The Art of Selling

There was a knock on the door. I went to it and found out that it is a harmless looking elder gentleman with a pair of dense glasses perched awkwardly low on his flat, and slightly crooked, nose. He greeted me with a smile.

'Hi, you must be Cecil right? I'm Philip. I believe my wife Doris came here a couple of weeks ago to talk to you about the faith in the Lord?' the elderly man looked straight into my eye with honesty.

I searched my memory bank for a relevant experience and i think, yeah, Doris was indeed here with a younger lady of perhaps my age not long ago. The ladies were Christians, but of what kind?

So i told the gentleman that yes, i do recall that.

'Great Cecil. Do you believe in Redemption and in the presence of God?'

'Yeah, i'm a monotheist, so i have to believe in a sole creator of our universe, whether it's a person or not, i'm open to ideas.'

'Oh that's great! Now Cecil, do you have any questions regarding the sufferings in this world? For example, the recent tsunami incident. So many people perished you know, out of the blue the waves came and took them. We always ask, why is oh mighty Lord, the one that is so merciful, so blind as to let this terrible tragedy happen? Why would he love and take lives at the same time?' Philip said, with muscles all over his face contorted by anguish.

'Well, things happened for a reason, scientific or religious or not. Maybe they were meant to be taken away, into heaven or hell, before Judgement Day, according to your faith? You'll never know, so sometimes there's not much point is asking 'Why?' We should just ask the 'How did it happen?' And seek to prevent such disaster from happening again.' I said with a matter-of-factly tone. I've came across this question countless times before. Come on brother, my forte in General Paper is Science and Religion.

Philip wondered what to say next and proceeded to another topic, 'What other doubts do you have about Christianity?'

What a weird question. Why are you prompting me to doubt your faith? I have no intention to. But since you've asked, i shall ask him the question that no-one on this Earth will possibly have an answer to.

'Yeah, i've got one - Who made God and what's his purpose? If He is a person; because all humans are made in his glory and image, some one must have made him right? After all he is a complex being.'

Philip pondered on my questions for a while, and said, 'Well, the Bible actually told us the purpose of God.'

'It does? Where?'

'Well, i can't recall at this moment, but i can find out.'

The reply is making him seem stupid. I don't mean to be rude, but you can't convince me with nothing to show right?

Philip knew that i was irritated by his lack of credibility, but he still dragged on and on about stuff in the Bible that i have either studied or questioned before. I reacted nonchalantly, and i can see that it's getting increasingly hard for him to convince me. I was just about to say sorry but i'm not interested in your church when my sis came out to ask me to keep quiet 'cos she was having a tuition lesson in the room next to the door. For once her phobia for noise actually did work in my favour. Philip had to go, but before i let him do so, i shot my question.

'So Philip, are you a Protestant or Catholic?'

'Oh, i'm neither.'

'But i thought most Christians in Singapore are from either one of this two sects right?'

'I'm from a JW church.'

Come on, don't need to hide your belief behind abbreviations. I know what JW is, and i also know that it is not well received in Singapore. It's kinda like a cult. I also know that if i make you say it, i'll be putting you in a spot. But he should not be hiding. Anyway, i made it easier for him.

'JW is Jehovah's Witness right?'

'Oh yes, how do you know that? Have you come across any of my brothers or sisters before?'

'Yeah i did.'

'Where?'

'In the Army Detention Barracks, or DB.'

Philip's face changed totally. DB is the prison equivalent of the Army. JW's are in there for they denounced arms and uniform, and in so doing, contravened the NS Laws in Singapore. They were charged in Court Marshall and put in DB for their entire National Service term. With this knowledge, i've got the upper hand this time. How quickly this conversation has turned around! Philip, the seller, was suppose to control the conversation to his favour, but now the table has turned totally. Philip was still asking questions, but i am controlling the conversation with my answers 'cos i know what questions he was going to come up with.

Poor Philip, he has to leave empty-handed after talking to me for a good 45 mins. He didn't get my contact number, my consent to go down and visit his church, nor get me to accept his offer of a free bible. He told me that he'll be back, but i think that was our first and last meeting.

Now, what did Philip do wrong? He was this honest-looking, well-intenting gentleman who made the effort to preach on a hot and humid Sunday afternoon. His faith in glorifying God drove him to my house and several others'. But he would fail at my door, and at alot more other doors before and after mine. Why is that so? It is because Philip lacks the Art of Selling.

