It’s also running very short. With one week left in Singapore, I don’t know how I should allocate my time left.

I can’t upload my photos at home, and I don’t have the opportunity to bring my laptop around to connect wifi, so it looks like I can only share my happy memories in Singapore with you after I leave Singapore. Haha.

For those dying to see me (yeah come on I know you miss me to bits) but can’t because I am almost fully booked for the rest of my time here, you have the following options:

1. Try to squeeze yourself into one of my remaining available slots (I’ll only be opening up such hot spots for the especial though hahahaha)

2. Come visit me at Singapore Science Centre (opening hours: 10am - 6pm, last ticket will be sold at 5.15pm, admission costs $6/adult) and watch me talk about bioluminescence vs biofluorescence (yes, gosh…). Alternatively or in addition, I am available for lunch from 12.45 - 1.45pm (limited to that area only).

3. Come see me off next Wednesday, 22 August 2007, at Changi Airport Terminal 1, from 12pm onwards. My flight is at 1440h, flight CI0662

I’ll really miss all of you this time round.

Update: I’ve got another job for Wednesday and Friday too! Yay I’m fully occupied for most of my remaining days here.

Update 2: I suspect the exhibition I’ll be involved in next week at the Science Centre is either Gene-Fest (”where visitors get to uncover the Science behind living things that can produce light and learn more about DNA fingerprinting in a forensic scene.”), part of science.07 or the Biotech Fair 2007. Admission to Singapore Science Centre is only $6 I think, so you know what to do! It’s time to do some learning at the interactive Science Centre, where you probably never stepped in since…ever?

Who says it’s hard to find a job for 2 weeks? I found a job for a week! Haha…

Concerned friends have encouraged me to take a break, and that I should just rest and relax at home, meet up with friends, and just take it easy. However, I feel that I “rest and relax” a great deal during school term, and for the past 3 weeks, so it’s time to get out there to make that ka-ching sound (cannot really resonate due to unfantastic pay) in my bank account!

I’ll be an event coordinator from Monday - Sunday next week at Singapore Science Centre. There’s some event (Bio related) that I know nuts about, but it beats sitting around on my bum at home or cold-calling in the office!

So it looks like I’ll be spending my last week and weekend during this interim in Singapore at the Science Centre! Hope I get great colleagues.

Yay! I’ve been jobbed! Thanks to an aggressive recruitment agency.

At least for the 2 days at Far East Square Flea Market. I decided to set up a stall at the same location as the previous attempt at entrepreneurship because rental is cheap ($20 for 2 days); and there’s no need to book a spot for the whole month (China Square Flea Market regulations), nor way in advance (other flea markets).

Day One
Day Two

In a nutshell, profit was made!

I’ll be selling some items (types of items have grown diverse because my mother has enthusiastically contributed some household junk) at the flea market at Far East Square (again) this Saturday and Sunday afternoon, 4th and 5th August 2007.

If you happen to go by that area (who am I kidding) this weekend, do drop by and say hi! Don’t be obliged to buy anything. Just help me man the stall while I dash to the loo. It’s a OWO (one-woman operation) this time, so I most probably will be in desperate need of the loo by the time you visit. Heh.

I tried being a telemarketer for a day.

This will hopefully demonstrate how I desperately tried to motivate myself:

70 calls.

No. who hung up on me: 1 (not too bad, eh? However, it was my first call)

No. who said “sorry, busy”: 1

No. who scolded me: 1

Common “on hold” tones:

- Greensleeves: 3

- The Entertainer: 3

- Moon River: 1

- Other unidentified midi-like tune: 9

- Radio: 2

- Jazz: 2

- Other tunes e.g. “Kiss Me”, “Uptown Girl”: 4

Guess who was my best friend for the day? An admin lady from Southern China. We had a nice time talking about Singapore vs. China over lunch.

Actually, maybe I should have persevered. Hmm, nah. The office is too quiet, the pathway to the toilets are too clinical, and the toilet itself is chilling.

To the bathroom: Getting there

At the risk of being called an entrepreneur desperado, I didn’t want to blog about this.

Last year after my mother saw the items that I brought home, she actually suggested (quite a good suggestion, hard to come by) to approach retailers and sell to them instead of doing the selling on my own. However, after we worked out the cost etc, we realized that it still wouldn’t be as profitable as selling them as a retailer myself, since the cost price of bringing them in is assumed to be more than the price that retailers can get from their own wholesalers.

I did the flea market thing during my last holiday break (thanks Winnie, Lac, and Sam) just for the fun of it, to try to lelong lelong just for the heck of it. However, Dot managed to psycho me into doing it again, this time focusing only on 2 items — underwear and socks.

I’m not as excited about it as I was the previous time, but I sure hope that there will be a profit. I feel a little LC though.

Dot, you and your wise idea la. I have a bad feeling about it leh…

What do you all think? Can sell? Should sell?

