SINGAPORE SHORT STORIES

When has the term "Cowboys" take on a different meaning? When I was with Thailand with my wife, I learnt of the place called 'Soi Cowboys' which is really a seedy place in Thailand. Some tourists visit Thailand mainly to catch these seedy places of interests in Thailand. Just some days ago, I read of the news that there exist a group of "Cowboys' in Bali. As I did not know the term then, I thought that these are real cowboys, those you see on Western movies, big muscular guys wearing a jungle hat and riding on horses, always doing some heroic acts and saving damsels in distress. It shocked me to read that these Indonesian Cowboys are infact muscular gigolos! The news reported that some ladies actually flock to the beaches of Bali for these cowboys. With this era, the image of Cowboys has since been tarnished!

The dust over the screening of all the 64 soccer matches of the World Cup 2010 has finally settled. Singaporeans will be able to view these matches live on Singapore TV on paid channels while Mediacorp will show selected matches of the Soccer tournament! It is a great news for football fans to view these not-to-be-missed soccer matches which occur every 4 years! I am truly excited and the momentum of World Cup Soccer manaic will begin now with World Cup kicking off on 11 June! I am not a fan of English Premier League or other major soccer leagues , neither am I a fan of Manchester United Football or Chelsea Football but I truly want to catch some great matches of World Cup 2010 !

From today onwards, I will share with you my interesting take on some of the occupations in Singapore. Let me start off today with the work of a Housing agent as Housing property news from resale HDB flat to overpriced private properties in Singapore is the rage these days! Mr Li is a housing agent or you can also call him a property agent. He is busy every day of his working hours, day and night, receeing new flats or resale flats with potential buyers. Mr Li was a Army platoon commander while serving his National Service. He drew parrallels between what he is doing now as a career with his National Service Stint: " Back in National Service, I was busy leading a team, storming jungles and receeing for enemies. Now, everyday, I am busy leading a group of buyers, storming new flat, new property launces and new condominiums and receeing for the features of the new flat that are a plus to the buyers!"

All of us are very different from one another, in terms of character, appearance, mindset, qualifications, and wealth among other attributes. But what is common to all of us is the fact that each of us has only 24 hours a day. I view 24 hours a day very limited as I have quite a number of goals to achieve. With time as a premium, I treat each and every hour of my life very importantly and aim to maximize and optimize every second of my life towards my goals. I have quite a number of commitments in life! However I am faced with a very limited amount of time which is 24 hours a day of which more than half are spent in work, commuting and sleep on every weekday, freeing only slightly more hours for my own disposal come weekends. With this fact in mind, I have learnt the importance of prioritization. Steven Covey summed it all in essence: “First thing First” that means to do the most important things or work hard to achieve the things that matter to you the most FIRST! When you prioritize,

Buying jewellery seems to reside in the domains of ladies per se, and it seems to be that only woman knows all about jewellery, however that is not always true. Guys like me do certainly acquire a fair knowledge of jewellery when we start to look around for the engagement ring to propose to our wife and wedding band for marital bliss . It can be really a daunting task for a man without any knowledge of jewellery to start the search for the jewellery, culminating in the final purchase! First of all, one has to learn the jewellery parlance: from the clarity, cut of the diamond on the engagement ring to the colour of the diamond as well as how the number of carats of the diamond is measured. Next, one will need to sound out to his partner what is the type of engagement wedding ring she is interested. These will require questions like asking what colour of the diamond, what is the number of carats, what is the cut (VVSI or VVSII, for example) and most importantly the size of the wedding ri

Chatting is part and parcel of life. Chatting is informal and is usually done with your family, boss, friends and colleagues. Chatting is part of our daily conversation and presentation to others and it is hence important that in chatting, we observe good chatting ethnics. Unlike official business presentation, when we chat and communicate casually, we are giving others a deeper insight of us. In chatting with colleagues, bosses or friends, we are often relaxed but in this relaxed mood, we should always be discerning and not to speak more than what should be.

