Li's Site

Li's Site http://tigertang.multiply.com/ Well, thanks for dropping by to the sad tribute some old coddger who ain't going to go away and fade yet. I guess since nobody actually reads openings I can say what I bloody well want to say and nobody will take notice - haha. Anyway, keep reading this if you really have got nothing better to do. Nope, it won't make you rich and it won't make you instantaneously attractive to the opposite sex or even the same sex if that is what floats your boat. So here it is then - just read because there's very little else to do accept read about someone elses daily life and have a good laugh at them cause it ain't you. So you're still here - my what a no life *&(_^*(*&^ you must be. - No PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEEE STAY, I'm really lonely and need to feel that my life has some purpose and would become a total suicidal git if you didn't read and make your comments on my BLOG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:53:18 -0000 Wed, 23 Jul 2008 05:15:43 -0000 Li's Site http://images.tigertang.multiply.com/logo http://tigertang.multiply.com 100 100 Can't Afford, I'm Pikey Priky Wicky It's been a strange month, this month of July. It's as if allot of promissing things have come about but they all seem to be hanging in the air, while in the mean time I have to hold my private bits and figure out how to make ends meet. It must be a testament to my acting skills, but thus far I've managed to smile at the adversity that's come my way. I remember the times I used to appear at functions and cooly listen to people discuss their million dollar deals and then, when the party was over, I'd find a way of sneaking away from the crowd and jumping into a bus, which was usually at a stage when I was worried about taking the bus. I know I'm probably flattering my ego here when I say with some pride that it takes skill to sound like a credible person in a conversation about lots of money when you haven't got any, then again, its been a matter of necessity. People don't give jobs to the poor and needy, which is probably the wrong thing to do because these are probably the most hungry... http://tigertang.multiply.com/journal/item/511/Cant_Afford_Im_Pikey_Priky_Wicky_ Wed, 23 Jul 2008 05:15:43 -0000 Gobbledygook I could be going through a strange phase in my life but I seem to be finding that gobbledygook, or speech that does not seem to make sense is becoming the norm in Singapore. I get the impression that there is a new national trend to ensure that when we communicate we are NOT understood. You can imagine the scenario, if you speak in such a way that is honest and understandable, you will be thrown into jail. Unfortunately, the people who have taken up the art of gobbledygook are precisely the people who have made their reputation for speaking clearly and telling it like it is. Like it or not, Singapore’s leadership at one stage was about having what Jack Welsh, GE’s former CEO called “Candour,” or the dirty little secret of business success. This was a political leadership that was never afraid to being honest about why unpopular policies had to be put in place and while we, the public may have bitched about it, we accepted the decisions of the leadership and thus far things have tur... http://tigertang.multiply.com/journal/item/510/Gobbledygook Tue, 15 Jul 2008 20:05:26 -0000 Thought Provoking Piece by PN Balji, Editorial Director - MediaCorp Monday, July 14, 2008 CAN A FEW GOOD MEN CONTINUE to Make s’pore? Nation needs citizenry who can think on their feet,question established views and identify new solutions P N BALJI editorial director balji@mediacorp.com.sg BRITISH journalist John Kampfner’s argument self-destructed when he ended his commentary analysing Singapore’s economics-before-politics model with this concluding line: “It is providing a modicum of a good life, and a quiet life, the ultimate anaesthetic for the brain.” A cheap shot, this, but let’s put that aside. His column, published in this paper last Monday, deserves to be debated and not dismissed as another Western journalist’s prejudiced views. For Mr Kampfner, a left-leaning former editor of the New Statesman magazine who used to look at the world through hisfreedom-at-all-cost lenses, to even admit that he has changed his mind on the viability of the Singapore model is striking. Let’s look at this paragraph from his commentary: “I used to reas... http://tigertang.multiply.com/journal/item/509/Thought_Provoking_Piece_by_PN_Balji_Editorial_Director_-_MediaCorp_ Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:38:12 -0000 Well said.....unless you are a member of the Elite who will try to explaining the difference between being realisitc and scared From Arab News for the Bush Administration on the 4th of July. http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7&section=0&article=111481&d=4&m=7&y=2008&pix=opinion.jpg&category=Opinion Lessons from North Korea for Middle East Aijaz Zaka Syed | Arab News   Our world would be so dull without its delicious ironies and ever fascinating double standards. Who could have ever thought that having condemned North Korea as part of the "Axis of evil" — the other two being Iran and Iraq of course — in September 2001, Bush would rush his top diplomats to welcome "Dear Leader" Kim Jong-il to the fold of civilized world.But then, as they say, there are no permanent friends and enemies in the world of international relations.And it seems only an Asian dictator whose mere mention was enough to send Bush flying off the handle could save the lame duck president, desperate to res... http://tigertang.multiply.com/journal/item/508/Well_said.....unless_you_are_a_member_of_the_Elite_who_will_try_to_explaining_the_difference_between_being_realisitc_and_scared_ Fri, 4 Jul 2008 18:14:52 -0000 SO CHEAP! Paul Pondadouri, the lead guitarist at Harry’s Bar in the Esplanade provided one of the best explanations for why Singaporeans get ripped off in Malaysia.  