Sheraton Centre Toronto 14 Apr 2018

Check in: We were told to join the same queue with other check in guests when we booked club floor rooms. FYI in Asian countries they would invite us to SPG club floors for more comfortable check in. This staycation is for my birthday and the check in staff mentioned this on the spot, so much for discreetness. We were also given a choice of a bottle of wine OR cake OR late check out. FYI Sofitel Sydney brought both bottle AND cake to our room within 30minutes of our check in without alerting us of the surprise.

Room: we only got 1 bathrobe in the room, no kettle. And there is only shower, not even bathtub. Called to ask for extra bathrobe and amenities including 2 tooth brushes, the phone rang more than 3 times until someone picks up.

Decor: Nice carpet with grooves. But ugly maroon leather chair. Same goes with the tangerine chairs in the club lounge. Interior design failed this hotel.

Club lounge: great view of the whole city front and back of the hotel. We get to see City hall in front and CN tower behind us. Consider adding sparkling water to the collection of beverage please.

Hack alert! Cheap transportation to Sydney Airport

The normal route to Sydney Australia airport is via train if you don't have a car. This will set you back about aud20. The better half and I discovered another cheaper alternative that will cost max aud4 bucks but it will be slightly inconvenient, especially if you are running late with luggages.

Instead of getting off at Wolli Creek or direct to Domestic or International Airport station via train, you will get off further at Banksia or Rockdale. Take bus 400 towards Bondi Junction (the return from airport will go to Burwood instead). The bus will stop in both terminals at a fraction of the price.

You are welcome.

Hotel Febri's

8 August 2017, Febri's hotel, Kuta, Bali Indonesia

Room 1221. Every morning kites would soar high in the skies. Sounds of roosters, pigeons, dogs, bikes and people busy rustling about their day will fill the air, interlaced by smells of golden magnolias and faint gasoline of motors. Squirrels hop from buildings to tree branches foraging for food. A gentle breeze is always constant, holding kites high up in the sky. Bali. Winter season in August. It's always great to be back, the languid days lounging by the beach or next to the pool at a private villa, Bintang or Bintang Radler in hand, gorging on tropical fruits - dragonfruit, salak,  papaya, pineapple, watermelon, guava - cleaning our constant diet of nasi or mee gorengs, accompanied by more deep fried condiments ts such as scallions or chicken or coconut, with the kick of Indonesian sweet soy sauce or fiery chili, just the way any locals would have it

Hack alert!

Of diapers and hot water..

Winter season is upon us yet again...for people living in the northern half of the hemisphere at least...

Old post I found in my email (unposted)

14 june 2013
I had it good. A life so seamless and seemingly so carefree that To date, I do not remember a major traumatic event all my 33 years of life. To show how good I had it, we'd have to begin from my childhood. Although, much of the memories now seemed like a distant dream shrouded in vagueness I couldn't pinpoint the exact occurrences or vouch if it did happen in its entirety.

As far as I can remember, my first home was 21 Desa Kekwa 43000 Kajang. A single story terraced corner and that meant a large garden to play with. We had wire fences instead of the white picket fences. There were mango and guava trees that I could remember. Mum used to wrap the guavas and mangoes with old newspapers to help them ripen and protect against predators like worms or birds.

Soon after one of the mango tree was chopped leaving its stump an ant hill. There was a time when I was out accompanying mum in the garden that I stood right on the anthill. Needless to say they attacked both my feet in full force that mum had to carry me into the home and I scratched both my feet so badly, the wounds never recover until many years later.

We also had the practice of keeping pets. Rottweilers, rabbits, guinea pigs, tropical fishes and chickens. The latter for food more than as pets.

Mum recently recalled chasing after them daily and gotten scratches before bringing them to the market for slaughtering. This means we'd always have organic chicken for meals. But also the horror of watching them being prepared for cooking. Mum would leave her daily catch at the poultry stall while she picks up other groceries for the day. I would stand there frozen and watch them slice the chickens at their throat and left for the blood to drain, then into a huge vat of boiling water and de-feather. Being a wet market in the old days meant literally wet and dark mouldy floors, smells of poultry or meat remnants and poorly lit area.

We bought our first property together while I was still in New York on assignment. It was in an established estate, buried within blocks of HDBs. It was what we could afford given our savings at the time. The gnawing anxiety that prices are taking off for Singaporean properties meant waiting around is a luxury we couldn't afford. And to us at that time, it was perfect! We are finally property owners. The first step to our retirement plan is finally materializing.

The place needed a facelift drastically and not in an area I envisioned myself living in. But it came tenanted, which meant we could have the cash flow we wanted from day one.

I would go around the city on buses. As and when I saw a nice looking condo in an area I feel comfortable in, I would look up the name of the development on google maps and check on the transactions. If I fell within the affordable range of sgd1m-1.5m, I would 'favorite' that property. Why do I do this? I want to keep a portfolio of affordable developments so that when the right time comes to upgrade or buy a second property, I have stocks on hand to search from.


