Paul's Fulfilling Life

My colleagues were discussing about this topic for lunch today, after one of them actually brought up the need to get a Chinese electronic dictionary for Chinese exam purposes. It seems like my colleagues, all of them from Chinese mainstream schools have a lot to say about the above measure. Q said,”当初,我们学英文的时侯,我们并不可以带词典或字典, 现在,有很多华人因为认为华文太难,所以, 我国的华文教材一直在减少.如今,中国已经起飞,我国的人才如何与别人比?” On hearing that, I can’t help but agree. I wonder how many of our peers can read the short sentences that I wrote in my previous paragraph. We also mentioned some of our views about the education system, especially the Chinese syllabus, but I don’t think it is printable here. I just hope a serious rethink about our education system is on the way.

Your iPod Is Classic iPod What iPod Are You?

Your Blog Should Be Purple You're an expressive, offbeat blogger who tends to write about anything and everything. You tend to set blogging trends, and you're the most likely to write your own meme or survey. You are a bit distant though. Your blog is all about you - not what anyone else has to say. What Color Should Your Blog or Journal Be?

As there will be two public holidays next week, my colleagues were dreaming from Thursday that there may be a chance that my boss would be giving a whole week off for the whole of next week. Logically speaking, we do not have any Malay, Indian or Indian Muslim colleagues working in our office, How would my boss give a whole week off for public holidays meant for the Malay & Indian community? If he were to give the week off, we would definitely get less off days in the Chinese New Year period. Next year CNY eve is on 28 Jan 2006 (Sat). The public holidays of CNY is on 29 Jan (Sun) & 30 Jan (Mon). My boss should be thinking to give us a break to maybe 1 Feb or 2 Feb, since CNY eve, he has always gave us off without fail. I would actually prefer this. Who would want to go back to work immediately after the CNY festivities? The lesson learnt is “ Do not try to be smart aleck, assume something when boss is asking about the progress of our work . He should be thinking about the year...

I wonder what's wrong with Rebecca recently. I just chatted with her on MSN. She seems very agitated. I wonder if it is because of this paragraph that I wrote in my blog just a while ago. "I remembered telling Rebecca when I met her the 1st time. She scolded me for forgetting her birthday. Now I can say that I have remembered her birthday. Her birthday is on 19 May 1981, but she forgotten mine. Sad Sad Sad. Maybe its due to her work stress and that Mr. B has been bugging her recently. She is also suffering from her lack of sleep" I got quite a earful from her. I didn't expect her to take it so hard, because I did write down her reasons. I also reminded her that it was Darling's birthday yesterday. She said, " Does it mean that I have to remember everything, no wonder have been losing sleep". Let's hope she's alright. Just to apologise to her, "Sorry Rebecca, if what I said or wrote offended you just now.

I met up with my NS buddy, Jason on Wednesday at Junction 8, Thai Express Restaurant. He was the one who suggested having dinner there, as we have tried almost all the dining outlets in Junction 8. It was quite a simple fare and the food was good. We had Tom Yam Soup, Pineapple Rice and a Salad. I would say the price of about $40 was quite worth it. After that, we went to Swensen’s for an ice-cream treat. During dinner, he actually mentioned that he was enjoying his job at this company as he got reunited with his ex general manager. This GM was his superior when he was working as a temp staff before he was enlisted for NS. Today, I received a call from him that he has been fired by his Head of Dept. He said that the HOD has been seeing red over his relationship with the GM. The person had always tried to find fault with his work, so I guessed, Jason was sacked because of that. Jason has been rather unlucky this year. His jobs have not lasted long. I have told him that his luck should c...

My poly friend, Caifeng, started asking me about the plans for my birthday when we met up with the previous week. Soon after that, Rebecca & Darling asked me in my blog when is my birthday. I remembered telling Rebecca when I met her the 1st time. She scolded me for forgetting her birthday. Now I can say that I have remembered her birthday. Her birthday is on 19 May 1981, but she forgotten mine. Sad Sad Sad. Maybe its due to her work stress and that Mr. B has been bugging her recently. She is also suffering from her lack of sleep. As for my birthday, I am planning to have dinner buffet at Plaza Parkroyal Hotel at Beach Road. I have had dinner buffet with my boss & colleagues. The food is really good & it seems like Caifeng & Yishan have not been there before. After talking so much, I nearly forgot to say my birthday. It’s a week before Christmas, 18 Dec. I am planning my celebration on 17 Dec, Sat. That would be 2 days after my last ACCA paper on 15 Dec. I am also think...

Mum was nagging again about how much bonus I will be getting? I was thinking, last year I had none, since it was my 1st year at the firm. This year, I do not foresee any difference, because the CPA firm industry, especially the small ones are still reeling from the audit exemption measures announced last year. I can't say what measures my firm has taken to overcome this, but I can tell that the business has been badly affected. What does my mum want now? I find that recently she has been harping on things/issues that are beyond my control. A big fat bonus for me, so that she can get a bigger share. This one, she need not worry, I would match the monthly allowance I give her every month to my bonus, depending on the no. of months that I am getting. Then, she asked me to go for a concert to relax. I did not want to go as it was today. I have been busy with my work recently, with the new IRAS system administration matters taking up the bulk of work time. I just hope to get home after ...

