Sometimes, you just feel that a particular friend of yours looks up to you as a friend he can count on only when he needs you for something, say a helping hand. Notice I used ‘he’? Well, it’s just for convenience sake here, rather than to use “he/she”, which can be rather cumbersome. Back on track, he disappears or almost doesn’t contact you when he doesn’t need you. In this case, what do you really see in the friendship? Was there even friendship to begin with anyway?

Obviously, this cannot be classified under ‘Friends with Benefits’, because if you were to google it, ‘Friends with Benefits’ refers largely to two platonic friends engaging in non-obligatory sexual relations. That is, no strings attached. Nope, I don’t mean that at all. All I’m saying is, there are such friends around you, who take you for granted in most instances, and as to whether he will respond when you need their help, is a huge question mark.

Personally, this is one type of friendships I would never concur with, and perhaps never will recognize as well. Real friends don’t treat you as a tool, and certainly will respond immediately when you need help. He will also have you in mind for leisure and casual engagements, outings, events and activities. Most importantly, he cherishes the friendship wholeheartedly, and will always be there for you. That, everyone, is a REAL FRIEND.

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 1,400 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 23 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

It was almost like last week that I stepped into the working society and began my first full-time job. I could also vividly recall the time when I was called up for national service at the tender age of 18. Now, I’m pretty much twice that age. Suffice to say, doubling my current age would probably see me into the last lap of my entire life. For now, I shan’t go that far though, because nobody, except God, knows what tomorrow will bring.

The first quarter of 2011 witnessed my intention to purchase a real estate unit of my own, upon reaching the legal age of 35 on the 2nd of March. So there I was, embarking on the journey that would result in an acquisition of a valuable asset. How wrong was I, as the dream of living by myself was smashed by the irresponsible owners of a 5-room HDB flat located close to Pioneer MRT station. I gave up looking for another one. Those close to me would know what eventually happened. Nope, I’m not going to repeat the story again.

The second quarter went well though, as I completed the final paper of my diploma course, and graduated with pretty decent grades. It was indeed a sign of relief, as the 18-month course came to a complete closure.

The second half of 2011 was really the peak of my life, as I got myself a new automobile, and legally became the owner of the current HDB flat that I’m staying in. Both events were smooth-sailing, and I’m glad there wasn’t any hiccup.

Looking into 2012, I don’t really have much hopes or dreams, except to probably learn to be a better person. Why? Well, I guess I’ve a lot that I need to change for the better, and perhaps not stressing myself too much too. I can be really tensed and take things too seriously at times you know? Hahaha…!

Anyhow, I still hope that 2012 will be a good year for me, and I’ll do my best to spend the coming year wisely.

Finally, after the current Compaq laptop started to throw tantrums, and somehow hinted that it’s gonna die soon, I decided it’s time to fulfill my wish.

I engaged the help of Stanley Ho, the IT guru, and on Monday, 26 Dec, we drove down to Sim Lim Square and embarked on Project DIY.

A fine specimen indeed, as we completed the purchase with an Intel 3.3GHz Quad-core processor, 23″ Dell IPS monitor, more-than-decent motherboard and casing, 120GB SSD, 1TB HDD, 8GB RAM, Ducky mechanical keyboard (blue) and a Razer Infrared gaming mouse. The damage – S$1,915.

After that, it’s off to my place to start the assembly, and it took him more than 4 hours to complete the whole project, including the installation of essential software and programs. Thanks Stan; much appreciated.

At about 8.30pm, we’re off for dinner, and it’s home sweet home after that.

I’m loving the new machine now, the screen, the speed, the performance… Simply awesome!

Expert at work!

The motherboard, up close and personal.

The 23" Dell monitor and mechanical keyboard

Started the first game unsteadily with a 144. But subsequently, it was smooth throughout, with games of 212, 200, 179 and 184. Total pinfalls ended at 919, or an average of 183.8. Obviously, I’m very pleased with it. At least I could still maintain the form that I used to have, if not better. Hahaha…! The only downside was, blisters on my ring finger.

Extracting from the news report, “the operator is in touch with the car’s passenger to find out how she is and to see how they can render assistance. They are also trying to get in touch with the family of the driver and are assisting the police with their investigations. She went on to say that the company is very sorry that this has happened, and that their immediate focus is on helping the injured”.

What really puzzled me is how such politically correct response is used in almost all catastrophes, and that it appears a standard script out of a textbook. Is it really that easy to be a corporate communications manager? I sure can be one myself! Of course, you don’t really hear much from them after that, except to apologize again, or to offer compensation to the family of the unfortunate soul. Come to think of it, what else can you really do anyway?

True enough, a car’s always a liability, and the maintenance of a normal plate will surely be much taxing compared to the previous off-peak-car that I owned. My initial calculation brings my monthly expenditure on the car to almost S$2,000! Looks like I gotta do a little planning on how to cope with it. In the meantime, I’m so gonna enjoy the new toy to the fullest – The Volkswagen Scirocco 1.4L TSI!

The VW Scirocco

At work, beginning 1st of November, I had handed over all my key accounts to my team members. This marked the end of my duty as an account manager, and began the full-time responsibility of a team lead. I’ll be required to spend more time with my team, nurturing and molding them, as well as managing them.

At home, come 24th of November will officiate the ownership of my current residence. I had purchased the HDB apartment from my parents at valuation price, and it will be under my name albeit everyone still staying there. Of course, I had already moved in to my own room 2 months ago.

Having sold my Suzuki Swift last month, the third week of November will also see myself driving off the Volkswagen Scirocco that I purchased earlier in August. It’ll be the 1.4L TSI model, and the color that I’ve picked is candy white. This would be the first continental car I own, as well as a first in the family.

At leisure, come 20th of November, I will be attending Thomas’ wedding luncheon in JB, Malaysia. But this time, I will have an added role; being the emcee for the event. This will be my first time, along with a co-emcee, Lisa Ang. Hopefully, I won’t disappoint the newly wed.

If you do accept and get up in about seven minutes, would you feel that it’s too much? I mean, even though you’re pregnant, you couldn’t stand for seven minutes? Most people I came across in such situation would politely decline the offer, leaving the one who offered the seat in a loss.

On the other hand, if you decline gracefully, what about the passengers who would board the train at Lakeside or Chinese Garden? Would they present their killer stare at those occupying the reserved seats and curse their soul for not giving up to the needy? If you are the seated one, how would you react?

It seems to me there is no right or wrong to this, but it also appears that either way, there are bound to have rooms for misunderstanding or misinterpretation of intentions. Hard to play good guy nowadays huh?

Reserved Seating on the MRT train

Let’s put it this way. Owning a car in Singapore is already by itself a heavy burden. What could cost more than $100,000 in Singapore would probably cost only a third of that in some countries. Geographically, Singapore is really too small an island to accommodate a large number of private cars. Imagine if a Japanese sedan costs only $20,000 here in this tiny city-state. There’s gonna be a traffic jam even in the most remote part of the island! So yes, I would’ve agreed with the Government’s decision to limit the car population, as well as to ensure that the cost of owning a car is high enough.

Now, what about owning multiple cars per person? Yes, please raise their COE and road tax! Even though someone commented that owning multiple cars would not lead to congestion, this measure will allow more Singaporeans to fulfill their aspiration to own a private car of their own. But please don’t restrict this to household though, as we all know that more than one family could be living under the same roof. Just my five-cent worth.