Ben & Co. Thou Shall Dream!

I know that one day, I want to start my own business, be it part-time or full-time. Not really for the money (although that's also nice), but mainly for the personal satisfaction and sense of accomplishment.

OKAY, let's brainstorm.

If you see my friendster, these are my hobbies:


Movies, Creative Writing, Playing Badminton and Tennis, Human Psychology, Running, Reading, Logic, Writing Blog, Eating buffet, Fashion, Siti Nurhaliza (before married), Relaxing, Korean Food, Thai Food, Indonesian Food, Ice Cream, Doing nothing, Juventus, books, Healthy Food, smart girls, People who always say "OMGosh, u are so thin!", Home Design, Workout @ Gym, Maria Sharapova, Hanging Out, Angelina Jolie, Being praised in front of many people, Chocolate, Strawberry, Papaya, Learning something new, Sleeping, More Sleeping, Old Songs, Singing, Vegetarian and something related to vegetable, Window-Shopping, Learning Chinese, My professor who looks like Fann Wong, Surfing Internet, Travelling, Peanut butter, Listening to good music, Reading people's Blogs, God, The Bible, Going to church every Saturday night and going shopping after that.


WELL, I know, that's A LOT.

That shows that I have a wide range of interests, or lack of focus depending on how you see it. But let's summarize it into some big categories and see how it can be transformed into business ideas.

1. Eating
Setting up a cafe like Rochester Park or Pacific Coffee at vivocity?
OMYGOD, I have been to Rochester Park only once in my life and I want to spend my life there, for real. It's soooooooo beautiful with all the gardens and excellent drinks and foods. Well, who cares about drinks and foods, I go to a cafe mainly for the ambiance and companionship.

I want to have my own cafe and name it Ben & Co. (I hope Ben & Jerry will be bankrupt by then, so my name is unique. Screw you B & J!!!)

2. Sports
Btw, do you know why I love sports? Because I like winning.
So, I want to set up a sports academy that teaches people not only the technical aspect of the sports, but mainly, the philosophy behind it. Teamwork, determination, mental strength, focus. You name it. Everything you need to know to succeed in life, you can learn it from sports.

Some of the best managers in the world are from sports. Six Alex, Jose Mourinho, you name it. We can definitely learn one thing or two from sports.

3. Fashion
I admit that I am no expert on this. My fashion sense is still way behind many bankers, although it's much better than engineers'. haha...

My fashion sense is simple, sophisticated, and manly. NOPE, you won't see me carrying those girly bags who are claimed to be unisex. Soooo gay, yucks.

The day when I see people wearing my fashion label would be the one of the happiest days in my life.

Like The Apprentice 4 UK, I want men who wear my fashion label to wear like a man, walk like a man, and look like a man. Enough said.


I know I am not the most creative person in the world, and starting something new isn't really my strength. But I am well-known to be very good in negotiating and leading... and I believe no matter how good the idea is, it needs a good marketer and a good leader (brand evangelist - so to say).

Who wants to be my future business partner? Drop me an E-mail and we shall discuss.. ;)



Footnote:
I still LOOOVVEEE my job as a banker, and I wake up everyday, can't wait to start working. But I know there's nothing wrong with having another plan in my life.

Get married before 25?

It's so difficult to be single. Especially if you are good looking (No, I am not talking about myself, although you have all the right to think so =P). Especially if you are surrounded by pretty girls. And especially, if you have been single for so long.

People will start to ask, "Are you straight?"

Or even worse, when someone confessed HIS feeling to me, and that someone is a guy (For the guy who is also my blog reader, I am flattered, but I am straight, and will be straight forever.)


Well ladies and gentlemen, I am single and am happy. I mean, we can have all the time with friends and all the time to work till very late, and noone will question you with questions like "Are you cheating behind my back?"



With two of my cousins getting married this year, I start to receive question like "When will be your turn?"

HELLO. I am only twenty-two, and I haven't thought about marriage. However, I must clarify that I am not afraid of commitment. If I can find my soulmate one day, I don't mind getting married the next day, seriously. I want to get smart kids, so I had better get married young (Research shows that :))

I want to get married before I turn 25, raise smart and cute kids, and spend my whole life as a proud father and husband. Who wants to apply? =D

despair.com is totally hillarious!!!

Nope, it's not an advertorial. Visit http://despair.com/


BLOGGING.
Never before so many people with so little to say said so much to so few.

GOVERMENT.
If you think the problems we create are bad, just wait until you see our solutions.

TRADITIONS.
Just because it's a tradition doesn't mean it's not incredibly stupid.


wow. WOW. WOW.

