Roger's Rant…

Last month, in August 2011, I visited Ho Chi Minh (HCM) City, Vietnam…

Though many of my country mates have visited in the past decades since the war, it was my first!

Frankly, it’s been a long while since I learned much about Vietnam from Anthony Grey (a journalist)’s book, ‘Saigon’, a novel that helped me understand the Vietnam war. That was back in the 1980s. Time flies.

Well… as you would expect, since so many had gone there before me, I already knew what to expect even before the trip. But still, it was an interesting trip and experience and I will be delighted to visit again

In this short article, I’ll share with you my thoughts and experience of HCM, Vietnam:

• HCM is touted by many to be like Singapore back in the 1970s. Well, I agree to a certain extent because the city is ultra modern in some areas. In the ’70s, the most popular shopping centre here was People’s Park Centre and then later People’s Park Complex whereas now, in 2011, there are some huge and modern office-cum-shopping complex like Vincom Center. Having said that, there are indeed old-style markets like the Ben Thanh market (which is much like Chak Tu Chak in Bangkok).
• There are millions of motorcycles there which is pretty much unseen here (not even in the 70s!) and it was an amazing sight to me Crossing every street becomes a challenge of guts and estimation. And the interesting thing is… they have people at some places like hotels, restaurants, etc who are watching tourists and will volunteer to come hold your hand and lead you across the street otherwise being  Singaporeans, we might end up standing till the traffic wanes at night.
• Coffee places are everywhere! That is something pleasing to me as you might be aware. Plus… iced Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk is unique and tasteful! Thus, it’s an excellent place for tired feet whenever you need a break or if you just want to have a more relaxed pace.
• Vietnamese food is healthy, by nature as they use plenty of vegetables. Particularly I like their ‘pho’ which is a white-flour noodles which is smooth as silk. I happen to eat a bowl also at the world famous Pho 2000 Restaurant at District 1, just opposite Ben Thanh market because former US President Bill Clinton visited in the early 2000s!
• We had international buffet at the Atrium Cafe of the Legend Hotel which was touted as the Mother of all buffets! I fully agreed as the spread is truly generous, with lots of varieties including sashimi, oysters, mushrooms, chocolate fondue and lots of desserts laid out in terraced displays… what a feast for the eyes in addition to our taste buds
• We visited the Ho Chi Minh City Museum which was kind of a letdown because we expected a lot more. But still there are some artifacts to explore as well as a cross-section of the Cu Chi Tunnel during the Vietcong days.
• Hotels, toilets and streets are generally quite clean. In fact, the budget Hotel Lavender is highly recommended at less than US$50 per night and they provided excellent service by sharing tips of where to eat and go to the guests like us voluntarily. There is also a foot massage joint in the hotel which provided a very good service which is definitely recommended.

For this first visit, we deliberately stay in District 1 (which is their ‘Orchard Road’) for the entire week to experience the hustle and bustle of the city rather than going outbound into popular tourist spots like the Cu Chi Tunnel or some sea food places a few hours away along the Mekong River.

Overall, it was a memorable trip… and surely I’ll go back to relive the experience, the coffee, the pho as well as the international buffet which is really superb! Plus, there are so many outstation destinations with fresh seafood I heard that must not be missed! So… till the next time

TODAY, 31 May 2011, is ‘World No Tobacco Day’

NOTE: For more info on World No Tobacco Day, please see the excerpt from Wikipedia below.

When I heard about this special day on radio this morning, it brought back a flood of memories of how I once was a compulsive smoker for a quarter of a century before I come to my senses!

In those days back in the 1980s, most people don’t smoke – I’m referring to the teenagers and young adults. As for me, I was one of those rebellious who advocate non-conformist values though in reality I didn’t have the guts to keep a ponytail to follow the hippie movement So… smoking offers me a way to stand out among my peers…

I still remember the joy of drawing deeply on the cigarette — my best friend at that time — and puffing out smoke and ‘rings’ to the amazement of my friends around me. After all, it was COOL to be the one in ten who dared to smoke, so to speak

First, as a fad, it turned into a habit before long. And I happen to be one of those who really got hooked deeply to tobacco.

