When I fell down, Where were You God??

When I have a nightmare
Or I can't sleep at night
Sometimes I reflect upon my life

Why God?
Why You let me fall down so many times
Even when my wound had not recovered
And my heart was still crying

Where were You God? Where were You when I fall down?
I thought You will catch me so I don't reach the sharp stones?
And I don't get hurt? Why God, Why You let me to experience all these?

And God answers me..
Ben, my precious son..
When you fell down, when you get hurt, when you bleed
I cry.. I cry so loud..

I love you Ben, so much
I am your Father, and I know what's best for you
And I know what makes you better..

I give you enough success, just enough to make you confident
I give you enough failure, just enough to make you always rely on Me
I give you enough happiness, just enough to make you smile, so bright, to shine My World
I give you enough sadness and misery, just enough to keep you human. Just enough to make you care about others.

Ben, please remeber, in life
You will fall again so many times
You will betray me again and again
You will do sinful actions again

You are just a human, and I understand that
Try not to do all the sins and please be careful
But please, when you fall down, and you feel unworthy,
When you do something against the Bible, My words
And when you do sins, so big that you feel ashamed towards Me

I am here Ben.
Call Me, talk to Me
Cry as much as you want, don't be ashamed

And after that..
Stand again Ben, try to walk again, try to run again
The world will still be full of sharp stones and cruel sharks,
but don't worry.. I am with you, always

Thank God, CSA Musical is over.. and it's a big success

My first musical in my life is over.. I enjoyed every second of my acting. As I mentioned before, I never think that I am gifted in acting. For about 10 minutes of performance, I need to practise really hard. I mean, REALLY hard. My acting was considered "acceptable" just two days before the musical. I was the first person who speak in the musical, that's why, my acting director gave me additional practice time. The first scene is always very crucial part for any show, be it musical, drama, or anything.

Btw, in the musical, I played as a beggar who always complains about life, envy the rich people. This world is full of complainers. Not only the underprivileged who complains, quite often, people who are considered really fortunate (by the world's standard) complain a lot also. They never feel enough, and want more and more.

I am not naive. I very often trying to get more and more things. More money, more respect, more everything. But, don't you ever experience, when you try very hard to achieve something, and you finally get it, you will feel just as empty as before, when you have nothing? I do. I mean, after a few minutes of that euphoria state ends..

Quoting the opening song,

Look around don't you see
The best things in life are all free
Love in your heart and a friends hand to hold

Look around don't you see
The best things in life are all free
All you really need is to be happy

I am not trying to be philosophical, but I think that's true. Imagine that you have only 1 day to live, what really matters is whether you are happy in your life, and everything else is secondary.

This musical teaches me really a lot of things. If the beggars can be happy, there is no reason for us to be miserable. :)

CSA Musical this Saturday. Let all glory be His!

I have just finished practising my scene for CSA Musical that I mentioned before. The director changed the whole characterization, which means, I need to work really hard these 3 days to be able to really put myself in my character's shoes.

I never act before, except that I always "act" to look happy no matter what happen, and look calm although I am in the mid of storms. I never think that I am gifted in acting. I just do my best, with enthusiasm and pleasure, because I know that I act, sing, and dance, not for my sake. I act, sing, and dance to glorify God. And let all glory be His..

Btw, just to remind you, the CSA Musical will be THIS Saturday, so please make sure that you come early to grab a good seat. If you never know me before, I will be the first person who speak. It is always very scary to be the first person in everything, especially when 800 pairs of eyes look at you, and you are supposed to behave not like your everyday behaviour. It's indeed a challenge.

I have practised my lines so many times, I really fell down while practising (that's part of my acting). My legs got hurt, my hands felt pain after fell down so many times, but my heart is in joy. I will do my best for the musical, and once again, let the glory be His.

I saw the practise for some songs in the musical just now. I can only say one thing. It's awesome. The director is nothing less than terrific, and I am very sure that this musical is going to be a very succesful one. So, please mark your calendar and make sure that you are free on Saturday evening. And let me remind you again, let the glory be His.

