Choose your bank wisely, UOB is not the way to go

Recently i am drawn to UOB one Account have opened an account with it.

Have problem no resolving issues with DBS and OCBC, i took good services and system for granted.

My faith in UOB dropped and will deter me from entrusting important things with them.

1.Application online
I applied multiple times online because there will be a promo online.

I was stuck at a page for me to submit employement details. The button wouldn't let me proceed. Called customer service and instead of addressing the issues or finding out, they asked me to walk in to apply.

I later found out that i can workaround it by placing tax reference number not required.

My application was rejected few weeks later.

2.Poor online customer service
My email were not replied to. The only reply i get is automated replies and acknowledgement i have resolved the issues.

3.Poor over the counter service
I was served by a guy called Henry who keep hard selling me some saving plans. Sharing my commitment, he still advise me to sink $500 a month for a saving plans. Dude i am getting married soon and sinking so much would be not advisable as i may have to take up loans and the interest from it will outgrown your saving interest rate.

When he later realised i am not buying, he keep sighing and provide slip-shod service.

4.Non-compliance to customer request
I request for a credit card with Henry keep repeating Debit card. Took me a few iteration to insist on a credit card, UOB one.

I fill in the form for UOB one credit card.

A week later, i realised that there is no credit card in my online banking account. I applied for it online. No thanks to them.

5.Incoherent online banking
To pay my bills, i used UOB i-banking only to my nightmare find out that i have to have a physical token. Before that, i was mislead to setup a mighty app account, which wouldn't get past the part where i have to wait after 10 minutes. I tried all means e.g. leave phone on for 10 minutes, restart phone but to no avail. The Mightyapp is enabled app for a sec before refreshing for the wait 10 minutes.


6.Unauthorised purchase of product
I received an sms on the first working day after application that my credit card is being processed. And together with it my CreditPlus account application is being processed.

Since when i applied for it?

I called them and write in (knowing they won't reply). Found out that they have applied an Miles card and CreditPlus account for me. This is insanity. Since when they can open account or purchase product without the client knowledge. I didn't sign anything else.

Thankfully I was served by a guy called Simon from the credit plus division. He sounds responsible and project a positive image for the bank. He check and assured me that as of date i have a Debit card, UOB one Credit card and UOB one Account. The mile and credit plus account is cancelled.

Through this incident, my faith in UOB is shaken.

How i met a good friend

Can't believe how I managed to know a good friend is through a weird meet up group called Let's build something uber in 21 July 2016.

Back then, still languishing in the development with just only the backend, I joined it to seek inspiration.

The group is weird cause we using an incubation place in Chinatown and it is open to all even for those without skills. The leader Peter doesn't want to lay down a direction and in the end, things are all over the place. Guess this is where the experiment when wrong.

I joined the 3rd meet up and still it's all ice breaking and splitting into marketing and tech group.

Their is no direction and I really wonder wouldn't it be better if we stick to the title, build another uber.

Well they setup a server and some highly motivated one tried the jack ma thing such as in the future we would be billionaire kind of thing.

I met Just there and he seems to be the few tech know how. I break the ice by asking him to help me with my project and soon we were passionately debugging it.

We continued the conversation online and eventually meet up at star vista for lunch and coffee.

One meet up follow by again, from he just migrated here, renting a condo to getting a flat. Him still searching for job till finding it at Alexandre area. Yesterday was the fifth time we met.Cool.

A Fragrance Tale of Coffee in Tanjong Pagar

Around the 50s, Mr Teck's father migrated from China to Singapore. He plys his trade selling coffee in Tanjong Pagar. Mr Teck recalled that back then Tanjong Pagar area was not as beautiful as it is now. Back then, the area was not well-developed, there are no shopping center, tall building or market.  Push-carts/Stalls line both side of the streets and lighting are not as developed as now, usage of 1/2 light bulbs (no LED light)

Mr Teck remember that back then life was tough. There is no water supply to all the stalls and his dad has to push the push cart to a public water point to stock up on water every morning. His whole family would help out at the stall. Mr Teck would ride a bike every morning to purchase coffee beans for roasting. He would place at least 15 kg of coffee beans on his bike and cycle back to the stall.

