Flowers for My Life – The Finale (No spoilers)

 

Watched the final episode of Flowers for My Life with Yupgi earlier in the week. We were unsure of what to expect since this drama is so “un-stereotypical” of Korean dramas. Just like the real world, Flowers for My Life unfolds in a orderly yet chaotic way reminisence of our daily lives.

The realistic yet fluid way of storytelling meant that the series is likely to end “happily” with Hosang (Cha Tae Hyun) surviving his pancreatic cancer (with a 98% fatality rate) or “less happily” with the passing of Hosang. However, the wonderful part of this series is that despite our hope for Hosang to survive against the odds, we are already at peace for an alternative ending.

Why should I be contented with a less than fairy-tale ending?

Simply because the director and scriptwriter have both done a good, if not great, job in telling a story of how a dying man and his love learn to understand that death is no obstacle to love and that a life lived is indeed a life fully experienced.

This drama is about the meaning of what it is to be truly alive. My lack of vocabluary do great injustice to the sensitive and rich manner in which the story for Flowers for My Life was told.

I highly recommend this series to anyone who is handling a difficult situation where a loved one is sick as well as those who wants a wake up call to the daily drone which we call life. Do be prepared for a roller-coaster ride of emotions as moments of joy will be interspersed with moments of grief and sadness. Do not be too worried that you will be left an emotional wreck at the end of the drama as all emotional aspects of the drama was handled in a highly sensitive manner.

Everything that happened in the drama happened for a reason. Expect no fluff and superficiality associated with most other Korean dramas. This is a drama about ‘humanity’ from the beginning to the end. I have no regrets about the accidental manner with which I stumbled across this drama while channel surfing a month or two back. Guess this is one of life’s little surprises and ongoing lessons for me.

Watch this as it is even better than Alone in Love – a drama which is also highly rated.

The full post is also uploaded on hellohallyu.

Can a person be ‘Unteachable’. Yes!!!

One of my staff really lit my fuse this morning. An old-timer, Staff X is one those who does everything the old school way – slowly, by the book, kia-si to the extreme (I have to sign off everything, yes I mean EVERYTHING!), totally inflexible and technophobic to the extreme. Put everything together and you get one of the most ineffective staff around!

Teaching X anything is like raving at a rock, telling ‘it’ that it is a rock, but never able to get the message across. Yes, it is that bad. One of my staff tried teaching X something and it ended in sort of a shouting match and black faces for some weeks. I had to come in personally to sooth frayed nerves although I fully emphatised with the staff who gave the training. You can’t train a rock to do anything other than being a rock.

Teaching X the Copy-and-Paste Function 

Today, I had to teach X how to use the “Ctrl-C” and “Ctrl-V” functions. Basically, stuff which any primary school student, even kindergarten ones, are able to understand. What pisses me off is that this staff has been using a computer since PCs were rolled out in my orgnisation say in the 1990s and yet she’s running to me, all the time, asking how to do the simplest stuff!

Having explained to X how to copy and paste, I thought my ordeal was over. Nope! X came running to me and said I taught her wrongly, showing me ‘prove’ that my method was somehow flawed when she followed it. I was like, “what the f*&#!!!!

Went to X’s cubicle to ‘troubleshoot’. Found that that idiot X copied and pasted the wrong htm page!!! Felt like tearing my hair out at that point. Not only that X was clicking on an icon which was not hyperlinked!!! X just followed my instructions without checking if the page loaded, copied the wrong information and just pasted it since it “followed” the process I gave her. Apparently this person doesn’t use enough of her brains to think WHY the result was different from mine.

Sometimes I wonder if I am paid the amount that I receive now to babysit X and the one other idiot, yah, why should I call them otherwise when they are really idiots, who reports to me.

I really wonder where on this earth such rare specimens are found. The odds of having 2 at the same place must be astronomical! So rare are they that I would more than happy to donate them to the museum for their “Extinct Species” exhibits  under the archealogical section.

Ok, back to Idiotland! To infinity and beyond! Lalalalala….

