The Lonpac Insurance AGM

London Pacific Insurance held their AGM at the Shangrila Hotel on 11 February 2010.

As usual, just like for Public Bank AGMs, the thick Chinese crowd mingled around, hoping to get door gifts and a good breakfast.

The organisation of the AGM was good. They gave coupons to both shareholders and proxies. All got parking endorsement tickets, a good packet of breakfast, a lunch pack and a aluminium hot and cold drinking jug.

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Lucilla YuMing: Simple Yet Attractive

I spent the afternoon watching an old classic Lucilla YuMing movie called' "Father Takes a Bride". This late 1950 movie is in black and white. Yu Ming is better known as the 'Audrey Hepburn' of Hongkong.

 

The plot is simple. After the death of their mother,YuMing and her two bothers would not entertain the idea of their father re-marrying. However, their father had fallen in love with a school teacher. The lady in question was a younger Wang Lai. This is the first time I have seen her at this tender age possibly in her thirties.

As things would have it, something happened. The two children who went to their mother's grave were stuck in a cemetery as they were locked in. A police search was underway and radio broadcast managed to help trace the children. It was teacher Li played by Wang Lai who found the children. That  endeared the children to her and as they were leaving the hospital in smiles, we knew 'Father Will take a Bride'!

The movie also starred the late Betty Lo Tih's brother who played YuMing's love interest.

I am looking forward to watch such YuMing films such as 'Sun,Moon and Star' and A Night in Hongkong'.

Native Expressions 4: Good To Know

We are back again with some more native expressions from De Mente's book. Here are some interesting ones .

1.To be blind-sided:

It means that you have been defeated, disadvantaged and surprised by something that you couldn’t or didn’t foresee coming.

E.g.

I was totally blindsided by her accusation.
The union negotiating team blindsided me with a new proposal.
That lawyer almost always manages to blindside his opponents.



2.Be a sweetheart:

To be generous, kind or going out of your way to help is described as ‘being a sweetheart’ This is a very personal way of asking someone to do something for you or for someone else.

E.g.

Be a sweetheart and do the week-end shopping for me.
Be a sweetheart and wash my car for me.
I’ve had enough of being a sweetheart. Walk the dog, yourself!

3.Back down:

The term comes from the concept of literally backing up in the face of danger of some kind, or backing down to avoid a confrontation or defeat.

E.g.

I refused to back down when the boss threatened to demote me.
If you back down now, you will never be respected ever again.
No matter how serious the challenge, do not back down!

4.Asleep at the wheel:

Doing things without knowing what you are doing. Blindly doing business without noticing what is going on in the market place may be referred to as being ‘asleep at the wheel’

E.g.

Between 1960 and 1980, American automobile manufacturers were asleep at the wheel, giving Japanese car-makers an extraordinary opportunity to win market share in USA.
Some people go through life sleeping at the wheel.
Wake up,man! You are asleep at the wheel!

5.Across the board:

Taken from a description that refers to the entire width of a board, it means everything and everybody.

E.g.

The pay-rise was across the board. There was a pay hike for everyone.
He made an across the board accusation, blaming everyone in the team for the defeat in the game.
The Chairman’s criticism was across the board. He left nobody out.

'Flipping Fantastic' by Jane Langford

 

A short story is written in prose form. It has a plot which is a sequence of events. The plot has to deal with a central conflict faced by the protagonist. The events also carry a message about life and human nature.

Let us analyse the title. " Flipping Fantastic". We know what fantastic means. It refers to something  extraordinary, out of the usual or norm. So when some one says something or an act  is 'fantastic', it means it is extraordinary or superb.'Flipping' in the context of this short story means 'to react strongly and especially enthusiastically'. So the title,"Flipping Fantastic" could mean 'extraordinarily superb'.

Set out in the form of diary entries by twin brothers and their mother, the story starts with the last day of primary school at Peter Hill where the  twin brothers both acted parts in a school play. Then out of the diary pages, is reflected the thoughts of both the twin brothers, Tristan and James on the new schools they will be attending shortly. The diary pages of the mother will reflect her thoughts on the behavioral aspects of her twin sons.

Tristan is no ordinary boy. He is physically challenged and is wheel-chair bound. He has  always been pushed around by James or his mother. Interestingly, Tristan has developed a 'can do' spirit and he is most confident for a person who needs help to get around. James, on the other hand, is shy. He is the exact opposite of Tristan, needing words of encouragement to spur him on.

