HUAT AH!!

Gong Xi Fa Cai!!!!

A Very Happy & Prosperous Lunar New Year to one and all!!...
Time flies...
It's another year of Ang Pow collection already...
Hmm.. The last year to collect ang pows..
Or is it got another year?..
Heard got 1 year "lag" kind of thing haha..

Anyway.. Hope the year of Ox proves to be a great one..
Stay Positive..
Stay Healthy...

The rest will follow...

-- Ginseng Tonic Maker -- Feng Sheng Shui Qi!

Language Barrier in the Land of the Rising Sun

As usual.. Like most of our overseas trips together..
We love to have at least a meal just like the locals..
Where the locals eat.. Even in less developed countries..
Non of those fancy, touristy stuff...


So for this Osaka trip.. We managed to do the same..
The moment we entered the restaurant..
It seems like all the eyes were on us..
Because the men were in business suits probably having their meals after work..
And we were the only non-locals..


And so the ordering began..
There were NO pictures of food anywhere..
Not in the menus.. And not on the walls where lots of notices were pasted..
And so we asked.. "Speak English?"..
And like most Japs we've came across... Not at all..
So the hand gestures.. finger pointing and gesticulating began..

After all the effort in ordering...
As we were chatting while we waited for our food..
The waitress returned..
And probably having overheard our conversation..
Started speaking to us in Mandarin!
She's actually from China!..

That provided us with a good laugh before dinner..

--Ginseng Tonic Maker-- Speak English.. or Mandarin.. or Hokkien?..

It's Official...

It's official...
It's New Year's Eve!..
So how did 2008 go for you?..
Time to take stock and look forward to 2009..

But keep these wise words attributed to Albert Einstein in mind:

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Have a great 2009...

--Ginseng Tonic Maker-- Do things differently.. Expect better!

Happy Birthday!!

Happy Birthday!!!

Not like my mum will ever read this.. But Happy Birthday I'd like to wish her!...

We went for a family dinner at the Jap place above.
Ala-carte buffet dinner. Many selections available.
Frankly, the food is nothing to shout about.
But hey.. The company is the most important thing isn't it..
The best description about the place?
"Value-for-money"


That's the birthday "gal".. With the birthday gift she's proudly displaying.. A bag from Charles and Keith..
Has given up trying to give her Ang Pao..
She will reject or return to me eventually.. Always insisting that makan can already..

So together with Baby Mich.. I arranged for us to go earlier before my Sis and brother-in-law join us for dinner..
To do a little shopping..
Jewellery?.. Aiya.. Mai lah (don't want).. Already have what..
Watch?.. Aiya.. Mian lah (don't need).. The exisiting one change battery can already..

Only after much persuasion and coaxing that she finally decide to choose a bag..
All the while worrying about how much it will cost me..
And only choosing one that she think is reasonably priced..

That's my mum..
And perhaps that's where I get most of any easy-going and good nature personality that I may have from..

And that's why.. Whoever has her as mother-in-law..
is soooooo LUCKY!! haha...

--Ginseng Tonic Maker-- Great Health above all else...

Enlighten Me.. Please...

Sometime I scratch my head and wonder..
Am I remembering it wrongly?..
Or are most people remembering it wrongly.. like I am...

When public transport fares increased..
The price of oil was the reason given..
Oil price goes up >> Oil is needed for fuel and basically everything else>> And so fares went up... or so we were told...
Understand?
Orrhhhh.... Ok ok.. Understood.. Understandable lah.. got link mah.. ok ok...

Hmm.. THEN...
Prices of oil started dropping...
*we tapped our feet and waited*...
and dropping...
*we continued tapping our feet and waiting*....
And finally the golden question..
"Eh.. Excuse me ah.. Oil price went up.. fares increased rite.. that one after explanation, I understood.. Now oil price came down already.. How come no reductions ah?"

Orrhh.. Don't be mistaken.. Oil price got no direct link to fares one.. We link to many other things.. like wages lah.. inflation lah.. Also hor.. Many costs involved in running a company.. Everybody also know one mah.. Oil is just a small part leh.. Still got manpower costs leh.. Still got rentals leh.. Shareholders invest also need returns on their money right..

Orrrhhhhh.....

Either the message has been misintepreted somewhere.. or the message has been lost in there somewhere..
Maybe better PR campaign is needed so people can have a better and clearer picture?..
Anybody can help me solve the mystery?

Coz now that inflation and wages probably will start to fall in the coming months... SURELY the fares have to fall rite?..
*Tapping feet and waiting*

Not that I'm taking the public transport a lot..
but then again.. the same goes for petrol companies!

--Ginseng Tonic Maker-- Convince me once more...

What it means to be a Leader

It's wonderful to write a book,

Or paint an amber sky.

You give the world those deathless things

That never fad, that never die.

But more wonderful it is to build a life,

And play the leader's part.

You fan the hopes, you build the dreams

That lie in every agent's heart.

And when they win, through stress and strain,

More wonderful it is to thee,

Those effective Leaders who can say,

"They came, they stayed, they succeeded.

Why? Because they followed me."

-- Ginseng Tonic Maker-- Read this and trying to keep this in mind...

Legal Loan Sharks on the Loose..

Received a call from CitiBank about a week back..
It started off innocently enough..
I received a call..
The person on the other line introduced herself..
Being in sales myself, I was nice and polite.. Didn't hang up on her like most people would haha..

Then came the usual, oh as you are a valued client blah blah.. We would like to extend our offer of blah blah blah..
Which is basically some credit transfer for lower interest rate..

After informing her that it is not necessary as I do not have any loan outstanding, I was prepared to hang up the phone politely..
Then she made another "offer".. Oh we have credit lines that you can get at a attractive interest rate of blah blah..
Again, being polite, I told her.. Oh that's not necessary as I do not intend to get a loan or extra credit..

Then.. I think she stepped over the line when she said.. Oh Sir.. Why is that so?.. Maybe there's a dream holiday destination that you would like to go to? Or maybe you would like to start a business?..

How many people got tempted by that?.. And how many people are suffering because of the great "offer"?..
Many people out there not planning their finances well are already suffering due to overspending and bad money management.. That could be due to ignorance or irresponsible spending..

But for a bank.. to suggest you borrow money to go on your dream holiday and stuff like that.. That to me is just so wrong..

--Ginseng Tonic Maker-- Credit for you Sir?