Philip is a good Christian and JW. But he is definitely not a good sales person. He failed to arouse my curiosity, my emotions and my desire. At the start he was still doing fine. But at the first question regarding the tsunami, he did a grave mistake - he sold me his take on the disaster even before knowing mine - big time sales pitching error. You have just given me the chance to throw you off with my answer, which will naturally put Philip in a spot as most Christians preaching from door to door are expecting ignorant, sympathetic souls who would indeed lament over his example. Boy was he wrong about me!

What he could have asked is, 'Cecil, what is your take on the recent tsunami?' Philip should ask this question to first know my stand on the tsunami, and of course the suffering. Hence, he can find out whether i'm sympathetic and ignorant about his faith, or not, before he reinforces on points that will sway me to his side, using my understanding and feelings as a basis of discussion. In that way, he would not likely relinquish his control over the conversation to me so quickly. That's the first mistake, failure to listen and understand the needs and stands of the prospect.

Then he made a second mistake in making a stupid suggestion, 'Any more doubts regarding the faith?' I have absolutely no intention in engaging in a FAQ with you brother. You are suppose to sell me your faith remember?

So i threw in another spanner, and lo and behold, Philip hesistated once more. Then he made his third mistake - showing me that he is not sure of his Bible, or the product that he was trying to sell, to put it simply. Philip was wavering his own stand! How can a salesperson [Philip] show the customer [ME] that he knows nuts about his product? Who in the right mind would bother to give this salesperson his trust?

By the end of the third mistake, i had near perfect control of the conversation, and Philip was done for. He tried to entice me with his FREE Bible, but i have a simple excuse to put him off - I already have one. It's a lie yes, but there's no good in telling him, 'Save your good bible for someone else pal, cos i don't believe in what you were saying.' Firstly, he's at least 60, and he was trying hard. I didn't want to make it too discouraging for him.

This parable serves to elucidate a truth - selling is an everyday thing. In every conversation that we engage in, we are bound to sell, or get sold; we talk to sway the other party to our viewpoints or we got swayed instead. Philip tried to sell me perhaps a ticket to go down to his JW church, but he failed terribly; my dad always wants me to listen to him without he listening to me and he too failed terribly, 'cos i'll get fed up and demand his ears; your friends would have attempted to 'chio' you out to club or waste money during your off days watching movies and dining at restaurants before. Sometimes they convinced you, sometimes they don't.

Look at the computer monitor. Someone sold it to you right? It could be an unknown sales dude in the computer supermart nearby, or Dell ads, or your cousin who's damn good at fixing computers. But before the monitor get sold, some one else sold the parts of the monitor to the monitor manufacturing company; and the dudes that built the monitor parts were sold the resources to build the parts with in the first place. The same process goes for every single product you are wearing, eating, drinking and using. Sales and marketing is the most practical, and most lucrative, industry in this whole world. Just image, every year, how many millions of people are turning 18 and begin to possess the power to spend as they start having jobs. Sales is big time stuff for the market is always growing.

Beyond monetary terms, selling is an art that all of us need, in order to get our ways, influence people and achieve results. But selling is also a dangerous tool if used wrongly. The best sales person is often a master of emtional manipulation. If i present to you some discounted stuff, you may be tempted, but you will not buy. If i tell you why you can't live without it, base on your desires and emotions, you would buy it mostly on the spot, unless you are the super disciplined shopper who would seek out the cheapest bargain possible. If i tell you why my plan is good, you may or may not believe it. But if i tell you how my plan is going to help you attain your dreams and personal, departmental or corporation visions, you are definitely 80% swayed.

Now, this approach is really quite powerful. We must only use the art of selling to help people overcome their objections so that they can get what they really want. Never use it to manipulate people into doing something against their will, or do them harm so that we can profit. Use it to guide them into making a decision that will benefit them. This is where our moral courage and correct values come in. With great power comes great responsibilties. It's is easy to be tempted by potential benefits that will improve our lives, but it'll take courage beyond physical strength to say no to to them should someone lose big time in order for you to win. According to the Dharma - Taking is easy. Letting Go is hard.

