Assistant Treasurer

Appointed Assistant Treasurer, Eunos YEC.

The Maths Show by Mr Divesh R. Shah

I yahooed my name today and was quite surprised that my name appeared in a page, it's linked to MediaCorp Singapore website. Puzzled. Wonder how I got there, but the link is broken already.



At 2.30pm I reached Farrer Road to have lunch prior to meeting Mr Divesh. I dined at this restaurant called Bamboo Residence.

The ambience was alright. A comfortable dining place situated among HDB buildings.

Mr Divesh R. Shah, the creator of "The Maths Show" (http://www.mathsshow.com) came to Singapore upon invitation by government schools to give a short lesson on mental Maths to students. I met him after his lecture in St Margaret's Secondary School.

He is an energetic man. He speaks with enthusiasm and easily connects with others. Through readings and people he encountered, he came out with his own formula of mental Mathematics and methods to simplify and make Mathematics interesting to students.

In India (his homeground), he operates a tuition business which deals with tuition centres and tuition agencies. For home tuition, he trains tutors himself and then dispatch his tutors (only when qualified) to students. His tutors only serve his company and receives a salary. The parents will pay in full via 2 times of instalments for the tuition fees for the whole year. Tuition fees are fixed irregardless of the qualification of the tutor being sent to the place. All the tutors teach with the same method. The company collects the money and then pays the tutors. A huge contrast to the tuition agencies in Singapore.

He then invited me to have a preview on his lesson later in the evening at Kent Ridge Tutors, LaVonsier Tuition School in Toa Payoh.

At LaVonsier Tuition School, I met Mr Dennis Ng, Executive Director/Chief Principal. He is a very friendly and warm guy. He was a good host to Mr Divesh Shah and myself.

The lesson featured one method of doing multiplication at a faster speed. Mr Divesh Shah can square 2-digit and 3-digit numbers faster than by keying into the calculator. Cool.

Was amazed by these 2 guys for the day.

The maids that ran away

My Uncle is having a hard time now. His maid had requested for permission to return to the Phillipines to visit her sick family member. She said it would only take 3 days. That was 2 weeks ago.

Now my Uncle has to take care of his toddler daughter and his work. Kindness to the maid didn't get reciprocated back to him.

Maid runaway incident has happened to me too. More than 10 years ago, a Filipino maid that my family had, mentioned that she needed to return to her village to visit her aged parents. My parents gave her some money to bring along. That was the last time we ever see her again.

My Aunt who popped by my house told me that she knew of one maid who tortured the old folks at home by pinching them on their hind neck, the part that is hidden by the hair. When the family got to know of that, it was already too late. There was swells and sores.

She continued to talk about maids who add "extra ingredients" into food and feed their employers, in hope that they would listen to her after they eat those food. The most disgusting ingredient I heard of would be menstrual blood. *Puke...

Luckily, the maid that is currently taking care of my Grandmother is a good one. She is very patient, and even learned our dialect and communicate with my Grandmother with dialect.

There can only be two types of maids. One that cares for the money, and one that cares for the people. I have seen how maids cry with my relatives when they lost their dearest. I have seen how maids understand my Grandmother more than her other children do. And yet, there are always maids that do the vanishing act.

A Business Opportunity on Photography

The morning rain did it. It made me ignore my alarm clock. I would love to be immersed in that cool and breezy, go-sleep kind of spirit in the air. And then, I received a call from Adrien Johns, a friend I met while he was conducting a survey at Tampines interchange. He's an insurance agent from AIA. His call got me out of the bed. Right, I'm going to be late.

If not for Adrien who postponed the meeting time, I would have been late. Luckily, I reached Han's cafe on time. Had a chit chat with Adrien over a Tuna Mayo sandwich and Milk Tea. Found out that he's in a Toastmaster club. Cool, that's a club that I have wanted to join all along. He actually wanted me to teach him some conversational Mandarin, but we ended up just getting to know each other better.

Went to Eunos Community Club to use the toilet before going for breakfast. The toilet auntie was cleaning the toilet, so I asked politely if I can use it. Her response was funny:

"You can pee, but you can't shit."