My Lord, Jesus Christ, please bless us during our practice, and we are very sure, you will not miss our Musical. You will have the best seat in our theatre, and let all glory be Yours. Amen.

Do you ever feel like uneasy although you think that you did nothing wrong?

I don't know why, after finished writing my last post, I feel a very uneasy feeling.

In one way, I know myself too well that I am a very frank person. I don't feel ashamed admiting that I lack in something, or I need to improve in something. If I feel that I need to improve in something, I will just find the right "teacher" and just learn in a humble way. In the other case, I won't feel uneasy to reveal my achievements, no matter how small is that. I get that accomplishment not by swinging arms and legs. I really put every bit of my body unto it, and I always think that, I deserve that more than anyone else. People may call me arrogant, but let me ask you a question..

If Bush calls himself the most powerful person in the most powerful country in the world, will you call him arrogant?

If Roger Federer calls himself the best tennis player in the world, will you call him arrogant?

If Angelina Jolie thinks that her lip is the sexiest in the universe, will you call her arrogant?

I was just mentioning the fact, that my former boss thinks very highly of me, that's all. But I just feel uneasy. Hope I will discover why, soon.

What my former boss feel about me..

After waiting for about 2 weeks, finally I received letter of recommendation from my former boss, Michelle. I know the writing is to0 small to see, and I also understand that you won't bother to enlarge the picture just to see other people's achievements right? :)

That's why, why not I summarize the points for you?
According to her, these are some traits I posses..
1. Hardworking and result-driven
2. Exceptionally good communication skill
3. Have right attitude to learn, and also a fast learner
4. Have passion and integrity to serve others
5. Nice personality, can get along easily with people
6. perfect team player and also a future leader
7. Highly adaptable and will excel in any company or organization

And she points out that I am truly an asset for her company... I am flattered definitely.. But that's not without reason. I am the Top Sales for July 2007, noone has my permission to deny that fact. As one of the youngest and least experienced employees, I proved that my burning ambition and hunger to learn and excel are more substantial than wisdom, age, and years of experience.

So.. Hey companies out there.. Why wait until I graduate before you give me a job offer? Offer me a fantastic job offer before other company does so. Send me E-mail, Invite me for interview, and in no time, you will realize this is the one of best recruitment decisions your company has ever make, ever. Job Agency, headhunter out there.. forget about headhunting to all the corners in the world, I am The One. I am just one E-mail away.. benny.ntu@gmail.com

I will be waiting, thank you very much.

The Art of Negotiation, My Way! :D

In life, the people who often get the best things are not always the smartest or the most hardworking ones. Very often, the best things in life are reserved for people who dare to negotiate, the correct way.

I just come back from playing badminton. The courts are first-come-first-serve basis. When I went there, the courts have already been occupied.

However, I decided not to cancel the badminton session. I waited there for about 1 hour. However, the players who were playing at the courts keep calling more and more people to join them, and that means, I stand very little chance to play, even if I waited until 12 at night. I have always been good at dealing with people, be it bargaining price or asking for extension of assignment's deadline. Why not using the same technique to ask for badminton court?

Negotiation part I
First, I asked them, because I have been waiting for 1 hour, is it possible to share the court? Btw, I came earlier than them, but just because they are friends of the players who played before, so they think they can just use the court. They are absolutely right. But I don't care, I want to play badminton.
They don't mind sharing the court, so here we are, having half the court.
Lesson learnt: You very seldom get exactly what you want, so start small first.

Negotiation part II
Sometime after all the players who came before me went back, I decided to do Negotiation part II, of course, my way.
This is how the conversation going on.

I : Hey, nice game man! You are very good players! (First, make other parties feel that you are friendly. They will be more open to you.)

They : You too! (Hmm... good sign. Praising back is one of the signs that they start to like me.)

I : Btw, my friends keep coming, so many people now.. (Make them feel uneasy.)

They : Oh.. (They tried to give me sympathy. You are so sweet, thanks. But I don't need your sympathy, I need the badminton court.)

I : Where are your friends who come before me just now? I don't see them anymore... (make them feel guilty, and start to build my standing)

They: They go back already. (They started to feel bad)

I : Hey, that means, I and all my friends came earlier than you, am I correct? (I can just stating the statement, but i need them to approve my argument.)