I'm glad that i was given this chance to find out so much about sales and marketing in such a short time. Thanks to the books that i've been given to read by my friends and colleagues, and of course to my mom who granted me the chance to organise and conduct a very successful product clinic yesterday. Now that my business is beginning to take off, there are more things to put into practice - Management and Leadership Skills - the very posts that i've been trained for in the Army. Now we'll see if the skills that i've acquired will be helpful in business. I'm sure it will be, and so, how to apply is the question to answer.

For now, i'm still finding out more about the Art of Selling, but i'm glad that i was aware of its powers so early on in life. It is a great tool to get ahead, but it also promises great evil. Kinda like Star Wars eh? Remember the Fallen Angels and the empty promises of the Dark Side, and may the force be with you.

Tears for the Fallen Angels

I was at the cinema on 19th May to watch the final installment of the Star Wars Saga. This was my first movie in a cinema in as long as eight months! It was a Thursday morning but i was charged 8 dollars! I thought it was to be 6.50 per ticket, but the ticketing lady told me that prices have been adjusted upwards once more. Man, that's like a 30.7 % hike! This movie has better be good, i thought, if not i'll be absent from cinemas once again, for as long as a year this time.

Once again, i'm watching a movie alone. I've asked my sis along, but obviously she's not willing to watch with me, my guess is that she'll rather watch the show with her boyfriend. Then i did my deliberation of who to chio to go watch the movie with but everyone seems to be hitched nowadays, even those that are not hitched turned out to be too lazy to wake up early in the morning to secure the tickets on the opening day of Episode III.

Of course i'm not complaining. After all, i've enjoyed watching movie with no one else but my chips and drink. Thursday was different though, my companions were the very famous Ang Mo Kio Tip Top Curry Puffs and Slurpy. Watching movies alone is cool because there are few considerations involved before laughing aloud or jerking off tears as and when i want to. The cinema was practically empty save for a handful of retirees and kids who skipped school. I've brought along a bag to hide my companions who in turn managed to sneak past the 'No Outside Food and Drinks' sign at the entrance unscathed.

Episode III has the darkest plot within the whole six part saga, and of course everyone was interested in how the cult figure Darth Vader came into being; and how the Jedi Council was ousted and driven to near extinction by the Chancellor Palpatine cum Emperor Darth Sidious, who demolished the Democratic Galactic Republic and began the Empire; and in so doing, exacted a revenge for the perpetual enemy of the Jedi's - the Sith.

My tears were for Anakin Skywalker, the good Jedi turned evil as he was seduced by the powers of the Dark Side. Anakin saw a premonition - his wife dying at childbirth. As he was not able to save his mother from dying when he was a young Jedi apprentice, he was thus driven by his desire to save his wife from this premonition. This and his frustration of having to live a Spartan life as a Jedi drove him to seek the quickest way out to achieve his aims and hence, he embraced the art that the Chancellor was offering to gain greater knowledge and power, insofar as he could resurrect the dead and save his wife.

To prove his allegiance, he murdered everyone left in the Jedi Temple, basically helpless young kids and unaware guardians, while the Jedi Masters were in the Outer Rim battling the insurgent droid armies - a diversion created by the Chancellor. One by one the Jedis fell; bit by bit Anakin faded away within the growing Sith Lord Darth Vader. Little did Anakin know that he was going to fulfill his own prophecy, as his transformation into Vader broke his wife's heart, who eventually lost the will to live on after giving birth to a pair of twins.

I felt alot of pain as Darth Vader was presented on screen in his infamous black outfit and helmet; and as Padme, his wife, passed away at the same time. Although this secne was within a sci-fi movie, its reflection of life carried alot of truth. There are so many good people out there who wished for the best for their family and themselves when they first began their journey into this world, only to be deceived by the promises of quick bucks, high life and status. They neglected country, society, family and values to fulfill those promises, and were seduced by their powers.

While it is true that all of us make mistakes; honest ones or not, that's another issue. Some learnt how not to make the same mistakes again; and some learnt how not to let the mistakes taint their names and lifestyles. Some coped with them, some covered them up. Some became better people, while others went down the slippery road of decadence. Some gained more than what they have lost in the process, while some lost things that they will never gain back - the very things that they swore to protect and love. Mistakes are inevitable forks in the road; they provide choices. But which road to take to reach our chosen destinations, it's ultimately up to us. Truly, i teared for Anakin because i was tremendously disturbed by this embodiment of the many fallen angels around me. If you know the same stories that i know and see the same people that i've seen, you would understand why i tear for the fallen. These fallen angels were my relatives and friends; some of whom are now nothing more than strangers.

