2017 New Year Resolutions

I will feel really uneasy not doing this annual ritual of listing down my new year resolutions!
It is thanks to having the commitment to achieve my new year resolutions in 2016 that I can try new things in this year's list after striking out some basic and important items last year.

Let me try to categorize my new year resolutions in the aspects of how i can upgrade myself and how i can help others.

How I can improve myself

1. Be efficient in tidying my belongings

My room actually looks quite neat, but behind the doors of cupboards and drawers, it is more often than not, a mess! So, I heard a saying about how one's room looks is also indicative of the one's mind. I have also read online about how decluttering one's work space and environment can help with stress relief and mind clearing. I need to make a conscious effort to tidy myself inside out and stop being okay with hidden mess! Time to get down to clearing mess and organizing documents as soon as possible! I promise no more than 2 days max!

2. Take up dance!

All along I envy people can groove to music and actually still look good. I also secretly always wish that I can freestyle to all kinds of music just because I can. Last year I became closer to a friend whom i trust that can accept my initially awkward dancing and is truly passionate about dance. I can try dancing once a week first! Dance will also become my alternative way to exercise as compared to my usual treadmill and weights routine. I believe it will be another stress-releasing activity for me!

3. Be lean and strong

I believe attaining an ideal weight is achievable after I found out the best way to lose weight for me last year. Since I was in university, I have never given up this dream of training up a set of beautiful toned abs and be lean but strong. I'll do enough research and garner all the discipline in me to achieve it this year. After all, I have 11 more months to this year end. "Whatever my mind can conceive and believe, I can achieve." This is a motto I have always believed in at work. Last year, in my journey of weight loss, I finally learnt how to use this on an aspect outside work. This made me understand that the body listens to the mind if the focus is persistent and strong. JIAYOU AH!

4. Document my travel experiences with pictures and tips

They say the most beautiful things will always be remembered deep in one's heart. Yet, I feel that when there are too many beautiful sights to behold, snapping a photo moment or taking a video can keep these memories forever more reliably. Let's list the places I've been to: Australia, Bali, Malaysia, Boracay, Taiwan, Beijing, Chengdu, London, Munich, Venice, Paris, Florence, Milan, Seoul, Tokyo, Iceland, Norway Oslo, Tromso and Bergen. Some photos cannot be found while others I couldn't really remember how the experiences were. So this year, as I'll be traveling quite a bit on leisure, I'll make it a point to document my experience down in the form of blog posts! Shall learn how to use photoshop and video editing!

This year I've been to Iceland and Norway. Will be heading to Japan in Feb, Yogyakarta in March, Genting in April and Barcelona, Santorini and Rome (maybe more) in May!

Hoping to go to Dubai, Maldives and Africa soon!

5. Learn to play an instrument and sing at the same time

This item is definitely a must-do this lifetime. Let me do it this year. I'm going to pick three songs that I like and master how to play the keyboard or ukelele while singing them, self-learned!

6. MDRT 

Going for it for the third time this year! My goal is to receive lifetime membership of MDRT from hitting 10 years of MDRT. :) I feel that if you have the passion and intention to give back to the society and also the time to help others, firstly you need to have a stable and sustainable income, as well as a flexible-like-water schedule. If one is unable to provide comfortably for one's family and oneself, he or she will not be able to have the time to worry about others. MDRT is one significant and prestigious award and membership for all insurance planners all over the world. It's definitely an honour to be part of it.

7. Book reviews

I never told many people, but I have always wanted to own a business and make it sustainable. I don't believe that taking up degrees or studying business can make that happen. I've been ceaselessly inspired by bakery, tech, cafe, phone application, social media company entrepreneurs. I've read articles about the bosses. This year is a good year for me to start reading books written by these bosses.

How I can help others

8. Ensure 5-digit income for friends whom I bring into this career

I've brought about 8 friends into this career without active recruitment because I really cannot find another job that's more perfect than this. This year I'm going to personally mentor the newly contracted agents I've brought in and ensure they receive 5 digit income monthly before Dec 2017. You can ask me anything about this if keen! :) Click "contact me".

9. Client servicing  

I'll focus on returning to all my 700 families of customers to review all their policies again. In 2016, I transited from roadshow business model to appointment business model and can't help but fall deeper in love with my job. I love all the friendships forged and the trust that was established among all my clients-turned-friends. I love the smiles on my clients' faces when they receive abalone, mooncakes, cookies and cards from me. I also deeply appreciate the referrals given to me by my trusted clients-turned-friends. Such friendships and gestures are impactful and irreplaceable to me.

