Do Good, Do Well, Do More, Do Together.

Me and my mentees monkeying around on HATCH demo day.

Life has been good to me. I've been busy. The good kind of busy. I've been talking a lot. (Not like you guys don't already know.)

What I have been preaching the most these days is this 1 word - Ikigai.

What is ikigai? (It is not a Japanese dish. please.)

If you can read venn diagram, this is IKIGAI.



Image: Toronto Star

Being able to reach the stage of Ikigai is not easy but yet at the same time not impossible.

There are people who obtain Ikigai by picking up multiple roles. Meaning to say that on top of their day job, they will probably have a hobby, volunteer somewhere, perform in public, or maybe have an extra part time job. I think, I believe, I hope, I guess, if I'm not wrong, I am at this stage of my life now. I mean I have a lot less time for myself or just to do silly things but I am happy.



I got involved with this group of youths from HATCH. Who are they?

From their Facebook page:

Hatch is a training and job-matching enterprise aimed at empowering the next generation of youth and companies. We believe that young people from all walks of life have immense potential and can be properly nurtured to enter high growth careers.

I was mentoring 2 of the youths and at the same time friends to many of them. I might not be a trained career mentor or life coach per se but I've a rule that I work with and it works for me.

"Build relationships 1st." 

They will share with you their problems and accept your suggestions once trust is built. That is what friends do. You don't go in and start the session by asking them what problems they have and immediately try to solve their problems for them. As a mentor, I am not a GP. I am not there to just give them medicine and the MC that they want. While the program might be over for now, the relationship stays.

Many people like to ask me why am I so kaypo. How do I find so much time and energy to do all these things that "doesn't matter" (their words, not mine.) I guess doing good is a hobby for me? Like some people likes to go and get a massage, or read a book, or watch a tv program as a form of hobby and feel good. I guess helping others make me feel good? So if you wish to, you too can say that me doing good is really more of a selfish act too since 1 of the objectives is to make myself feel good. I'm not putting anyone down (I am a huge fan of NetFlix) but 80 hours in front of tv only benefits you but 80 hours helping people can mean a lot to others.


From top left to bottom right. Some of my activities in August.

1. My friend Melissa invited me to help out at sunlove home. Actually it was really nothing much. We were there to give out some food as well as interact with some of the residence. It was like for just 2 hours. They were so happy to see us!

2. That's one of my new best friend Cassh. Being friend with him is like sleeping with the devil. You will have the best time with him drinking and clubbing but you will feel guilty when you end your night puking your way home. This picture has almost nothing to do with this article. I just put in there because I want to show you guys that I do have other activities besides working and doing good. LOL.

3. My 1st selfie with our PM LHL. Although it was a work event but it is one that I volunteered to help. (Kaypo again lor.) It is our MS50 ReUnion exhibition launch. A bit shy to ask PM Lee for a proper selfie lah.

4. This last picture is a picture of me and my co-host Pam. In this case, we were both volunteered to be the host for our National Day Observance Ceremony. Fine, we were selected to help. I am glad I said yes though. We took some hours out of work for rehearsal and all but it was so fun! #NoRagrets And if you look closely you can see quite a few ministers and MP in that picture. Always wanted to do this selfie thing with all these people behind me! Bucket List checked!

So I wrote this post halfway since August, but I did not have the time to complete it. And now we are already heading into October. LOL. #productivity

Since I'm at the topic of doing good, I would also like to give a shout out to Maybank's #inspiregoodsg campaign. Nope, this is not a sponsored post. I'm just sharing it because I thought it is a pretty interesting campaign. Like you know, they are obviously a bank and we don't usually associate doing good with banks. LOL. #truestory

So what is this about?

From their official website -

#InspireGoodSG is a social initiative powered by Maybank Singapore
to inspire a wave of good deeds across the country.

As good deeds shouldn’t go unnoticed, we want to
recognise and reward those with a small token of appreciation.
You can choose to redeem your reward or donate it to a charity.