(Fortunately, I do not have such a love affair with alcohol though I enjoyed getting drunk at least a dozen times during my journey into adulthood, sometimes driving recklessly into the night! Thank GOD He protected me from making any serious mistakes like some of my friends did but that’s a story for another day.)

In my later years when I wanted to quit this downright dirty habit, I really envied those social smokers who could puff one day and stop another!

Long story short, in a way I ‘enjoyed’ smoking for 20+ years before struggling for about 2 years before I completely quit the habit. (That was about 7-8 years ago.)

How did I quit? Well, I’ll talk about that another day, so stay tuned if you’re keen…

Last but not least, coincidentally (or was it?) I read in a business book TODAY where the author declared that there’s nothing wrong to smoke if they want! (Gosh! What sound advice that business guru gave to the young and innocent!) That I must say I totally disagree!!!

I believe that most teenagers today got into the habit because it’s the IN thing or COOL thing to do. (Do leave a COMMENT BELOW to share your views on this.) However, many got trapped somewhat innocently and got stuck to this addictive habit for years afterward! I sincerely hope that most will come to their senses much earlier than my 25 years and quit smoking as soon as they can, saving not just their precious money but the priceless lives of theirs and their loved ones.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> EXCERPT FROM WIKIPEDIA <<<<<<<<<<<<<<
World No Tobacco Day is observed around the world every year on May 31. It is meant to encourage a 24-hour period of abstinence from all forms of tobacco consumption across the globe. The day is further intended to draw global attention to the widespread prevalence of tobacco use and to negative health effects, which currently lead to 5.4 million deaths worldwide annually. The member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) created World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) in 1987. In the past twenty years, the day has been met with both enthusiasm and resistance across the globe from governments, public health organizations, smokers, growers, and the tobacco industry.

Yesterday, on Vesak Day, 17th May 2011, Internet Business Coaching Pte Ltd — one of my companies — celebrated our first office anniversary at Waterloo Centre. Before we know it, it’s already a year since we moved into this office at from Bylands Building, our previous office.

Since Bylands, this has become a tradition whereby we celebrate every anniversary and we’re glad to have taken the opportunity to invite our business associates, contacts, students and friends.

There were over 60 guests and we had quite a bit of fun and activities and… food, of course! (Frankly, we wish we have a bigger office, well that’s our aim for next year Anyway, following is a video that I put together using my iPhone4 and brand new iPad2 (amazing what technology can do these days!):

Probably due to the change in weather – as everyone says – I was down with a bout of flu right after coming back from Beijing…

I literally slept almost non-stop for 36 hours straight!

Anyway, that concluded 2010 and things are getting exciting in 2011 even though it’s just two weeks into a brand new year.

Last week was a crazy week for me as Channel News Asia did a filming at my office at Waterloo Centre. We were given only 2 days’ notice to fill the room for a talk by Leny Painan (CEO of Wonderful Minds Pte Ltd) ! Thank GOD more than 30 people showed up at short notice.

It was a great show and fine display of her public speaking skills as she educated the audience on Dermatoglyphics analysis which means finger print analysis. Many parents found this to be intriguing and want to invest just a few hundred dollars to discover where the strengths of their children lie.

Plus, our WIN WIN networking event is picking up steam as we rolled out our very first session just last week. The participants were happy with meeting new people in a cozy manner as well as learned much useful information from the speaker who shared many patterns of share investment.

All in all, we are having more and more events every week. In fact, we already had 8 activities for this week alone! (See my next post.)

Well what I really like best in life is to have a cup of coffee in a cafe and read and… write (that’s where all my emails come from LOL).

However, there’s one thing I hate most when I’m having coffee alone…

No, it’s NOT:

…having no one to talk to

…getting bored (how can you get bored these days with SMS & Facebook?)

…having no one to share food (though I love to have a variety rather than just ordering a single dish)

No… no… no…

… it’s not all those.

It is when I’m in the midst of doing work on my laptop that nature calls

On occasions, I’ll just tell someone sitting across me to watch my laptop while I go and ease myself but most of the time, I will pack up my laptop in my bag (and then leave a book and my spectacles on the table to reserve it) and carry to the washroom. What a hassle!