Back then, things are very cheap. A cup of drink would cost 1 cent and a bowl of noodle would cost 10 cents. Cost of running a business is also very cheap then, his Dad paid few dollars monthly for rent and licensing.

Mr Teck work hard and play hard. He recalls going to the ex-Yan Kit Swimming pool regularly to swim with his friends. Back then, Yan Kit Swimming pool is the go to recreational place and is usually very crowded. He would also catch spiders and play marbles during his free time. Mr Teck loves Mid-autumn festival because there will be Lion Dance troupe going around the Kampong to perform. According to tradition, the Lion Dance and beating of drum is to "Beat Out the Cloud" for a full moon. Mr Teck and his friends loves following the Lion Dance around.

https://www.singaporememory.sg/contents/SMA-faf16e8a-30bf-42a1-a0c4-d4a2450f6fa0?nextrecord=7&nextrecordMain=&idmain=121&listtype=campaigns&id=tales-of-a-time-past&memory=SMA-faf16e8a-30bf-42a1-a0c4-d4a2450f6fa0

Things that matter in life

Each individual is an unique entity. That's why consiciously or subconsciously, we try hard to differentiate and established an identity.

On saying that, it's not wrong, nor a sin to differentiate. To rebel is man nature. To love and live each day with burning passion is what defines youth.

However with the passing of each days. We lost our sight to our final goals. It takes years to build Rome and many can't just take a step back to envision the end product. 

We seek the beeline to a next better position, losing track of supposed route. The next better progression  e.g. career progression might possibly be taking a step forward but 2 steps backward. 

Each progression could justify our action and even judging others by their career, status, wealth, travel experience or even by their networks.

We seek to be different but yet we seek similarity. Often forgetting that irony and what true friendship means.

Time is not forgiving. It does not wait. There is a limit to one youth. People may eventually move on to the next true friend. Everyone eventually have to go. 

Had we forsaken our passion or dreams for money and vanity. Are we still or ourselves.  Would we be walking around each day in passion or souless like a zombie

Friends and family would wait for you but how long can they do so.

The grand limtus test would be at each milestone of your mortality. When you hit 30,40,50....etc

Burnout? It is normal, fret not

It is normal to feel burnout at times. We are all human!  This article helps.
https://psychcentral.com/blog/when-you-feel-empty-what-it-means-what-to-do-2/

Is bali safe to go to?

When people speak of going toIndonesia, some may that it is dangerous because of robbery; the robbers will hurt even if they gotten your money.

That part I am not sure, so if you encounter any, do leave your experience in the comments.

What I do feel is that it is generally safe to go because all countries have it fair share of crimes. Even for Singapore, where it is safe to hangout till late hours without fear of getting robbed or raped, there are still places where there are higher risks.

I have compiled a few things to expect and avoid when you go to bali.

1. Traffic is unregulated; there are no traffic lights and in some alleys, there are no directional signs so please beware when crossing the road or if you are riding a bike or motorcycle.

But fret not, the locals drive slowly and they are pretty skillful. That explains why there are few accidents even if traffic is not regulated; I encountered one

2. People ride on the pavement with their motorcycle, so don't be surprised to see motorcycle going on the pavement.

3. Some area are really really dark. There are people who are afraid of the dark, so my advice is to bring a torch or make sure your phone is fully charged to illuminate your way around.
Some area of the beach are dark and some alley are pretty dark and deserted. These alley are places where you will not want to linger in for long for your safety

4. Big big dogs! Trust me, there are lots of stray dogs around the area and they are really big. Fret not, the dogs are pretty docile and will not react as long as you do not mess with them. Dogs lovers rejoice, those afraid of dogs, despair

5. The sun is really hot there and no there is very few air con area besides the shop itself. So get ready your sun block even while shopping

6. Retailers in main tourist area are generally pretty honest. They do not mark up the price and let you bargain till it reaches the retail value. So unless the price is ridiculously high, let's give others a chance to make a living too, don't bargain so much.