How to join the #InspireGoodSG initiative?

Visit MSpace at Maybank, Orchard to collect your #InspireGoodSG card!

Address: MSpace at Maybank, 321 Orchard Road #01-01/02, Orchard Shopping Centre, Singapore 238866

Date: 27 September 2019 (Friday) to 18 October 2019 (Friday)

Time: 11am to 7pm, Monday to Sunday (Closed on Public Holidays)
1. Pass the #InspireGoodSG card to another person who has done good
2. The recipient scans the QR code on the card
3. Recipient redeems a S$5 reward or donates it to a charity
IT IS THAT SIMPLE! Tell your friends about it and let's scan more and donate more without actually using your own money! HAHAHA..

They also have this livefeed thing which I thought it is pretty cool!



Check out their site for more information - http://www.inspiregood.sg/

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Time Travel Weekend.

Durian Party

Life works in a strange way. Not too sure about how it works for you guys but very often I feel that my life works in full circles. To quote The Oracle from the movie, "The Matrix", (The amount of "the" in one sentence is too damn high.)

"Everything that has a beginning has an end."

I used to visit some of the block parties around my neighbourhood with my mum when I was a kid. Not because I especially like to socialize and meet new people at a young age but maybe more of just accompanying my mum. My mum is very sociable within the community and she always get such invitation. Not to mention the tickets are really cheap and affordable. I used to ask myself how does this "RC" guys earn money when their tickets are so cheap. Of course now I know that they are heavily subsidised for the residents.

So I started the weekend by visiting one of such events with my colleague. In fact I was crashing one of my colleagues' event. Fine, is it weird that I call him a colleague when he is actually also the MP of my mum's GRC? But technically his office is just less than 30 steps from my desk, so....

Technicality aside, Desmond Choo (DC) and I have kinda a strange relationship. Nope, don't worry, we ain't dating. I really don't think I am his type. So DC was 1 of the 1st few MPs that I started working with when I first got in touched with NTUC years ago. To be exact, it was 2 years ago. And then I realised he is the MP that took over Mah Bow Tan and became my mum's MP. To make things even stranger, our kids used to be in the same swimming lesson. Yes, life is strange.



As usual, I digress. So while our good friend Miss Yeo was munching down her durians and mangosteens like a glutton, I got hit by this wave of nostalgia. The party reminded me of myself some good 20+ years ago being at such parties with my mum, sharing a table with some 7-8 other strangers talking, making friends, talking to the MP, and having my fingers crossed hoping to win some lucky draw prizes. I mean the activities and setting reminded me of the whole thing, not because Miss Yeo felt like my mum of course. LOL.

"I can't imagine being an MP." I said.

"I can't imagine YOU being an MP either." She said.  LOL. #BEECH.

I mean the fact about my caliber aside (FML), I cannot imagine the amount of work/time/commitment they need to put in. Can you imagine when everyone was spending time at home with their family on the weekends or weekday nights, the MPs and the ministers are actually out and running about telling people about who to find if they need help with find jobs, with their CPF, with their HDB units, where and when to find him at his MPS, and etc etc.

And besides being an MP, they have their own day job, (In DC's case, like me, he works at NTUC and that is his full time job.) they are also someone's father/mother, son/daughter, hubby/wife. And to make things worse, very often they just get slam by people online right? And I don't even think it is nice of them to visit like siam diu or any nightspots to chill like a normal person.

I mean it is not that they are not allowed to (I think?), but I would imagine if they get spotted at such places, netizen might just go crazy and say shit like, YOU SEE!!! TAKE SO MUCH PAY AND COME HERE DRINK BEER ONLY!. LOL.

OEI!!! MP OR NOT OR WHAT, THEY ARE ONLY HUMAN LAH!!!