Outside of the toilet, I saw an eviction letter at the door of the cafe. Amazingly, the owner Lawreena Place is demanding that the current occupier evicts out of the building due to illegal occupation of the cafe. Then I wondered if I had eaten from the illegal party or the legal owner. Still remember that there was once when the chef actually apologised to me because I had ordered Chicken Noodles but he didn't put the chicken meat in it. He then gave me 50cents since the price of Chicken Noodles and plain noodles differed by 50cents. Hilarious. They made good pratas. Goodbye to them...

In the evening, I went to United House to attend a business opportunity session. The business opportunity was a very good one. Right time, right market, right opportunity. It's targeted at the increasing trend in digital photography. I believe when the office is set up here, the local photo shops would have a harder time. If you want to find out more about the business opportunity, feel free to contact me or drop a comment.

I also measured my health today. It's a wake-up call to me that I need to exercise regularly. My body age is 32, a steep difference as compared to my actual age. So sad. The layers of fats coating my organs are approaching high risks standard soon. Argh!

The people at the business opportunity session were great. Made new friends and enjoyed their sharing. I am privileged to be exposed to such opportunities at this age. Usually the youngest to appear in these sessions.

The Monk Scam

I was awakened by the conversation between my Mother and a Monk at the door. The Monk was soliciting donations from my Mother. Finding it strange, I stayed stealthily near the door and listen to the conversation.

My Mother had wanted to give S$4 to the Monk, after the Monk gave her a card and a red charm. When the Monk see the S$4, he put a wristband on her and requested for S$20 since the wristband is worth at least that value. When this happened, my Mother stared at me and hinted for help.

So I came to the door. The Monk greeted me with Amitabha. I returned his kindness.

YK: May I know where are you from?

Monk: Toa Payoh

YK: Shaolin temple (no such temple exists in that area)?

Monk: Ya, ya.

YK: Can monks ask for donations from door to door?

Monk: Yes.

YK: So can I check with my neighbourhood police post regarding this matter?

Monk: Yes, yes. I went there just now too.

So off I went to make a call to my friendly neighbourhood police post. The police officer told me that monks would require a permit to request for donations. When I got back to the door, the Monk had long been gone.

I also learnt from my Mother that in the donation booklet that the Monk presented to her, there were entries of S$50. Damn that Monk. Called the police again and the officer gathered some information, then sent some policemen to patrol the area.


These are the items that the Monk gave us. He played with religion to cheat others of their hard-earned money. So indespicable.

May all the dollars and cents being cheated be converted to stones, and may these be casted upon this unethical Monk!

Temasek Idol 2007

Went back to my Alma mater, Temasek Junior College at 6.30pm to attend the Temasek Idol 2007 competition. Stepping into the school, old memories kept pouring into my mind. The furniture and the interior looked exactly like that in 2003, when I first entered the school, less the lift near the auditorium.

I made my way straight to the auditorium, since roaming around the college in home clothing would not be a wise idea.

At the entrance, the student councillor chopped a 30 year anniversary logo on my hand, and passed me a goody bag.

The goody bag comprised of discount vouchers, arm bands, 2 bottles of NEWater, postcards, pamphlets as well as the programme sheet. In 2004, the first Temasek Idol had no sponsors. In 2007, the sponsors included Mr Bean, The Wallet Shop, PUB, Chapter 2, The Cocoa Tree, Mark Music.

The student photographers brought back memories of my previous stint in the TJC photographic society. Now, students are equipped with the latest digital SLR cameras.

The ticket stated 6.30pm but the programme commenced slightly after 7pm.

I was seated just beside Arthi's fans. They were the smallest portion of her fan but appeared the loudest (and highest in terms of pitch). The auditorium was filled with a very high spirit, and it was fun to be involved in it. The audience nearly brought the whole auditorium down with their constant scream and shrieking for their idols.

The panel of judges comprised of 2 General Paper (GP) tutors from TJC, and a special guest -- Alex Tan from Project Superband's J3 band. He also performed a song by Cao Ge.

Actually intended to take a picture with this Alex, but he hurriedly left the auditorium when the results were announced. He happened to be a friend of my cousins, who supported him and his team during the Project Superband competition.

My mobile phone's camera didn't seem to perform optimally in dark conditions. Anyway, the group category comprised of Quaver, Kita, Sarah and Zhi Wei, and SPZ.

