display the transformed estates after the Major Upgrading Program and Lift Upgrading Program. For a mere fraction of the cost, the existing flat dwellers can have a new "utility room" and refurbished bathroom flooring and ceiling etc etc.....

One highlight is the lift upgrades. the proposed diagrams actually have one lift stoppping at each floor shared by 2 unit of flats! Wow! isnt that great! the condo which i would be moving into will have 3 lifts shared between 6 units but up to 24 floors as compared to 12 in the current old estate

anyway, before I get out of point, the colorful posters which protray the future estate actually boasts a new carpark. It featured high end continential models. there was a merc, Audi A6, VW Passat (i think) and a Porsche 911...... hmm.... not too sure if the residents lost their priorities or have very rich visitors.

In reality, the estate being mature, have a number of oldies who are currently being supported by their next generations or living off their remaining CPF savings. although the renovation amount appears to be low, there are already some "complaining" based on my conversations with the shop keepers at the nearby block.

therefore in reality, an estate renewal also meant that the existing townfolk are left to "downgrade" and move away. simply because they cannot afford it.

It was indeed a time for me to reflect and realise that there are people out there who feel the effects of even the slightest economic changes..... not to mention the cost of transportation which is currently in hot debate.

Restructuring

This is one word dreaded by career folks. What is restructuring? Why? Change again? Shucks...... What is going to happen? Will my job be at stake? Do I need to report to a different boss? Will my work hours turn for the worst? Will my new boss like me? Will I feel motivated as how I was or am?

Frankly speaking, this was what I went through in 2002. It was a bad year. Was in a job for 6 months (including my 3weeks spent in-camp training) Right after that, I returned from serving my country hearing that my rice bowl is actually made of "light bulb glass".

Before that, I was riding high. Was fully motivated. Made a lot of positive changes to the department. Managed to serve the customer better. Improved on all KPIs. Unbelievable achievement.

However, when the word "restructuring" came around. No matter whether you are the best manager in town or be it the best athlete in the world. When the biosphere is taken out from you, there will be nothing that u can really do about.

I was sad, I was scared. I just got married. I got finances. I got a pool of staff to manage but they will have nothing to do in 6 months time. How? What should I do for myself and for them?

Life is about trials. You have reached a roadblock. An obstacle. You must decide on managing the problem. Must tackle it like a pro.

Indeed life was tough. The 40 or so staff who worked under my care were worried. Some asked questions, some pretended nothing happened, some chose to look for alternative plans. I could do nothing to stop them from leaving. I can't. I really can't.

I would be selfish to get them to stay knowing there would be nothing for them in 6 months. They leave, I wish them the best and make do with the rest. I had to manage the situation. The customer would be pulling out in 6 months. We still had to fulfill the shipments. After all, they are still paying for our services. Every few days, I will look at the staff list; I will try to match their job skills to potential new customers. This went on and on....... it was really tough... i broke down a few times..... had to have that emotional release........ would have gone bongkus if I didnt have a source of release.

Somehow, god was on my side. When the last shipment went out, all of us were re-assigned to other areas in the company. Some didn’t like it. Some simply accepted it. Some took the opportunity to buy time and subsequently left. However, I was glad that most of them appreciated the company’s effort. Some thanked me. I was happy, I felt satisfied......

It was a real challenge for me. It taught me a few things. Based on what happened, i realized that being a thoughtful boss is important. I need to care for them. I need to be genuine in what I do. I must deliver what I promise or commit.

Being a forward looker is essential for our survival. If the road block leads to a dead end, we need to maneuver out of it. If there is a gap which can be built with a bridge, the knowledge and foresight to build one is important.

I really can’t express all my thoughts in one session. But to summarize on overcoming restructuring…….. Being genuine, being able to adapt quickly and have a great foresight are some elements of overcoming such trials.

What is Trippinaround?

A rather mundane week so far. Nothing interesting to report these few days. Anyway, decided to pay my fellow bloggers site a visit. Came across an interesting post by Vieny. Her interpretation of trippinaround to be "trial and error" in life. Something which I really didn't take into consideration when naming this "online journal".

Have to say, she was indeed true in her interpretation. Trippinaround is based on life experiences. There is no build up of any plot in my blog entries. What i think, I post.