I guess it is the kind of satisfaction that one cannot really explain. Like how my friends always ask me why I do voluntary work with some students and youth when I'm already so busy working most of the time. I guess it is the kind of calling in oneself. You got to have it to know it.

NetFlix and Chill

I spent a lot of my rest time in front of the TV. NetFlix and chill is currently the most therapeutic activity for me. Besides watching some of the newer shows, I love how NetFlix will air some classics from time to time. Last weekend's watch was actually this Tim Burton's classic, Edward Scissors hands.  Seth was watching with me and he could not quite wrap his head around this.

"Papa, why are the scissors stuck on his hands?" 

Regardless how old this show is, it is still one of those shows that are so strange but yet an instant classic. I do hope no one is crazy enough to remake it anytime soon. At least not when I am still alive. Please. Thanks. 

Fast And Furious 

Thanks to Carfeels... I picked up my camera once again to shoot some stuff. This is probably one of my favourite pictures from the set. The good people from carfeels no longer just service vehicles but also selling some of these very exclusive Mercedes Benz. Check them out if you are a fan!

This picture looks like some wallpaper right? #professional

Theme Park

Last but not least, of course it has to be family time! We got our USS card some time ago but we were not too confident with Seth being on roller coasters. We have been taking the same old family rides. However, we finally got enough courage to put Seth (It is funny how we got the courage and not him. LOL) on a roller coaster and he actually enjoyed himself! I was so worried that he might start to cry in the middle of the ride but I guess my concern was not necessary after all.

Well I guess that's the weekend for me. How was your weekend?

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Quick and Dirty July Updates - I got a new tattoo!

I know July is hardly over but I just wish to pen down some thoughts so far. And also to show off my new tattoo!

Nope. The image about is not my new tatt! HAHA. That's actually a rubber stamp from the rubber stamp station at the ReUnion exhibition which I shared previously. The rubber stamp was meant for notebooks and tote bag but me being me... I thought it blended in really well with my real tatts. 



This is my real tatt! The millennium falcon! It is probably my favourite movie rides of all time! Followed by DMC DeLorean from Back to the Future and of course the Pussy Wagon from Kill Bill. LOL.

I got this ink for myself as a birthday present!

YES! JULY IS MY BIRTHDAY MONTH!!!!


One of those random pictures taken at one of my parties. I know. I'm 35 this year and birthday shouldn't be a big deal but I guess I'm a lucky man. My friends still make effort to catch up with me for celebrations and it has been going on since late June. You have no clue how much weight I've been putting on just from the food and drinks. Besides my birthday I also started writing again. I haven't been writing much for the last few months. I've no idea why either. So recently I contributed two different articles for two different sites and you can read them from the link below. Will My job Still Be Around in 5 Years Time?THE “STRAWBERRY GENERATION” MIGHT BE BETTER THAN WE THOUGHT.Hopefully I can find my mojo back and write more. Besides that, my life is mostly about work. I haven't been playing much basketball or video games as well. And also shooting. I think I'm quite done with Instagram at the same time. I feel the shift of content once again. In summary - Memes are the in thing and travel pictures are already on the way out. (or already out.) No, I do not have studies on that to show but you read it here 1st. (I think.) Anyway, HAPPY JULY EVERYONE!(August.. I shall get back in shape in August. I think.)  

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ReUnion - An Exhibition by NTUC.

I told myself to blog about something else out of work for my next blog post. Like my current favourite food or the shows I've been watching on NetFlix, (Stranger Things 3 is reallllly good!!) but as I sat down in front of the computer in the middle of the night thinking of what to share, my mind can't help but wander back to something work related. 

ReUnion - An Exhibition by NTUC. Although I'm relatively new to the organisation (as a legit staff), I felt a sense of pride when I stepped into the exhibition for the very first time.

Of course, the intention of this post is not to tell you the full history of NTUC and why we played an important role in Singapore's history. The intention is to show you some of the nice pictures I took at the ReUnion exhibition. Yeah, it is always about me LOL. The exhibition commemorates the 50th anniversary of our watershed event - THE Modernization Seminar.   