Well…

What would you do when you’re alone? I love to hear from you – please leave your comments… thanks

In case you are looking to start a small business that is:

… LOW risk

… HIGH return

… EASY to start

Then you might want to come with a friend or two to attend this SPECIAL PREVIEW *TOMORROW* (details below).

I apologize for the short notice as I was busy preparing to fly to Shanghai for the World Expo.

——————————————–
Consultant Business Training Program PREVIEW
——————————————–

Day/Date: Wed 20 Oct 10

Time: 7.30 to 9 pm

Speaker:
Ms Leny Painan,
CEO, Wonderful Minds Pte Ltd

Fee: FOC

Venue:
Internet Business Coaching Pte Ltd
/Autoprofit Marketing Pte Ltd
Blk 261 Waterloo Street
Waterloo Centre #02-27
Singapore 180261

To register for the PREVIEW, call:
- Maggie 90358998, OR
- Kamala 82656670

More info:
Download the flyer from:
http://www.autoprofit-team.com/wm2010/downloads/flyers/dermaconsultant_wonderfulminds.pdf

As I sit at my home study having my usual oat breakfast, and taking a short reprieve from my work, these are some random rambling thoughts that come to mind (after returning from a 2-week trip to California)…

TRAVEL

Would you prefer to go on a long or short trip? Certainly both have their pros and cons but I was just figuring out a way to plan my future trips:

• For short trips, you should arrive in the day time as the journey will most likely be livening and most likely a short and pleasant flight and then you will still have lots of energy to move around eating, shopping, sightseeing, etc
• For long trips, you should arrive in the evening after a strenous and long flight — anything more than 3 or 4 hours — so that you can go right to sleep after having a light dinner to recover in time for a fruitful trip

Do share your thoughts on this with us by giving your comments below. By the way, here are my personal experiences.

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I saw this good news on TV this morning… that the Giving Pledge started by Bill Gates and Warren Buffet six weeks ago achieved tremendous success.

Essentially, Bill and Buffet started this campaign – asking the 400 wealthiest men in the country to give away half their wealth or more!

What an amazing drive. And so far, already 40 U.S. billionaires made the pledge including:

• Bill Gates – Microsoft founder & philanthropist
• Warren Buffet – American investor & philanthropist
• Bloomberg – Bloomberg founder (now New York Mayor)
• Ted Turner – CNN founder

Imagine how much those billions can do for the world – especially the one billion hungry people with less than US$2 per day in this world!

What are your TOP 3 America Cities? Do share with our readers…

As for me, of the half dozen America cities I’ve visited over the years, here is my list of the TOP 3:

1) Boston

I like Boston because of the history, the food (the lobsters and clams here are famous and delicious) and the ambience. Plus… there’s so much to do in Boston (eg. visiting the famous universities and colleges, shopping, eating, cruising the harbors, visiting the museums).

The city is reachable easily via the efficient subway or by walking. (Just make sure you have good walking shoes when you go there.)

If New York is a symphony, then Boston is like a concerto. It’s rich enough and yet not overly rich. And yet… it’s not plain like a cantata.

2) New York

There are tons of things to do in New York! The next time I come, I will spend at least a week or two just in New York City without going anywhere else.

While there are many attractions (Time Square, Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, theatre and shows, etc), one can get overwhelmed.

Anyway, I love the New York Manhattan skyline. It’s mesmerizing!

3) San Francisco

One of the most beautiful cities in the world (not just the USA), I love the hills (especially the crooked street), the cable car, the Fisherman’s Wharf, etc.

The weather is also cool all year round and I also like driving along the Pacific coastline nearby.

That’s it!

The above are my personal choices. What about you? What are your TOP 3 America Cities? Do share with our readers…

When I was in Boston, everywhere I turned, there’s a Dunkin’ Donuts!

There’s literally NO ESCAPE -

Seriously, it’s a lot harder to find a Big M or Starbucks for that matter…

So… as I began to wonder:

How many Dunkin’ Donuts are there in Boston?

I was literally shocked by the answer volunteered by the driver when I took a trolley city bus tour around Boston!

There are a total of… (more…)