Phew. It’s been another busy period for me. I just completed another high key 2-week in-camp-training (ICT) cycle. During my ICT I also had operations manning running concurrently.
Unfortunately, that means that I missed the Singapore Guitar Show 2011. Even though I had completed my ICT by that time, I had other things to do. For one, I brought my family to Angus House to celebrate my Dad’s birthday (which I missed because I had to stay in camp during his birthday).
Since I started working, I have been making a conscious effort to take better care of my parents. In addition to giving my father money every month (which he really doesn’t need), I also try to buy a nice dinner for everyone every Sunday (usually Thai food from the fabulous Nakhon Kitchen near my home).
My dad used to be a banker, so he’s quite well to do. The money I give him isn’t much compared to what he used to make, but I do it anyway out of filial piety. One day, I hope that I can earn enough money so that they money I give him really makes a difference.
It was nice to bring my family out for a nice meal at a place like Angus House. I’ve been working so hard lately it’s good to spend it on the family. The bill was $170, but it was totally worth it. The tenderloin steak I ordered was cooked to perfection.
Textbook medium, very tender and incredibly juicy. It was the second best steak I’ve ever eaten. The best was the steak I ate at the now defunct Compass Rose during dad’s 50th birthday.
Paying for the bill made me feel good. I’ve worked very hard through the years and the ability to comfortably afford a $170 meal made me feel like I’ve made it. I worked my way up from the bottom and got to where I am today through pure skill, hard work and talent. I never pulled strings (no pun intended) or relied on connections.
Everything I’ve done in my career, from working at Ogilvy to the President’s Office was 100% me. And keep in mind I was very lowly paid in my first job. I wasn’t making much money and I had to work on weekends and public holidays and sometimes stayed in the office till 5am!
I’ve come a long way.
The dinner wasn’t my only extravagance. During the last 2 weeks I also bought a Samsung Galaxy S2. I gave dad my old HTC Desire.
When I started work at Nanyang Polytechnic I quickly realized that I had to change my phone. I love HTC’s ‘Sense’ software, but HTC has never been very good with hardware. The photos I took with my HTC Desire were downright pathetic. I felt terrible using those photos for blogs and other social media platforms.
Fortunately, my new Galaxy S2 takes GREAT photos. I previously owned a Samsung Omnia 2 (running the now-obsolete Windows Mobile 6.5), so I know Samsung is great with hardware.
It’s a pity that they are terrible at developing software though. It is also unfortunate that I am unable to claim some of the cost from the polytechnic. After all, I need the phone to take photos for Nanyang Polytechnic’s social media platforms.
I also spent the last 2 weeks doing a lot of guitar-related stuff. I’ve been looking at a lot of exam and Christmas material. It’s a good thing that I brought my Yamaha Silent Guitar (SLG 120N) into camp with me during ICT. It was a life saver!
When my ICT ended, I also had to pack and store my army stuff and clear the downstairs room for my sister and brother-in-law, who are coming back to visit later this week.
All this activity forced me to miss the Singapore Guitar Show 2011 (sorry Terrence!), hence the lack of coverage on my website. Maybe I’ll be able to cover it next year.
Aw well. Hopefully things will lighten up soon and I’ll have more time to relax and blog.
