I take a train home from work every workday, from HarbourFront to Kovan. Taking the train from HarbourFront, being the final stop on the NEL (North-East Line), I am almost guaranteed a seat. You'd think this was a good thing; I know I did. But lately I've been questioning the value that sitting gave me.... Continue Reading →
On Loans and the Father-Mother Fund
I was looking through the HDB guidelines for buying an apartment (or flat) when I found out how much I would have had to pay as a down-payment for a 5-room one. Being fresh in the job market, a 10% down-payment is a pretty big sum. I simply haven't had much opportunity to accumulate that... Continue Reading →
Leaving Something on the Table
Today was a landmark day: today I sold my very first item on eBay -- actually, it was my very first item sold anywhere. I had always wanted to know what it felt like to be on the merchant's side of commerce; and today I had the chance to find out. It was pretty unexpected... Continue Reading →
Prayers from Afar
Just yesterday I was told by LiShya that I was mentioned in the grace before her dinner. Here's a huge shout-out to Josephine, Christie and Esther who led the prayers: thank you! To think that even while 3900 kilometres away and months since I had last seen you guys and I was still remembered in... Continue Reading →
An IFA Career
A couple of posts back, I wrote about my foray into sales and how I was seriously considering a career as an IFA (or independent financial advisor) representative. The first few days after making the decision were great -- I felt that I had at long last settled on what I had wanted to do;... Continue Reading →
My Foray into Sales
As a fresh graduate, I have been exploring my career options lately -- looking at the recruitment section of newspapers, browsing job search sites, asking friends etc, and applying for jobs and going for interviews. In what was one of the earliest "serious" interviews that I have been too, I was asked a question that... Continue Reading →
On rah-rah self-improvement
I've always had this love-hate relationship with self-improvement. On the one hand, I can't get enough of it. I love reading about it; talking about it; and even occasionally actually acting upon the new things I learn about. On the other hand, self-improvement has always felt corny and overhyped; and oftentimes self-improvement "gurus" simply promise... Continue Reading →
The Job Search
For the past two weeks or so I've been actively looking for a job. Then again, it wasn't so much a job I was looking for than a career; a vocation; a calling. I've heard contrasting theories about the importance of the first job: one proclaiming that the first job is the most important one... Continue Reading →
Freedom from Envy
There was one time I was feeling envious of a peer. I knew it was a problem, for I felt that most other things in my life were in order -- save for this rather uncontrollable emotion. I decided to turn to the internet for help. I searched the phrase "overcoming envy", hoping for a... Continue Reading →
Nails on a blackboard
Lately, I've been bothered by a lack of purpose in my life. I've officially graduated, having received my final semester results a couple of days ago (they were average -- more or less what I had expected). Up until then, I had told myself I deserved a little break, and that I could do whatever... Continue Reading →
Donn, fragments 