The solo category comprised of Arthi, Imran, Gordon and Xiang Yun.

The whole programme could have been perfect if not for this fogging machine which was so badly programmed that it obscured some of the singers.

It created a smokescreen on stage ...

which then also permeated throughout the auditorium...

and worried some people.

The overall solo and group champions are Arthi and Quaver respectively. Voting was done via SMS.

Quaver shook the whole audience with the song "Immortal" by Evanescence, while Arthi did her song with a clear and passionate voice.

Waiting for my Hamsters to mate

Have placed my male and female hamsters together. Waiting for them to mate so that I can give the offsprings to Wee Keat. And then take some pictures to for my new posts at my HamsterZ blog.

A guinea pig or a rabbit?

I gave a training session to Jackson in the morning at Marine Parade. When we parted, I went to the hawker centre for lunch.

Coincidentally, I shared the table with a young lad, eating the same food. A beggar came by our table and asked for money. The young lad handed over to her some coins, which prompted me to also fork out a coin to her. Then he started a conversation which broke the ice.

He's Yi Qing (like he said, One Green in Chinese) and he is currently a regular Police Sergeant stationed at the Airport. He graduated from Temasek Polytechnic with a diploma in Chemical Engineering. HE lamented that the job market for Chemical Engineers is too saturated, with limited choices of companies that provide the job opportunity. During his National Service with the Singapore Police Force, he decided to sign on the bond with the Force. He's studying a part-time degree and hopes that the degree would bring him better career prospects, if not a conversion to Police Inspector from his current position. I wish him all the best!

Leaving the hawker centre, I went to a nearby pet shop. It is my hobby to visit pet shops and spend some time looking at the adorable animals. This time though, I was entertained by a young lady who will be entering University at the same time as me. Posed quite a lot of questions on different pets to her, and learnt from her answers. I was choosing between owning a guinea pig or a rabbit. Both had relatively long life spans of about 8-10 years, and a high level of commitment would be required to own them. Still puzzled with the choices, I left the store.

Later in the day, went to my mentor's residence. Did some work, met up with some unhappy issues, solved them. Relieved myself of the anger, got back to work. Then, someone prompted me to join a core team of a business called Raffles Biotechnology International Pte Ltd. I wasn't sure because it required an initial investment of S$2000. I didn't know what the plan was. I didn't even see the office. One of the agent who approached me previously was so persistent on me paying first before releasing more information about the company. I think I will be giving it a miss!

At the end of the day, I played with my hamsters and fantasized about having guinea pigs, rabbits and hamsters to live together. Haha. Well the lady at the pet shop said it wouldn't be possible to let rabbits or guinea pigs live with hamsters. They might just get squashed! Haha.

So... Should I get a guinea pig or a rabbit?

Section Commander's Birthday Treat

Met up with my Section Commander from my platoon in the evening. We have met up with some others for his birthday treat. 1SG Chris drove us to an eating place near his residence. There, my Section Commander's former section mates and 1SG Chris and wife got to enjoy a feast.

As an operationally ready National Servicemen, the feeling is different as compared to the past. My Section Commander informed us that he would be holding his wedding dinner on the 31st of December. He even jokingly asked me to be his emcee. Haha, I agreed but hopefully he's just joking. We talked about our latest developments and chat a little, before we proceeded on to 1SG Chris' residence.

His new apartment in Boon Lay looked clean and bright. The theme of the interior has got to be associated with "White".

The programme has just begun when the mahjong sets were on the table. Since I'm a slow and newbie player, I opted out and just observed the 2-hour game.

Time has passed so quickly. It seemed like just a few months ago, my Section Commander gave us his birthday treat. Better start rehearsing as emcee for the wedding dinner before I really get to be the emcee though...

Irresponsible jewellery shop staff

Happened to pass by Eastlink mall and was disgusted by the mess left behind by staff from a jewellery shop. This booth was set up for some time to gain the most out from the healthy traffic of the area.

This T**a jewellery shop booth attendants should have the responsiblity to clear up the mess. Corporate ethics should be observed.

