the lastsplash

" Whose house shall we visit next year ?" I guess this question posed last year was answered today. I wish more can be invited to our gathering if not for the space constraint... Chop chop chop... cut cut cut.. HUAT Ah! LOH HEI! Cook cook cook... eat eat eat... Wash wash wash... A little dessert... (if you are curious about the name, read this ) A little sparkling wine and game after the meal... Happy times past by so fast. Thanks for coming! A different venue, a bigger crowd next year!

I had a short getaway on the Star Cruise Superstar Libra last Friday. It was my first time on a cruise. It was more of a get-together with my wife and her extended family. We left Harbourfront at about nine in the evening, shortly after the Superstar Virgo left for the international sea. The cruise was more or less within my expectations - very few things to do which will interest me. Other than the endless eating, at least it was fun to spend time with the kids and all the nice relatives. Tho' at times I find it a little tough to enjoy myself as I was bothered by some issues on Friday. Why not just let it go and forget about it? I guess it was easier said than done. Perhaps some things just can't sleep over them. It fact it has came back to haunt me this moment, and I really want to take some corrective actions... Nevertheless, the thing I like most about the cruise is watching sunrise on the Straits of Malacca with my wife. Some photos from the short trip... at Harbourfron...

Not everyone will believe that I don't have a choice. Maybe I am ignorant, maybe I am weak? I may not be the one who is hurt most, but I am also deeply affected. At the end of the day, we are on the same side. I don't expect everyone to understand, but hope that those who matters do. I know what to do to move on. There's only one way.

Not sure if anyone find the sharing interesting or useful. but for completeness, the following are the key learning for today: 1. 4-Player Model - What are the roles we should play and how should we behave? 2. Abilene Paradox - What is the trip to Abilene and how can we avoid it? 3. System Thinking - The R and B loops. Problem solving using the loop models. 4-Player Model This is another model from the Peter Senge , in the book " The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook ". This model is a way in which a team can have Generative Conversation by playing out four different types of roles: 1. Mover - initiator, offer a position or direction to the group. This is the person who want put a new message across to the group. 2. Opposer - the skeptic, challenging the action of the mover. This is the "devil's advocate". However, this person is more than just the inquirer. 3. Follower - agreeing with either the mover or opposer. This is the role to "complete the sentence...

Attended the Foundation of Organisation Learning (FOL) class today. Some of the concepts are quite interesting and useful, so I would like to share some of my take-home with everyone. =) I will summarise the key learning in three points: 1. Learning Disabilities - What are they? Why should they be avoided? 2. Team Learning - What are the areas in which a team can learn? 3. Generative Conversation - How to use the A-I-D tool to have productive conversation. Learning Disabilities These are factors which impede individual learning from taking place. Some examples of these disabilities from Peter M. Senge 's " The Fifth Discipline " includes: 1. "I am my position" - Refusing to learn from others or accept others ideas as we focus only on our ourselves, our stand, and only we are right. 2. "The enemy is out there" - Blaming others instead of learning the root cause of problem. 3. "Illusion of taking charge" - Acting on reflexes rather than a...

There are probably more Olivia Ong fans these days as she sang the theme song 《如燕》 of the Ch 8 hit show, 《小娘惹》 . So fans will be happy to know that there is a Olivia Ong Quintet page on MySpace. I did not know of it till I checked my blog stats this morning. There were eleven instances of entry pages from their site. It was then that I realised that there is a link to my review of their Mosaic 2008 performance at the Esplanade. It is kinda embarrassing as my review was quite amateurish. :p Nevertheless, check out the O2Q MySpace page. There, you can find some photographs, and video clips of their rehearsal and live performances. Tho' they are actually available on youTube . Hopefully, they'll post some news or schedule of their live gigs on their MySpace site next time.

Well... it was more like the last ten hours. We got off work and started walking about around 2pm. My wife and I wanted to do something similar to Eye é City , where you do a visual account of the last 24 hours of the year, without the pressure of getting a nice shot for submission. Its a pity none of my friends can join us. So as we walked, I came up with a rough route (dear wife is quite directionless, hee hee ) that will bring us around the city to some memorable places and ending with the sunset and night scene of the Singapore skyline on the Benjamin Sheares Bridge. Below is the map (red - day, blue - night) of our route... We started out at my wife's workplace, Odeon Towers . The first stop was Shanghai Bookstore at Bras Basah Complex . Unfortunately, it was closed. Then we had lunch at Liang Seah Street . We caught the last glimpse of the 7th Storey Hotel before it would be pulled down in 2009. Then we continued to Rocher area, down Bencoolen Street to the Guanyin Temple...