When I was in lower primary school, I wanted to be a teacher. In upper primary, the thought of being a doctor came up, mostly out of spitefulness. I had too much bad experience of doctors probing around my chest and groin since I was diagnosed with familial hypercholesterolaemia (inherited high cholesterol), and I had the inspiring thought of treating patients with more respect by being a good doctor. Ha. That thought died away quick. I just stopped going to see the doctors.

Then in lower secondary, I dreamt of being a musician. And a freelance lounge player. Then in upper sec, I thought of joining the police force, and join the police force military band.

In my Junior College years, I wanted to join the Army.

So you see, out of all my aspirations, most are to do with joining the civil service. In secondary school it was drilled into my head by my father to work for the government so that I can get free medical care. Before I turned 18 I enjoyed free medical benefits since my father was a civil servant. So I guess I should be thankful that I didn’t let doctors scrutinize the most private places of my body and pay for it.

In my last holiday in Singapore I interned at a government body, which barely enlightened me. Now, I’m invited to have dinner with the Director/PSC Secretariat to learn more about “career opportunities available in the Civil Service, and specifically the Management Associates Programme and internship opportunities during [my] June [August] holidays.” Yeah, I know, this is a good opportunity to seize, it may be the very chance to clinch a job in the Civil Service. But. I’m just not very motivated to work for the government now.

Write a comment if you want to talk me into it.

After the mad rush the past few days to get my project done and up, here’s bidding goodbye to my high-level view of Singapore’s cityscape; the spacious workspace; the high-tech IP phone; my companion for the past month - the Fujitsu Lifebook; the very professional email address and signature; and all my friendly and approachable colleagues.

Do you always do things out of your own accord? ‘Coz sometimes I find myself doing things because I have a name to keep or a certain institution’s reputation to uphold.

Sometimes things really beg the question of what’s in a name.

Although in a highly-reputed government board of the country, I don’t really see how one can push for creativity or diversity when clicking on many intranet sites gets me the following message: “You have not enough rights for this application. Please login with a username and password which has sufficient rights…”. Moreover, sites like Fridae are banned because it deals with “gay and lesbian issues”, and all sites that “provide info on or cater to gay and lesbian lifestyles, including those supporting online shopping; but not sexually oriented or issue-oriented”. These sites are blocked, along with many other sites that are sensitive or are not in line with our government’s beliefs.

So working here may sound oh so wonderful and all but why would you want to work in a place where the very essence of your life is depicted so lowly, on par with all stereotyped vices and dregs of society.

Yes I know I have to live with this all my life (the victimization and partiality, not the job), but by being a civil servant and living a different “lifestyle” from what is preached, I think I cannot answer to myself.

It’s different from dragging myself out of the bed every morning to get to work even when I really want to sleep or be with Sam. The struggle in the morning gets combated when I think about how I cannot screw up this internship, maybe because I don’t want to be a bad example of Singaporeans from Fudan, or I just don’t want to give myself a bad name. You do notice that every job application form asks whether you have ever been dismissed from a government office.

But sometimes I hate the way names have such great effect on people. It’s really just an illusion. And I can’t believe I constantly succumb and get deceived by these misimpressions.

16.5 hours, 100 over items, and 26 transactions at 30 degrees celsius. With a salary of less than a dollar per hour, it was a test of patience, self-entertaining skills, and the limit of our stomachs (overload of snacks, teh tariks, and teh chinos) over the last 2 days.

It was great, and we thank all supporters (albeit few). Cheers to my fellow CEOs of the business and I’m glad sales was more than anticipated.

Flea markets are worth a look-see once in a while, for you can really find plenty of miscellaneous stuff and possible good-finds. Try selling the barang barang from your home too if you have an afternoon’s worth of time. You never know what kind of transaction you might get. Try not to sell gifts from friends though, because you never know when your dear friend might suddenly pop by. A friendship is not worth being jeopardized by a few dollars.

Our little space was rented from Far East Square, which is manned by a rather gungho and easy-to-talk-to Auntie, Mrs Tan, contactable at 91099055. You pay 10 dollars for that 5ft by 5ft space for 12pm-10pm, complete with funny anecdotes from this stylish lady boss.

Although not a very lucrative business, it was a memorable experience of setting up and tearing down of the stall, and the attempts to sell the items to customers. Screw-ups were inevitable — inaccurate quotings of prices after declaring a half-price sale, and desperation was exhibited — the strive to convince a customer to buy a fortune-god-design pen by singing the cai shen dao song. I’ve also caught the flu, but it signifies a close relationship between us sellers and the dedication we had towards what others look at as just a mat on the ground. Now I can tick it off my list of ‘Things to Do/Try Before I Die’.

Far East Square Flea Market, every weekend, from 12pm - 7pm (Rent is till 10pm, but no one really stays till that late)


The 3 CEOs looking damn sian from low sales in the afternoon.

Time to call it a day!

We resorted to using this remote control car to attract customers to our stall on the 2nd day.