So what exactly is the exhibition about? Is it just to talk about NTUC's contribution in/since 1969 and stroke our own ego? I wish I could say yes and just sum the article up now but it is far from that. The exhibition takes you back to the 1940s and through to the current day, and explains the role trade unions played then and now.

You will also get to see some of the interesting artefacts. 

So what exactly happened in 1969? In short, after Singapore's independence in 1965, (you SHOULD know this HARLO!!), many workers felt that trade unions were no longer relevant with the new labour legislations so union membership declined from 120,000 to 90,000. There was a need to re-examine how the Labour Movement should exist to better represent and help workers. And the rest is history. (That you should know and can learn by visiting the exhibition.)

Besides learning about our history, there are also other interesting activities that you can be part of.

Augmented reality application where you can put on Mr. and Mrs. Lee's watch. Why the watch? You gonna be at the exhibition to find out!

A little customized "slide show" showing you some of the very interesting archive images.

Also a GIF Photo Booth! 

Interestingly I've also signed myself up as a volunteer guide with the museum for this event, so if any of you want to visit, DO LET ME KNOW!!!

Details: 

Venue: National Museum of Singapore, Glass Atrium, Level 2. 

Date: 4 July to 10 November 2019. 

Time: Opens daily from 10am to 7pm. 

Fee: Admission is free.

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Smith Leong's 100 Days at NTUC

Who wore it better? My colleagues said that I look more like a chef from 18 chefs.

For those who are unfamiliar, 100th day is an important milestone for the new secretary general (SG) of National Trades Union Congress (NTUC). And no, I’m not the new secretary general (yet) LOL. Current Secretary General, Ng Chee Meng reached that milestone last Sept and got interviewed by Straits Times. Nobody interview me so I own self write own self lor. What to do? 

This article marks my 100th day at NTUC and to say that the journey has been great is probably an understatement. And no, I’m not saying this just because I am with NTUC, or my boss made me do it. I’m truly saying this from the bottom of my heart.

Missing in action 

Now you know this is probably one of the many reasons that I’ve kinda been missing in action on this space. Not because NTUC is overworking me but my focus in life has shifted. For now, more than anything else, I need the headspace to think about my work in the organization. It is not that I am having a writer's block (pfff.. Come on. Writer’s block. Me?) but more so that all I think about is probably just work these days. And maybe you. (Generally, if you think it is you, it is you lor.)

How it happened?

Remember these 2 readers of mine? One of them Whatsapp’ed me and jio’ed me to work at NTUC lor. KIDDING!!! Met these 2 ex-SG during a dialogue some time ago. Yet to have the chance to take one with the current SG despite seeing him often enough during union visits.

If you have been following this space, you would remember reading loads of my adventures over the years, including adventures of me on the ground covering NTUC’s activities such as Project Refresh, Todo Todo, which got me started volunteering as a Career Guide, Job Shadowing a NTUC Health health care worker, and even to visiting a Nursing Home. And no, it has nothing to do with my NTUC Fairprice wedding photoshoot.

Those experiences taught me a lot and got me feeling a lot. (Yes, I am a very emotional cancer so no one should be surprised.) So when my NTUC point of contact aka current boss aka my “jiejie” from NTUC approached me and told me there was an opening that I should apply for, I asked myself why not?

What is my role at NTUC?

I joined the organization formally to do Social Media Training and Community Engagement work. Yea, part of my work is about educating people on better and smarter use of Social Media. The work spans from Social Media literacy to championing staff to play his or her part together with the organization to share the labour movement’s work, to creating Social Media contents to recruit, retain and engage members. You may be surprised by the number of people out there who don’t follow mainstream media. So despite NTUC’s best efforts to push our messages to the public through mainstream media, some people still have no clue what NTUC really does. Many thought we’re just a supermarket (that’s FairPrice btw). Like my friend once told me, SINGAPORE GOT UNION MEH?