The Marina Bay Double Helix bridge will be opening this Saturday 24 Apr 2010! This opening will be marked by a fanfare of celebrations with dances, performances and fireworks! Unlike what I have thought previously, the Double Helix bridge is not a vehicular bridge. It is a pedestrian bridge which links one part of the Marina Bay area to the integrated resorts. With the opening of the Integrated Resorts in just a few weeks time, the whole of Marina Bay will be transformed into Singapore's latest crowning jewel. What will be in the pipeline will be the completion of the new downtown, the Singapore's second financial district at Marina Bay as well as the Marina Bay Botanic Gardens! With these developments, together with the Marina Barrage, the newly opened Circle Line as well as the existing developments at Marina Bay such as the Esplanade and the Flyer, the splendid Marina Bay is indeed an area that is not to be missed by all visitors to Singapore! The whole of Marina Bay is real

I know all of us are encouraged to consume 2 servings of fruits and vegetables, as so advised by the Health Promotion Board for better Health. I also know that we are strongly encouraged to exercise 2 to 3 times per week for healthier bodies. I know these facts but like many, putting them into practice can be really a challenge. With the busy hectic lifestyles we lead, in the office, we would normally just gobble down all the MSG-laden noodles and rice and snack up on unhealthy snacks hurrily. There are definitely some fruits for sale at the many cafes, coffeeshops but I do not consume them; the reason being that these cut fruits are often sold at such a mark-up from the prices sold at the markets and secondly have being cut and exposed to the surroundings for hours, how much of the original vitamin content can be retained? I have brought some fruits before to the office. However, it is rather challenging to eat them in the office when it is always so busy at work. In the past, I tend

Computers are a boon to humans. But sometimes, I wonder whether it would be a good idea to revert back to the past when there are no computers and internet. Facing the computer for more than 8 hours every working day is certainly no joke. Coming home, like many others, I would still switch on the computer and the internet and clear my arrays of emails, check for the latest news and happenings on my favorite blogs as well as engaging in my favorite activity of blogging. I think the eye is the most utlized organ for modern man. We strain our eyes looking at the computer for so many hours a day, yet we do not usually care about our eyes and on the converse, coming to the realization that our myopia is getting more and more severe each day. Nowadays, I try to keep a healthy balance of my time with computers. Putting in less hourers online, one can then revert back to real time tacile relationships and interaction with our family and friends. Social networking in this era is really a misnom

Dear Readers, I have a good piece of news for all of you! To better serve readers of my blog, I have included the latest Singapore news right here on this blog on my sidebar! So with effect from now, you can not only log in to Singapore Short Stories, but you can also catch the latest Singapore news right here on this blog! Cheers, Singapore Short Stories

My family and I were among the first commuters to experience the Circle Line commute on its opening day yesterday. We commenced our Circle Line journey at Paya Lebar MRT station towards Dhoby Ghaut. The ride was smooth, though at certain stations, the duration for the train doors to close was a tad long, however, it was not a problem at all. The ride was similar to the North-East line MRT ride as the rides on both lines were wholly underground. Enroute, we were treated to the spectacular designs of some platforms. Our destination was not Dhoby Ghaut but Dakota MRT station, which was just one station away from Paya Lebar MRT station. Our purpose to Dhoby Ghaut was to experience the Circle Line ride (for a bit longer time) and I am sure many Singaporeans were just like us, with a slew of them lugging their cameras, ready to zap any interesting finds of the Circle Line on the opening day. As the train stopped at Nicoll Highway station, I was struck with a poignant feeling and so was a mot

The 11-kilometre portion of the Circle Line (CCL) , comprising 11 stations - Dhoby Ghaut, Bras Basah, Esplanade, Promenade, Nicoll Highway, Stadium, Mountbatten, Dakota, Paya Lebar, MacPherson and Tai Seng has been opend around 5.37 am today! With this opening of the CCL, commuters will save time commuting from the Eastern part of Singapore to the Northern and Southern Singapore. So if you are free today, you may want to hop onto the CCL train at Paya Lebar MRT interchange or Dhoby Ghaut Interchange and explore this newly opened branch of line!