He said, “Don’t you realise that shop keepers have the ears open every time you yell ‘SO CHEAP,’ to all the prices they have?” Well, to be fair, life in Singapore is getting expensive and not having to pay millions for a toilet or hundreds of thousands for old banger must seem like paradise. However, as Ravi Veloo, Managing Director of The Media Campus says, “You always hear Singaporeans say ‘SO CHEAP,’ you never hear them say ‘SO GOOD,’ –makes you wonder about our values.” That got me thinking. Are Singaporeans so obsessed with everything being ‘SO CHEAP,’ that we have become ‘CHEAP.’ Well, let’s start with the defence. Singapore may be the most expensive country in the region but it is also easily the wealthiest per capita. The average Singaporean earns far more than the average Malaysian, Thai or Indonesian and we don’t... http://tigertang.multiply.com/journal/item/507/SO_CHEAP_ Sat, 28 Jun 2008 18:44:33 -0000 Candour and Managing Up It's a fairly quiet week of the home front but a more active one of the local political scene. Gave Dad a surprise send off at the airport and much to my surprise, he actually seemed to appreciate being sent off (after insisting that I don't send him off). Also managed to read through Jack Welsh's book called "Winning."  Mr Welsh makes allot of sense and unlike allot of guys in the management guru business has the credibility of having run what is arguably the best run company in the world. When he ran GE in the late 1990s til early 2001, he made sure that GE, an industrial conglomerate delivered exceptional results for stock holders, while everyone was mad about dot.coms that turned out to be dot.bombs. He also planned his succession immaculately, leaving GE to grow to stronger levels under the leadership of Jeff Immelt and the two alternatives to Mr Immelt as CEO went onto achieve outstanding careers as the CEOs of 3M and Data Craft. What makes Mr Welsh so readable and bel... http://tigertang.multiply.com/journal/item/506/Candour_and_Managing_Up_ Wed, 25 Jun 2008 08:45:05 -0000 11 Rules of Life - By William Henry Gates III When it comes to getting ahead in life, I think Bill Gates, formerly the World's Richest Man (for over 11-years) should know what he's talking about. Although Gates forced MSN onto us instead of letting us use open source software, Gates has been one of the biggest indivudal creators of wealth in history and for this, he deserves much credit. Not sure if this is really Gates, but I think something he could well have said and something all of us, particularly school leavers in Singapore could well learn. ELEVEN RULES OF LIFE:- Rule 1 --> Life is not fair>>> Get used to it. Rule 2 --> The world won't care about your self-esteem & will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself. Rule 3 --> You will NOT make $40,000 a year - right out of high school & won't be a vise-president with a car phone until you earn both. Rule 4 --> If you think your teacher is TOUGH, wait till you get a BOSS. Rule 5 --> Flipping burgers is not benea... http://tigertang.multiply.com/journal/item/505/11_Rules_of_Life_-_By_William_Henry_Gates_III_ Sat, 21 Jun 2008 16:05:35 -0000 Manifesto for a New Singapore - In Honour of My Favourite Young Politician's 18th Birthday <h3>Towards a New Singapore</h3> My fellow Singaporeans, I am honoured to announce to you that I will be launching a new political movement, a movement, that I hope will bring Singapore into a more prosperous future for all Singaporeans. My movement will be called – “Singapore for Singaporeans.” I’m sure many of you may be wondering what I mean by “Singapore for Singaporeans,” so bear with me as I outline my simple platform for elected office. <h3>What Do I Dream for Singapore?