Confessions of An Ex-Entrepreneur (Part 1) Some of you might have noticed that i have removed the “Lazy Serial Entrepreneur” tag line from my blog. Not that i am not lazy anymore (although that is a good thing). Neither am i stopping my serial entrepreneurship endeavors. Its more that i’ve given up my juvenile aspirations of becoming “Entrepreneur of the Year”. In a nutshell, i’d rather be rich than famous. Complacency in The Comfort Zone In the past 2 years that i’ve been working for others, i’ve gotten rather complacent. Working for others meant that i had relinquished much of the responsibilities of a business owner. I’m no longer personally responsible for the well-being of the company. I was content to draw a salary at the end of the month and live a comfortable lifestyle. I had relinquished much of my personal freedoms. My time is not my own. But its all right cos i’m content to sell 8 hours of my time in return for a consistent paycheck. This reminds me of the Cashflow101 game i enjoyed playing so much. At the beginning of the game, we’re in the “Rat Race”. Going round in circles, we’ll shout “Paycheck!” whenever we pass the right square (much like a game of monopoly when we pass “Go”). In essence, i was living from paycheck to paycheck. And why not? It was a stress free living. My after hours can be dedicated to fun stuff like the social media scene, blogosphere activities and the Singapore PHP User Group. The sad truth was that I had gotten into a comfort zone and i was becoming complacent. Yanked Back Into Reality! Somehow early this year, things took a turn - good things were happening in my off-hour activities. A momentum was growing in the PHP User Group, pushing it toward a new level. Investors had taken an interest in Podfire.sg. Essentially, my passion for Podcasting and programming are becoming my day job. All of a sudden, i am called to stretch beyond my comfort zone. My current self was unwilling to cross the Jordan river to the land flowing with milk and honey (ha!). A part of me was like the fearful scouts that came back from the promised land with bad news of giant philistines and impregnable fortresses. Problem was that I had moved out of the business-owner mode for so long, that i had ceased to take ownership of things. I was inadvertently sabotaging myself with my mental block. The fear of failure still loomed over my previous business venture. Time To Bite The Bullet I think its time i snapped out of my dream and wake up. Things need to move forward and upwards. And at greater speeds. I need a new sense of urgency and immediacy. I need to become a business-owner again. With the same hunger i had before. Yes, its time to bite the bullet and move out of my comfort zone. Time to sever the umbilical cord and start living the life i am meant to live. So… stay tuned for new developments… Regrets… i’ve had a few… In life, i’ve always strove to look forward, not backwards. As the mantra goes - “In life, we regret the things we didn’t do, more than the things we did.” However, there are some things that i did in my life that i’ve come to feel not so sure about. I don’t regret them per se. Just feel that my life could have been very different had i chosen an alternative route. 1) Breaking up with Shuhui My first serious relationship. I was young, hot-headed and stubborn at 20 years of age. Maybe i should have fought harder to keep it. Rather than walk away when our umpteenth fight outside her house in Jurong East. It was a long lonely walk back to the train station - and it still is. My younger brother is married and expecting their first child next year. Perhaps i would have been happily married with kids by now had i fought harder to keep the relationship. We were both hurt pretty bad from that breakup. She couldn’t find closure till 3 years after the breakup where we had a long chat over the phone. We have not spoken since. I am already over the relationship. 2) Skipping my NUS exams in favour of my part-time work - TWICE! Many wonder why i never graduated from NUS Arts. The truth was that i skipped the exams 2 semesters in a row, in favour of my part time work at a web design firm. I was so foolish, putting my career before my studies. The company eventually folded, owing employee a shit load of unpaid salaries and CPF monies - which till this day, the employer is still paying in installments. I regret not having taken my studies more seriously. I had let the grandiose ideal of “struggling high school dropout entrepreneur” syndrome get to me. Resulting in waste of time and money - and with nothing to show for it other than broken promises and an empty bank account. 