Check this out. Soler giving it a go. Quite nice.

This song is a must sing for me each time I go to Karoake. Little wonder, it is the first few songs I learn to strum and sing with my accoustic guitar.

This one is also way overdue. High time I did some recording after playing on my amplifier for so long. My first attempt recording a melody “live” playing with my amplifier.

Recently, I have the opportunity to see the darker side of Singapore. I came across a family who is in dire straits. To date, this is one of the most pathetic family I have seen so rendering assistance was eminent.

Have you ever heard of PAYU? It is a blessing that you have not heard about it before. Cos that means you are not in financial difficulty. PAYU refers to “Pay-As-You-Use“. The name says it all. This is an additional device that replaces your conventional meter reading, courtesy of Singapore Powers. This device has the capability of restricting your electricity usage if you do not have money to top up.

Each time you need to top up, you need to take the key (see picture) and bring it to any Singapore Post outlet. Hell of a inconvenience huh?! OK, enough of the PAYU. You see my point. Let’s get on to it.

Mrs Cave, aged 75 is a widow with 3 children (F/50, M/54, M/59) and her eldest son is married and living apart. Mrs Cave has lived around her neighbourhood all her life and has not gone anywhere else before. In fact, she is so ignorant, she has problems getting to the bus interchange without help (no kidding, I mean it).

Her house is a rental flat from HDB and she is the caregiver to her youngest daughter and son who are both mentally deranged and incapable of taking care of themselves. On top of that, her son also has severe skin condition that is so bad, you would not want to get close to him at all. He looked unkempt and seems to be lacking in basic personal hygiene. Both have not worked for their entire life and has been dependent on Mrs Cave for support.

So why did I name “Mrs Cave” as Mrs Cave? Pardon me for my limited vocabulary but I strongly feel the word cave best describes this family. Mrs Cave’s house condition is so rundown, it reminded me of a makeshift slum. No lights, no fire, no gas, super old furniture, loads of ant and cockroaches. The house is in need of a fresh coat of paint. One of the lights also did not have a bulb.

Daily cooking is done with charcoal (Amazing huh?). Mrs Cave’s eldest son who is staying apart has recently withdrawn support, resulting in the household’s predicament. My heart really goes out to the family. Not sure why. Perhaps it is the calling from God. I was determine to make a difference in their lives.

So what did I do for Mrs Cave? I was able to make sure she gets S$400 cash and S$60 Utilities/ PAYU Voucher monthly. Not a lot, but some help at least. I arranged for Mrs Cave to open the first bank account of her life so that the money can be GIRO-ed to her monthly. On top of that, some kind soul out there is willing to pay off Mrs Cave’s outstanding arrears of S$600 with Singapore Powers.

I made a referral to some VWO (volunteer work organisation) out there for housekeeping and hygiene services for the family. Seeing that the family was lacking in some basic life skills, a referral was made to a FSC (Family Service Centre) to see to their emotional needs.

Mrs Cave also has cataract so she could not see anyone clearly. I inform Mrs Cave to go to the Polyclinic for follow-ups. I will then arrange for the necessary medical waiver for her.

Here comes the big challenge. Being a “Cave woman”, how on earth is Mrs Cave going to take that PAYU key to her nearest Singapore Post and top-up with the PAYU voucher so that she can restore light? Tried as I have, it is literally impossible for her to do it as she does not know how to.

I was determine to “brighten up” the house. This leaves me with little choice but to grab that PAYU key from her and see to it on her behalf. I managed to find some free light bulbs to fix the one in her house as well. After topping up the PAYU for her, I made a return to her house the very day, armed with light bulbs, screw-drivers and masking tapes. I was determine to get her house lighted up even if I need to get my hands dirty.

Haha. The question is, do I even know how to change a light bulb? I have never done it before to be honest. I am pampered and useless. I never need to do such things all my life. Well, no harm trying. I have gone this far, I have nothing to lose. It is just not my day. The light bulbs doesn’t fit! Arrrrgggghhhh!!!! For doing all that shit, there is still no light!!!

I felt really frustrated at that point in time but I wasn’t about to call it quits. I was feeling really tired already doing all the running and climbing but I told myself that I cannot stop here. I told Mrs Cave that I will make it happen. Money is always a good way of solving problems. I went to the nearest provision shop nearby and bought new bulbs for her.

Lights restored!! Mission accomplished. Mrs Cave’s eyes was teary with gratitude. I think she is very touched by what I have done for her. So typical of me to make an exit when a woman started crying. I just hate to see a woman cry. But I am damn proud of myself. I feel so humane.

This is not the end. Mrs Cave still does not know how to go about topping up her PAYU for the subsequent months. I don’t have a solution to that yet. No doubt the PAYU scheme from Singapore Powers has effectively curbed the usage of those who do not have the means to pay but it has also deprived people who are ignorant about this scheme and also those with limited mobility.

A very effective scheme (just like ERP) but it might have violated an unwritten rule in Humanity.

Now, if anyone out there wishes to assist Mrs Cave in anyway, please leave me a comment. I will get in touch with you.

I have been looking a lot at electric guitars lately, probably after trying out my friend’s “Fender Stratocaster”. I never seem to get tired of playing a guitar. In fact I am yearning more and itching to “make myself heard”. That’s why I am hunting for an electric guitar.