</h3> Everything starts with a dream and a Singapore for Singaporeans starts on the premise that Singapore was created by the sheer hard work and ingenuity of Singaporeans. I want to return Singapore to the value system that made it a shinning red dot. Values such as visionary leadership, individual responsibility and human ingenuity must be restored if Singapore is to claim its place as a civilised and prosperous citizen of the global community. <h3>Visionary Leadership</h3> Singapore has been blessed with visionary leadership.... http://tigertang.multiply.com/journal/item/504/Manifesto_for_a_New_Singapore_-_In_Honour_of_My_Favourite_Young_Politicians_18th_Birthday_ Wed, 18 Jun 2008 03:34:20 -0000 Generation Stupid Meets Generation Hopeless I guess I have finally become a true Singaporean, but I've become a little dull towards news events. So, I guess when I do find something to grumble about in the papers, I suppose I should take the opportunity to do it. Anyway, the latest news item that's got me "involved" in an effort to try and say something intelligent is the fact the Ministry of Defense (MINDEF) has just released the results of an inquirey into sudden deaths in the SAF. Over the last month, we've been reading stories about how National Servicemen in their late teens and early twenties dropped dead all of a sudden and thanks to incidences happening so close together, the Ministry decided to suspend training for three days to review procedures. All of this is deja vu to me. It was just 11-years ago, before going Opperationally Ready (ORD), when I remember the SAF going through another excercise. Swift Lion had claimed two lives from 23 and earlier that year, an officer cadet had just been shot at a GPMG range by one ... http://tigertang.multiply.com/journal/item/503/Generation_Stupid_Meets_Generation_Hopeless Mon, 16 Jun 2008 07:35:11 -0000 10 minuites to go Decided to drop into chills to play on the internet and pretend to look intelligent in cyberspace, which is pretty difficult, especially when you think that I've been involved with all sorts of funny people. Life as they say is internesting and I'm just trying to make the most of the hay that comes my way. As weeks go, this one has been fairly productive. Managed to attend two new business meetings. One is an SME business, which should be fun and the other is a furniture industry association, which looks less fun - I think it could be a case of lots of work but not enough money to justify the time and effort that one will have to put into dealing with this sort of thing. If being a teacher for 3-months taught me anything, it was a healthy distatest for comittee meetings, of which the furniture guys will require us to do.  I await the SME chap  with a reasonable amount of eagerness. I'll just go through the motions with the furniture people. On a more interesting note, I meet wi... http://tigertang.multiply.com/journal/item/502/10_minuites_to_go Thu, 12 Jun 2008 03:11:57 -0000 Long and Short of Sleepy Weepy It was a crazy Friday night. Went out with Terry O'Connor, CEO of Courts for his birthday (this is the BIG four OH) boy's night out on Friday and ended up not sleeping the whole night. Slept at 7am, woke up at about 3, then had lunch/dinner then it was drinks with Luke and then I'm back at home trying to think of something that will create a bit of dough in the pocket. It's crazy, my sleeping patterns have gone utterly nuts and I'll need to restore some equilibrium to my body clock before the next week kicks off. But for now, I guess I'll try and spend it on the net trying to say something witty and intelligent, which is difficult because I'm not as witty or intelligent as I like to think. Having said that, I guess I'm going to try and be smart at this hour of the day. I've managed to get the guys at Ammado.com, a Facebook for NGOs and Non Profit organisations a radio interview next week. I hope they'll get the publicity bug and I hope they'll want to hire a small little PR consultancy.... http://tigertang.multiply.com/journal/item/501/Long_and_Short_of_Sleepy_Weepy_ Sat, 7 Jun 2008 20:53:18 -0000 Night Time and Early Morning Insomniac Moments It's now some really horrible hour in the morning and I can't get to sleep, I'm stuck with not much on TV and most damagingly there's not a single book that I have not read in the house. Hence, my eternal quest to get a major dose of fry eyes by staying up this early and getting my kicks by starting at the computer. Yesterday was fairly simple. Went down to facilitate a meeting between Zen and Anil. The two clowns are strange, almost childlike but somehow they are managing to get their lives moving. Then the evening was spent with two perspective partners discussing how we are going to try and grab a small retainer account to help our bank balances move in the right direction. Should be interesting, one of the potential partners is a designer and the other is a brand strategist. First time I'll be working accross disciplines, since I've gone out on my own. But hey, if there's a penny to be made here and there, why not. Managed to put some money aside from the GE job and also paid off th... http://tigertang.multiply.com/journal/item/500/Night_Time_and_Early_Morning_Insomniac_Moments Sun, 1 Jun 2008 20:26:25 -0000 If Only If only there was a Singaporean writer willing to write about the Foreign labour in this country like this guy: <a href="http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7&section=0&article=110429&d=31&m=5&y=2008&pix=opinion.jpg&category=Opinion">http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7&section=0&article=110429&d=31&m=5&y=2008&pix=opinion.jpg&category=Opinion</a> Threat of the Migrant Worker Tariq A. Al-Maeena, talmaeena@aol.com   After reading enough in the local press about the threat to and the ill-effects on our society from the presence of a large number of migrant and semi-skilled workers in this country, I have to ask this question: Can we really get by without their presence? Before I answer this question myself, let me list some of the activities these workers are currently engaged in.Starting off with our municipal workers, it is not hard to notice the large number of expatriate workers industriously engaged in keeping our roads and cities clean, and our trash carted away. As ou... http://tigertang.multiply.com/journal/item/499/If_Only Sat, 31 May 2008 14:15:03 -0000 Give me 10 mins and I'll just waste it ranting I'm at an internet cafe checking out my life in cyberspace and so I thought I would drop a posting here to try and lighten the load of the bored and oppressed on this planet. Life this week has been quiet. Slow and quiet but instead of spending it in bed, I'm surfing, surfing and surfing on the net. Like most mindless cretins I've decided that having a purpose is overrated. But if it's been fairly quiet on the personal front, it's been a bit more interesting in the wider world of global politics. In Singapore, the court case between the Father and Son against Dr Chee Soon Juan seems to be reaching a conclusion. Dr Chee and his sister, are revelling in their role as favourite punch bags of the government and I don't think anyone doubts the verdict - the Father and the Son will be awarded enough damages to fund the government for a year and the already bankrupt Dr Chee will be unable to pay... This business of suing has been a comon tactic of the powers that be. Yes, sometimes the buggers... http://tigertang.multiply.com/journal/item/498/Give_me_10_mins_and_Ill_just_waste_it_ranting_ Thu, 29 May 2008 06:55:32 -0000 Accounts It's still a fairly quiet business day but at least I'm enjoying what every businessman around the world enjoys most - collecting money. Last night the cheque from GECF arrived under the name of Tang-Asia Consultancy and so, this morning I trotted down to the bank like a good little boy and set up my first ever merchant account. I'm not sure how I'm going to manage things. I've been so used to opperating as an individual for the longest of times. I'm only a sole propriotor and so I don't get the tax advantages that a private company would get (Yes, Sole propriotors can get sued). Technically I'll still be doing all the work. However, I think I'm going to have to discover some financial discipline and try and keep the money between my personal and business expenses separate. I think that unless I am well and truely broke, it will be wisest to keep the money for the business in the account for the business and not dip into it. Going to be tough cause I'm broke most of the time but I thin... http://tigertang.multiply.com/journal/item/497/Accounts Wed, 28 May 2008 06:37:17 -0000 Searching It's all quiet on the home and business front. All too quiet, which cannot be a good sign on how things may be turning out on the economic front but when you consider that I was out drinking late last night, it was probably a darn good thing for me to take a break from life, today. But then again, I can't really complain. It was good Indian food at a friend's 60th birthday party and then a late but enjoyable night at the Ministry of Sound as a guest of Spain's Tourism Authority. I love Europeans, you can always trust them to do the decent thing and provide booze....and needless to say there were a few sufficiently scantily clad chicks around to please the eye. As in all ironies, I ended up finding the most civilised woman at the event to be Spanish - we ended mixing communications in my pidgeon Spanish, her pidgeon Mandarin, our somewhat decent German and English. This is Singapore, it's good to be somewhat multilingual. The finale to this came from a Finnish guy who started telling ev... http://tigertang.multiply.com/journal/item/496/Searching_ Sat, 24 May 2008 19:27:16 -0000 Insight into the way the world is moving <a href="http://www.gulfnews.com/opinion/columns/world/10215013.html">http://www.gulfnews.com/opinion/columns/world/10215013.html</a> <h2 style="margin: 6pt 0cm; ">GCC can benefit from China </h2> By Francis Matthew, Editor at Large Published: May 22, 2008, 00:08 There will be a major shift in the world's power structure as China moves up to take its place as one of the world's two future superpowers over the next two to three decades. The change will not be very comfortable and will upset many conventional ideas that we all have at the moment. This change will be particularly important for the Gulf states, and will force them into new economic alliances, which in turn will bring new political interests. The recent World Economic Forum on the Middle East spent a lot of time looking at how this shift might happen and what its impact will be. The new economic network will probably include China as a manufacturing centre, India as a service centre, and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states offering energy and capital and Africa bringing substantial terri... http://tigertang.multiply.com/journal/item/495/Insight_into_the_way_the_world_is_moving_ Thu, 22 May 2008 19:52:30 -0000 New Movements It's a fairly quiet week. Monday was a long weekend and yesterday, for the most part I vegitated in the huge arm chairs at Raffles City and then at then I proceeded