The journey so far…

In one word, eye-opening.

One big pull factor for me to join the labour movement is the opportunity to be a part of something bigger. Much bigger and more impactful than my past work in the private sector. It is not just about chasing numbers and closing sales, or pairing social media influencers with clients so that they can selfie themselves holding some face cream next to their prettily made-up faces. It’s about what we can do to help workers.

I can’t be an effective trainer if I don’t know enough. So since I joined NTUC 100 days ago, I’ve always been that kaypo new staff who tries to gate-crash other people’s events so I can see more with my own eyes, feel it, and then advocate it. How can I sell something that I do not believe or feel right about? Actually given the way I tell story, I kinda think I could but that’s not the point. LOL. #shameless I know.

So what have I learnt about the labour movement’s work in these 100 days?

In a nutshell, we are fighting for 3 things that are the basics of what every worker needs - Wages, Welfare and Work prospects. Simple concept of fighting to give every worker a better job, better pay and better life. It is a simple concept that everyone can understand, but yet at the same time it’s something that is not exactly easy to achieve alone. There are different reasons why people have jobs. Some say they work for passion but more often than not how many people can say that? So the most basic reason why people work is for Wages. You need to be fairly compensated for your work, your experience, and of course the value you bring to the company.

What about Welfare? Some of you might be thinking about your bonuses, medical coverage, or whether you get to fly business class for work trips. Sometimes we lead a life so comfortable that we take things for granted and not see the smaller things that matter? For example, some months ago, Labour MP, also my ex-teacher, Mr. Zainal Sapari highlighted the importance of having proper rest areas for low wage workers. For most of us who have worked at an office building would probably have seen it before. How some cleaning aunties and security officers are given tiny rest areas with bad ventilation, if any. In fact, I’ve even seen some who have to resort to eating at stairwells or even on the steps of MRT stations. Have you considered the fact that they work at the same office building for as many hours as we do? But while we have own workstations, most of these low-wage workers do not even have a proper place to put their bags, let alone a space to rest and eat. They may be blue-collared workers but they are no lesser than any of us. If we don’t champion for their rights, who will? Believe, you, me, small changes like this can go a long way. The workers will rest better and be less prone to falling sick with a better working environment. They’re likely to be more motivated to work too. This too will benefit companies from lower absenteeism and lower staff turnover. That’s a win-win, isn’t it?

Work prospects. We all want better jobs, but how do we do it? Yes, the government has given us SkillsFuture Credits, and I’m a big fan of this initiative. But let’s be honest with ourselves here, how many of us actually did use the $500? Even for those who have utilized your SkillsFuture Credits, how many of you spent it on something that actually helps you in your employability or with your work? I recall moderating a dialogue and someone asked what was the point of training. He went for a course and HR did not increase his pay anyway. But do we only upskill and upgrade ourselves only if a pay raise comes along with it?

We live in a VUCA world now and digitalisation is disrupting every industry with lightning speed, and there is also economic uncertainty brought about trade wars and geo-politics in the region, we cannot bank on our companies and our jobs to be permanent. No one can guarantee that the lifestyles that we’ve been enjoying will be here forever if we are not prepared for disruption. The more versatile and multi-skilled we are, the more adaptable we will be. Property market, stock market, and job market… any or all of this might crash one of these days, and we can’t just be waiting for government handouts to stay afloat. To quote the House Stark, winter is coming.

Our best and only chance of staying afloat is to be prepared. We have to make sure that we are ready for all the future jobs so that even if we lose our current jobs, we will be ready for the next job immediately.