3) Selling out my company so soon In selling my company back in 2006, i had raised a white flag - i surrender. It resulted in me delegating my own fate to someone else, namely my employer. I had given up my freedom and lost my will to fight. I convinced myself that i had no fight in me anymore to upkeep the company i fought so hard to start. As a start-up entrepreneur, the survival instinct is stronger. The urgency to deliver and to excel is greater. The desire to achieve success is much deeper. Going back to working for someone was an admission that i can’t do it, and truthfully, a sign of weakness on my part. I just feel terrible everyday. I’m a blue collar worker now. Like a caged lion with no territory and I’ve lost my will to fight and to excel. What use is it to overachieve? Its a lousy feeling i dread everyday. On hindsight, i should have taken CL’s advise and kept the company going. Cos if i dug deeper, i would have found the fight to move forward. Conclusion I’ll take a leaf from Sir Winston Churchill’s life journal - “Never, never, never give up. Ever.” I’ve always preached about how important it is to have a team. Cos business is a team sport. My current team is impeccable and driven. And i feel i have frustrated them with my “caged lion” mentality. Its time to let the lion out of the cage again… to roam the landscape and reclaim its rightful territory. Time to move into fifth gear. I am ready and i will not be afraid. Translated: Article in MyPaper (WoBao) “It is tiring to build a business,” says blue-collar worker. (I posted the original article here. Thanks to Lufeng for the translation.) A lot of young people want to create their own businesses. But starting a business is no easy task. A survey of local startups found that 60% of local startups found high rental as the major obstacle, while others found rising material costs (37%), maintaining competitive prices (35%) and manpower (31%) as the main challenges. Thus, some entrepreneurs have actually gone back to being employed. Michael Cheng of 31 years is one such individual. 6 years ago, Michael was a fresh arts graduate with no paper qualifications in IT. This made it hard for him to enter the IT industry. Thus Michael embarked on the journey of entrepreneurship. He setup a web hosting company in 2002 and a web design company in 2004. An entrepreneur may have to work everyday of the week In the nascent stages of setting up the second company, the biggest problem faced by Michael was office space. Initially, he wanted to setup office in the city area but this was hindered by high rental. Thus he negotiated with a friend to have free office space in exchange for web design and maintenance services. Michael had just graduated at that time, and thought that being one’s own boss meant more flexibility in time management. However, this could not be further from the truth. “The first company was a partnership with a friend. After I left this company and setup a second company on my own, I had to shoulder all the web design and programming myself. To handle all the incoming projects, I had to work almost every day for two years without taking any holiday.” Recalling his days as an entrepreneur, the current events manager at an MNC expressed that there was never a need to worry about a lack of business, as all his clients were his friends. However, Michael professed that having friends as clients was a double edged sword. “They will help you to make referrals. However, some of them will ask for “friendship” prices. I did not dare to haggle over the price and could only accede to their request. The prices I had to quote were sometimes lower than the prevailing market rates, and was close to my cost price.” Plan to Fail As the business expanded, Michael was able to hire 3 staff and rented a new office. “Monthly operating cost therefore increased. However, the timeliness of payment by client decreased, and some clients even had problems paying. The company faced a cashflow problem, hovering between profit and loss.” At that time, the company was worth $20,000. Micheal estimated that the company could be in the red in 2 months. After deep thought, he decided to sell off the company in early 2006. “It was a very painful decision. But I realised that other than financial issues, I had work endlessly for two years, often feeling isolated and helpless, as well as mental and physical fatigue.” Some may view Michael who failed as an entrepreneur. But having a contingency for failure makes it easier to let go and make a courages and rational decision, without affecting existing customers. Michael said, “Every entrepreneur would hope that their company can be successful. But reality and ambition can clash. If the business cannot perform, there is a need to consider the next step, whether to persevere, or to stop the company from bleeding, and start anew?” Being a boss is harder than being an employee Micheal’s tiring of life as an entrepreneur, and subsequently becoming an employee, is mirrored in Zhang Hui Qing of 30 years. Hui Qing started 2 fashion accessories store with a good friend from 2004 to 2007. The first shop was situated at Beach Road. Due to low rental, they were able to break even within 6 months. Prior to being an entrepreneur, Hui Qing was a civil servant. She worked 7 days a week and often felt burnt out. But she