10. Skills upgrade

This year, I'll read up and take up courses to understand more about investments of all sorts to better service my customers and to find the best places to diversify my funds. Now, I've learnt the foundations of wealth accumulation and wealth protection, it's time to learn more about growing wealth at higher returns.

11. Charity

Besides donating money to needy organizations, I'll also contribute physically to give back to the society. I've been talking about it last year but did not get down to do it! With my 8 years of tutoring primary school children, I was thinking of given free tuition to needy kids from poor families. Alternatively, it'll be quite meaningful to go to an Old Folks' home to cook, perform and accompany these elders.

12. Cook better

I finally realised the importance of home cooked food be it for health, weight loss or for family bonding. It's really therapeutic to be able to cook while enjoying it! There is also a sense of satisfaction when people tell me the soup that I cook or the fish that I prepared actually tastes good. :) It also feels rewarding every morning seeing the man enjoy his breakfast. I don't mind washing dishes if people I love actually enjoy the food I prepare with my heart and effort for them. That sense of accomplishment. :)

Alright. Already thinking about a blog post on 100 things I want to do before I die! Ciao!

Read more »

10 places you must visit in HongKong

Hello. 

To read about my live recounts on Hongkong while in Hongkong, you can refer to my dayre 

Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3. 

I've personally been to HongKong thrice in my life already. The first time was with my Godmum, second time was with the organization and the third was January just last month with my whole family of 5. It's their first trip to Hong Kong, the third trip that I sponsored my family on. :D

Read more »

[Taiwan] Farm girl at heart

[Taiwan: Farm life]

Hellooooo~ 

I'm finally back in Singapore, back to the hectic rat race lifestyle. 

Honestly, as much as i missed the lifestyle i enjoyed in Taiwan, I cannot stand being unproductive, as in not working, for an entire week. Well, i guess this trip did recharge me fully as i was super eager to return to work on the last day of my holiday. 

On the third day of Taiwan, 

we headed to one of the most beautiful mountains of Taiwan - 清境农场, Cingjing farm. 

I wish i could wake up to this every morning. 

Little sheep baa-ing and grazing by the hill slope.

Imagine having a morning jog around this district. Therapeutic. 

It's so beautiful that young couples would come all the way to the mountain top for their wedding photos!

Singaporeans are not allowed to feed the conserved animals in the zoo and safari but we're allowed to feed animals in Taiwan! Got vending machine somemore. Apparently, it seems like they are not afraid of having their sheep being overfed. With so much greens on Cingjing, I doubt the sheep stop eating anyway. 

None of them with their heads up as they scavenge for the good greens. 

The sweet couple on their Nth honeymoon feeding the hungry babies. 

My turn! I was extremely afraid of putting my hand into the enclosure initially cos I didn't know if they have teeth and if they bite. After much coaxing by the tour guide, i managed to pluck up my courage to do so. AND OMG THEIR BREATH IS SO MOIST AND WARM!
One of the most gentle animals I've ever encountered! 

Sheep show and I guessed exactly what the show was about because I realised every farm we head to, they will shave sheep fur for the public's viewing pleasure. The show was hosted by a local Taiwanese and the Star of the farm, an angmoh who speaks fluent Taiwanese-accent Chinese. Shaving the sheep fur is really not an easy task because you have to be very firm with your grip of the huge sheep. They didn't seem very easy to handle even for a professional like the angmoh. 

As much as I've tried goat milk from Australia and Singapore, I have never tried the chocolate flavoured ones.The chilled one tasted very refreshing and no funny smell at all! 

Bought 3 full bottles of this! I love goat milk pellets~ May my bones be strong. keke.

After visiting the sheep farm, we proceeded to our next destination, another location on the same hill sharing the same fresh air and beauty.

White fluffy clouds just behind me!!!

Cingjing Swiss Garden. 

In this garden, I found the chioest ducks I've ever seen in real life.
They've heads ombre green in colour and very clean feathers.
I managed to snap pictures of some of these ducks sleeping in a really interesting position. Birds sleep while standing on one leg and they hide their beaks underneath their wings. What's the rationale? Probably for easy escape flight when they get alerted of unsuspecting predators or danger. 

Leo, his mummy and myself with a beautiful garden backdrop.
I see we are a family of bright colour lovers.

Who let the geese out!! REALLY FAT ONES! haha..

Ducklings waddling in the pond. 