One of NTUC’s recent initiatives is the Company Training Committees (CTCs). CTCs is a joint effort that comprises management staff and union leaders, to help nurture "Worker 4.0". It is not just about going for courses to fulfill HR’s KPI. It is a joint effort to identify what is best for workers and the organization to digitalise and transform to Industry 4.0. CTCs are so that workers can stay updated, acquire skills, earn better pay, when they effectively help their organizations to increase their productivity or revenue. It is one of those things that I tell my mentees a lot before they go for job interviews, “Before you ask what the organization can give you, why not first ask how you can add value to the company?” The only way everything gets better is when it is a win-win situation. NTUC believes in this, and advocates understanding from both employers and workers, and help to facilitate such that all the stakeholders come together to win together.

One of my favourite activities since joining NTUC has gotta be our Secretary General’s union visits. Yea, He visits all of the unions, one by one, spending time to listen to their concerns and challenges and he also takes the chance to update the unions what NTUC has been working on. During these union visits, I get to hear concerns from a diverse group of workers of different demographics from different industries. Most are very real, and some are really very interesting. 

I’m not at liberty to share the information, but all I can say is that what we read online ain’t always the true representation of what the ground feels. cough* statutory cough* retirement cough* age cough*.

In my short 100 days here at NTUC, I’ve come to understand that regardless of your life stage or career stage, as long as you are willing to be helped, you will get help. Simply because #everyworkermatters.

My new family

I can’t stress enough the importance of having good co-workers. We work hard and we play hard. Life is no bed of roses and there are some days that are not as good as others. I would be lying if I am telling you that I’m feeling 10/10 on a daily basis at work. These people make life a lot enjoyable. My boss would ask me on a weekly basis, “How happy are you?”

I’m a social animal and I need my dose of social activities and these guys are giving me what I need. Considering the fact that I’ve known some of these people for more than 3 years now, it is actually not difficult for me to settle in comfortably. Regardless of whether they’re from my same team or not, everyone has been very helpful and ever-ready to offer support and opportunities.

Erm… I do strange things in office sometimes. Sometimes only, I swear.

I know I’m kinda a creep, I’m kinda of a weirdo who sometimes does kinda strange things in the office. I would like to thank everyone for accepting me for who I am. Or at least ignore me for the times I break into dance at my desk for no reason at all. LOL.

I don’t want this to sound like one of those blog posts I write when I am leaving the company, hurhur… But hey, it is what it is, and thank you, everyone! I really appreciate everyone so far. Those random after-work dinners, coffee runs during office hours, silly little texts during the day (and NIGHT, LOL!), daily lunches that are filled with laughter, all the pointless office shenanigans, and even work events in the evenings or even over weekends... I enjoy every bit of it. I guess I am pretty lucky. I’m a STAR! But, no lah, I do not cry cry cries in my lonely heart. (Get the reference? Congrats if you do not. It means you are pretty young. Still.)

Challenges

I also teach people how to play with their food during lunch time.

I’ve been self employed for a very big part of my life and there is a slight curve when it comes to the transition. Not exactly a big one but yes there is one. MY OFFICE OUTFIT. SERIOUSLY GUYS!!!! You have no idea how many people who knew me from before were laughing at me during my first week at work. “LOL! WHY ARE YOU IN SHIRT AND PANTS!!!” Because I need to uphold my professional image and also because it is in my staff handbook lah!! OIE!

Many of my friends have asked me if the red tape is killing me. Guess everyone knows and assumes that bureaucracy is inevitable in big organizations. Looks can be deceiving. Many people assumed that I’m the sort who cannot live with rules and systems. But hey, I actually am the guy who enjoys systems and proper processes. If there is no system in place, how can I know what boundaries there are and where my playgrounds and sandboxes are? LOL. Jokes aside, I suppose I’m also very lucky to have very open-minded boss and boss’ boss, and they have both given me more freedom than I’d expected to explore and do things my own way. No, it’s not like I just go in and smile and I get things my way (I know I’m cute but life ain’t THAT easy). Of course I justify my actions and why I want certain things certain ways.

Moving Forward.