They : Yes.

I : So, is it possible to have the court. My friends are waiting to play. More than 10 of them.. By the way, I really enjoy playing with you. Thank you very much. (I can just wait for their statements first before stating the "I really enjoy" sentence. But I don't want them to argue. I want to be the person with authority. I want them to do what I say, full stop.)

They : Yes.

I : Thank you very much once again. Hope catching up with you again next time (I make them feel good at the end and in the same time, I replaced their badminton net with my net, means, the court is mine already.)

I know, the blend of my charisma and my choice of words, is indeed, irresistible. I have demonstrated my negotiation skill at a lot of different occasions. Btw, last week, I managed to get a table with 6 chairs when initially, we can't get any table in a seafood restaurant. How did I do that? Post a comment or send me a message :)

The Reasons I am not Running for Big Position at School

Am I afraid of losing? No. Not at all. I believe that the biggest loser is the one who never tried. I experience winning and losing, and each one of them makes me just stronger.

Am I afraid to get busy? If you think like that, you definitely don't know me enough. I am a type of person who don't mind sleeping only 3 hours a day to do the best for something I am passionate about.

Am I afraid of people hate me? Especially after I decided to quit one commitee last week? Maybe. But the fact is, you can't please everybody. Even if 49.9% of American hate you, you can still stand a chance to be the next Bush.

So what keeps me from contesting for big position at school? I am not so sure to be precise. For the time being, let me put it this way. This is my final year at school, and I want to concentrate on study. I am studying very hard to get good honours and by all means I will get that.

Beside that, I want to relax a bit. Spending time with my friends. Doing more exercise. Going to church and church camp more often. Reflex more on life. Calling my family members more often. Trying new sports (be it Thai Boxing or Judo or Yoga). Maybe learning to do a bit of dance. Do a bit of volunteering work. etc etc. And not forgetting, Doing everything I can do to make sure that I get an A for my Final Year Project.

The point is, I will NOT run for any big position in school. Although some people trying to recruit me for that (thanks for giving me that much of trust. I am definitely touched), but sorry, I have decided not to run for any big position this year. Maybe I will change my mind if you are persistent enough, but the chance is quite slim. Don't get me wrong. I am not tired of it. I enjoyed that sooo much and It has been part of my life and my healthy diet (commitee makes you slim by keeping you busy :P)

Anyway, for all freshmen, do join some commitee. Do join some activities you like and not something that will get you handsome ECA points or such. In the future, You will regret to join something that you are not really passionate about.

Sigh, I sound like a very old man try to give advice to his grandson -_-"

Happy 62nd Birthday, Indonesia!! I love this country!

At first I was confused what title to use in this post.. But suddenly, hey, why not using almost identical title as my last post. You can label me uncreative or what, but first, please shout at every person who try to imitate the phrase "So you think you can dance". In fact, nowadays, you can find almost all variations of this ear-catching phrase, from "So you think you can cook" to "So you think you can sing", to the lame "So you think you can think". Uncreative? You bet.

Anyway... Happy 62nd birthday for my country, Indonesia. Or In Bahasa Indonesia, it's "Hari Kemerdekaan RI ke-62"...

I have spent 18 out of 21 years of my life in this beautiful country. Although it's the 4th time I celebrate its birthday outside Indonesia, the feeling is still the same.. I love this country. It's like your first love. People say, first love never dies. And it's true.

And here, I want to remind all Indonesia citizens wherever you are. Quoting JFK.. "Don't ask what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country." And together, WE can make a difference. Merdeka!!

The Beggars' Party, a Truly Masterpiece by NTU CSA

Why must pay $140 to watch The King & I if you can watch a masterpiece for FREE?

NTU Catholic Students' Apostolate presents The Beggars' Party, a musical. The location is at the biggest and most prestigious place at the biggest and most prestigious university in Singapore, NTU Lee Kong Chian Lecture Theatre (Dear NTU Alumni, this place was called MLT last time, bingo!)