The world’s going mad. Or am I going mad…

Vitamin C + Flu = Flu

Yet another myth has been smashed by scientists. The age-old belief that vitamin C aids in the recovery of a flu has been debunked after scientists reviewed studies which involved 11,000 plus people. The BBC article Vitamin C ‘does not stop colds’, highlighted the following:

“Researchers at the Australian National University and the University of Helsinki concluded that, for most people, the benefits of taking vitamin C daily were so slight that they were not worth the effort or expense.”

Although the study shows that popping vitamin C does little to nothing for a cold, I still believe that everyone should have a recommended dose of it since it is still beneficial to our health.

For those who pops vitamin C tablets daily, you can save yourself a fortune since we are more than likely to consume more than enough of it in our daily diet. If you are unaware, excess vitamin C cannot be stored in our bodies, it simple passes out as crap. So be a good boy and girl and include at least five portions of veggies and fruits in your daily diet if you want to get enough vitamin C for the day.

Anyway, this study also proved to me once again that we know too little about the human body. With the current amount of knowledge, I am surprised that people continue to jump into fads whenever some new study ‘proves’ that a particular supplement is good for the health. People blindly believe every word that comes out of the scientific community. It is also the same community that debunks previous findings and then again generate new ones.

Health is something which everyone aspires to since it means a higher standard of living for a healthy person compare to one that is not. However, instead of putting your cash into bottles and bottles of supplements, one should just follow the simple, yet logical, advice given by so many health organisations around the world.

The advice is simply this:

1. Based your diet on the Dietary Pyramind.
2. Exercise as many times as you can a week. Even sessions as short as 5-10 mins have been proven to be beneficial to the body. So forget the strict old rule of 30mins 5 times a week. If you can do 5 mins 3 times a week, it is already better than doing nothing the whole week!
3. Get enought sleep. Studies have shown that different people requires different amounts of sleep. Find out how much you need and stick to it!
4. Eat in moderation. 5 small meals a day is recommended, although I find it rather difficult to find chow time in the office.
5. Spend time on things important to you. Spend time with your family or friends. Start a hobby. Chill out. Watch a movie. Just do something that makes you feel great! (WARNING: Playing World of Warcraft 12 hours straight is great but not healthy. I know cos I have been there lolz).
6. Drink lots of water

Stay healthy yah!

Va Va VROOOMMMM….

Was touching up some old photos from my Shanghai trip earlier this year when I came across this photo.

The Prancing Pony aka Ferrari brought one of its cars for a European car exhibition at Vivocity sometime in May this year. Luckily I brought my camera with me and was able to take a nice shot of this beauty.

One word. Enjoy!

Mozzies Down Durai

I read with some amusment when I came across “Durai gets dengue” in today’s copy of The Straits Times. While I am not those who wish ill will to those deserving of nothing better, I can’t help but feel a total lack of sympathy for the fallen chief of NKF.

Anyway, this article is another evidence that journalists are so enamored with their jobs, of finding sensational stories, that they sometimes forget if the news is of any relevance, or importance, to us – the readers.

Unless Durai’s ailment affects the time he needs to serve in Changi, I see no reason for the publication of this article when people all over Singapore are also going down with dengue at the same time.

Give me real news not something related to something, but the story in itself in NOTHING! Boy, these SPH writers are giving me a headache.

Premium Bus Services

Commuters from around Singapore, especially those from the more ‘remote’, if there’s ever such a thing, parts of the country will now be able to ride in comfort with the roll-out of the premium bus services offered by ComfortDelgro or SBS.

Snapshot of New Premium Bus Services 

1. 15 bus services operating from places such as Jurong West, Bedok, Simei and Pasir Ris.
2. All passengers to get a seat. No standing allowed.
3. Fares range from $2.70 to $5.
4. Operate only at morning peak hours and travel only in the direction of the city.
5. All trips scheduled to arrive in the city before 9am.

(Extracted from The Straits Times, "15 premium bus services take to the roads today") 

Being a public transport commuter myself, I read the Straits Times article “15 premium bus services to take to the roads today” with much interest. In my head, I was wondering what’s up the sleeves of the Public Transport Council (PTC), the toothless corporate-loving regulator, and SBS.