What comes to your mind when you heard the word 'Nirvana'? Immediately, a scene of calm, peace and serenity will come to you as Nirvana in Buddhism means the highest state of enlightment, which is the place for one who has cultivated his mind, body and soul to the highest realm. Thus Nirvana is obviously the place Buddist and followers of Buddhism would want to be. In the Straits Times today, spread out on a large lavish sheet of the newspapers is an advertisement seeking interested buyers to invest in a 'property' of Nirvana. Wow! A place in Nirvana, who does not want a place in it even if one is to spend a few thousands dollars! Wait.. I consolidate my thoughts... to enter into Nirvana, one first have to transcend his or her present life form and I took a closer look at the advertisement: the advertisement is calling for those interested to buy a lot in Nirvana Memorial Garden Pte Ltd, a posh and luxurious columbarium! Wow, it seems that it is not enough to be embroil

Today is a physically and mentally exhaustive day for me. Coming back home to rest is really a heaven, though I may have little time to relax before hitting the bed. Anyway, memories of my lovely Hong Kong tour with my wife came flashing back to my mind! That was a year ago and it was our maiden overseas tour together and it was definitely very sweet and romantic as we explored almost the whole of Hong Kong within 5 days and 4 nights, covering so many places of interest in Hong Kong that really made our tour of Hong Kong a very comprehensive one. From the moment we arrived in Hong Kong, our tour of Hong Kong was a non-stop packed action with the visiting of places of interest, natural parks, shopping centres, delicacies tasting and amusement parks all packed tightly together. No doubt, we had so much fun but admittedly it was also tiring! We slept only a few hours each day, waking up early to start off to explore Hong Kong with its ‘tisums’ (Cantonese cakes and breakfast food), followe

The annual Star Awards 2010 organized by Mediacorp Singapore will be held this Sunday. This annual event gives recognition to top artistes who have performed well over the last one year with its many prizes for grabs including Best Actor/Actress, most popular male/female artistes among others. So what has the awards to do with me? Absolutely no relationship at all. I will just watch and enjoy the show but on watching,you will discover that the Star Awards is just like a microcosm of the daily realities of our real world! If you are a regular fan of local TV, you will be surprised why some veteran artistes with good acting skills do not win any awards at all before, in their lives! Good actor like Zhu Ho Ren whose acting skills are outstanding did not even win a prize before which is rather surprising. Rather, we have young male artiste like Elvin Ng, Dai Yang Tian entering into Showbiz and clinching or sweeping these coveted prizes easily, much to the ire of some critics who lambasted

This is a post that I wish I do not want to post but enough seems to be enough! These days, actually it was since quite a number of months ago, I have been noticing mouses, or should I say rats, making their presence felt in my neighbourhood. Often when I spotted them, it is not only during the nights but also during the days and they are often seem surrying from one drain hole to another, oblivious of the stares of other Singaporeans looking at them, often in disbelief. The disbelief stems from the fact that one does not expect mouses or should I say rats to be found in a supposedly (nearing) first world country like Singapore! The presence of such rodents just speak volume on how much Singapore still has to go when it comes to getting rid of its streets free of rodents and pests. I have never seen so many rats or mouses before in Singapore when I was young. I only know of that a rat is much bigger than a mouse from the tons of science textbooks during my primary school days which eve

Initially I have decided to write a good blog post tonight however my mood changed 180 degree or should I say 360 degrees after learning of a bad news that dealt quite a heavy blow on me. I became sad and depressed once again. Euphoria gave way to gloom for some ten of minutes before I decided to fight back all obstacles back towards Sucess. There are many stories and inspirational quotes I have read about Success: how one's path to Success is paved with obstacles and stones. Yup, currently Success has been eluding me for years though I have tried my very best to achieve it and mind you, I am diligent, hardworking and tenacious to achieve my goals. But Success is always so far ahead of me. Every time, when I am nearing my goal, every time when I sensed a beacon of hope while drifting in the choppy seas, the strong waves came at me, hobbling my progress, and sending me hundreds of metres back to where I have advanced! Success .... where are you? I have been working hard, trying to

The annual Singapore Blog Awards is back again ! Organized by OMY, the annual Blog awards showcase the Best Singapore Blogs in many categories. Visit this webpage for more details of the award. If you think my blog deserves to win, I will be more than Happy to have you nominate me too :)