frankly felt that being an entrepreneur was even more tiring. “Many people think that doing business is less tiring, but that can’t be further from the truth…… We have to stay for long hours in the store, and sometimes have to arrange goods till 4am in the morning. Even when we are not in the store, our mind is constantly thinking about the business. “But those 3 years were fulfilling, and we learnt a lot of new things, so we have no regrets. But I realised that running a business reduced the time I have to spend with my family. My family also made a lot of sacrifices for me. So I think it is time that I make the sacrifice for them.” Eventually, Hui Qing and her business partner sold the business and return to their 9 to 5 working lives. Entrepreneurship relies on passion and a great team Even though Michael and Hui Qing are currently employees, both unanimously said that they may return to entrepreneurship in the future. Both of them have learnt valuable lessons during their stint as entrepreneurs. Hui Qing advised aspiring young entrepreneurs, “If you are passionate and have faith in what you want to do, then have the courage to try.” Besides passion, Michael also emphasized that an outstanding team was important for a startup. “A team can not only share the work, but can also have more variety of ideas and opinions, as well as share weal and woe together. As a startup has limited resources, it is important to focus on the team’s expertise, and outsource other aspects of the work to other companies. If I had outsourced the accounting work, then cashflow problems in my previous company may have been avoided.” Post-Note: Although i was glad to have been interviewed for this article, but i can’t help but feel a little sad that i gave up on my passion so easily. On hindsight, if i had held on for a few months more, i would have seen the light at the end of the tunnel… and i would have retained my freedom and energy level. But i guess that’s a blog post for another day. Do check back soon for more posts. WTB: Kopi Kat Klan’s 2nd Singlish Album - “We Are Back” Heh… this is a long delayed and urgent request for anyone who has a copy of the Kopi Kat Klan’s 2nd Singlish album - “We Are Back”. Buyer is an avid collector and supporter of local talents (especially local music and movies). Will pay good money for a working CD or cassette tape from anyone who has. The album is soooo rare… that no one seems to have an album art i could use here. Its is a funky yellow colour by the way. The Kopi Kat Klan used to run around with Siva Choy but decided to go on their own for the 2nd album. Siva Choy Anyways, if you haven’t heard of them - just google it. Here’s their classic song “Why u so like dat” from their first album. For more samples of their songs… look here, here and here. Email me at mike@miccheng.com if you have. Video: Social Media Breakfast 2.0 24 May 2008 @ 11am - Somewhere in Singapore… a legion of bloggers and social media activists gathered… Event: Social Media Breakfast 2 Address: Cafe Domus 124 Owen Road Singapore Oh… watch out for the interview we did for Daryl Tay, Sheylara and Derrick Kwa for Geek Goddess Show (Episode 4 - due out in 4 June) Disclaimer: This is a home video of our little social gathering. Its meant to be fun and casual. Anyone who felt offended by any of the footage - that it was against human decency and human rights - is highly regretted. Well… there’s only one explanation - cos it IS IRREVERENTLY SO! Enjoy! Podfire: An exercise in dealing with unreasonable people Podfire was launched on 30 April 2008 to much fanfare. From the get go, it was an interesting experience working with “different” people. For the host and producer of one of the shows (for convenience’s sake, we’ll call it “the show” from here on) were pretty temperamental. The Show I hadn’t had much contact with the producer & host before we signed them on to do the show. It was really the producer’s initial concept - and i respected that. However, as the scheduled filming loomed closer, i decided to have a look at their previous works (the producer and the hosts’ previous collaborations). I was horrified! They had no idea how to present, wafer-thin content, inferior equipment and cheesy editing. Time for an intervention! I sat the producer down and planned through the storyboard and sequence of the shoot. I didn’t want to improvise and “wing-it” on the day of the shooting. The producer was in agreement. We shot episode 1 and 2 on the same day. It was a tiring experience. The producer hadn’t pre-arranged to film at the locations. The burden fell on me to PR with the owners - spoke in my limited Chinese to convince the owners to let us film at their premises. In all fairness, we didn’t know the exact address of the food stalls to make the arrangements. I had the foresight to create a logo beforehand… and to add in a Chinese name in the title so that chinese stall keepers could understand what we are doing. Some perceived credibility goes a long way. The