Best regards,
Yan Leng Ong

My year without money

 20th November 2016

I left my last role as a Human Resource Consultant nearly 10 months back. Seeing as it is nearing December, it is highly unlikely that I will start another career before the end of 2016 - by will or by luck.

So what have I been doing in the last few months?

As much as I'd like to share my experiences frolicking with whales or backpacking halfway across the globe helping the under-privileged, those did not happen. Instead I spend the bigger part of my sabbatical lounging at home, job hunting and passing time playing online games on my iPad. A few key events I'd like to take note here though:

1) Made in Nature Gifts: I've learnt to set up my own business online. It was called Made in Nature Gifts. What started as finding arranging flowers relaxing slowly also included curating items for a Baby Box. I'd also officially made my first commercial (ie. I got paid) bouquet for a baby delivery. It was a grand support from a dear colleague/friend and I was truly appreciative. My lesson here is that I was not as aggressive in marketing, so the page didn't really fly off. But I did learn to create my own website from scratch (with the help of WIX and my better half!). So that was one feat I've been intimidated by no more.

2) Payroll course - I learnt a great deal about executive compensation when I first started as a HR consultant. Mainly we advise clients on the compensation structure for their top tier management (C-suite, VPs etc) and I've always wondered about the rest of the organisation, who does our regular monthly paycheck, is it as complicated as it seems? So I took advantage of the SkillsFuture grant of SGD500 that the government gives each citizen and took up a payroll course. What I learnt is that payroll is very country-specific and subjected to local regulations but it's a good start to build my foundation on this subject.

3) Great Barrier Reef: Bucket list material! I took my PADI license before the millennial in my uni days hoping that one day I would swim in the reef. And this year I did it! My better half and I took our mum for a few days of cooling sun, white sandy beach, bubblies and of course, snorkeling with the reefs. We also made a pit stop in Sydney for some good ol' oysters and sashimi and prawns, washed down (again!) with prosecco. It couldn't get any better than this.

4) Speaking of the land of Oz, I've also reapplied for my Resident Return visa with my better half to return to Sydney. After much negotiation (near begging I'd say) and reasoning with the immigration department, we were granted one year RRV. So I started looking for roles in Sydney and packed my bags end September to try my luck here with a job. (Speaking of jobs, I was also fortunate enough to manage 3 open positions in the first month of returning to Sydney. I have to turn one down because it wasn't attractive though, the other didn't work out so I'm left with the last remaining one to be determined this week. I do still have 3 other roles open currently, so fingers crossed)

5) Knitting: Another first, I knitted my very first scarf using thick yarn. It was so thich and lush and light that I only need my pair of hands and no needles required. Learnt to do that via youTube videos and mighty proud of it, I must say. I've always wondered how to start and end the thread and see women (and men) knitting during their commute. Seems calming, and it is really so. Now I'll just need to start selling my first product to test the market here before considering stocking up on more yarns!

6) Sold our property in Singapore: Finally!!! We put the property on the market since April 2015 and the prices kept slipping away from our fingers since. But all is well we hope to execute the option and contract and wrap this up by Feb 2017. This will bring in some cash before our next property baby in Thailand and Malaysia sells off too, and now you understand why I haven't been destitute yet....haha

7) Upcoming trip: Nordic winter in Copenhagen, Reykjavik and Stockholm. The main goal is to catch some northern lights (2nd time lucky I hope, I saw them on the first night many years back in Fort McMurray with my folks then, and back to Blue Lagoon again this time too!) More on this in another post...

The obvious downside to all these would be the insecurity and anxiety that keeps me awake some nights. I cut down on a lot of the expenses such as coffee or travel during these time and spend only what was necessary - for my business or learning. I've also cut down a lot of social events such as lunching with friends or ex-colleagues but mostly it's the insecurity of being ask "have you got a new job yet?"

I guess these achievements are by no means earth shattering, but you know what they say about one small step for mankind...one giant step for ME! Continuous learning is what I'm striving for and I do hope to have the luxury of time exploring more in years to come, even when the money starts coming in eventually.

When in Cabramatta...

2 October 2016

Cabramatta and Liverpool. Liverpool is the end station of the Liverpool line, and Cabramatta is 2 stops before that. It's a Vietnamese town and I hear the pho there is super. So off I went after googling the best pho restaurant in the suburb. It's a short walk from the train station. All the better so I can walk and explore the suburb. For 12 bucks i get pho the size larger than my face. I could only finish the beef and a couple of spoonful of the noodles but incredibly heart-warming, good deal. Pho Tau Bay. I thought of coming back with my family but on second thought, will probably try other shops around too. There are many provision and fresh produce shops tucked inside alleyways here.

Liverpool is ok too, transfer to a bus from the train station to check out the Myers and forgot how big malls in Australia are. There are Target, Big W, Myers and a slew of shops.

Overall a good day out in the first day of daylight savings time. 25 degrees celcius and I was in t-shirt all day.