7. Be prepared to pay for things you won't be expect to pay. Things like visiting a nature scenery have 2 type of entrance fees, car and per pax admission fee.

Usage of toilet require "contribution of maintenance fee" unless you buy their stuffs. The good news is that it don't cause that much.

Lastly, some officials may approach you for fees to clear your "charges", like parking on the pavement.

What do the local in bali do for a living

Based on my observation and tour to bali, I often think of what does the local do for a living since I seldom see customer around their shop.

I noticed that the people in bali depend on the 4 things for a living

1. Craftmanship of statues, furniture, handicraft and household ornaments
2. Tourism business is one of the main jobs for the locals. They work from tour guide, driver or even open retails ship selling food shirts or ornanments that cater specifically for tourists.
3. Agriculture, growing of padi and some coconut
4. Motorcycle dealer

Shopping in seminyak

For those expecting to bask in an air con environment in seminyak, you are in the shock of your life.

This area of bali is not very accessible to vehicle except for motocycle if you consider renting one.

There is only 1 shopping center; seminyak village which is pretty small compared to shopping malls in city area.

All around of shop houses selling
- clothing
- novelty products
-swim wear
-hand made craft
- polo
- eatery
- pub
- mini mart
- cafe
- dvd shops

At that point which I went, shops are capitalising on the Halloween festival.

Bali culture and history

Today is my 2nd day in bali!😃
Love this place and have experience lots of new things about their culture.

For starters, bali is predominantly made up of Hindu and is a small state compromising of 5 millions people.

Am staying at seminyak and I realised that the building there is mainly 2 storey high with a rare few that are 3 storey high.

Nearer the beach area, you have to be careful of motorists as they will drive on the pavement or narrow street.

Don't be surprised to see 2 vehicles being stuck in a one way street as both are traveling in opposite direction.

As a whole, around this area,there are lots of drinking place and tourists. It is generally safe to walk about in the day and in the main beach alley at night.

For those who are afraid of the dark, the beach is very dark in some area. Do remember to bring at torch.

Professionalism Tips (With superior)

When communicating with superior/bosses

-Staying Objective
-Never bring in the past tense, e.g. past job/contribution

-Seriousness and paying full attention 

-Responsiveness and readiness to change workflow to superior/bosses instructions/priorities

Freeing yourself from brain clutter and procrastination

The brain is designed to stop you from doing things that are uncomfortable, unsafe and....

Making a list of things to do, throwing the stuff in your face and doing simple things first will bring you out of it.

What is meant by being professional

Usually when the environment in the workplace is right, it is not hard getting down to work.

But if the workplace are filled with people who are not in the right mindset to work, it will negatively affect others and yourself.

When that happens, there is only one thing to do.

Being professional.

And what is meant by being professional?

It means to leave your emotion out as much as possible and react with a Zen mindset to whatever bad things people may throw at you.

In the short run, it is not easy to do, but in the long run, with a calm mind, you will be able to devise better solutions to your problem.

Not work that is tiring, it's the dealing with people part

It is usually not work that is tiring and the reason to make people leave.

It is the people portion that is tiring to dealing with because human are unpredictable and it is usually always the case of every man for himself and human nature to usually label a boogeyman in the flock for everyone to target at, hoping others will not target them.

Because of these laws, you can see people pushing away work they are supposed to do or in short taichi to the boogeyman.

It is natural to feel tired, toxic and negative.

These people thrive on such negative mentality and it is natural to sometimes feel is it right to join them or be outcast yourself.