Yesterday, I went for a KTV session with Ling, my new found net friend. It was supposed to be threesome outing but Rebecca was down with high fever, so she didn't join us. Can you imagine two people sitting & singing in the KTV room for 3 hours? Although we enjoyed the singing, we feel that something was missing. Ling was quite disappointed as she was hoping to see Rebecca, as I think they clicked well on the net already, after knowing each other from my blog. I have told Rebecca that our next planned outing, tenatively set on the 12 Nov, will be on her tab. She said she has to wait for her year end bonus in Dec. I said, "All the better, my b-day in Dec ma." Ling said that if Rebecca is sick again, she will miss the goodies, i.e. the CDs at my house. Here is what Ling has to say about our gathering. http://tailing.blogspot.com/2005/10/mini-celebration-with-paul.html

I would like to thank Francessca for doing the Greek Numerlogy Test for me. It is quite accurate, save for the last part. Your governing trait is communication. which refers to ability to talk/make yourself understood. it could mean being able to communicate your ideas well to others, but adversely, it can be taken as a warning not to 'talk too much'. your personality traits are fairly balanced. your dominant personality traits are as follows: VERY STRONG: refers to your intelligence & leadership potential. it may refer to EQ or IQ or both, however, only a more detailed form of analysis can tell where your 'intelligence' strength actually lies, until then, it's wise to play to your strengths, and stretch the boundaries of your mind! STRONG: business-minded & teaching ability. both show equal dominance amongst your personality traits. These two qualities complement your governing trait of communication since it is important to be able to communicate well in o...

Got this from Alan's blog. Congratulations Paul, you are... 'PoiPoi' Apple Lim of verypoisonouslady.blogspot.com You look like a stereotypical bimbo outside but its a different story inside. You're a nice, simple, proud and straightforward person who believes what you're doing is right. You don't change people, and you love them for who they are. Your primary goal in life is to be happy, next to being pretty. You have your detractors but you don't let them bring you down. You go out of your way to help others out even before they ask, and for that they love you. Which Singaporean Blogger Are You?

Today I went to IRAS twice, first for the seminar about the new "My tax portal" system for corporate clients & tax agents. Like the last time on Aug 19, the speaker seemed ill-prepared for the presentation & he was jammed for a while for the first question I have asked in the Q & A session. The session also meant that it was a start of an admin work nightmare for me. I have to compile the differences in IRAS client listing & my client listing & submit to IRAS in a CD by 31 Oct. Tomorrow is already 20 Oct. I have just managed to verify 25% of the clients of the first firm that I am working for before I left the office for my leave. Deadline is tight. Went for the second time for the interview. The interview was not a good one. The offer was very much different than what I have expected & the pay was shocking, surprisingly low. It is actually about 15% lower than what I am currently getting. Its shocking to find this in a government statutory board now...

I was supposed to be on a day's leave to coach my brother in the morning & go for a job interview in the afternoon. Unfortunately, my boss has asked me to go for a briefing at IRAS. This means that I will be staying there for almost a whole day. I have amended my leave to half a day(PM) to attend the interview. I'm just taking a look & see attitude about the job interview at IRAS, as it is a contract position. I want to see what their offer is like, before deciding if I am up to the task. I have decided not to be bullied by the aunties & senior already. I am going to ignore them.Haha:)

Yesterday, I met up with Caifeng, Yishan, Raymond, Kelvin & Peifen for a poly friends gathering at Sakae Sushi and Hagen Daz. It has been a while since I last saw them, so it was great to see them. Yishan showed us her photos that she had taken during her trip to Melbourne last week. The photos were well-taken (makes me want to go there too, but no money .Haha.). As we were talking about tours & holidays, while enjoying our ice-cream, Caifeng & Kelvin mentioned to us that Caifeng’s parents do not allow the couple to go on a holiday tour together. As heard from Caifeng, her parents will only allow the both of them to travel together when they have their Chinese customary wedding. Having met Caifeng’s parents before, I could tell that her parents were very traditional & protective over her. In fact, she has never taken an aeroplane before. I told Kelvin that despite the fact that his relationship with Caifeng is 4 years already, it could also be the following reasons that...

C+ You tend to notice the big things in life... But the details aren't exactly your forte How Observant Are You?

You Are 50% Weird Normal enough to know that you're weird... But too damn weird to do anything about it! How Weird Are You?

I have been having bad days this week, since my boss had not been in office. The Audit Senior has been trying to show off that she is some kind of “boss”. She has been criticizing my work, badmouthing me to my lady boss( when she is around), order me around like her slave, ask me carry boxes of files. People who know me should know why I can’t carry heavy stuff. In fact just another point to add, I was not supposed to be the 1 extracting the donation receipt. In fact, as a auditor, she should assist the tax department to get the documents that the tax department needs in the course of the audit. This will definitely save time and curb wastage of resources. To think you treat a handicapped person like that. My colleague, Q told me to put aside my pride, and ask me to ask her to help me, but I decided against it. I guessed I made the right move, as my colleagues saw my plight, they came to my aid. Later, she took over the search. When she found the document, she said to me, “you should...