Starting today, some commuters heading to their offices downtown will be able to ride in comfort on 15 premium bus services. The new bus services by transport operator ComfortDelGro guarantee passengers a seat and will take specially selected routes to keep travel times down.  

Reading the words highlighted above, it is telling that our public transport system, the bus services in this case, is not as fantastic as it is touted to be. It basically means that our buses are not (a) comfotable, (b) have too few seats and (c) they never arrive in time.

Ask around and most Singaporeans, I am generalising here, will tell you that the experience of riding in our cramp “sardine tin can-like” vehicles called buses ain’t much to harp about. You are more likely to get more grouses than praise for our much touted world class transport infrastructure.

Being a typical Singaporean, here’s my very own list of grouses:

Fieldmarshal’s 4 Reasons Why Bus Services in Singapore is Crap

1. Seats are too cramp and small. The seats are designed for people who are generally small in stature, preferably between 1.55m to 1.60m tall. For a bloke who’s 1.8m+, I am surprised that I have survived all these years without getting deep vein thrombosis (DVT). But my knees have had their share of bruises though.

2. Not enough seats. Commuters in Singapore are treated like sheep. In the minds of the PTC bureaucrats, the purpose of having public buses is to transport as many livestock people as possible with almost no regard for their comfort. Sometimes I wonder why bus drivers continue to pack in the people when the bus is already bursting at the seams!

3. Low ‘ceilings’. Think this applies only to those 1.8m and tallers. Ouch!

4. Long waiting times. Need I say more when one has to wait 20 minutes only to find the bus fully packed and having to wait another 20 minutes for the next?

These grouses set me thinking. As a first world country with high standards of living, which I am led to believe, I am sure the PTC would have guidelines, something which Singapore is so fond of, in ensuring the comfort and efficiency of our bus transport services.

So off I went surfing in the PTC website and found Singapore’s very own Bus Service Standard (BSS) there. And here’s what I found.

There are 6 aspects to the BSS:

1. Reliability

2. Loading

3. Safety

4. Availability

5. Integration

6. Information

Sadly, comfort of the commuters, who are the actual users of the bus services, are not considered important enough to warrant itself as a factor in the BSS. The only thing that came close was in the “loading” aspect, which stated that “Bus loading during weekday peak periods on each bus service – Not exceeding 95% daily“. I decipher it as a 50 person capacity bus cannot carry more than 45 persons during peak periods. No way! How many times have I seen people standing on the steps of the bus’ entrance just to ensure that they have a ride home after a hard day’s work. If the bus is licensed to carry 50, then those buses must be carying 60!

Despite their record corporate earnings, bus companies, which happen to be privately owned, are always eager to increase their fares. These fare increases are seldom, if ever, matched with an increase in bus service standards. PTC as the regulator is like a rubber stamp which has yet to reject a single fare increase. People say that there’s nothing certain in life. Well in Singapore, there is one certainty. Bus fares will increase in good years, and yes, in bad years too!

My feedback to both PTC and the bus companies. We, the commuters of Singapore, do not need premium bus services. We just need MORE BUSES!

I also dug up a Bus Passenger Satisfaction Survey done by the PTC in 2006. Look under the “Very Dissatisfied” and “Fairly Dissatisfied” columns. Can someone tell the statistically inept me that there must be something definitely wrong with our bus services.

Oh, one last quote from the ST article which I found kinda interesting.

“Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport member Cynthia Phua welcomed the new services. She said: ‘For less than $100 a month, commuters now have a better alternative to driving to the city, taking the taxi to work and a more comfortable ride compared to trains and buses. I hope, based on demand, operators can provide more such services.’ “

Hmmm, a more comfortable bus ride compared to buses. Omigosh! Is Ms Cynthia Phua saying that basic bus services is crap? What is she doing then as a member of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport? Shouldn’t she be improving the basic services? Oh wait… she doesn’t take the bus…

Seven Wonders of Singapore

The world had just chosen the new Seven Wonders of the World to reflect contemporary opinion. Not to be outdone, Singapore has just chosen its own famous, or infamous, Seven Wonders of Singapore. Do not mistake the current wonders with the ‘other’ Seven Wonders which ex-Member of Parliament Mr Tan Soo Khoon coined during his speech on government waste during the budget debate in 2002.

