My watch and my new mont-blanc pen which was a present. They go well together eh? :)

Today went to the office to submit my commission and met up with my seniors. As it is my first time submitting my commission, I was like a bit blur here and there. Filled up the form and went to submit the forms and the cheques to the counter lady. To my horror there were another form to fill at the counter. In my haste to fill up the forms as they required each cheque to be accompanied by the form, I mixed up the details for every single cheque (there were 3) and there was one submission which I had to do in cash. When I told the lady I was submitting one portion in cash, she told me I had to submit the exact amount. Not a dollar more or less. -_- Completed the three submissions first, rushed down to grab a drink and went up to finalise it. The lady was like "This isn't your first time right? :)" I was like.. "Yah man its my first" She grinned and said never mind I'll get the hang of it. I proceeded on to check with her regarding attending the real estate course and she was a bit amazed that I haven't even attend any courses yet I closed two deals. Self-study and 24 hr consultation with my dad and his fellow agents mah. :D Anyway, I missed the sign up period again.. Today was the first day of the course and it's full. Next one in July. FUCK!!!! I think my SIM course will start by then. Screwed up again. Anyway a pleasant surprise, my bank referral fee just flew in and I immediately collected it at the counter(the rest of the commissions they have to deduct the agency share and issue back to me a few days later) and I immediately threw the cheque into the quick cheque deposit downstairs. WoOohOooO.

Anyway, finally I experienced the process flow from prospecting of clients till signing of contract till commission collection and submission. Ho say. Now I have to keep myself busy with moving house. It seems like it's gonna take 1-2 weeks. Cock up. Sometimes I wonder why my parents can't do things in a timely, co-ordinated matter. Always a bit here and there. They too free never mind still wanna eat into my time sometimes. Just when I tried to check with them the E.T.A, they told me that the painting of rooms and the house will not be done by the painters. It's a DIY. Means I have to paint myself. Wah lan eh!!! By when can i move in!?!?!?!?!

The customer I met recently was more tougher than the previous one. Sigh. Super calculative and stingy. And I thought I was a super calculative person. Well I guess I'll meet all sorts of people now. No longer inside the bubble wrap of an organisation where everyone is family.

Went Balcony with my friend to have a drink. Seems that I haven't been chilling out for a while. Our topics can't exclude work it seems. Adulthood is tough.

Well well it's almost the end of the week. Finally collected payment from the commercial HDB shop at Blk 416 from both landlord and tenant. Now waiting to collect payment from Blk 89 before I go submit to my company on Monday. Finally have some results to show after so long (although technically I started on Mid-April which was then I finally got my namecards that time) so I heaved a sigh of relief. Closed both within days and hopefully my River Valley deposit will come tomorrow. By then it will be a grand total of 3 deals this month. :)

I hope to start saving up for things in life that most people want I guess.. A car and a house... But in this generation, it's not that it's not possible. It's just how long it takes to finish paying for it. In this new globalised market, job security is practically non-existent. Business fail 9 out of 10 in the first 5 years. Going through SIM made me think alot about the value of money. Now I hardly dare to spend on unneccessary things (although i still spend a small fortune on food) that I find won't last me more than 2 years.

Hence, although it's easy to take out a bank loan on a car or house.. but a car starts depreciating the day you buy it. depreciation + expenses + rising cost of fuel + interest installments = Serious $$$ flying away man.

It's the same for housing loans. Out of a $1000 monthly installment, maybe $800 goes to interest and only $200 goes towards paying your outstanding. No wonder it's so competitive in banking industry. Some serious money to be made here. Renting a place to call my own? Nah.. You pay rental every month, end of the day you move somewhere else and all that $$$ goes to the landlords pocket and u have nothing.

Hence, I must work hard and save more money. A car (preferably a 2nd hand Evolution 8? *grinz* ) and a house will come in time. Taking out a loan is inevitable. Paying in full is impossible. Unless I strike Toto. Which has a probability of exactly 0 too since I dun gamble. Working smart and finding ways to secure financial stability shall be the main focus for year 2006.

Close another deal today!! Signed the contract effortless unlike my first one which was tough as shit! Feel good slowly building up the momentum! Hope to close at least 4 by the end of the month. Although the money's good, but I feel I'm like beginning to be a lifeless workaholic.. and a boring sick one at that. Coughing and wheezing each time I try to talk. Ugh.

So far both are commercial HDB shops which I closed in a matter of days. I guess I'm lucky. Hopefully my residential River Valley unit can be secured tomorrow as the client says she'll settle the deposit in the evening. But I'm a bit skeptical about customer's promises as I got played out by one bastard who said he will place the deposit which led me to cancel all other client viewings and waste one week of anxious waiting. Pray that this lady will keep to her word or else history will repeat itself and I'm gonna get screwed by the landlady. Even if the landlady doesn't say anything, I'm gonna SCREW MYSELF!!!!

My Dad's has been of great inspiration to me and has supported me constantly throughout my learning period. Probably buy him his dream handphone as a token of appreciation for his teachings. He is now a grandfather already but more obsessed about handphones than me. Lol. But to be fair, I use a normal V3 and my needs are mainly voice calls so I'm not so interested about handphones. But talk about the latest computer gadgets and chips on the market ; and I shall drool like a doggy waiting for his meat diet! :) And I always get scorned by my parents when they see me playing Battlefield 2. "Huh? Still playing kids game?" and they give me that kind of look. :<

Seems like another happening night coming up soon at MOS wif Ahbeng's birthday approaching.. Just saw the emails correspondance among them. Probably can relax a bit for now but I shall not slack too much .. I have a habit of 'engine' taking too long to start.. But now my engine seems to be taking too hard to shut down and rest.. Or is it just what one does when he's considered an adult? Career? Money? Although I should be concentrating on them, but I feel I've given up so many things that I have love to do.