I find it hillarious. So hillarious that I want to slap the founder over a drink, while whispering.. "I hate to say.. that.. you are a FUCKING GENIUS."


Anyway, let me contribute some.


INNER BEAUTY.
Is what people say to console an ugly person.

PHOTOSHOP.
When even your make-up can't help you, try this!

TEACHER.
is someone who keeps talking when the other person is no longer interested.

DETERMINATION.
There's a fine line.. very fine line between being determined and being stupid. You know where you are.



Haha... I hope management of http://despair.com/ see my attempt and give me credit for that... :)

10 Brilliant Ways to be Legally Cheapskate in Singapore

1. Go to McDonald, order ONE cup of coffee or tea. Ask for plain water, and more plain water. Bring back some packets of sugar. Do your reading or studying there at least for 4 hours, and you will save some electricity bills.. and help to save the earth.

2. Queue at selected MRT every morning to get free Today newspapers (80 cents for a newspaper is terribly expensive). If you miss it, go to 7-eleven and buy the cheapest item available, and request for a free Today.

3. Golden Rule: NEVER EVER BUY A BOOK. Borrow from library instead. Too far? Go to the nearest "library" called Popular, MPH, or Kinokuniya, and read there for 2 hours.

4. Buy 1 foot-long of Subway and ask the waiter to divide it into 2, for you and your friend. That way, you will save at least $1.50.

5. Talking about bread, do you know the CHEAPEST bread loaf in Singapore? It is the ever famous 1 dollar FairPrice bread that can last for at least 6 breakfast. That's 17 cents per breakfast. UNBELIEVABLE!!!

6. GET MARRIED and produce LOTS of kids. Gym membership allows your spouse and children to enter the gym for FREE. Damn worth it!

7. Stay up late in the office to make phone calls using office phones. Never use your handphone. Bonus: Boss will think that you are hardworking.

8. Search the word "sale" using google at least once in every 3 days.

9. Get free discount cards, everywhere. Popular bookstore, John Little, Metro, OG, you name it.

10. Go to bed early. If you wake up late and need to take cab to work, the whole week's cheapskate efforts will go to waste.

Bad Guys get to fuck all the girls... Understand????

OKAY. I admit. I am angry. SOOOO ANGRY.

This week I watched 2 movies. And those movies make me angry, but in different ways.



1. Disaster Movie

Just like the title, this movie is TRULY a disaster. Have you ever watched a video on youtube where people basically just put photos and combine them with some OH-SO-ROMANTIC songs? Copy and paste eh?

And some idiots just learnt that OH-SO-CREATIVE concept and apply it to make a movie. And EUREKA! We are presented with this load of shit. And I mean, literally.



My rating = 0/5. I guess we can't put negative number for a rating.



2. My best friend's girl



Starring Kate Hudson and Dane Cook, this movie understands the golden rule of movie success. KISS - Keep It Simple, Stupid.

Love is a never-die movie theme.

Well, it is worth every single cent of my money...

What makes me angry is, moral of the movie : Bad guys win. Good guys don't stand a chance.

If you want to get a girl, this is what you need to do:

fucking insert some "fuck" in your fucking sentence so that fucking ASSHOLE girl fucking want to fuck you.

As simple as that. FUCK.

OKAY. I know I swear excessively.

Girls, I seriously want to ask you... If you have the luxury to choose between 2 guys, equally handsome, equally rich.

1st guy: treat you like Cinderella, open the car door for you. Pull your chair before you sit in a restaurant (and more importantly, pay for that meal).

2nd guy: treat you like shit, embarrass you in front of your family and guests, and at least use the word "fuck" 3 times in every single sentence of the conversation.



Which one will you choose?


If my future daughter ever choose the 2nd guy, I will send her to rehabilitation centre.

I DON'T UNDERSTAND!!! Totally don't understand, how on earth a girl can choose a bad guy over a decent guy. Effect of melamine maybe?

But the sad fact is... that's the fact. So many IDIOTS choose to date bad guys simply because they look cool with all those piercings and tattoos....

When the girls got dumped or the guys play cheat with other girls, they cry one night or two. Using up 1 box of tissue and be cruel to the forest.

Cheating is bad, but it can be forgiven. Being stupid is unforgivable, and it deserves some tens of good tight slaps. Those girls should be punished wearing a big signage... "I HAVE SINNED BECAUSE I DATE A BAD GUY AND I GOT DUMPED AFTER WE HAVE SEX. FUCK!!!!"

Well, some things in life just can't be explained.

I am back..

Yup.. I am back. Working life has been quite hectic... so hectic that everytime I got a one-day off (including weekends btw), I feel like winning a lottery (well, I don't know how it feels, coz I have never won any lottery in my life.. but anyway, you get my point.)