I know it is kinda fast to ask any girl to marry you just after dating for 3 months but I do see myself being part of this for a long time. I know it is too early to say but the truth is I am really enjoying my time there, my work, the opportunities given, and of course the people. Whatever may come, I am ready. (I think?)

I really hope that I can do more for the organization and the people. I also hope to see everyone taking more pride in being part of the organization, care more about our work, and share more of NTUC’s work with their own friends and network so that more people knows what is happening and more people will come forward to both help and receive help.

I may just be one of the many workers in the organization but I sure hope I wouldn’t be just another face in the crowd. And also not screw anything up. LOL.

And If this article is too boring for you, here’s some OOTDs to make your time worst worth.

xx,

Smith 

( I promise I will try to update this space a little more from time to time.)

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When did puberty hit you?

Remember when you were 13 or probably 14 when life was a lot simplier. Although we did not have as much as now but I swear life was easier. We went to school, did what we were supposed to do, hit the basketball court, and then home. We watched TV till late, we spent hours on phones TALKING to your friend about your crush in school or sometimes gathered around the voiddeck with a few friends and chat through the night regardless if the next day were going to be a school day or not. We did not have mobile internet or even internet but yeah, we were happy.

And one of the most interesting milestones in most people's teenage years' has to be puberty. You will see some of your most awkward looking classmates becoming probably the hottest girl in school just after one holiday.

Even Taylor Swift didn't look good before puberty. There is always hope. 

Of course, that is also when the boys and girls started appreciating each other a lot more instead of calling each other names and throwing rocks at each other. Generally speaking. Of course not everyone went through the same love story. 

I was standing at 155cm when I was 14 years old and I was 170 before I turned 15. I would say my puberty came rather late as compared to some of my peers. I do enjoy the extra cms but one of the most annoying changes that I went through has to be HAIR!! 

HAIR EVERY WHERE! LIKE OIE! WE EVOLVED AND WE WEAR CLOTHES! WHY DO NEED ALL THESE POINTLESS HAIR! 

And you know how schools actually provides lessons to girls to educate them about how to use pads and tampons but what about us boys? WHY NOBODY TEACH US ANYTHING ABOUT SHAVING! (I mean at least teach us something about our facial hair if you are too shy or find it awkward to teach us to shave else where right. ) 

So in conjunction with the launch of their Hydro 5 Sense, Schick did a survey with 100 men and realized how uninformed we men are when it comes to shaving! 

With Schick Hydro 5 Sense's 5 Ultra Glide Blades and 7 Hydrating Gel Reservoirs, it deeply hydrates your skin after every shave. In fact, it is so hydrating, you DO NOT NEED shaving cream! With its Shock absorbent technology, it allows you to have a contoured shave without worrying about cutting yourself! The perfect fuss-free shaver for men on-the-go or daily use! So guys, now you have no reason to not shave especially before a date or going to work! 

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Is Kampung Spirit dead in Singapore?

What is Kampung spirit to you? Is it simply a matter of knowing your neighbour’s name? Being friends with your neighbours? I mean we know how difficult it is these days for various reasons (or excuse. LOL). For starter, we are not at home as much as our grandparents who really lived in a kampung back in the days and that gave us very little opportunities and reasons to keep the whole kampung spirit alive.

I’m saying it’s difficult but I’m not saying it’s impossible. I do remember being rather close with my neighbours growing up. We use to play together, run around the corridor, playing block catching, and probably partly because my neighbours were really nice and lend me all their toys. This whole friendly neighbourhood thing needs two hands to clap. I remember the last time I tried saying hi to my new neighbour and all I got was a weird “do i know you?” stare. #TrueStory.

You guys remember project refresh? Yeah, it’s that event where Young NTUC partners with the North East Community Development Council (CDC) to aggregate stakeholders within the North East District to help their residents. This includes GRCs/SMCs, SACs, schools and corporations who provide essential goods and services such as furniture, appliances, pest control services, as well as cleaning and painting equipment and supplies.