Singapore Short Stories is currently undergoing a revamp of this website to better serve our readers. With a growing readership base everyday, Singapore Short Stories is poised to capture the Best essence of the experience of living in Singapore and would like all readers to contribute your own life stories, or your encounters, big or small from living here on this lovely little red dot to be reflected right here on this Singapore No.1 blog on Singapore living. Do Send all your stories to singaporeshortstories@gmail.com and I look forward to your kind support! Many Thanks! At the same time, Singapore Short Stories has expanded its offerings to readers through partnering and instituting with the following blog partners to better serve all readers. Do give these blogs your fullest support too. These blogs are in no order of priority: 1) Singapore Hair Loss Support Group for all of you who are suffering from Hair Loss 2) Singapore Games for all of you who want a little fun out o

It was reported in today's Zaobao that Keppel Corporation CEO, Mr Choo Chiau Beng earns a yearly remuneration of $11.5 million to $11.75 million Singapore dollars in year 2009! Wow, that is really a large sum of money! If my lifetime, I dun even know whether I can have a liquid asset excluding of property of Singapore $1 million! Mr Choo's salary in year 2009 is really shocking and astronomical! I always thought the salaries of our President and Prime Minister in the leagues of $3 to 4 millions is already very high. Ministers in Singapore earn between $1 million to $2 million annually while top civil servants also earn an annual income closing to $1 million dollars which in my opinion are really good salaries too! Everyone wants to be a millionaire and want to learn to be a millionaire. The road to earning lots of monies is not an easy one unless you strike out to be an entrepreneur and a profit making one! People I know of take the route of investing to generate some good p

Looking at yesterday's report of the starting salaries of graduates, I feel a sense of envy as compared with them, I am earning so low! According to the Ministry of Education's Graduate Employment Survey (GES) 2009, most university graduates managed to clinch a full-time permanent job within 6 months of leaving school, its seem they did not feel the brunt of the bleak economic conditions the world witnessed last year. Now for their starting salaries: median pay for graduates from a majority of programmes at Singapore's three publicly funded universities: at least $2,500 Median pay for graduates from business, accountancy, economics and arts in each of the three universities: $2,300 and $3,200. Median pay for National University of Singapore graduates from its Business School's bachelor of business administration honours programme: $3,000 Singapore Management University's economics graduates median income:$3,000while those awarded cum laude and above earned a

Hi Readers, I am real terribly sorry if you have read my earlier post on Egyptian mummies and turned up yesterday at Good Friday to look at the Egyptian mummies exhibition at the National Museum for free yesterday: either you pay the full fees of $15 or you walk off just like what my Dear and I did! But come tomorrow, in conjunction with Circle Line Open House, there will be free entry to the National Museum of Singapore, Singapore Art Museum, Peranakan Museum and Singapore Philatelic Museum in celebration of the opening of the Circle Line! And there will be free entry to the Mummy exhibition tomorrow as well: http://yesterday.sg/2010/04/circle-line-open-house/ Tomorrow, will be the last day of the Mummy exhibition before they head back to their place of origin so if you want to catch them for free, tomorrow is the last chance! From 1130 am to 6pm tomorow, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) is giving the public a sneak peek of the new Circle Line (CCL) stations from Dhoby Ghau

Tomorrow is Good Friday and if you are feeling bored, you may want to head down to the National Museum open house to see the Egyptian mummies for the last time before they head home on Sunday! Tomorrow is also the open house for other museums: so you may want to consider going to these places as well. Also, Istana is having its open house tomorrow too and on Sunday, some museums are also having free entry admission in celebration of an event related to the opening of the MRT Circle Line! With such a rich array of exciting places and events coming up, your long weekends will never be bored! If you are bored, just continue to read my blog archives! It will take you at least 5 days to complete reading!

Last Saturday, my Dear and I made our way to Marina Barrage for our maiden kite flying activity at the scenic place. We were quite surprised that the free shuttle bus headed towards the destination was packed full of commuters, with a majority of them being youths. Many of them were carrying a host of snacks and drinks, seemingly ready for a fun day at the barrage. After a 5-minute ride, we reached our destination and proceeded straight to the rooftop for our kite-flying session! The view from the rooftop was breathtaking and the winds were as reputedly strong! Luckily I wore a cap else my hair would have been blown topsy-turvy by the winds! On the field were scattered gatherings of families, friends and lovers, who were there on the fields in their picnic maps. Similarly, I spreaded out the picnic mat which I had brought and after putting our bags on the map, my Dear and I were ready for action! It has been tens of years since I last flew a kite! At the beginning, it was hard,