At midnight before my birthday, I received a Mont-Blanc pen and a birthday cake delivered personally by my little pig! Super shocked! How thoughtful of her.. I told her it will come in useful when I 'close' a deal tomorrow and guess what? I did! :)

Seemingly getting the hang of the realtor's life now, I don't feel so stressed already. Especially since I've broken my personal egg and getting more deals now, I feel motivated and proud to be a property agent. I wanna hit five figure sum!!!!!! *blah*

Went to watch Da Vinci at the new Picturehouse. Quite interesting to see what you've read being acted out. However I felt at times that the show left out some bits and pieces here and there but overal I enjoyed the show immersely and it was value for money. Went in at 955. Came out at 1240am! 2 over hours!

Moving house soon, got the keys for our new place at Simei area. Looking forward to 'chop' my own room, preferably with attached toilets (bathtub optional) and big enough to put my computer table, a decent sized bed, big windows. Dunno can squeeze jacuzzi in or not.. wahaha.

Let the good times continue.... and results of my exams never to come.... May my new pen run out of ink due to non-stop signing of contracts. :D

Don't know if you guys remembered but last year in one of my articles, I wrote about the Japanese culinary gourmet Ikezukuri whereby a fish is sliced up alive and served literally to your plate?

It's sashimi basically except the actual fish is still alive and watching you eat it! Dunno where you can find it in Singapore though. I am pretty interested in trying it but until now I haven't seen a place selling it, i think you'll be able to find it in expensive Jap restaurants.

I found a video recently.

Ikezukuri Squid Version

Check it out!

Well well well.. Finally the long eagerly awaited day has come. The last day of my examinations. Although it's the last paper, it's the toughest one too. I have been preparing for this paper a couple of days now... Now that it has finally come, I kind of wondered how it would turn out. Only 18 hours later shall I know once I see the paper. :X


Goodbye to long hours of brainwork. At least for a few months. :)

However though.. I won't be able to enjoy my holidays much as I intend to attend the proper realtor course prepared by my agency. It's around close to a 2 month course and it is gonna bore me from 7-10pm 3 times weekly. So far I have read through all the materials and learnt them by heart but attending classes are still prefered. Followed by CEHA certification which all realtors need to possess by 2008 otherwise they can't be realtors. Hmmm. I forsee a battlefield of fallen ahpehs and aunties who fail the paper.. *grinz* Hope I can pass lah... :/

After a long while, I'm finally moving away from Bayshore. Gonna go stay in a new place in Simei. Envisioning my own room to be super cool, gonna go shop for new furniture with my Progress Package (Courtesy of Garmen) and get a few gadgets. With more privacy now, I can finally play *cough*cough* i mean work on the computer in my own room instead of the living room.. :)



Now that politics and exams are soon to be over, hopefully my stress is gonna only come from property related stuff for now. It's been a tough month. I'm glad relief is finally in sight.

Yesterday I finished my first SIM paper at SIM in record breaking time. Took around 1.5 hours to finish a 3hr paper. Alas, I left a couple of questions empty as I had nothing to write on it!

A quick check with the rest showed that they also dunno what the *beep* the clean white paper with a couple of questions were talking about. But they tried to bull their way through even though we all agreed we had not come across it in the lecture notes (the textbook might have something though, but that's another issue then. Hardly anyone reads the freaking txtbook!). I decided to reserve my ink instead. Shit.

Watched MI-3 with my gal later on to destress before my other 2 papers next week and it was realllyyy GOOOD! Not so exaggerated and slick like the first 2 eps but it was tastefully done and realistic. Lido 1 in Digital format really rocks man. And my little pig got the center seats, amazing despite buying the tix like 2 hours before only on a crowded Friday. After months of boredom, new exciting movies coming out! Silent Hill (think Constantine), Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift and Da Vinci Code. Watch it guys!

Almost on the verge on inking my Letter of Intent for a rental at River Valley the night before my exams. Lucky my paper was at 3pm next day, so I finished my viewing and went a all-nighter at SIM. My client wanted to wait next week to put the deposit because he was waiting for his Employment Pass but he assured me. Gave him my assurance too. Didn't have to Co-Broke with other agents which meant I earned my full commission if it goes through. Ho say liaoz.

My Harvey Avenue client called me waking me up from my slumber this afternoon(ya, rarely sleep beyond 12pm these days but I did) and told me that his neighbour next door is willing to let me introduce clients to sell the next door at $1.9m as he intend to fire his current agent on exclusive for refusing to co-broke with others.

Meanwhile I hope to close his current house rental on 3rd week of May after his full house renovations is completed. Kind of queer guy. Who buys a $1.4m house opposite his current house to rot for three months not touching it to renovate it fully to only RENT it out later? Or sell hopefully together with his neighbour to a developer to rebuild (which meant the renovations will go to waste!)? All I say is.. got money everything also can.

I hope I'm able to close at least 2 deals this month. That would be the best birthday present to myself. Yah, my birthday is coming. Presents anyone? Hehz!

I would also like to mention thanks to Jason for the below. :)