In fact, James feels that having Tristan go to a special school called Chesterlea Grange, where Tristan will be home only during week-ends, is somewhat disadvantageous to him as he needs Tristan's help in Highfields, the new school he will be attending which is a day school for ordinary students. Moreover, he is shy and believes there is  no one there whom he will be able to depend upon.

That is the exposition of this short story. We will move on in the next posting.

RWS: Significant to open at 1218

Singapore's first casino is scheduled for its official opening on the most auspicious day of the lunar new year-the first day of the Chinese New Year (14 February 2010). The Tiger is symbolically aggressive and that has been shown by Genting Singapore's persistence in ensuring the  casino opens its door before Marina Bay Sands which may open sometime in May 2010.

The opening of the doors to Singapore’s first legal casino open on Sunday is an event almost five years in the making.First time visitors will be pleased to find “Gods of Fortune”  roving in their midst. And besides the symbolic characters, who will hand out commemorative items and red packets, a dragon dance performance will add to the gaiety of the celebrations.

It is the single most important event that Resorts World Singapore (RWS) and parent company Genting International had been hoping for. The announcement yesterday that the “auspicious” time will be 12.18pm, on the first day of the Chinese New Year, capped a week of frenzied guessing about the casino’s opening date.In Cantonese,1218 means "It is easy to prosper!" as it is spoken.

The bugbear though is that  Universal Studios theme park will not be open for rides as yet. However,as a teaser, RWS is offering the public a one-week sneak preview at S$10 (RM24.27) to stroll through the grounds.

Restaurants and shops will open from 5pm to 9pm until Feb 21, and the park is expected to be ready in early March.“We’re ready to soft-open the casino but are still fine-tuning the rides and shows in the theme park,” RWS chief executive officer Tan Hee Teck said. “However, since it’s Chinese New Year, we decided to offer Singaporeans ... a special and unique first-to-see walk-through opportunity.”

Senior Minister of State (Trade and Industry) S Iswaran told Mediacorp the casino opening was “good” progress on the part of RWS as it rolls out its facilities.

“The important thing is that the opening of these important additions to our tourism landscape are done in a smooth manner and in a manner that preserves the visitor experience, so that people will ... come back,” he said.

Sales of the preview tickets and casino levy start today at 11.18am. And if the crowds flow from the get-go, the resort says it is ready.

Even taxi drivers, some of whom were given a familiarisation tour, seem prepared. Kelvin Ang, 43, who picked up his first RWS-bound passenger two days ago, said: “You just need to observe the signboards, and it’s easy to drive in.”

Chang Yeng Cheong, general manager of nearby VivoCity, told Mediacorp his mall would be managing its car park to prevent traffic chaos by, for example, restricting entry of taxis to those with alighting passengers and cabs ‘On Call’ and by deploying security guards to facilitate the flow of cars going through the Sentosa Gateway.

Ace Ong, senior shop manager of Haagen-Dazs in VivoCity, is expecting a 20- to 30-per-cent increase in the number of customers and the management will deploy more staff for the first seven days of Chinese New Year.

Meanwhile, staff at The Merlion on Sentosa are anticipating an initial loss of visitors to RWS, but are positive about the spill-over effect in the long-term.

For some Singaporeans, it may be too last-minute to be part of a historic first day.

Sales executive David Loh said: “I’ll want to go to the casino with a large group of friends as it will be more fun. But as everyone is busy with visitations on the first day of Chinese New Year, I’d go on the second day if I were to go.”

When MediaCorp visited RWS yesterday afternoon, staff were buzzing with preparations for the opening. Huge red lanterns hung from the ceiling, pots of brightly coloured flowers lined the walkways. Drilling and hammering sounded from every direction.

Workers were putting the final touches to shop signages, others swept and dusted. Staff huddled at the casino reception for crowd control instructions and rehearsed their duties.

Over at Marina Bay Sands, the resort is working closely with the Casino Regulatory Authority to obtain its casino license and for a soft opening hopefully in April.

Spokeswoman Val Chua said hotel rooms up to the 35th storey have been fitted out with carpets and fixtures.

The construction team is also working on the interior of the Sands Expo and Convention Center.

“The complex wave-shaped roofs on the lower buildings are nearly complete and the Event Plaza at the centre of Marina Bay is nearly finished. Internationally renowned artists are completing work on huge art installations,” said Chua.

Looks like Singapore is the ultimate winner in the end.

The Gift of An Ordinary Day

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