Ladies and gentlemen, this is Singapore. People here don't do a 9-to-5 job. We are still in the office until at least 8pm.. and beyond.

Mind you, there is no such a thing called working hours or private hours. We have the worst technology EVER called handphone, and as long as you have a handphone, you are expected to be contactable for most of the time... And "to be contactable" means more work... longer working hours, and some things similar to that.

Anyway... count myself lucky. I am still have the job while thousands are now making a site like jobstreet.com.sg their new favourite website...

Count myself lucky, that I have the best friends in the world.

Happy birthday to Yulia, Tika, Ronald, Inge... May all your wishes come true.. and may God grants you health, happiness, and prosperity. It's great to have you all as my friends.

And finally, a very beautiful song named after ME. Oh Gosh, I am SOOO HONORED. Oh well...

If I ever have a daughter like Connie Talbot, I will quit my job and become a full-time stay-home father.. Haha joking. But she is wonderful indeed.

Life of A Young Banker

Some of my blog readers asked me, how is the work of a banker?

1. I wake up at 9, have an enjoyable breakfast at McDonald while reading newspaper.
2. I knock-off at 5 with the last hour of work spent gossiping with colleagues.
3. There are some parties and high-tea on the company's budget.
4. The company not only allows MSN usage, it encourages it because it's good for employee's mental health.

I WISH.

The fact is...
1. I wake up at 6.45, reach home sometimes by 12 midnight.
2. I don't have time to sit down and have my breakfast. I walk while munching my bread.
3. Sometimes I even don't have time to eat lunch... I just grab some snacks like fruit or milo.

SAD huh?


Well, everything has a price. For everything else, we have UOB Platinum card. Joking... :)


I know in this job, I have to maintain a super high level of energy... super positive and cheerful attitude. Whether I sleep 7 hours or 3 hours the night before, I have to look as if I get enough sleep the night before and have just got spa treatment. Easy? You bet.

The less sleep I get the night before, the more I need to eat the right stuff. My tips:

Breakfast: fruit juice and banana and 1 can of Red Bull if I sleep less than 5 hours
Lunch: Apple / strawberry and wholemeal sandwich (think of Subway)
Snack: yogurt and coffee
Dinner: milk and some dessert


In the past, I eat healthy stuffs because I want to. Now, I eat the right stuffs because I need to. The same rule applies for hitting the gym and facial regime I do every night. I also try to jog 2 or 3 times a week around my block.


I tell you a secret, I can put a tie properly only a few days ago because of this job. I am actually a T-shirt/polo and jeans kind of person. Now you will see me dress very smart in shirt, tie, jacket.. with polished pointed shoes... yes, with specs and carrying a briefcase.

It's amazing to see how I change to a completely different person. More polished in appearance and words.


However, I am still the person that you know last time... A very straightforward single who will never be popular among girls because if a girl asks him "Does this dress make me fat?", He will answer "Honestly, it's not the dress that makes you fat. It's the cake, chocolate, and the Geylang lorong 9 Beef Kway Tiao." Understand why I am still single?

Time can change a person. It really can.

A young, handsome, promising..... and SINGLE Banker =P

Singapore government is damn good. Not long after they announce romance incentive$, bigger baby bonu$ etc etc, some of my good friends terminate their singles club membership.

Don't get me wrong. Of course I am happy for them. They finally find someone who is only a few steps away from being their number one person. As for me, ehmm... you know me well enough :)



There are two ways to look at being single:

1. You are the leftovers. Noone is going to "buy" you even at 90% discount (ouch..)

2. You are branded item. Super high quality, super high price. Noone can afford except the super rich.

Well, you decide in which category I am in =P



Anyways..

Today, I received the result slip of my last exam... and Thank God, I cleared the exam. Now I am a so-called full-fledged Personal Banker with UOB. If you need a service on how you can make your money works harder for you, I might be the person you are looking for. I may not be the most experienced banker, but I can assure you that I am the guy who will not recommend a product unless that's the best solution available. Well, banker is not exactly associated with kind heart, but we all know, everything has exception... and I am that exception.

If you need my service, feel free to drop me an E-mail at pan.benny@yahoo.com or drop me a sms or call me at 98186924. Satisfaction guaranteed :)

Ah yes, if you want to have a chat about a career in banking industry, feel free to drop me an E-mail also.


Lastly, I am also looking for a gym buddy or a running mate in the west area (preferably Bukit Batok area)... :)

I gotta have faith!!!

First of all, thanks so much for being one of my readers. I know, that's not the most prestigious title in the world, but still it's worth mentioning :)

It's very touching when I saw my blog statistics. Over 1000 readers last week! That's not even among the highest, and to be frank, it's not that important.