Life works strangely in full circle for me. So right after the previous event where they help the residents at Punggol where I am staying now, their latest project which happened before Chinese New Year happened at my “hometown” – Tampines.

The 12th iteration/edition of Project Refresh returned with the highest number of volunteers ever. Some 1,000 volunteers from unions, schools, corporate organisations, grassroots and Tampines residents stepped up to refresh the homes of low-income seniors and seniors, who are living alone in Tampines.

I met these two young ladies, Yan Tong and Wendy at the event. They are both 1st time volunteers at Project Refresh and also residents of Tampines.

After talking to them, I learnt that Yan Tong found out about this event via a direct mailer which she found in her e-mail for being a NTUC Member because of her PLUS CARD. I was pretty amazed/amused at the same time that someone actually reads those mailers! I mean there are a lot of stats that shows the fact that the conversion rate of edm has been on a decrease.

After reading the email, Yan Tong decided to be part of the event and try something new. Meanwhile she also invited a few friends to come along and that’s how Wendy ended up at the event as well. It must be a good day for them since they got to help out in the neighbourhood and also met me in the process. Right? RIGHT? RIGHTTTT??? XD

Besides cleaning the unit they also spent some time talking to the resident which they find it really meaningful not just because of the cleaning but actually having an opportunity to make a new friend.

Me being me… I have to ask some difficult questions right?

“Since we are on the subject of spring cleaning… Have you spring clean your own house?”

Them;

“Actually no. HAHAHAHHA. Can don’t tell my mum about it?”

See! Putting others before themselves. Good people lah. However, I forgot to check if they are single, else I can also help to promote them and hope they find true love. LOL. (Damn kaypo I know. Typical uncle and auntie… Truly one of the many signs of aging.)

Besides them, other volunteers from the PAP Community Foundation (PCF) and Tampines grassroots also contributed their time not only to clean the houses but also come together to put a smile of the residents’ faces in different ways such as help with Chinese New Year decorations such as Chinese calligraphy writings as well as red packet lantern making and more to decorate 59 Chinese households. Volunteers also extended the spirit of celebration and brought cheer to the homes of Malay and Indian residents by giving handmade cookies, mandarin oranges and red packets to less-privileged families.

Remember your primary school Chinese education where they taught us the saying of 远亲不如近邻 as well as 远水救不了近火？If your answer is yes, your Chinese teacher would be proud of you. So I guess that’s the meaning of Kampung spirit isn’t it? Getting help from your neighbours when you need it.

P.S. But please don’t tell people you read this article and anyhow go knock on your neighbour’s door and ask them to clean your toilet because Smith said so lah. Help lah!

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How To Tell If your New Era Cap Is Authentic.

So recently I recommended a place where you can purchase New Era caps in Taiwan and a friend of mine replied this:



To be honest, this is a very legit concern. One of the easiest way I would say is the price. The pirated caps are usually way cheaper but then again, it doesn't feel very good to pay a lot for a fake as well if you are unsure of what's real or not. So here's a quick guide to help you with it when you are considering buying a New Era cap.

1. This sticker



I used to remove this sticker because I find it damn dumb to leave it on but one expert told me that it's actually a very important part of the cap to proves that it's authentic. Of course, these days a lot of the pirated caps come with it as well but if you are collecting limited editions, this sticker can determine its resale value as well.


2. Side Logo



3. Size Tag




4. New Era Tag




5. Genuine Merchandise Tag 




6. New Era Website Tag (Which is usually hidden under the size tag) 




7. I read out of name so let's just call this yet another tag




8. Really tiny words on the "yet another tag" 



Point to note on this "really tiny text" is that this is a newly-added feature. So if your caps are the older ones, they might not have it.

Some Grade A pirated goods can have quite a few of these features too but the truth is, only the original cap will have ALL the features.

So here you have it. I think it's totally okay to get one of those none New Era caps if you like it but it's another story to be paying the New Era price for something that's not.

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