This happen in school, in work and even in a community (sports, volunteering, interest group)

What should be done to deal with it?

Be yourself in school, be professional in work and be passionate in your community.

Critics are everywhere

In life, someone will surely criticise you no matter what you do. One thing is for sure, no one likes to be criticise.

And same goes for work. If the work given to you is reasonable, you are lucky. But if the work given to you is not reasonable, you are dealt an unlucky card in life.  You can deliver and you are criticise.

There is no other way out sometimes but to look at the person who dealt you that card straight in the eye and said you done your best.

Don't for a moment hope the person will understand you. No one will know best except for yourself.

That's why if you done your best, good job. The rest can let the critics decide. What most important is you got what you want in life or moving towards it.

On Nitro Mode, pushing beyond full gear

I have been on full throttle for the past 3 years but recent work has pushed me beyond my limits and till my breaking point.

Having work almost every day, for more than 12 hours each, fatigue has took over me and I was disappointed with some actions i have done.  On the other hand, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger,  I am very thankful that for being push past the limit.

Through this experience, I could emphatise past with people who I came across as emotional in work, take for example a vendor who sells decoration. I couldn't figure out how he could behave so rudely to others when business is coming in and how he prefers to have lesser business. 

Back then, if put in his shoes, every customer matters and i will speak to every customers with my best efforts. But if you ask me again, I will understand where he is coming from.

The most important thing in life is how you behave when you are at your worst, and that is what distinguish you from others, the good from the average. ;)

Another phase of life: maturity

After surviving the tsunami of events and work, I feel like I grew a lot.

At one point, I was mentally exhausted and broken. There is so much to do but so little time to complete.

And to add to it, there is so many people chasing after you for every minute details and ppl who have a very bad habit of not taking ownership of their work.

I worked day and night, not taking any leave nor medical leave; coming back on some. I even worked during my off-day and there wasn't much personal time where I can contemplate and think about life or feel life.

Surviving all that is not enough, I was mentally scarred and physically drained. I managed to get a couple of days off schedule ahead where I came across a series of video from goal cast.

One video is by a marshal who quote
"Life is like a ocean, full of sharks. To deal with shark you got to stand your ground, do not show that you are afraid and swim away. If the shark still approach you, you got to muster all courage to punch the shark in the snouts".

That reminds me of what Henn Tan, the creator of the USB thumb drive had said in Junior world entrepreneurship forum 2012.

At that time, he sharing of his experience after inventing the thumb drive.

Eating glass, deal with problems you don't plan to work on

Overwhelm

Stretch to your limit

Life in Singapore: Study or have fun?

Had several mixed feelings and realization today when speaking to a new staff from my other branch.

1. Anger
Thanks to another colleague of mine who never cease to make things worse, you dont come to a guy to say why never reply his message. Bitch please, obviously you know how busy we are.

I approach him when i am more free and formally introduce myself, starting off with a good start. Then i bring in another colleague who feels he is condemned and encourage him, bringing the other point

2. JC very lepak
Hell no, i placed so much emphasis on getting to uni that my hair turn grey, neglect my social life in school just for a gamble at the end of 2 yr

3. The outside work hard to find job
Thats what i keep stressing on. But this new colleague asked me just one simple question that bust my myth. Have you tried working in your research industry.

4. Uni life very stress
True in a way, if you aim for good grades. I chiong so hard in my first yr that i got super good grades. However during my 2nd yr, the steam dies off and my grade drop no matter how much effort you put in. I was very jaded at that time, which brings me to the last point

5. Your grades count
It dont, trust me..... i got a 2nd lower level, he just have to ask.....
Continuing on, my grade drop to barely passing grade during my 2nd year. What gives me a new breather is taking minor in entreprenuership in my 2nd year end holiday.