It is all about self management; about us having controls over emotions and not the other way around. Emotions are usually manifested within desires, which in turn form dreams as a collective entity. Dreams are powerful tools. But just like science and religion, they can be potent weapons used to sway thoughts and actions. Dreams, like science and religion, must be kept under check and constant monitoring. While it is everything good to dream big, we must also know that they form big desires within us. This is where values come in; where our understanding of right and wrong will guide our footsteps as we venture further and further away from the comfort of home to find our purposes in life and to fulfill our destinies - our dreams. This constant serach for bliss must be continuously reviewed and only the individual in all of us can do it for ourselves. Yes, it is alot of trouble; alot of hardwork and patience- virtues that seemingly have no place in this hyper-speed, hedonistic world where INSTANT is the catch word - instant mee, instant connection, instant gratification. But when it comes to making decisions and taking active steps in the right directions in life, there is nothing instant about it. It is still the age old self management process; a slow, trial and error journey that we must all take.
There are no way back for many of the fallen angels that i know, but i do hope that there will be an Episode VI for many of them, in which Anakin cast down the Emporer into a chasm, killing the Darth Vader in him and redeemed himself as a father, finally bringing a balance to the Force. But for now, they, like Anakin Skywalker, are lost within themselves.

Little Graces of Life

This week is possibly one of the most important week of my life thus far, and today being the last of this very memorable week, i'll like to give thanks to the little graces of my life. Alot has been said about thanks giving - that it is redundant - for life's victories are wholly created by us. But though i'm no believer of fate, i do believe in strokes of luck. Sometimes we just need luck you know, because we can try damn hard, but what's missing is simply that remote percentage of luck. And these are truly the little graces of life that we need to give thanks about.

But thanks giving is for Christians!

Not exactly, giving thanks is for everyone - Monotheist, Polytheist, Atheist, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Free Thinker or Moneyist [Worshipper of Money - My Dad]. The process of giving thanks humbles oneself to even the greatest of victories in one's life. It makes you think hard and long about yourself, and what you've done right or wrong, and be thankful for the chances to perform or to learn from mistakes.

This week has been a week of victories; life altering victories. Everthing that i've been wishing for has came true so far. I think it is indeed a great honour to be selected for 2 very good scholarships - SAF Merit Scholarship and SIA Overseas Scholarship. I've read through their formal letters of offer and found mini lack-ofs and certain questionable clauses, but overall, i think scholarships don't come better than these 2. Almost everything has been taken care of, save for accomodation. There are further negotiations to do, but i am one happy man as it is already. The victory is of course not about the money that i can spend; spending has never been something that i take pride in. The victory is about beginning my career without any debts. It has always been my dream to be debtless upon the completion of my studies, and for that, i'm tremendously grateful to both MINDEF and SIA.

I was lucky to have a great buddy during my Company Tactics Course. It was he who lent me his Scholar's Choice, and it was this same magazine that reminded me that i have not applied to private companies for an overseas scholarship. Follow which i applied to SIA, DBS and Keppel Corp. I was lucky because most of the questions that the 2 boards [SIA and MINDEF] fielded came with ready answers prepared prior to the interviews. I was lucky because i've got friends on either scholarships who helped me to anticipate what will happen to me on the big days. My heartfelt thanks to Helmi and Haresh for giving me their invaluable tips. I was lucky for i've sprouted some nonsense during the interviews, then ambiguously covered them up with further nonsense, and somehow the nonsense made some sense. I was lucky to have my peers and good friends behind me all the way. For these little graces of life, i give thanks to life itself - the Great Bully; the Great Educator.

My family is my inspiration. Its dire financial status and the great hopes placed upon me by everyone back home drove me to achieve what i have only dreamt of - going to the States for my education. Frankly, i have no choice; i'm no fortunate son. It was either to give myself a chance and take a shot or die working and studying and doing CCAs at the same time. My parents are helpless financially but they provided their encouragement in many manifestations, for which i'm very thankful. There are bastards out there who won't even care for their kids, let alone provide encouragement. Their care and concern were instrumental in moulding the confidence in me; to have enough courage to tell the interviewers the truth about my family each and everytime upon requset, without hesistation.