agreement was that Podfire provided the video equipment and manpower for the filming. Podfire also did the editing of the show as the producer and host didn’t have a Mac to do post-production. I tried my best to keep them in the loop… but with the producer having a day job meant we can’t meet during office hours to review the footage. In the frantic rush to meet the 30 April Soft Launch deadline, i probably pushed too hard on the creative direction. But it was all for the good of the show. I did my best with the material that i have and the host that the producer chose. But the unreasonable characters soon reared its ugly head… First they were angry that i didn’t show them the finished video before we released it. All they had to do was ask and i would have gladly showed them the video at my office. The host drives for goodness sake. Next they didn’t like the fact that the videos was too polished - they deliberately wanted it to be crappy so as to draw the ire and whiplash of the community (which probably explained the quality of their previous collaborations). This point i was in disagreement - for the bad quality reflects badly on the image of Podfire and our shows. Yes, we are new to this game, but we are dedicated to a certain production quality - near broadcast quality if possible. Then they were unhappy about a simple little watermark that my lawyers said we need to put on the video for anti-piracy protection. After speaking to the host, we agreed that there was a better way to present the watermark and we agreed to make amends in the next episode. I was ready to accommodate to all their needs. I even offered to let them do the post-production using the equipment at my office (a Quad Core Mac Pro) so that they can have full creative control over how the show is presented. We had planned for a 5 episode pilot season… but i felt really the show had potential and i told the producer we should push it further beyond the initial 5. I was ready to go all the way with them. The Backstab After our first day of shooting, the producer started asking many detailed questions about the gear that Podfire were using. At first, i thought that it was just professional curiosity. Then he started probing into the model numbers and cost of the equipment. That probably started off some alarm bells… but i gave them the benefit of the doubt. As it turns out, the producer was amassing his own resources to start a production company. I knew he was gonna get his own gear to film another podcast show - but i didn’t know his plans went as far as setting up a competing company. What angered me wasn’t the fact that they wanted to compete… but the fact that he started talking to talents that i was pursuing for new shows. He was pitching show ideas to people to do podcast shows with him - without telling who it was for. I only have myself to blame for openly sharing podcast ideas i had in development. Such an abuse of my trust could not be tolerated. Mixed Signals Then the producer and host started giving me mixed signals. The host wanted to stay on with Podfire while the other wanted to pull out of Podfire because of “creative differences”. To me, these were mere teething issues in a brand new collaboration - differences in working styles that could be ironed out eventually. Then again, from my conversations with the host, i realise that the producer had wanted to setup his own production company all along. He just lacked the resources or smarts to get it done. I suppose “creative differences” seems to be a convenient excuse to get out of a working relationship with Podfire. Conclusion I embraced the duo when others warned me not to. I nurtured the show and brought it to life so that they could gain fame and recognition from it. I invested time and money for the show. Yet all i had in return was insult, betrayal and frustrating confusion. How does one expect me to react? I forgive them and wish them all the best. They had also probably invested much money into their new business - which i am wondering how the producer can cope with his own day job? And the poor host has to do all the post-production and marketing work that i used to do for them. I’m sure they will have their share of birth pains and probably should evaluate their options carefully. If its competition they want, they should probably stay out of Podfire’s way. I’m on MyPaper (WoBao)! I’m featured on “MyPaper“(WuoBao) today! Check out page B8 - sorry, its in Chinese. Will try to translate it into English for my English speaking readers. Many thanks to Paddy Tan for introducing me to the writer. Thanks Soo May for writing such an exceptional article. You can read more about my journey as an entrepreneur here and here. Meanwhile, enjoy the article! Channel65: HP 2133 Mini-Note PC - Singapore Blogger’s Preview Channel65: HP 2133 Mini-Note PC - Singapore Blogger’s Preview from Michael Cheng on Vimeo. Bloggers from Singapore gathered for an exclusive event at Messa9 (Hyatt Singapore) on 10 April 