Top 5 reasons to watch this musical :

5. The story is truly great.

4. The music is fantastic, with well-trained choir and nice background music.

3. The place is superb. It's not easy to book this place, but we managed to book it. NTU Alumni, you finally get a reason to visit your university again.

2. It's absolutely FREE.

1. I will be playing a small role there, and I will be singing also, LIVE. I have been practising really hard for it, not mentioning that I have started a very serious diet program and do sunbathing twice a week to make me more suitable for the role. So please come okay??! :)

You can contact Irene @ 98289490 or me (Ben - 98186924).

What are you waiting for?? Mark your calendar and see you there!!! :)

Saturday night Bowling

Saturday night is a perfect time to go out with friends or the loved one to do a fun-filled activities outside.. Be it eating outside at a nice place, or watching movies in the cinema. Be it playing badminton, do some jog around, or just window-shopping. Or even just enjoy watching TV. Friends always make your day colorful. And btw, I prefer eating at a cheap place together with close friends compared to eating at a luxurious french restaurant alone. For most of us, that's not a very difficult choice to make, isn't it?

If you have tried all the nice dining places in Singapore or you have watched all the movies (from Rush Hour 3 to our local film 881), why not try bowling? Let me list the positive points.

1. It's fun. Although I do see some nerd playing bowling alone (duh..), but usually we play bowling with friends. Fun isn't it?

2. It's not very expensive. If you bring your own drink and snack, you won't need to spend more than $20 per person for a few games of bowling. That's inclusive of shoes-rental.

3. It burns some calories. OK, It won't burn calories as fast as badminton or basketball, otherwise the bowling place will be full of sweating people around, and that's just awful.
BUT, My point is, It will burn some calories, at least more than what you will burn during a movie session.

4. It will train your muscle (I think..). While waiting for your turn, why not using the bowling balls to train some muscles. You don't need to go to gym for that. Disclaimer : I don't know how to use bowling balls to train musle, ask the expert. Don't blame me if you get some injuries.

5. If you are lucky, you can meet hot girls or guys there. Who knows you can ask that person out. And if that happens, you at least have already known 1 of his/her hobbies, do I need to say it?


Last Saturday, we went to a bowling house at Bukit Batok area. It's called home NS or something like that (I guess it's a club for NS people, like SAFRA). The place is quite nice, although we have to wait like 2 hours before our chance to bowl. You will need to book 1 day in advance to avoid 2 hours of waiting. Last Saturday, we didn't book, so I have to use some strategy to talk to that two-centimeter-thick-makeup service lady. I wish she had her monthly period last Saturday, otherwise, I pity her boyfriend for having such a fierce girlfriend like her, for life. I just can't imagine that.

But at the end, we had fun together. It's my 2nd times playing bowling for my entire life (poor me.). Out of 4 people, I get the 2nd position in the first game, 3rd position in the second game, and finally!! I make to the first position in the last game after doing 2 strikes. I got 103 points in the last game (1o chances). Not bad right? :)

Will improve my bowling skill in the future.. Anyone who want to play bowling in the future, do let me know.. :)

From Oprah With Singlish?

Don't get me wrong, I don't speak Singlish lah..

You know I'm joking, coz I do speak Singlish, at least 50% of the time.

And.. I am proud of it.

It's simple, efficient, and nice to hear. What else do you want?

Btw, neither English and Mandarin is my mother tongue. My mother tongue is Indonesian (similar to Malay). But I speak English much more than I speak Indonesian for the last 3 years and now I find it's more comfortable to write, think, read, and speak in English compared to Indonesian (I don't want to show off, but I do find it that way. Sorry ah..)

And among the Englishes in the world, I never think that Singlish is inferior compared to the Queen's English, Hollywood's English, or Australian English. I find it strange if people try to fake their English. They try to imitate how the Ang Moh speak, but they don't realize 1 thing. They are not Ang Moh, and never be. Their tongue is not Ang Moh's, and never be. The point is, just be yourself, and be comfortable with it. Period.

SO..
If you speak with vocabulary richness as rich as Oprah, and you speak with high level of emphaty like Oprah, I might listen to you as well, no matter what accent you use, be it Singlish, French-English, Belgian-English, Indian-English, Chinese-English, or whatever. As long as I can understand it without much difficulty, that's perfect.