I want to touch lives in whatever way I can. I am not a Saint, 1000 miles from that. But I try to live my life to the fullest. Because we simply don't know what will happen tomorrow. So my advice, live everyday in your life as if it's the last day. If you die tomorrow, and God ask you...

"Are you satisfied with your life?"

I hope you will answer: "God, good question! My life is just perfect."

Nothing is perfect in this world. My life is nothing =P




OKAY, let me stop being so philosophical.

Yesterday, I took an exam which is part of the required exams for my job. I studied hard for the exam. Well, as someone who has little business and finance background, I was struggling. But thank God for giving me such a positive attitude to never give up.

And there I was, ready to go for the exam. HOWEVER.... I couldn't find my passport. GOSH. I searched around for about 20 minutes, but still couldn't find it!!! I know I have many choices:

1. To take the exam another time. Afterall I was not very prepared. Even if I take the exam now, I am not sure if I can pass.
2. To cry and blame God for "placing" my passport in an undeserving place.
2. To go to the exam hall, make a good confession, and bear the consequences.

I chose the last choice.

They let me do the exam but they will suppress the result until I bring my passport.

My colleagues asked me...

"Ben, so you will leave the room without knowing the result??"

"Ben, I pity you. You can't enjoy the weekend because you haven't known the result."




Thanks for the concern, but I think I am enjoying my weekend. If you ask me whether I am confident to pass, I will confidently say.. I am not.


But I know one thing. In life, you gotta have faith. When everything else fails, there are even more reasons to have faith.

I believe everything is going to be alright. I have faith.

What I learnt from the greatest STARS in Beijing Olympics

Beijing Olympics 2008 has given birth to some of the greatest stars in sports - some of whom will be given a title - LEGEND.

We can't have enough of Michael Phelps, can we? I was doing my morning exercise in front of TV while listening to news, and WHAT THE HECK. Phelps... Phelps... Phelps again. Well, that's better than news about the most famous Malaysian "sport star" at the moment, Anwar Ibrahim. We know what kind of sport he is playing (Hint: men only).

Lesson learnt: Impossible is Nothing. Before the Olympics started, Phelps told the media that he was going to win 8 gold medals (Thanks to Lilyana for the correction), and a lot of people laughed at him. It pays off to dream BIG.


NADAL!!!! Yes. His time has come. Roger Federer, don't worry, everyone has their own time. 4 years plus as world's number one is a long... long time.

Lesson learnt: It sucks to be forever world's number 2. However, some things in life are worth waiting, and worth working hard towards. Everytime I see Rafael Nadal playing, and everytime I see his positive attitude, I know his time would come one day.


Singapore has finally grabbed a medal. I listened to Gold 90.5 FM this morning and laughed during my way to workplace. If you have a child, name him/her Feng Wang Li. That's the surest way to make him future Singapore table tennis player. Btw, Feng Wang Li comes from the three wonder women that just did Singapore proud, Feng Tianwei, Wang Yuegu, and the most famous of all, Li Jiawei. Well done Singapore!




In badminton, Zhang Ning has become the only player who grabbed consecutive 2 gold medals in women's single. Mind you, she is 33. Too bad Xie Xingfang lose, otherwise she and her bad-boy boyfriend Lin Dan will be the Olympics' gold-medal couple just like Indonesia's Susi Susanti and Alan Budikusuma in 1992. Indonesia grabbed 1 gold medal from Markis Kido / Hendra Setiawan and a silver from Nova Widianto / Lilyana Natsir. I was dissappointed that the last pair didn't win gold.


Taufik can fly kite. Well, not to worry Taufik. You have everything already. Famous name, beautiful wife, kids, and most importantly, rich in-laws. You can buy not only 1 "gold medal", 1000 also can.

Lesson learnt:

Sometimes, winners are not always the most talented ones. They are the hungriest persons in the stadium. In 2004, Taufik Hidayat had to prove himself as world's best and he won. Now he has nothing to prove. He has everything. He lose. And by the way, lose very badly.

Kido / Setiawan told the media before the Olympics even started, THEY WANTED NOTHING BUT A GOLD.





They wanted bad enough. They got it.

I know I am repeating myself, but good things are worth repeating.



Steven Jobs said, "Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish". Michael Phelps was hungry. Kido / Setiawan were hungry. Singapore's table tennis team was hungry. Lin Dan was hungry. Rafael Nadal was hungry.




When we fail to reach our dream, take a deep breath, close our eyes, and ask ourselves.



"AM I HUNGRY ENOUGH??????"