Sanderella! :p

Sheltered chillaxation zone with very fresh and clean air!

And I can't help but to...

Bee insisted on taking a photo with the huge kitty before we leave the garden. Aww.

Random snapshot of what Singaporeans love in a random 7 Eleven.

Chilling by the clouds.

Saw Garfield!!!!!!

The Mango coconut popsicle found in one of the ice cream shops tastes damn good and best of all, it's relatively cheap as compared to Singapore's popsicles. 

It's like heaven isn't it?

Next stop after lunch: Lingzhi factory
Guy who claimed that he's the prince of his tribe was an impressive salesman of the business run by his family. 

Fallen dried up beehive found in the jungle while a few of their native men were hunting. 

Huge lingzhi displayed in the factory. Learnt the overly-ripe lingzhi cannot be eaten and their remaining useful value left was its function as a stool for jungle monkeys. And probably a display monument. 

Deceased baby deer deemed to be of high medical value for people if eaten in its powdered form. Like quite cruel hor? I don't really buy the suspicious ethical-sounding story of how they retrieve this baby deer corpse. 

Do bee and I look like the taiwanese tribal natives in their traditional outfit? :3

Before I end of this section, I'd just like to give my readers and friends some warnings about this Taiwan government-owned Lingzhi factory. The sales persons work like unethical and unprofessional insurance agents of the past. If you ever visit them, be prepared to experience a series of aggressive sales. I shall keep the details brief but you get what I mean. Of course, I have never doubted that Lingzhi is good for health. I took them when I was young too.

First try of the Taiwanese coffee sausage!
You can never stop eating in Taiwan. Every corner is local food you can never taste in Singapore. 

One long day of traveling and eating beckoned a good rest in another farm! ^^


We were warmly welcomed to the Lakeview Nanyuan Resort by a group of hospitable Taiwanese female farm staff. Really pretty and I love their accent!!

90% of the whole bungalow is made of wood, even the bed!

Not sure if you can feel the hardness of the bed just by seeing the negligible sunkenness of the bed. 

The piece of paper behind the table lamp actually listsdown the top 8 goodness of sleeping on the wooden bed 木板床. I woke the next day feeling extremely energized despite not sleeping on the usual cushioned bed I sleep on any other days. 

Cute farm house windows and basic taiwan channel tv in a warmly lit setting. 

Pardon the mess, but it's a perfect cosy corner of the room to sit by the lake and watch people playing golf or the swans swimming bringing their cygnets around to comb the lake for food or...

...camwhore. 

We were instructed to leave our luggage in our resort room before the friendly staff bring us to explore the whole resort. Families could bring their kids out to play in their open field. No need to pay, unlike the shopping mall toy cars in Singapore. Lol.

Cruised around their very own Swan Lake on a small boat and
managed to catch a snapshot of a black swan and her precious!

Meet the 饿鱼.
This crazy number of huge Kois can make an adult of average weight float on the water!

Long arm monkey, a resident of the farm, named 趴趴 (pa pa).
The story behind his name is associated with his hobby of lying flat on his female partner. -.-

Dinner time!

I'd only post a picture of the most yummy food served during dinner, the 八宝盖!

Fireworks aka wish-making session.
I lit the highest-shooting fireworks and wished for everlasting awesome health and wealth!

And i know my wish will come true! HUAT ARH!!!

The resourceful and thoughtful farm staff arranged for a bookmark-making session so that we could DIY our own souvenirs back home for remembrance.

At first we were kinda critical of this particular programme being arranged in our itinerary, but ultimately we enjoyed the "family bonding" session that very night. Our end products were hilarious! Leo's mum's monkey turned out strangest, Leo's was the cutest and mine was kind of expected that it'd turn out like this. 

Each of us has our own personality injected into the monkey bookmarks. :)

<3

That night, we ended our day off playing golf. It was my first time playing this so-called "atas sports" and damn it was totally not as easy as it looks! Each family was given 60 balls to play and at the end of the session, Leonard and I were already perspiring profusely. This sports actually requires a hell lot of focus and energy. LEO IS REALLY TALENTED AT IT! (happy, boy? :p )

The golfing facility consists of a platform on stilts. a net to capture noobs like me who might possibly fall off the platform and a huge lake to capture our golf balls! Do we have such a golfing lake in Singapore too? 

Day 4-7's entries might come slightly later when I have more or less settled the crazy backlog of work i left for myself while enjoying in Taiwan. Meanwhile, if you haven't read about my work blog, click here! ;)

With <3,

Read more »