I speak with an accent which I myself can't identify. Within the first 2 sentences, Singaporean can identify that I am definitely not local. However, by the first 3 sentences, everyone can sense that I ever live in Singapore, at least for some years. I also have British and American accent. I don't try to sound like those Hollywood actors, but I listen to English songs everyday, I watch American movies and TV shows.. So, that definitely influences my English. I never think what accent I am going to use... in fact, I just don't have time to think about that. The content of my conversation has taken up so much energy and effort.

SO.. Be comfortable with your accent, no matter how strange it is. Just be clear and understandable. Provided your brain remains the same, the more effort you try to "polish" your accent, the less effort goes into your content. And what's more humiliating than seeing someone who speak in perfect English but zero content?

Happy 42nd Birthday Singapore!!! I Love this country!!

It's the fourth time I celebrate the birthday of Singapore... The feeling is still the same, I love this country!! Just because I am a foreigner, it doesn't mean that I can't love this country right?

I know some of you will be asking some hypothetical question, which country I love more? Indonesia (my home country) or Singapore.. For those who try to test me with such a question, I will ask you back. What do you love more, eating or drinking. Money or fame. Being happy or being nice. Your mother or your father. Your mother or your girlfriend. And the list goes on.

The point is, I love both countries (Indo and Singapore), just like I love eating and drinking at the same time. Can not meh?

And here are 2 official songs for this year's NDP. Enjoy :)





Happy 42nd Birthday Singapore!! Keep up the good work and make me proud! :)

Creative Commercial by DHL. Hilarious!! :)

Get this video from my friend..
With thousands of commercials circulating everyday, companies become more and more creative at making an ads... it's not only informing, but entertaining as well. Like this.. :)



DHL. We deliver. Whatever :)

May Day - Tian Shi (The Angel)

A very nice song and superb lyrics by May Day. Click on the lyrics to enlarge it!

Cristiano Ronaldo, the next Beckham?

His jeans commercial

Good-looking. Tall. Young. Rich. Talented. A Strong mentality. A heart made of gold. Christiano Ronaldo (22) definitely has the potential to be the next David Beckham.. maybe more, much more.

1. His parents named him "Ronaldo" after the former U.S. President, Ronald Reagan (I thought they got inspiration from the Brazilian football player, yes! That bald Ronaldo, just like Martina Hingis' parents name their daughter after Martina Navratilova).

2. Everytime I heard his name, what first comes in my mind is that world cup's incident, while he was winking at his teammates after Wayne Rooney's was sent off. I was an England team supporter at that time (and I am still their supporter until now), and I was absolutely upset after that incident. Unfortunately, that incident is not the most "interesting" incident in the last world cup, France's Zinedine Zidane definitely get my vote by head-butting Italy's Materazzi. What an exciting World Cup! :)

3. After that incident, in the semi-final against France, Ronaldo was booed every time he touched the ball. Yet he was unaffected by the abuse and showed his true class of playing football, which is, not less than a truly superstar. Although Portugal finally lost to France, he definitely played better than anyone else in the field.

4. After World Cup, he, again, demonstrated that his strong mentality by come back to Manchester United to play with Rooney (although a lot of people recommended him to go to Real Madrid instead), and by the way, if you don't know anything about football or geography, Manchester United is in England, and by now you should be able to connect what happened between Ronaldo and England right?

Ronaldo - Rooney, the are just alright! :)

5. He won both the PFA Young Player of the year and Footballer of the Year, and of course, that prestigious FA Premier League 2006/07 with Manchester United.

OK, enough about the facts. Despite everything, he got my vote as the most charismatic player of the year.. Some of his comments :

- "We were on opposite sides at the World Cup. There are no personal differences. It's all in the past. It's not an issue, it's gone and life goes on." - on his United teammate, Wayne Rooney.

- "Everyone does what he has to do for his country and I did what I had to do. Every player plays for his national team with great love and I was giving great love for Portugal" - his attempt to defend himself after the incident.