To be honest, the past few weeks were really stressful. Imagine having 3 SOH interviews within 4 short weeks. As it was, my SOH interview was shit tough already. Preparing for these 3 interviews [SIA had 2 rounds] and sitting in for them were even tougher. But i did get to sit down; yes, i stood up for a full hour worth of 'interrogation' during the SOH one.

Prior to the interviews, I would literally SEE my heart beat within the cavity of my chest as my rib cage and chest pulsated vigorously, in and out, while I waited for my name to be called. Time will stand still and everything goes hazy. Yes, it's that bad, no matter how much I've prepared for the particular interview. But once inside the interview room, a firm and lukewarm handshake [i tried to have warm hands, i really did try with the hand dryers and all. But the very warmth of my blood will seem stolen away within seconds of leaving the toilet. The hand was firm nonetheless] was all that is needed to settle in on the chair and get the conversations under way. Yes, they were conversations, good quality ones for i asked hell lot of questions. Here you see the differences between the private and public sectors. MINDEF dudes had no time for my questions and answered vaguely while lacking in enthusiasm; the SIA gentlemen cared to answer them in full [SIA interviewers said something that enlightened me: 'We thrive on adverse conditions.' That was enough to entice me to their ranks. See la MINDEF, don't have time right?]. I need to ask questions so that i can make better decisions as to which organisation will suit me better. Questions will always put you in better stead as you'll have to understand the organisation in depth in order to come up with good ones. Questions let you have a breather too, while you are still technically in the interview. For more tips on interviewees' questions, look up www.monster.com. I've got to thank the dudes behind Monster for their great tips.

Then i was reassured about the healing between me and Debbie when i got a reply from her after i've mailed her to share my joy with her. I think our July meeting should be very interesting! Just yesterday, i had my first clean sheet as the keeper of a soccer match, damn good shit. [I'm as lousy as a keeper can get man. The only good thing is that i make such a vocal nuisance out of myself that my defenders will work together]

This week has been phenomenal; a week of the little graces of life. This week changed my life. I will remember this week for a long time to come.

BGR is a tiresome Marathon

I never thought i would be so evil towards another of my kind - persistent, blindly devoted being, at least in the affairs of the heart. No, no, no-one's interested in me. It's a he, and he is in love with my best gal friend Marie. While the relationship is not quite mutual, he refuses to give up, even after several explicit rejections from my poor friend, who has always wished for fable-like happy endings to things.

'I'm going crazy!' moaned Marie over MSN, 'he just doesn't give up!'

Thinking back, i had one such episode in my life before, just that i was on the not giving up part. I used to write a full half year worth of weekly letters to Debbie, hoping against hope, that i can touch her. It freaked her out instead. So, after much deliberation, i simply stopped my nonsense and started using my head: being desperate and being persistent are two different things altogether.

Being persistent means to try hard when there is still hope, that is, a tacit understanding that things are not quite going your way, yet. And so we persist to achieve a better solution. But when there is explicit decline by the other half, continuing to try hard will be seen as desperation, and indeed, a turn-off.

That boy is lucky that Marie has openly told him of her disinterest in him. But his continuous stubborness is pissing her off. Thus, she applied the cold shoulder treatment, something that i've suffered before. To tell you the truth, Cold War is not fun at all. He is lucky because the chill in relations was after clear indications, while mine was all but a letter, not even a face-to-face explanation, and that was harsh. But it's alright, i am glad that i was given a chance to learn the hard way - there is a world of difference between persistence and desperation.

Marie's a great girl, and i was indeed interested in her before. We sat down and talked about it, but we realised that we're better off as friends, and hence we still are after all these long years! Marie's an open person who would tactfully tell you the honest truth, hence i know that this guy is indeed irritating, to say the least, in his relentless pursuit.

I suggested a group approach in resolving this issue - Marie and her 'agents' band together to corner this dude and give him a good scolding! This might be needed because Marie and the dude are in the same faculty, same apartment building and same lecture series, so there are tonnes are chances for them to meet up, and for the dude to pester her. While she doesn't want to make it hurtful for him, he is not making things easier for neither of them. Well, seems like a happy ending is not forth coming at all. Marie my dear, you have to harsh up on this guy! That's why i admire Debbie, she can be damn harsh but she dares what others dare not; to lose a friend even if it takes pains to maintain a Cold War. Mind you, for the last 3 years, she didn't even speak to me at all, even if i was to purposely 'bunp' into her to pass her a letter or meet her 'accidentally' along the corridor. She only smiled politely and kept her mouth zip. That is discipline. But i was left to feel unfair and jilted, and alas, left to realise the truth about persistence and desperation. It hurts, but it was the better solution for the both of us, instead of a draggy relationship with no decisive end in sight.