Trippinaround is also similar to trials of life. Life is filled with many trials. You will take up challenges daily and the outcome is either success or failure, right or wrong, walk of shame or a victory parade.

Success is to mantain. Defeat is for me to understand and overcome. Easy to say, I admit. But simple theories like these can be very difficult to follow...... yes this will be a true challange in my walk of life.

LinkedIn the Fishtank

2 interesting events happened today. 1st-linkedIn and 2nd-the fish tank.

An invite for "LinkedIn" was sent to my mail this morning by my fellow brudder Markus. Having experienced those SMS and pseudo "virus" like websites, I was initially apprehensive to accept. But what the heck....... just do it lah...... and “woha lau eh”.... it turned out to be really interesting.

To cut things short, "LinkedIn" is like a networking thing where everybody seems to be somewhat related to Kevin Bacon sort of stuff..... like how all of us are related to Adam and Eve. Highly recommended website "www.linkedin.com". Must visit. Maybe we can be somewhat related to Bill Gates or Nelson Mandela? hehehe!

Another eventful thing which happened today was the cleaning of the company's fish tank.... ok.... ok.... Let me set the record straight. I am NOT doing this to score points with my bosses yeah! How I wished I had the picture of the "before" state. It was truly a disgrace. Algae, foul smell of what appeared to be a combination of ammonia and nitrogen based compounds...... H2S or what ever that crap was.... it was just super “stinko-winko”!

I just couldn’t bear to see the state of the tank. The poor fishes. Based on my poor knowledge of fish "nam-o-logy". I believe the initial school of molly fishes dwindled from a prosperous 8 "Fat", to a "pantang" 4..... As in "see" or "sei". (Die and die in hokkien and Cantonese respectively). Furthermore, one of the angelfish (I think) had to be brought back by one of my fellow colleagues Whui-Li for spa therapy.

The both of us being animal lovers had to do something.... really fast. Having only pails and some basic tank cleaning equipment, we had to hold our breadths and clear the grub at the bottom of the tank which also required numerous scoops of the pail to completely empty the tank.

The glass was scrubbed down and we refilled the tank with new sand. I managed to purchase a "shipwreck" from the 24hr aquarium located in Clementi. The sense of satisfaction set in after a new batch of water was filled into the tank and the shipwreck put into place. The glass was crystal clear and the fishes looked happier.Well. it all took us from 1730hrs to 1900hrs to complete the job.... no joke man.... My 1st try cleaning the fish tank. It was really a good workout or rather a good excuse to skip the treadmill! hehehe......

Definitely an eventful day. Indeed satisfying!

The New Golf GTI

There is something about this car. This creature…. This beauty! There is something attractive about this car. I just don’t understand why

My previous love for the RX-8, the Euro-R, Integra type R, and the Caldina GT4 was somewhat transient…. Kinda love hate thing. Love for a while… then “placed on the shelf” and forgotten. Not so much of hate I guess……..

But this Golf seems different. Frankly speaking, I never really liked the Volks. Very much overpriced as compared to the other equivalents available in Singapore. Never much of a performer (mk3 & 4 failed miserably) and the recent models including the beetle don’t seem to have the oomph……. Personal opinion of course…..

But this time around, when the Mk5 was released, I don’t know what really made me so mesmerized….what made me actually plan to save and finance it as a future car…..

Could it be the TV commercial? That cheeky fella….. Reminded me of my old days….. Naughty, playful……Always challenging the system...... so me..... so ACS like..... hahahaha!!!!The real deal is the innovation. Dual sequential gears, 2 liter turbo, honeycomb front grills, aggressive front stance…. “Macham” Audi A6 like. And of course, the subtle GTI badge.

My First Day

The most difficult part about blogging is......how should I start? What “topics” should I be blogging about? “My Life” for now, is plain vanilla. Hopefully, in the months to come, I can get some juicy stuff into the blog log.

Well, how did I come about blogging? Probably initiated by a fellow blogger. (Hello Vieny!) Wanted to write some comments but need to be a blogger first! (What a bummer!!!!)

Therefore, I am now “forced” into blogging….. but somehow, I think I am going to love it!

Welcome to my Blog Space!