- "I am aware of the booing, but I don't pay any attention to it" - on his reaction towards audience's booing in World Cup semi-final against France.

- "It's been a difficult time. There are things that could have gone better and I've had to take a step back and look at them. I've had to see it through, but things have turned out well." - commenting on some of the "sufferings" he received last year, including his father, Dinis, death.

- "There are times when there really is a lot of pressure but I always try to feel good, be on form and concentrate on the game. It's important to have belief in yourself and your ability, which I have."

- "I saw the story on TV and was very moved." - after helping an Indonesian boy, Martunis, whose mother and sisters died in the 2004 tsunami. Ronaldo invited the sad boy to Manchester for a game and he paid for a new house to be built for Martunis and his family. He also made a humanitarian trip for East Timor (which used to be part of Indonesia)

How?? Anyone doubt that he will be the next David Beckham? Think again.

Never ever promise something you can't deliver

I am a great believer that one must deliver their promise no matter what.. I can get very frustrated when someone like to talk big but deliver much less than his talk. That gives me trouble in some commitees which I am inside.

Last year, after seeing my bright achievements in business manager ares, a chairperson of one commitee decided to recruit me as his business manager. When other people have to compete with each other to get one position, I didn't even need to go for interview for that. Not fair? Maybe, but I believe results speak louder than anything.

At that time, I had already joined several other commitees, meaning, I was really very busy. However, after listening to his promise of what I can get if I join that commitee, I was somehow interested (I prefer not to disclose what his promises are, bcoz if I disclose those, it will be very obvious which commitee I was in). However, after several months, I saw nothing. I felt that I was in that commitee to get sponsorships. Hey, there's no free lunch in this world. If you wish me to get necessary funding for your commitee, you have to make sure that I get something from it. If I don't get what I want, forget about what you want. Even charity organizations promise something to the giver, a good feeling by helping the needy. I don't even get that good feeling in my commitee, so what's the reason for me to stay?

And finally I quitted that commitee. I told him very frankly that I was very dissapointed. OK, actually I can just say that I am very busy or such, a common reason people give when they quit a commitee. BUT Let the truth be the truth. I am dissapointed with the commitee' inefficiencies, and unability to deliver promises.

I won't bother to stay in a commitee I don't like, and working under a chairperson I don't respect. My time is too precious for that. Sorry for being arrogant, but that's true. I have raised over $80,000 for NTU. I have raised over $120,000 for my company and sell more product than anyone else in my first try in Sales line. If I am able to raise $2000 for that commitee (which is not difficult at all for me), I have already over-delivered. But I don't want. I fed up, and I decided to quit. Oh, btw, at least I get one lesson from that commitee. Never ever over-promise and under-deliver. People won't forgive you for that, at least for me.

I got my handphone-casing exchanged!

Yesterday I bought a casing for my phone. It took me less than 1 minute to buy (I am always proud to be extremely efficient in shopping). But then, my stupid mistake is, I didn't try the casing on the spot. I tried if on the way back home. Then I realized that the casing doesn't fit my phone! I need to use both hands just to type a sms. How uncool is that?

Then today I went to the shop again although I didn't really expect much. I didn't keep the receipt. But, why not give it a try, I thought.

The shop assistant doesn't speak much English, and my Mandarin is definitely not up to standard. Because I am the buyer and buyer is king, I insist of using English. I tried to convince "Hey, look! It doesn't fit! You need to press heavily to get it pressed.!" But she kept saying "Can what??" Then I said "It is extremely difficult to type using this casing.", but she kept saying "Can what??" Finally, after some minutes of debate, she admitted that it really DOESN'T fit. Thank you.

But then when I want it to be exchanged, she said "cannot change!" I was absolutely irritated. Hey woman, you are really irritating, just like your recycled toilet-paper face (the difference is, yours is not environmentally friendly. It harms me). Why you tried to convince me that your made-in-China handphone casing FITS my phone perfectly (or maybe you think that sms-ing using both hands is sexy?). Why not saying that exchanging goods is not allowed at the first place! It saves my time and yours as well.