One of the gentlemen on the SIA Scholarship interview board asked me, 'What are your weaknesses?' I wanted to say that i'm sometimes overly persistent and meticulous, but i thought that they might ask for examples, so i kept to being overly meticulous, at least i can use non-sensitive army examples to elucidate my point. But to be honest, i still find affairs of heart thoroughly confusing, knowing when to back-off and when to pursue can be a matter of relationship life and death. It'll take more than just a couple of tries to master, and rather tiring at times. No wonder Virginia is so fed up about relationships, she has been in and out of them countless times.

Keep falling in love is like a tiresome marathon, you must have the courage and fitness to carry on. My condolescences to singles out there trying hard to get hitched, and my encouragement to my attached friends, striving hard to maintain their current exorbitantly expensive, troublesome lifestyle. Me? I'm perfectly happy staying single, neither trying nor striving cos there are so few girls in my life right now! Actually, i've been trying hard to maintain eye contact with girls that i fancy on the MRT and provide a smile. It's not easy because it takes tremendous self-confidence and effort. But like i've said, it is a tiresome marathon once you're in it, so i must train up!

The end of another stage of Life

I will be Operationally Ready [ORD] by 2nd June 2005, which also means that i'll be serving the Army as a Full-time National Service man for the last time on that very day. Having acculmulated 23 days of leave, Wednesday, 27th of April was my second last.

It was a fantastic feeling to be packing up my bags and equipment on the day before 27th for the long long break well deserved. I went outfield for the last time, on the 27th's morning, to help provide enemy simulation for my company's platoons for their battle course. Army Training Evaluation Centre's [ATEC] is looming large in the horizon and the battalion's really feeling the heat - training has been stepped up, outfield exercises are constantly rising, and i'm ORDing! =P Though i'm out of the physical actions, i'm still in for the planning portion, which i was tremendously thankful for. It will be such a waste should the skills that i've learnt in CTC were not put into use. I was also glad to be contributing right up to my very last few days.

Everything went well until my unit's Commanding Officer [CO] decided to drop by our training area to 'observe' our training. He ended up punishing the troops and berating the commanders, the officers included, for demonstrating lousy standards upon contact with the enemy. But c'mon man, the guys have just finished their Protection of Installation duties at Jurong Island, Changi Airport and Keppel Wharf; a mundane 12 hours daily patrolling duty which lasted for a month. Obviously, their fitness and their basic soldiering skills have deteriorated much. Furthermore, this platoon training course was designed to precisely to get the troops back into shape. Give my Company Commander and my fellow platoon commanders some leeway man, it is our company's platoon training after all. We ended up returning to unit at 2100 instead of the projected 1630. Thanks eh boss.

My CO may have gotten a degree with good honours, and did well on courses, but he really, really has lousy EQ. Why? Because not one single officer in the battalion feels comfortable with him around, nosing into our businesses and breathing down our necks. He may be an outstanding student and officer in his younger days, but running a battalion of 700 odd men is a different matter all together. We need a mentor, a good coach that can bring out the best in us, not a disciplinarian and a slave driver who focuses on errors and shortcomings. Well, i've got to tell you, i'm damn glad that i'm out of his ATEC programme. I don't think i'll enjoy fighting ATEC with him one bit.

That said, i'm still rather melancholic about leaving my company and my company boss behind. I enjoyed my time in Alpha Company; talking to the men, listening to their concerns and hopes and dreams; being appreciated by my boss and peers for my contributions; making good friends all round, with the Sergeants and Officers alike. Sadly, everything good has an ending. As i wave goodbye to the guys before i go on my break, the dudes wanted a speech from me, but i think i'll reserve my speech on my ORD day. Anyway, i've already given one to the company on the start of the first day of back to basics training, to spur them on, so there was no real importance to give one on the 27th. I left after some little chats, and in a hurry too, you never know what tricks those mischievous devils have up their sleeves. I don't need no ketchup nor soiled water all over my body!

After much toil over the past 2 odd years, i'm gonna treasure my leave by just chilling at home, doing things that i really like, playing the sports that i really enjoy and catch up with my family and friends. The end of another stage in my life, the beginning of the next - Back to school!