Fruitful Friday

Early in the morning, I received a sms from Jerison, asking me to call him when I awake। Through the handset, Jerison asked me out to do a recce in Sentosa for a game which will be organised by Eunos YEC with Bedok North Secondary school students.

At Eunos MRT, I met Taufiq, my ex-classmate from Secondary School. There's a marked change in him physically, to the better. We chatted all the way in the train till he alighted at City Hall. It's good to do some catching up.

Took the monorail into Sentosa from Vivocity. I can feel that the monorail is still pretty much in the beta testing stage. At one stop, signs stating that the station would only be open in 2010 were displayed. Alighted at Beach station and commenced the recce.

After recce, we left early since I had to rush off to meet Ms Cecilia.

Had lunch with Ms Cecilia and heard her work history. She was in the mood of sharing her past in the company and motivated me to achieve more in this field. Then, I left to meet Lai Yoong (http://www.tanlaiyoong.com) over some discussions on our progress since the World Internet Summit 2006.

PAYM Policy Forum with Mrs Lim Hwee Hua

This evening, I attended a Youth Policy Forum on Budget 2007 by Mrs Lim Hwee Hua, Minister of State (Ministry of Finance & Ministry of Transport) and Professor Chew Soon Beng, lecturer in School of Humanities and Social Sciences, NTU. The Forum was held in Serangoon Gardens Country Club.

Mrs Lim spoke about how Budget 2007 impacts the future of Singapore and what is in for us.

Prof Chew gave a short presentation on a diagram which he used to teach mayors from China. It is a short but concise and easy to understand kind of diagram to see how the Budget can affect foreign investments and the economy of Singapore.

Regretted not having read through the Budget before arriving. Could benefit more if I had. However, through the Q&A sessions and comments from the panelists, I had a better understanding of the whole Budget issue.

Joined Eunos Zone '3' RC

Finally received the invitation letter to Eunos Zone '3' Residents' Committee (RC) meeting. I have waited over the Chinese new year for my application to be validated and approved.

After joining the Youth Executive Council (YEC) Eunos, I have come to learn of my zone's RC activities and decided to join in to contribute to the residents in the area.

Recently a YEC member told me that my zone would benefit from having a youth member because the committee is aging. Yeah, came at the right time!

Looking forward to be an active grassroots leader and learn from the experience of my seniors~

Rich Dad's Advisor : Blair Singer

At 10.30am, I attended a seminar conducted by the renowned Sales Communication Specialist, Blair Singer.

Blair Singer had arrived in Singapore to share a franchising opportunity to Singaporeans. He is going to train trainers who could represent him to go into business firms or companies to help them increase their sales. These 40 franchisees will join other global franchisees in SalesPartner.

In his seminar, Blair Singer mentioned about the ingredients in creating a successful business.

He went emotional when he talked about his reasons for setting up this training business. You would be able to see his passion and strong determination. As he had seen his own business go down and up and down and up, and finally reach to the number one position, and then again shrink into skeleton, he did not want other entrepreneurs to be facing that predicament ever again. If he had the knowledge and skillset, and he did not pass this on to businesses to help them succeed, then he would be in the wrong. Hence he started up a training career and is now franchising his knowledge and skillset.

Blair Singer authorised a book for me and also joined us in a phototaking session.

Friendly Blair Singer with Jiing Huey and Yoong Kheong

Internet Marketing Conference

This is an interesting conference that is going on every single day for a month. I got to know this event through a mentor.

This event is quite an eye-opener. Out of all the preview seminars that I attended, this one is the most unique.

The event was advertised on the papers, going with the headlines of free organiser and an invitation to the dinner conference. I called the overseas toll-free number to United States to reserve a seat at the dinner. It was held in Mercure Roxy Hotel, Singapore.

The tickets came via snail mail, posted all the way from United States. In it were an invitation letter and two tickets. One for myself and one for a guest. Of course, I brought a guest -- my brother.

In the Internet Marketing Conference, the presenter went through some key points on a successful internet business. He also mentioned about independent and dependent income, which I used it for my Attain Financial Freedom Blog. He then marketed another workshop in which further training would be provided.

Dinner was served last. A very small serving but looked posh. And then the free organisers were distributed upon exiting.

This conference was held by StoresOnline Pro, a listed company in the US. It deals with training and providing support in Internet Marketing.