Dear folks,
The free Andrea Bocelli concert at Singapore Botanic Gardens was over-subscribed 20 times. Despite putting in 3 tries, lady luck was not on my side.
Due to overwhelming request from concert goers and the public, YTL will be broadcasting the concert in Singapore from 28 to 30 May to relive the magic of Andrea Bocelli. These are on free-to-air channels at:
Channel NewsAsia
Part 1, 28 May (Fri), 6pm to 7pm
Part 2, 29 May (Sat), 6pm to 7pm
OKTO
30 May (Sun), 7pm to 9pm
Come 04Jun10, we have 4 companies lined up at HPA Business Angels breakfast event to give their respective elevator pitch. These projects have been pre-qualified, coming from SMU, NTU-NTC. If you have not already registered to attend, you may do so online at Angel Event. Charge applies.
In our last HPA EXCO meeting, it was decided unanimously that we should continue with our 3rd Charity Ride. We may explore to combine this ride with opening of the Northern PCN loop to enlarge into a grand event.
Eventful birthday weekend
The wife insisted on visiting the dead (Egyptian exhibition) half an hour before closing and only then reward the living (that’s me). She bought me a sumptuous dinner a week before my birthday. The food and wine at Novus, National Museum was excellent. Candles came environmentally friendly, powered by rechargeable batteries.
The week of my birthday, all my love ones were in different parts of the world. My lad was away serving the nation abroad. My lass, on an archery friendly, was in Isle of Man; hopefully not cupid arrows. Before she left, she recorded “You Needed Me” by an obscure artist so she said. Anne Murray in my time was far from obscure! And as for the wife, she was away in London.
I thought I would be at home drumming my fingers. As it turned out, it was an exhilarating weekend. Friday evening, I celebrated my birthday with 2 other ladies; my ex-boss of 25 years back and an ex-colleague, both Aries members, in the company of 6 ladies.
The following evening, my uncle from Hong Kong popped up in Singapore out of the blues. I hijacked his entourage to my home for dinner. The last time I met him was 19 years back.
On my birthday, I was invited to KTP Hospital ‘tofu’ launch. The rehabilitation gym overlooks the serene Yishun pond. I can imagine a stage in the middle for concert performance. In the afternoon, I received SMS greetings from the wife and my lad.
In the evening, my buddies and I clocked 21 km at our weekly cycling thingy. I went to bed early, totally satisfied and exhausted. At 10pm, incessant ringing on my mobile phone woke me up. It was my sweetheart who called from Isle of Man. I cried my tears and slept well!
40, 20, 10
This year HP celebrates it’s 40th anniversary in Singapore. I hope HP will organize a big bash and we all get invited! How time flies. When I left HP 20 years back in 1990, there were about 80,000. Today, HP staff strength is 304,000. To put this in perspective, the Singapore civil service is 124,000 strong.
The company went from generating $2.5 billion in cash in 2001 to US$13.4 billion last year, giving HP a huge appetite to acquire more companies. Palm will provide an interesting platform for HP going mobile. It’s a pity Compaq iPAQ went from good to silent.
The stock price was $23 in 2001 and is now US$47(?). I was foolish enough to have kept some from yonder years but not smart enough to acquire more along the way. It’s a miniscule sum, not enough to send my kids to college in the US! With the pound sterling at record low,it’s the UK only.
Anyhow, I had a great 10 year run, lots of fond memories, and lots of friends. Happy 40th Birthday Hewlett-Packard Singapore.
Vacancy (secretariat support)
Carol, our secretariat support person, decided to step down to provide closer supervision as her child is sitting for PSLE end of the year. When it comes to education, all mothers are the same. If possible, they will sit alongside the child at the exams! My family went through 2 ordeals; PSLE and A levels. We burnt all their local text books there after.
With impending change, we are now talent scouting for a person who is passionate about making a difference; preferably a stay-at-home. We are gender blind. He or she must possess writing competency to hold the pen, write the scripts (minutes taking) and persuade, cajole to make things happen. There are few rules.
Candidate must have the capacity to smile and laugh more than frown. Sighing is highly discouraged. The journey is never boring. Thus a healthy dose of humour is a good supplement. It helps if you are gregarious, enjoys interaction with people of all characters.
It pays a decent S$800 fix allowance per month with variable upside. The harder you work, the luckier you get in terms of monetary incentive.
If you think you have what it takes, do drop me an email at jokkwang@gmail.com
Entrepreneurship Survey
There is a lucky draw for a Wii for survey participants and a small token gift for all participants.https://esurvey.nus.edu.sg/efm/se.ashx?s=5F3504CE49A8A194
Welcome On Board HPA May10
HPA-Leong Mun Yuen
HPA-Philip Chua
© 2010 (Han Jok Kwang)