Naturally Yamaha stays as my top choice but it seems a little out of my budget. I’m not very keen to pay a high price for an electric guitar as I know I will not be playing it as much as my Acoustic guitar. I was checking out Yamaha Beatspot @ Douby Ghaut as there is an ongoing sale. Trust me, the sale was like no sale. The prices are still exorbitant and the staff are still unfriendly. Haha.

One that caught my eye is the Yamaha RGX-A2 electric guitar. Check out the demo. I will buy it if it allows me to play like this guy. LOL.

Click here to read more about this guitar.

Belated Post. I was late for office on Thursday and one of my colleagues inform me that Michael Jackson (MJ) has passed on. I thought she was kidding but she sounded dead serious. I did a Google search immediately and affirmed the information.

I am no fan of MJ. Not before, not now not ever yet his death has left me pondering for a moment. Old memories started coming back. Some of his smashing hits, Sega MegaDrive 16 Bit and the dance he made famous.

MJ has done it all. He has hit the headlines for the right and wrong reasons - mainly his eccentric behavior, which generated significant controversy to damaged his public image. Though he was accused of child sexual abuse in 1993, the criminal investigation was closed due to lack of evidence and MJ was not charged.

I guess at this point in time, it didn’t matter anymore. Rest in Peace MJ.

Fried Rice remains to be one of my all time favorite food over the years. Simple dish (at least it looks simple to me) yet it has the potential to taste heavenly when it is cooked correctly. The picture above is a plate of pineapple fried rice that I just ate over the weekend. I have patronized this place so many times I’ve lost count. Each time I go, I would settle for nothing else but the pineapple fried rice.

I ate this fried rice at Aloy Thai (near beach road). It is cooked in thai fashion and I have to admit this is by far the best I’ve eaten to date. In fact, just talking about it makes me hungry again and craving for more.

If you are into cheap thai food, I highly recommend you to check out this place.

“Kopi Siu Dai” stands for coffee with less sugar. Coffee is a very important ingredient in my daily life. So much so, life seems very different without it. I can’t remember the last time I went without coffee for a day. It is the catalyst behind my work productivity. As you might have guessed, I am highly caffeinated.

I work in SingPost building next to the Paya Lebar MRT station. Everyday, I will go for a cup of coffee at Coffee & Toast before reporting for work. This lady by the name of Lily works there. I have to admit that I am very much amazed by her work attitude and mega memory. When I say “mega memory”, I mean it.

Lily, apparently is blessed with the ability to remember the preferences of most of her customers. In fact, she is so good that I am always able to get my favorite drink without having to open my mouth. Haha. Cool huh. I don’t really like to open my mouth in the morning cos I am always listening to MP3 so being able to get what I want without having to speak up is simply great.

There are times whereby she spotted me up the escalator and she would immediately “make the order” on my behalf. By the time I got near the stall, my drink is ready! Amazing huh. On top of that, Lily takes every order with a smile. Irregardless of the length of the queue, she maintains her composure. Now, this is what I call customer service.

Have you ever wonder why on earth you need to work so hard in life for? All the mad rush without actually knowing what the heck you are rushing for. Are you rushing simply because everyone else beside you is doing so? Or you simply do not have a choice?

Take a look at the picture above. This is a typical train station in Singapore. The train is approaching yet there is no room for alighting passengers to alight first. So many people are already “ready” to squeeze into the train before it approached. If you are a Singaporean I am sure you will agree this is a norm.

Question is, why would anyone like to be squeezed like a sardine? People need to alight first before the train can accommodate more people, isn’t it? It’s common sense yet something so simple and direct can be evaded and ignored.

Maybe Singaporeans just like to be squeezed. LOL. Little wonder bosses are trying to “bring out the best” in you cos your very best is still inside you. There is plenty left in you to be squeezed. Hahahaaaa.

By the way, for your information, I am one of the first few to squeeze into the MRT always when the train is approaching. Hehe. Know why? Cos I am a full blooded Singaporean.

Gone are the days when you threw as much as you could at the wall hoping for something to stick or you position your Meta data and keywords in their rightful places and hope for the best, let’s start thinking a little bit beyond the stale old marketing techniques and start embracing the new online world.

The quicker you do it and understand it the quicker you’ll get to where you need to be. Some might say you’ve already missed the boat? Most companies are still nowhere near where they need to be in terms of technology, skills and knowledge so you still have time.

Let’s look at things in a simplistic manner, would you go out and buy a new Mini without test driving it first? Read a review or two? Listen to a mate who raves about how good his Mini is? No of course not, because you want to know that you’re not wasting your money and let’s be honest there’s obviously a few spare Minis out there at the moment so you’re bound to pick up a bargain.

Spending money on marketing always represents a gamble however marketing online represents far less of a gamble as you can test and measure. Test and measure! It makes everything a lot clearer.

Online Marketing needs to be embraced and if you haven’t yet fear not, there is still the window of opportunity. Many company who basically was bragging that they had x amount of traffic to their site and x amount of back links which was true, however where this company failed in the online spectrum was the analytics and measuring part of equation.