2008 to preview and get a first look at HP’s new Mini-Note PC - the ultralight and small form factor notebook. Check out more about the HP 2133 Mini-Note PC. Produced by the Tech65.org team. Channel65: HP 2133 Mini-Note PC - Singapore Blogger’s Preview Channel65: HP 2133 Mini-Note PC - Singapore Blogger’s Preview from Michael Cheng on Vimeo. Bloggers from Singapore gathered for an exclusive event at Mezza9 (Hyatt Singapore) on 10 April 2008 to preview and get a first look at HP’s new Mini-Note PC - the ultralight and small form factor notebook. Check out more about the HP 2133 Mini-Note PC. Produced by the Tech65.org team. Report: Blogger’s Preview of HP 2133 Mini-Note PC View more at my Flickr photo gallery Coming Soon: Videos of the Blogger’s Preview Event! Report: Blogger’s Preview of HP 2133 Mini-Note PC View more at my Flickr photo gallery Coming Soon: Videos of the Blogger’s Preview Event! I’ve got that Sinking Feeling! I’m owning on Battle Stations! I’ve got that Sinking Feeling! I’m owning on Battle Stations! Blogger’s preview of HP 2133 Mini-Note PC I’ve been invited to a private event on Thurs, 10 April by HP to preview the HP2133 Mini-Note PC. This is HP’s first foray into the UMPC (Ultra Mobile PC) market. Here’s the specs in brief from Engadget’s website: 2.6 pounds, Via C7-M processor, 1280×768 8.9-inch screen, full QWERTY keyboard that’s just 8 percent smaller than normal, and a variety of configurations ranging from a $499 1.0GHz Linux-powered unit with 4GB of flash and 512MB of RAM to a maxed-out $749 config with a 1.6GHz processor, 120GB drive and Vista Business. (Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/08/hp-mini-note-2133-officially-official) Will upload photos and (hopefully) videos from the event. Blogger’s preview of HP 2133 Mini-Note PC I’ve been invited to a private event on Thurs, 10 April by HP to preview the HP2133 Mini-Note PC. This is HP’s first foray into the UMPC (Ultra Mobile PC) market. Here’s the specs in brief from Engadget’s website: 2.6 pounds, Via C7-M processor, 1280×768 8.9-inch screen, full QWERTY keyboard that’s just 8 percent smaller than normal, and a variety of configurations ranging from a $499 1.0GHz Linux-powered unit with 4GB of flash and 512MB of RAM to a maxed-out $749 config with a 1.6GHz processor, 120GB drive and Vista Business. (Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/08/hp-mini-note-2133-officially-official) Will upload photos and (hopefully) videos from the event. Upgraded to New Skin! Check out my spanking new WordPress Theme - its called “Home Sweet Home”. Ah… gives you the warm fuzzy feeling ain’t it? Also added a new “In Series” plugin - so you can read my posts that are in a series. Here’s my current series of posts: Why i became an entrepreneur? Childhood Dreaming Entrepreneurs: Plan to Fail. Fail early. Fail responsibly. Enjoy! Upgraded to New Skin! Check out my spanking new WordPress Theme - its called “Home Sweet Home”. Ah… gives you the warm fuzzy feeling ain’t it? Also added a new “In Series” plugin - so you can read my posts that are in a series. Here’s my current series of posts: Why i became an entrepreneur? Childhood Dreaming Entrepreneurs: Plan to Fail. Fail early. Fail responsibly. Enjoy! Social Media Breakfast Singapore I attended the Social Media Breakfast on Saturday and i brought my new HDV camera out with me… so enjoy! Social Media Breakfast Singapore from Michael Cheng on Vimeo. Social Media Breakfast Singapore I attended the Social Media Breakfast on Saturday and i brought my new HDV camera out with me… so enjoy! Social Media Breakfast Singapore from Michael Cheng on Vimeo. Mac OSX Leopard - Solution for StarHub MaxMobile dial-up! Just got me a StarHub MaxMobile mobile broadband modem. Couldn’t get it to work on my Mac OSX Leopard (10.5.2). The solutions on their website was useless. But i found this useful fix on Apple’s website: Taken from: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=6318313 After calling Starhub, this is the solution.1. Install the driver from the CD provided, before connecting the USB modem. 2. Edit network preference in “System Preference” > “Network” 2.1 You should see the HUAWEI Mobile at the left sidebar. Click on it and edit setting as follow: Location: Automatic Configuration: Default Telephone Number: *99# Account Name: (Live it blank) Password: (Live it blank) Show modem status in menu bar 2.2 Edit the “Advanced…” button as follow: Modem Vendor: Other Model: HUAWEI Mobile Connect - 3G Modem, /System/Library/Modem Scripts/HUAWEI Mobile Connect - 3G Enable error correction and compression in modem Dial Mode: Wait for dial tone before dialing Dialing: Tone Sound: Off PPP Setting: Session Check the following only: * * Redial 1 times Wait 5 seconds before redialing Click Apply and exit system preference 3. Connect the USB modem until the blue light is blinking. 4. Edit the configuration as follow: 4.1 Open “Aplication” > “MobileConnect” 4.1.1 Under the “Dial up” tab, click on the Setting button. 