6. Other achievement counts and uni life is where you rock n roll
I totally lost interest in studying aft taking my minor. I skipped classes, sleep in class, stop asking professor question, never read up my notes and it got so worse that on my 3rd yr second sem, i literally never study till the last week just to take part in lots of startup competition, hang out with friends and have fun!!!
Thats where i get to know a group of lepak but steady buddies and a group of funny and reliable ladies.

7. Street smart!!!!
But my grades improved instead.... surprise surprise! I literally find the right way to study/exploit mwhahahaha!

8. Last chance of having fun
And guess what, i continue to have fun after my entreprenuership competitions. I joined a CCA! (Yes Finally) in my final year, join the FOC and another camp called TOC, took up a subcomm position, organise their retreat and literally make a lot of life long friends!
YOLO!!!

9.The fun never ends
And just when you thought my affinity with NTU ended after graduating, i volunteered for Junior World Entrepreneurship 2013 1 day after i finished my internship and become the best facilitator. And that was how I was introduced to Enactus, another CC and joined it after graduating

10. It is your soul!
When i was at the downpoint of my first job, i finally understand why everyone looks like they lose their soul after working in the society for a period of time.
These are the reason. I was so jaded at that point and my mind almost collapsed, i was on the verge of leaving my job, losing my deposit to the agency, which i did eventually.

But what restored me is going to a FOC after graduating! Had really so much fun and feeling so hopeful again. Thats what keep me moving and though i lost my job the day when i came back from my chalet. I was relived and full again!

11.Forever Young
I kept going back to Enactus and TKD subsequently, even after 2 years as an alumni, i had some place to go back and call home;TKD!!! So glad and never regret!!!

Congratulation Albert Ng

I would like to sent my congratulation Albert Ng. May you have a bliss wedding, bai tou dao lao.

25th Dec, is christmas, concidentally it is Albert wedding. It started at 730pm. Well the dishes started to serve at 830pm. The food is nice and the host did a good job. Never do i expect to see Jasper there. Ha!!! Well they are schoolmate. What a small world. Anyway i have a glass of red wine since there is no white wine there. Sigh!. Well it okay, i have a fine time there catching up with others.

Journey to Bangkok 4

Journey to Bangkok, Journey to Bangkok, Journey to Bangkok.
Are you all sicked of it already.
Sorry about that, but i feel that i gain a lot from this trip to Bangkok and i would like to share with all of you.
Yea i enjoy myself there but most importantly, i realise like that to help others, it does not need to be a very big help. Everyone can do charity, even a little effort count. My master said, the harder it is for you to donate, the more significant this deed meant. Yup, so no tori. This is right.
A billionaire could donate some spare change of his like few thousand, and no doubt this is a big sum to us. But do they really have the heart to donate 10% of their asset. People no matter you are rich or poor, you can help.
As Loong Phor Thong said, "If you do not have money, you can contribute physically".
Well it is the thought that count.
Lets us all made a difference.

Journey to Bangkok 3

Though fun, and enlightening.
I had my share of sickness.
I was down with a flu before the vacation.
For the first 2 day, it was like hell to me.
Luckily the travelling time is very long, and i get to sleep most of the day.
Bangkok is very big. And travelling is unlike singapore, where the travelling time could take
hours to reach instead of few minutes.
There is lots of highway is bangkok and there is more shophouses then high rise building there.
At the end of the second day, i was feeling better, but somehow what goes in, never goes out.
I was unable to excrete. Damn.
On the third day, i started spamming on vegetables but it was useless.
On the fourth day, i gave up. Miraculously my streak of days with constipation ended when i landed on Singapore. Thanks God!!!!
However, i am not the only one who is sick.
My mother was having headache and even vomitted when shopping in MBK.
Oh my. For the rest of the day, she was not feeling well. To add on to her suffering,
our master asked us to make a 1 1/2 hour journey to a river for prayers.
Man she almost fainted during the long, disturbing journey.
I help her to masssage her head and prayed for her recovery.
Somehow she recovered. Phew.
Thanks God !!!!!
This trip to thailand is really unforgetable