Singapore Entrepreneur - Aliens or Hearthrobs??

Former French TV heart-throbs look unrecognisable on the red carpet after too much plastic surgery




Look at them in their younger days in the 80's...





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Singapore Entrepreneur - Hottest February in Singapore - El Nino Effect or Global Warming?

The mercury has hit 35.2 Degree Celsius! It has been a sweltering hot hot February in Singapore! I couldn't help the environment with the extra carbon footprints I have been contributing from the full blast aircon as soon as I return to my car in the midst of the midday sun. Same when I get back home each evening in a sweat soaked shirt. I would conveniently press the air-con button control to my room.

I would then start reading news articles about the hottest and driest February and El Nino effect in this region in this couple of months. I read news about droughts in several parts of South East Asia and southern China, bush fires affecting the air quality in certain countries. I shudder the thought of global warming. I start to recall the recent climate summit held in Copenhagen. Attended by leaders of 170 countries, no agreement nor conclusions were drawn in the 13 days' meeting. The main reasons for the failure are attributed to different levels of economic development and wealth amongst nations. Even the fear of a world of apocalypse caused by global warming could not instill the urgency amongst the members to compromise and agree to a concerted reduction of carbon emission.

I just wonder if they have chosen the right location and period of the summit, in the first place. Copenhagen, being near the Arctic Circles, has got the coldest weather all year round, not to mention that the summit was held in the winter December, where temperature is at freezing point. How could you imagine what is global warming and ice caps melting when you are freezing under your thick fleece jacket.

I suggest they hold the next summit in our region, right in Singapore, 1 Degree North of Equator. Invite them to our driest, hottest February peppered with some El Nino effect. Hold it at the Siloso beach at 12pm and let them enjoy our tropical sun. Hold it every year in the same month and let them feel the heat each time the mercury hits the next record level. Without the need to say further, I reckon all parties will just sign the agreement unanimously. Let these temperate folks have a taste of what tropical people are facing on this planet.
Until any agreement signed to cool the earth, I will continue to find comfort in my aircon and please pardon me for creating more carbon footprints. I have no choice! I live in the tropics!

Singapore Entrepreneur - Guangzhou Trip

It was an eye opening trip this time. It was a well-deserved break for me. I met my good friend who was on a business trip in Guangzhou. He brought me around the city and we did some shopping. It is simply an amazing city. Although rather messy and traffic very chaotic, the city is bustling with life. Now I can comprehend what is meant by "strong domestic demand...despite the financial tsunami", often quoted to describe the 3rd largest economy in the world.

I took a public bus from Baiyun International Airport to the railway station downtown. I tried to flag a cab without much success after that. After a while, a man rode up to me in a 3-wheeled scooter. He offered to take me to my destination. Since I was totally unfamiliar with Guangzhou, I sought his help to locate the hotel. He took a while to verify where the hotel was. Then, he quoted me RMB25. I agreed without hesitation. It was about 5km from where we were. He took my large luggage and strapped it on a platform fitted to his scooter. Then here we went. The ride was both scary and exhilarating. We went through highway, back lanes, against traffic and illegal turns. At one point, the machine started choking along the highway. The uncle had to stop and check on the petrol tank. He shook the scooter a bit and checked on a few items. He then appeared to behave suspiciously, peering continuously left and right. I was still sitting. I started to get a little worried, wondering if there was any ulterior motive. Memories of people telling me that Guangzhou's crime rate is high started flashing in my mind. I thought he had accomplice and he deliberately stopped his scooter in the middle of a highway to mug me. Anyway, after less than 5 minutes, he managed to re-start his engine and we moved on again. It was a 20-min ride to my hotel and finally I arrived safe and sound. Phew! I asked him how much again and this time he said RMB30. I just gave him without question. I was just thankful I was safe. The ride was like a James Bond ride on a took took van in Thailand!

Singapore Entrepreneur - Guangzhou Trip - 'contd

Guangzhou is a vibrant city. It is a city where its tradition is struggling with modernisation. If you take a stroll along the streets, you could see uptown fashion retail shops and fast food outlets on one particular street, and on another, old folks selling anything from live chickens to old pots and pans.

Everyone in Guangzhou seems to be very busy. No one seems to be idling around. Even the unemployeds could find themselves some freelancing jobs which I heard could give them some decent income. The retails shops don't seem to have ever any loading/unloading bays for trucks to offload their goods. This creates opportunities to some enterprising individuals to invest in a trolley or bicycle that could help them transport goods in carton boxes from one place to another. And this is a booming trade. Everywhere I go, I could hear countless of trolley wheels scampering along rough surface of roads. I heard one could earn at least 3000RMB (S$600) a month from this freelancing.

Singapore Entrepreneur - Entrepreneur Reborn

18 Jan 2010 is my birthday, or rather I call the rebirth of my Entrepreneurship - I have left Wavex Technologies, a company I set up 9 years ago. Since my partners and I sold it to a Hong Kong listed company in 2007, we never looked back. The new management has taken over and I decided to leave the company on 15 Jan 2010. So 18 Jan 2010 is a day that I have set as a new milestone in my life. I have no concrete plans. I gave myself this great challenge to leave my comfort zone of 9 years and explore the world once again. People said I am crazy to leave without a job. To me, it is just my spirit. When there is challenge ahead, I will work even harder. It was a different scenario when I first stepped out of my comfortable job to start up Wavex. I was still single, no house mortgage nor any family burden to worry. If I had failed, I could still easily find another job at that age. Today, I am in my late 30's, an age when most working men start entering into mid-life crisis; I have a wife and 2 young children; I have ageing parents and house mortgage to pay; A comfortable family car which I am most reluctant to give up. Although the wealth that I have may be able to support all these burden for the time being, the time starts ticking from now on. The challenge is to find back my next livelihood. It is a new chapter of my life. I am starting to explore into areas which I have zero experience. I came from a school of hard knocks. So, looking ahead, I am well armed with experience to wade into the unchartered territory. Wish me all the best to my endeavours.