4.1.2 Create a new profile as follow: Profile Name: “Starhub_Mobile” (Can be any name) Access Point Name: “shwap” Telephone Number: *99# Account Name: (Live it blank) Password: (Live it blank) Authentication: CHAP Click “Save”, and use this profile. 4.2 Click on the connect button and the connection should start. Tips: Once the Modem is shown on the menu bar, you can click on “Connect HUAWEI Mobile” to connection in future. And it works! w00t! Mac OSX Leopard - Solution for StarHub MaxMobile dial-up! Just got me a StarHub MaxMobile mobile broadband modem. Couldn’t get it to work on my Mac OSX Leopard (10.5.2). The solutions on their website was useless. But i found this useful fix on Apple’s website: Taken from: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=6318313 After calling Starhub, this is the solution.1. Install the driver from the CD provided, before connecting the USB modem. 2. Edit network preference in “System Preference” > “Network” 2.1 You should see the HUAWEI Mobile at the left sidebar. Click on it and edit setting as follow: Location: Automatic Configuration: Default Telephone Number: *99# Account Name: (Live it blank) Password: (Live it blank) Show modem status in menu bar 2.2 Edit the “Advanced…” button as follow: Modem Vendor: Other Model: HUAWEI Mobile Connect - 3G Modem, /System/Library/Modem Scripts/HUAWEI Mobile Connect - 3G Enable error correction and compression in modem Dial Mode: Wait for dial tone before dialing Dialing: Tone Sound: Off PPP Setting: Session Check the following only: * * Redial 1 times Wait 5 seconds before redialing Click Apply and exit system preference 3. Connect the USB modem until the blue light is blinking. 4. Edit the configuration as follow: 4.1 Open “Aplication” > “MobileConnect” 4.1.1 Under the “Dial up” tab, click on the Setting button. 4.1.2 Create a new profile as follow: Profile Name: “Starhub_Mobile” (Can be any name) Access Point Name: “shwap” Telephone Number: *99# Account Name: (Live it blank) Password: (Live it blank) Authentication: CHAP Click “Save”, and use this profile. 4.2 Click on the connect button and the connection should start. Tips: Once the Modem is shown on the menu bar, you can click on “Connect HUAWEI Mobile” to connection in future. And it works! w00t! Spiders at the balcony! One of the few things people warn you about Australia is to keep away from spiders for they are venomous. Ha ha… we were working late one night and we found a small colony (ok, 3 lah) of Huntsman spiders crawling outside our apartment - at the balcony. Last week we had iguanas and tonight we have huntsman spiders! Checkout the biggest one man! One of the smaller ones. The biggest one is the size of my palm (with legs extended) A close-up shot. Fortunately they kept outside… we had the glass doors closed tightly for the rest of the evening. ** Sadly, I did eventually killed 3 of them the following week cos they ended up inside the apartment. ** Spiders at the balcony! One of the few things people warn you about Australia is to keep away from spiders for they are venomous. Ha ha… we were working late one night and we found a small colony (ok, 3 lah) of Huntsman spiders crawling outside our apartment - at the balcony. Last week we had iguanas and tonight we have huntsman spiders! Checkout the biggest one man! One of the smaller ones. The biggest one is the size of my palm (with legs extended) A close-up shot. Fortunately they kept outside… we had the glass doors closed tightly for the rest of the evening. ** Sadly, I did eventually killed 3 of them the following week cos they ended up inside the apartment. ** I love good food! This was taken 1 week ago. I enjoy good food… good company and good wine. Here’s an example of the good food found at my boss’s restaurant down at Broadbeach, Gold Coast, Australia. Here’s the menu at the Aubon Gateau. We had the Barramundi. The good company and good wine! The guy in the middle is the young chef who prepared the food for us. I love good food! This was taken 1 week ago. I enjoy good food… good company and good wine. Here’s an example of the good food found at my boss’s restaurant down at Broadbeach, Gold Coast, Australia. Here’s the menu at the Aubon Gateau. We had the Barramundi. The good company and good wine! The guy in the middle is the young chef who prepared the food for us. My Chinese New Year Dinner… I’m still stuck in Australia and unable to join my family for reunion dinner in Singapore yesterday… So decided to cook my own dinner today. At 4pm, i went out to the nearby super market and bought the ingredients. - Chicken Breast - Canned stir fry vegetables - A can of button mushrooms - Sesame oil - 1 ginger I wanted to try and make the stewed chicken with ginger and button mushrooms dish that my Grandma used to make. Now this is significant cos i have never cooked at home before (other than rice and fried eggs that is). First thing i did was scrap off the skin of the ginger. Boiled water and soaked the ginger in the water to make