Then I tried to tell her "Hey, if I exchange the good because I don't like the model or because It has a bit of imperfection, you can object. BUT this casing doesn't fit my phone! I only using it for less than 1 day and it still looks perfect"

Although I am a Top Sales (read my previous entry), I still can't convince her. She only said simple yet powerful sentence "Can not change."

Well, it's not about 8 dollars. It's about my pride. I approached the shop owner. He didn't speak Mandarin to me, he spoke Hokkien. But I don't care, I told him in English and he insisted of using Hokkien. OK nevermind, I don't need to understand you. I just need my handphone-casing exchanged, thank you. He finally gave up. I got my handphone-casing exchanged! After 20 minutes of debate. So happy, I should celebrate it! =P

Moral of the story : don't give up when someone say "no" to you. Ask for second opinion. Be persistent. Everything is negotiable if you know how to negotiate.

Final year.. OMG, I am so old =P

3 years ago, when I met new student and I asked "which year are you in?", and he/she answered "final year..", I will be amazed. I thought a final year student must be someone who is already "enlightened". Until now, I still can't believe that I only have 1 year before graduating from my beloved university (if I dun further my study). I am in my final year!!!

Btw, I am 21 this year. Most of my classmates are Singaporean, which is about 2 or 3 years older than me. They need to go for National Service. I personally support NS, and I will insist that all my future children MUST experience NS.

I don't have to go for NS. That's why, everytime I say I am in my final year, people won't believe me. Ladies and gentlemen, I know I look young. Last time when I used a very advanced weighing scale (which can show body-fat ratio etc), it showed that my body is actually 18 years old, which is 3 years younger than my real age. That brought me trouble once. Last time when I wanted to enter Ministry of Sound (a famous clubbing place in Singapore), they require the people to be at least 18 years old. I didn't bring any document showing that I am 21, so I told them "Hey, i am a 3rd year student, I am 21 already. Dude, A THIRD year student can't be younger than 18 years old!!" They told me "Whatever... you can't be 21. I think you are only 17." OK.. Thanks so much, I am flattered.

ANYWAYSS..
Moral of the story, I am a final year student. Must work really hard this year, no more slacking around.

Undervalued, Overused Phrases

We use it often in our daily conversations. So often these phrases lose some of their values.

10. Fine..
It's very interesting that "fine" is by far, the most commonly used answer to answer the question "how are you?" But fellow citizens of the world, are you really that fine?

9. You know..
You know .. I always get very irritated .. you know.. when listening to .. you know.. speech or show and .. you knowww.. people use .. you knoww.. very often .. you know..
If you have already know everything, why that conversation must exist in the first place, you know?

8. One of the best.
From now on, when someone tell you that he is one of the best in something, ask him, how many people better than him.. Because he is certainly not the best, otherwise, he will just say that he is the best. Similarly, when someone tell you that he is in the top five, ask him, who are the four persons better than him. If he ranks number 4, he would say that he is in the top four, not top five. Get my point?

7. That's wonderful / perfect / amazing / fantastic!
Some people are just more content than the others. But seriously, do they wonder? Do they really get amazed by that thing?

6. I know that!
Nothing more irritating in conversation than keep hearing the other person says.. I know that!.. Exactly!.. That's my point!.. That's what I am going to say!... Hey, Mr. Know-Everything, even if you know that, please shut up and save my embarrassment!

5. I don't care..
Do you really that ignorant? Last time when we (3 girls and 2 guys including me) gossiped about Paris Hilton's jailing, that guy said, "I don't care..". However, I found out later that he surfed about that in the Internet. Come on, we, humans, are basically curious. When we say that we don't care, deep inside our heart, we actually care. Is it true that you don't care how your ex is doing if the fact is, you keep reading her or his blog?

4. To tell you the truth / To be honest with you.
Oh, I know now... So far you have been lying to me!!! The entire conversation is totally a lie, only the last sentence is a truth.

3. I am sorry..
You are so sorry meh?

2. Wish you all the best!
This is among the favourites of birthday or new year greetings.. Do we really wish them the best? I know some people really mean that sentence, but most of them don't.. including me sometimes.