Here are the seven local wonders based on a poll by The Straits Times of 300 Singaporeans. I have to say interesting choices especially wonder #7 (guess which one I am referring to).

1. The Durian! Nah, it’s actually the Esplanade
2. Changi Airport
3. Pulau Blakang Mati aka Sentosa
4. Lion headed fish, roar!!! Merlion
5. Singapore Stream River
6. Singaporean ‘makan’ Food
7. M&M’s oops, I mean MM Lee and Mount Faber

Fieldmarshal’s Seven Wonders of Singapore 

1. Old National Library building (demolished)
2. Van Cleef Aquarium (demolished)
3. Sentosa’s old Monorail (demolished)
4. National Stadium (soon to be demolished)
5. Jurong Island (a reclamation marvel! altough massive pollution is an unwelcome by-product)
6. Food (I concede that Singapore food is indeed bagus!)
7. Pioneers (not government leaders, but the people who literally made Singapore what it is today with their sweat and blood)

I have to admit that my wonders are based on childhood memories of places which shaped much of my experience. Many people today wouldn’t have any memories of the wonders I have listed since quite a few of them have already been demolished in our, actually the givernment’s, quest for development and economic growth.

I also sensed that Singaporeans, by and large, are pretty superficial and buy into ‘fake’ experiences. Let me explain. It should be known by now that the Merlion is nothing but a marketing, albeit highly successful, gimmick that was created by the tourism agency some decades back. It’s not even a real myth in native Malay literature or folklore! Esplanade and Changi Airport are just modern infrastruture which are not very much unique when compared to similar facilities around the world. They don’t even have much architectural character to speak of! I believe people chose these as the government have more or less successfully sold the idea that modern, new and efficient buildings are wonders which Singaporeans should hold in high esteem. Those that are old and in the way of progress are nothing but obstacles to overcome.

10 years down the road, I am sure Singapore’s Seven Wonder will now include at least one of the integrated resorts (or casinos), the F1 circuit and even the new sportshub.

Three cheers to progress, prosperity, and the destruction of our heritage and memories! Hip! Hip! Hooray!

You can read the full ST article below.

My first photoshop creation

Bought myself a copy of Photoshop Elements 5.0, the genuine one, some weeks back. Have always wanted to land a copy of this software to touch up my photos as well as create some ‘artwork’ for my blogs.

So here’s my first piece of work. It’s the banner for my other blog – HelloHallyu. Tell me what you think! You can always click on the picture to see the full-sized one on the blog.

 

Know it is rough round the edges, but I promise to improve on my skills. My next project will be the banner for this blog. Till then, Hyun Bin and Sung Yu Ri, will have to last a little longer.

Latest post in HelloHallyu

Friends, check out my latest post “Tough being a K-drama Fan” at Hellohallyu.

Will be linking my news posts in HelloHallyu here whenever I update over there.

Torres – The New Red’s Forward

While I have been closely following Liverpool’s off season transfer activity, postings of related news have somewhat dried up since my recent ‘interest’ in Korean dramas. So, it is high time to provide some update on my beloved football club.

Coming after weeks of speculation and transfer inactivity, I am really glad to see that Liverpool is tying up the transfer of Fernando Torres from Aletico Madrid. Torres is touted as the critical missing jigsaw piece in Liverpool’s push for Premier League glory as the striking department was, in my opinion, the main failing in Liverpool’s failed campaigns in the last few seasons. Look at Liverpool’s ’shots on target’ to goal ratio and you know what I mean.

Torres arrival will be a great boost to the team. However, one name pops up whenever Benitez splashes cash for his fellow countrymen – Fernando Morientes. Morientes arrived at Liverpool from Real Madrid with a huge reputation, but failed to withstand and acclimatise to the rigours of the Premier League.

I can only hope that Torres succeeds where Morientes has failed.

You Will Never Walk Alone