You Are Internal - Believer - Powerful You feel your life is controlled internally. If you want something, you make it happen. You don't wait around for things to go your way. You value your independence and don't like others to have control. You are a true believer in luck, fate, and karma. You believe that life is a game of chance - not a game of skill. You either consider yourself very unlucky or very lucky. No matter what, you don't feel like you can change the hand you were dealt. When it comes to who's in charge, it's you. Life is a kingdom, and you're the grand ruler. You don't care much about what others think. But they better care what you think! The Three Dimension Luck and Power Test

I finally got my PC back yesterday night. Roy, my ex colleague cum PC techincian had replaced these stuffs for me & charged me $160 for all these. Replaced my hard disk. Replaced my CD-Rom, which I bought only last month from him. Replaced my power supply after 1 year plus of usage. What surprised me the most was the vulnerability of Items 2 & 3. It seems like his products are going downhill in grade. Talking about the b***, it seems like she likes to weld onto power, when my boss is not around. ( I wonder where my boss had gone to, haven't seen him for a few days, could he be on holiday. Pls come back soon if you see this, Mr Yee, the office is a bit chaotic without you around.Someone has tried to exert power in office, while you are not around.

I am feeling a bit down & lost these few days. My home PC is down due to a hard disk crash. There goes some of my songs, photos & documents, not forgetting about my money too for the repair. Mum's nagging again. She kept harping on my ACCA. Why can't she just leave me alone? She says she does not want to support me through ACCA if I were to fail my paper again. Well, if she stops all the finance, I personally feel that I will not have the finanacial capability to carry on too. Maybe it will be a break for good? Haiz. I am going crazy. The b*** is going crazy again. I can't blog here for the moment. Tell you all more when I get back my PC.

What Your Sleeping Position Says You have a passion for everything - including sleeping. Outgoing and brash, you tend to still shock those who know you well. You tend to be selfish. You are the most likely type to hog the covers. You gravitate toward comfort and don't like extreme situations. What Does Your Sleeping Position Say About You?

What Your Underwear Says About You You tend to buy new underwear instead of doing laundry. You are childlike (or childish), and prone to run around in your underwear. The Underwear Oracle

You Are Mexican Food Spicy yet dependable. You pull punches, but people still love you. What Kind of Food Are You?

My mum is nagging about again. She keeps pestering me about :- Please continue your ACCA without a break. I know it is very taxing for you to take 2 subjects at 1 go. Please pass your Financial Management & Control this December. Personally I am hoping for that. It is very frustrating to see my buddy, Richard keep clearing his paper all at one time. It hurts as I am doing the course together with him. I also do not want to see this paper anymore. But as you guys may know, this paper is the toughest in ACCA Level 2. I am feeling physically drained & mentally stressed due to the events that have happened in my life from the start of this year. Therefore, I do not think I am not going to change my decision about taking a break from Jan 2006 to most likely June 2006. I am feeling like a flat battery now. I need to recharge myself. When you going to express your feelings to Stella again? I do not think I will do it as I feel that if I were to do that again, I may lose the friendship...

Surprise Surprise I was quite surprised to see the comments in my previous post just a while ago. Two of my net friends, whom I know at different times through ICQ , then progressed on to MSN have got to know each other. The funny thing is both of them are from the same department at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. I always feel great that my friends get to know my friends, as I believe that there are no enemies in this world. Another surprise was I saw my Secondary 1 Chinese teacher on my way home yesterday. Time really flies. I have graduated from Secondary School for 9 years already. He still could recognize me. I was very touched. Although the bus ride was a short one, we briefly chatted about the times we had in school. It really made my day.  

What is Wrong with Blogspot? I just wonder what is wrong with Blogger this few days? I can’t seem to create new post using Html language from the site, as its “create new post” is always out of alignment. I can’t find the html language button, to upload the quiz I have done from Blogthings . Another point to note is that IwebTunes , the site where I used to play my background music for my blog, has caused me to have a lot of spam mail & unnecessary pop ups with occasional hanging of my system. Therefore I have deleted the code, after I received some comments from my readers. Thanks to Rebecca & Francessa.

Today was a long day for me. I was up and running for a Sunday morning class at FTC at 10am. Richard did not want to attend the class, so I had to be there to copy the notes. I was quite surprised that many students did not turn up today. Maybe yesterday they went clubbing till wee hours of the morning, or the lecturer was too monotonous in her lectures. But Audit is technically a theory paper, therefore it is usually pretty dry subject. It is difficult to make it interesting. After the lesson, I made my way to my grandma’s place. My parents were saying we have not visited her for a long while ( 9 months ) so we decided that we should pay her a visit today. I was the 1st in my family to arrive. I saw my grandma was playing poker cards with herself. Ever since, she was hospitalized with high blood pressure last year, my aunts did not allow her to do her cooking or any other household chores. Old people will always want to be active, otherwise they would feel empty with their lives. I wo...