1. Thank you so much..
If there is a phrase, although undervalued these days, but is nice to hear, without doubt I will say "thank you so much." But if you want to make a more touching sentence, try some of its variations like "I really appreciate what you have done to me", "You make my day", "What a kind heart you have", "I am really grateful for that." or the lame "thankssss a million (billion, zillion)"

Note : the writer also sometimes uses those phrases, except phrase number 4, 6, and 9 :P

Back to Single

Officially today, I come back to bachelor life. Yes, I am single again. Nothing to be ashamed about, and nothing to worry. Life goes on. The sun will still be rising tommorow and the birds won't care more either. Life just goes on.

Thanks for someone out there who has become the queen of my heart for these few months. I am busy, you are busy, and even the idiot can tell that breaking-up is not the best choice, it is the only choice.

We will still be friends, better than ever. Let's support each other. Let's challenge each other. Every cloud has a silver lining, and let's find that lining. All the best...

Btw, please don't post a comment asking about the details of our relationship. Nothing more irritating in this world than kaypoh people. Mind your own business, no matter how boring it is.
I also don't need any encouragement. I am fine, for real.

233 in 4 weeks. I am the Top Sales.

If you think this post is going to be a post about a young man's ambition or dream, i assure you that it won't. It is about real result, and I wish to remind first, sorry for being arrogant, but I am that good.

I have been enjoying a lot of different job during my university days. I ever experience how to be a waiter. It teaches me how to be patient and humble. It teaches me customer service. I personally believe that everyone who want to be in any job dealing with customers directly or indirectly (which means, almost every job, if not all), should try this job. You will learn more than by reading book about customer service. Even Britney Spears thought that this job is sexy, why don't you try it? :)

I did an attachment in Philips Electronics Singapore, assigned as an assistant engineer and researcher. I had a great time and I did apply some engineering knowledge in my job (that's the purpose of this attachment, although most principles are just common sense).

This holiday, I planned to try out something new. I was a bit confused at the beginning, but after some thinking, I realized 1 thing. I have always been good in dealing with people, why not try sales? Finally, I applied for a job in sales.

As one of the youngest and least experienced, I started the job with almost nothing but an ambition, a HUGE one. I didn't want to make this job as just another summer job. I wanted to give my best and I set a goal to be the top sales. Three of my colleagues have years of experience in sales. Seven of them have previous sales experience. Two of them are natural conversationalists who can talk to anyone in the street. Six of them are women, who are better salesmen than men, at least according to Marion Luna Brem in "Women make the best salesmen". I am a mechanical engineering student. We don't talk to people, we talk to machines and textbooks.

At the first day of my job, I didn't make even 1 sale. In the second day, I closed 1 sale, not too bad. However, if my goal is to become a top sales, I should do something. I observed more experienced colleagues closely. I went to library read some sales books. The result? I make 4 sales in the 3rd day, 7 sales in the 4th day, and 9 sales in the 5th day, and surprisingly, I became the top sales in that company in the first week I joined that company, outperformed all my colleagues, including all my seniors.

I continued to perform and I get better everyday. I read every book in sales I could find. I continued to improve myself everyday. In life, if you are not improving, you are done. I became top sales in my company every single week. And with no doubt, I become top sales for July 2007 in my company, selling over 230 in only 4 week. I outperformed every single one of my colleagues. Sorry for being arrogant, but result speaks louder than everything else combined.

I won't reach that success without my ambition. At first, we were told that we need to achieve at least 60 sales in 1 month. Most people are minimalists. They look at that number and start dividing them into 20 days a month, means, 3 sales a day. After they reach 3 sales, they start thinking whether they should have coffee or tea for their break. But for me, that's not the case. At the very beginning, I demanded a very high standard of myself. I triple the number from 60 to 180. I didn't look at the minimum, I like to challenge myself. Life without challenge is simply boring. And as a result, I not only triple the result, I almost achieve 4 times the minimum. I am a bit disappointed now. If I set 300 sales at the very beginning, most probably I will reach that number.

But anyway, I am the top sales. I worked harder than anyone else, and I deserved that title.
Maybe in future, I will write the second edition of Marion Luna Brem's book titled "Women make the best salesmen. I am a Man, so what??" :)