Dear Folks,
This month we are making a field trip to P Ubin. So far, 25 registered to go nurture nature. In middle of May09, we are organizing a guided tour of ‘The Kangxi Emperor’ exhibition. Not many are aware we have China in our backyard for 3 months. There’s the Kangxi exhibition, Serenity in Stone (newly discovered in 1996) and Wu Guanzhong priceless donation of 113 pieces.
Kangxi Emperor http://www.acm.org.sg/exhibitions/exhibitions.asp
Serenity in Stone http://www.peranakanmuseum.sg/exhibitionevents/exhibitions.asp
Wu Guanzhong http://www.singart.com/current_exhibitions.php
The webbed world changes everything
“This webbed world has changed the way we work and live. The notion of 24/7/365 is one consequence of instant access and the dissolution of boundaries. We no longer have clear lines between work and private life- if the cell phone is on and there’s Internet connection available, bosses and colleagues are expected to be available”: Margaret J Wheatley.
Some weeks back home, I was on the Internet working on my tax return and thinking aloud the choices we have in a wired society. It can be bright or very dark. We have the choice to fully harness the innumerable possibilities, stay disengaged in one’s cave or fall into the naughty side in double quick time. Ask Edison.
That evening, I used my Skype account to video call my kid who is on internship in Shanghai. We could have connected by telco voice, chat, IM on Hotmail or even Gmail. With webcam on both sides, it’s a totally new experience seeing her drink Chinese tea, Chinese style, in a big glass bottle!
While on Skype, I noted someone in Gmail on green (online). I fired out a 1 liner. The person replied instantly to say she is in Boston holidaying and ‘smelling the roses’ thousands of miles away.
In my Gmail inbox, someone invited me to be his friend in Facebook. I opened message, double-clicked on link to Facebook, enter password and decided to pen requestor (big gun from a public hospital) a note before accepting him into my network
While so doing, I noted someone else we know mutually whose daughter was in the same school as mine. So I fired off an email asking about his kid’s forward plan in tertiary education.
The following day in Facebook, another medical doctor connection came through from the big gun I added the previous night. I penned him a 1 liner only to learn he is up in KL implementing a HIS solution!
I do have friends who don’t carry mobile phones and then there are those (especially Gen X entrepreneurs) who don’t believe in emails. Their philosophy is that if it is so important, just call direct.
On the home front, there is a 3 fold increase in gaming addicts in Singapore year-over-year. As of last count, there are 8,000 cases.
Meanwhile, an army friend of 37 yrs standing sent this: To those whose copies were confiscated years ago by teachers/parents, you can relive those days by reading that copy again. In fact, you can read (page by page) 53 issues of Playboy (from January 1954 to May 2006). Go to http://playboy….. just some good clean fun. You will have to install Microsoft’s Silverlight; that’s another change!
I think I better get back to certainty; working for the taxman.
My saddest day at HP
Our pair of twins arrived in 1990. It was a bonus issue. As was the tradition then, new born were presented with a blanket. I asked for a 2nd piece of blanket but was turned down. Apparently, it was a policy that’s applies only to first born. No one would budge over my request for an extra blanket. Sad but true!
It’s a small world after all…
My family and I were at Houston last Dec08 to visit the Johnson Space Centre. It was inspiring as we got to view the control room where Apollo 11 was guided to land on the moon.
One evening, I was seated at a food court, twiddling my thumbs, while my other family members went looking for good-buys at factory outlet. I spied on someone looking terribly bored. While his family members were talking, eating away, he was entrapped in a world of his own.
I called out his name. Naturally, both of us were surprised to meet thousands of miles away from home. He was an ex-HP bloke and I have not seen him for a long while ever since he was stationed in Dubai.
Welcome On Board HPA Jan-Mar09
HPA-Ann Ong
HPA-David Lee Kwok Wai
HPA-Bernie Tan
HPA-Heng Chen Woo
HPA-Ong Chiau Ho
HPA-Wong Keat Tze
HPA-Koh Liang Siah