The journey (back) to Australia

25th September 2016. The day of my one-way flight to Sydney NSW, upon reactivation of both our Permanent Residency in Australia. Our last dinner together before the verrrry long separation was at Starbucks Changi. I then took a rather empty flight arriving in Sydney Monday morning and proceeded to stay at an Airbnb rental in Campsie.

I didn't know what to expect when I booked the room, only that it has a huge bed and enough space, unlike the closets we get in Singapore. The host looks like Asian and the place looks clean. I have never been to Campsie even when I was a student here many years back.

So count my lucky stars, I shall list my good fortune in bullet form:

- Campsie is larger than I imagined, with A LOT of Asians (Koreans, Malaysian, Nepalese) and Asian shops around the town area within 10 minutes walk from my place.
- My rental host is a Malaysian couple and have relocated here a few years back
- The room is indeed clean and big, in a way bigger house
- Sydney trains have cleaned up nicely and are using the Opal cards which can be reloaded, instead of the paper 10-ride tickets back in the days I was here
- I had a yummy first meal here at a restaurant called 'Golden Shine' and for A$10+, I get hot tea, seaweed and pork soup, and chicken and eggplant rice (which I had to take back for my dinner because I just couldn't finish in one go)
- It was cold but luckily my landlady had a spare heater I have been using since
- Smooth meeting with a company here which was arranged 3 weeks back with the Head of People

So far everything has been smooth. Will continue pushing my luck and being thankful for all that has happened thus far.

Hack Alert! How do you transfer excess credit on your Starbucks card to another person?

Sometime October 2016

How do you transfer the money from your Starbucks card/app to another person's? I had no use of my SGD Starbucks money in my card anymore because I was moving to Sydney, Australia. Apparently I can only transfer the credit in my account to another card, not to another person.

The solution: Sign out of your account and have the other party sign in using their phone. This way they can use my remaining credit and not let it sit there collecting dust, not rewards. As soon as they have finished, I sign back into my account again and reload using an AUD Starbucks Card.

(I suppose this will work well with trust between both parties, IYGWIM)

Made in Nature

12 February 2016

December 12, 2015. What started off two months ago as a wacky idea has today launched its own website: www.MadeInNatureGifts.com.

I came upon the idea of selling flowers similar to FarmGirl flowers while reading their article in Forbes. While we do not have flower farms for commercial purposes in land scarce Singapore, the idea that flowers that are natural and fresh and not smothered with plush toys, fake sprays or plastics has a definite appeal and I'm sure I'm not alone in Singapore on this. So for the past weekends since I have been buying flowers and testing my skills.

Then the bottleneck came when we were trying to build our own website. My CIO (a title I sort of forced upon my Better Half, guilty!) and I got stuck as we are both not super programmers. It was WIX that saved the day, no pesky plugins or add-ons required. Drag and drop and really cool images that made our site looked so professional. 

At the same time, I also saw in an article reminding us of the Baby Box in Finland (first time we came across this was actually in Helsinki, but more on the country later) and thought why not? It's not available in Singapore. To my delight, I bounced the idea with my family, especially my younger brother who had just had a super-cute baby boy, said this would definitely solve the problem for clueless new dads like him! Confidence boost! Shop away! It's now or never!

We managed to lock it in when it looks decent enough to launch today. At the same time we have also boost our Facebook page at 7 bucks a day. Not bad, 4 new likes since 6 hours ago. I do have a couple more ideas that I will hope to incorporate into the business but let's take it one step at a time huh. For now I am only hoping that some of the 'Likes' will translate to actual purchases.

Wish me luck.

Food Porn

Burnt. Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller

Chef. Jon Favreau, Sofia Vergara

Can Hollywood make more sexy and scrumptious movies like these please!!

Madame Leoni

4 Feb 2016

Madam Secretary. Couldn't think of anyone else who could pull off such inspiring role than Tea Leoni. The grace and grit she portrayed as the US Secretary of the State. Saw half an episode while having lunch today and feeling very inspired. I saw a few episodes of Season 1 and somehow dropped out. Seeing this episode again I learnt how to communicate with tact, poise and eloquence. Have to pick up the series again...(along with Modern Family and Suits!)

1 Feb 2016

2239h:
If 'Hello World' sounds as cliche to you as it does me, what else do one say when they are a rookie to the blogosphere?

As weird and slightly embarrassing as it sounds, being coerced by your Better Half to 'write down your thoughts' after nearing four decades of your life seemed unnatural. I like to consider myself a fiercely private and low key person, and writing a blog feels... oddly exposing. Do I write something relevant to certain audience, something witty, something dramatic? Am I writing my own biography/ obituary/ diary? Is there a point in writing about my life to date (if i remember much of it, that is), or do I start afresh today? 

p/s: Credits again to said Better Half for helping me to set up this site, and imagine my amazement finding out that it is instantly showing on my mobile device after clicking 'save' (gasp!)