to keep the Hans in the National Library happy by ordering a few coffees. Hans has interesting coffee - not as nice as my favourite local coffee with lots of condensed milk (which probably accounts for my 96kg frame) but still beats the hell out of drinking a certain brand of instant coffee which I shall not mention. However, if yesterday was a day of lazy lounging, the evening was exceedingly productive. Went to the Irish Ambassador's function with Luke and it was a productive networking session. I get the feeling the boys from Enterprise Ireland could be interesting. The new head asked me to come by and visit, I've already traded a few emails with him trying to set up the date. Things are in an exploratory stage but I think this can lead to new opportunities. The Irish do know how to serve the booze. Had quite a bit of red... http://tigertang.multiply.com/journal/item/494/New_Movements Wed, 21 May 2008 06:03:37 -0000 Almost out of Penuary Am now seemingly on the road to recovery after a very dry two weeks of having zero cash coming in. Not quite sure what it was but I think the idea of easy government money came and went in a flash on being debauched on things like steak at Botak Jones and women who were obviously not my wife <img src="http://images.multiply.com/common/smiles/shade.png"> and let's not forget the biggest killer of all - more inflated pricing. It seems that we have now reached a state in life where the system seems to conspire to make sure you never have enough money when you need it. People take their time to pay you but the bill collectors expect their payment to be on time. But it wasn't all bad. There's nothing like being dry on cash to make your brain scramble for ways towards basic survival and it get's you out of that most recently notorious Singaporean phrase - "Complacency." Suddenly, I spent more time doing things like walking more (which is good for the minimal excercise I do) instead of taking public transport and eating less - in fact I took quite a... http://tigertang.multiply.com/journal/item/493/Almost_out_of_Penuary_ Fri, 16 May 2008 04:08:22 -0000 CNA-SBT-02May-3M.wmv 3M opened its second manufacturing plant in Tuas, Singapore May 2, 2008. Overall it was an exceedingly successful exercise from a media point of view and more importantly, the plant is set to help create 250 new jobs in Singapore http://tigertang.multiply.com/video/item/6/CNA-SBT-02May-3M.wmv Tue, 6 May 2008 14:06:28 -0000 I'm in Labour, I had Writers Block and I don't know what the heck is going on It's been quite a while since I lasted posted anything on this blog. I think it had to do with something about me being a recipient of the government's generosity and spending the better part of last week with too much to drink and a series of women who were obvoiusly not my ex-wife. Before you all shake your heads at my totally debauched and senseless lifestyle, I would beg you all to remember that I am not one of the intelligensia of this nation nor am I responsible for my actions. It was the fault of the government for placing me in a position where I had cash to spare and it was Mas Selamat's guards who made me do it. And if you assume that I have responsability for whom and how I spend my government given cash, I'll sue the daylights out of you for being totally complacent. Anyway, enough of that. I've just decided that since the Mas Selamat Affair (65 days and he's still not found), I need to declare all my evil deeds and add a warning to all readers of this blog that I am not re... http://tigertang.multiply.com/journal/item/492/Im_in_Labour_I_had_Writers_Block_and_I_dont_know_what_the_heck_is_going_on Mon, 5 May 2008 15:32:18 -0000 Jayson Brunsdon http://tigertang.multiply.com/photos/album/20/Jayson_Brunsdon_ Wed, 9 Apr 2008 18:05:33 -0000 Bits and Bobs from Piper - by Jaime Hayon http://tigertang.multiply.com/photos/album/19/Bits_and_Bobs_from_Piper_-_by_Jaime_Hayon Wed, 9 Apr 2008 17:53:58 -0000 Live Eye-Surgery ChU-9pm-17Mar.wmv Got this news clip for Alcon. Don't have steak after watching this but it basically features a live surgery at Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC). Doctors learn from each other by watching a surgery performed by a live video feed. http://tigertang.multiply.com/video/item/5/Live_Eye-Surgery_ChU-9pm-17Mar.wmv Mon, 24 Mar 2008 19:11:11 -0000 Jayson Brunsdon Well, yes, I know, this is strictly speaking not music. But the radio interview with Jayson Brunsdon, one of Australia's hottest up and coming designers and stylist to people like Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington is insightful, particularly if you want to launch a fashion brand of your own. http://tigertang.multiply.com/music/item/3/Jayson_Brunsdon_ Mon, 24 Mar 2008 19:05:24 -0000 Eddie on the Drums Here's a shot of one of my favourite local Singapore musicians in action at the Long Bar in the Raffles Hotel. The man is very cool - plays the sax, drums and has a long stick to keep people happy .....if you pardon the puns. Video came off my handphone so bear with the recording but you should get an idea of the fun I have listening to this guy http://tigertang.multiply.com/video/item/4/Eddie_on_the_Drums_ Mon, 3 Dec 2007 16:00:29 -0000