a broth. Next i cut up the chicken. I was a little worried that the pieces were too big, which later turned out all right. I marinated the chicken in sesame oil and pepper. Then i threw the whole lot into the broth. (Nicole tells me i should have added flour to the marination process to  ensure the chickens remain tender. Thanks, Nicole) I opened the canned mushrooms and vegetables and drained the fluids, washed the vegs and dumped the whole lot into the pot. I added sesame oil into the broth… some milk to thicken it… and finally some oyster sauce when i felt the broth wasn’t thick enough. It simmered for a long time. I suspect i don’t have the patience for cooking… ha ha… I then steamed some rice. Contemplated frying eggs… but decided against it. Needed black soy sauce for that. *adds to shopping list* Here’s the final product: With rice. My apartment mate seems to love it. Verdict: I love it. Its not salty at all. Just nice. The meat was a little tough… but its fine. The mushrooms and vegs were excellent and still retains its crunchiness. Well, i couldn’t quite get the colour of the broth right - not brown enough. Spoke to my dad on Skype just now and he recommended more oyster sauce. Ha ha… that was the secret ingredient… should have added more of that. Hmm… what to cook tomorrow? My Chinese New Year Dinner… I’m still stuck in Australia and unable to join my family for reunion dinner in Singapore yesterday… So decided to cook my own dinner today. At 4pm, i went out to the nearby super market and bought the ingredients. - Chicken Breast - Canned stir fry vegetables - A can of button mushrooms - Sesame oil - 1 ginger I wanted to try and make the stewed chicken with ginger and button mushrooms dish that my Grandma used to make. Now this is significant cos i have never cooked at home before (other than rice and fried eggs that is). First thing i did was scrap off the skin of the ginger. Boiled water and soaked the ginger in the water to make a broth. Next i cut up the chicken. I was a little worried that the pieces were too big, which later turned out all right. I marinated the chicken in sesame oil and pepper. Then i threw the whole lot into the broth. (Nicole tells me i should have added flour to the marination process to  ensure the chickens remain tender. Thanks, Nicole) I opened the canned mushrooms and vegetables and drained the fluids, washed the vegs and dumped the whole lot into the pot. I added sesame oil into the broth… some milk to thicken it… and finally some oyster sauce when i felt the broth wasn’t thick enough. It simmered for a long time. I suspect i don’t have the patience for cooking… ha ha… I then steamed some rice. Contemplated frying eggs… but decided against it. Needed black soy sauce for that. *adds to shopping list* Here’s the final product: With rice. My apartment mate seems to love it. Verdict: I love it. Its not salty at all. Just nice. The meat was a little tough… but its fine. The mushrooms and vegs were excellent and still retains its crunchiness. Well, i couldn’t quite get the colour of the broth right - not brown enough. Spoke to my dad on Skype just now and he recommended more oyster sauce. Ha ha… that was the secret ingredient… should have added more of that. Hmm… what to cook tomorrow? My photos selected for Schmap London Online Tourist Guide Got this is the email: :: Schmap London Fourth Edition: Photo Inclusion Hi Miccheng, I am delighted to let you know that your two submitted photos have been selected for inclusion in the newly released fourth edition of our Schmap London Guide: Hereford Arms http://www.schmap.com/london/nightlife_kensingtonandchelsea/p=103618/i=103618.jpg Baden-Powell House http://www.schmap.com/london/sights_kensingtonandchelsea/p=62832/i=62832_3.jpg If you like the guide and have a website, blog or personal page, then please also check out the customizable widgetized versions of our Schmap London Guide, complete with your published photos: http://www.schmap.com/guidewidgets/p=93336700N00/c=SF10012086 Thanks so much for letting us include your photos - please enjoy the guide! Best regards, Emma Williams, Managing Editor, Schmap Guides Here’s the 2 photos: Baden-Powell House Hereford Arms My photos selected for Schmap London Online Tourist Guide Got this is the email: :: Schmap London Fourth Edition: Photo Inclusion Hi Miccheng, I am delighted to let you know that your two submitted photos have been selected for inclusion in the newly released fourth edition of our Schmap London Guide: Hereford Arms http://www.schmap.com/london/nightlife_kensingtonandchelsea/p=103618/i=103618.jpg Baden-Powell House http://www.schmap.com/london/sights_kensingtonandchelsea/p=62832/i=62832_3.jpg If you like the guide and have a website, blog or personal page, then please also check out the customizable widgetized versions of our Schmap London Guide, complete with your published photos: http://www.schmap.com/guidewidgets/p=93336700N00/c=SF10012086 Thanks so much for letting us include your photos - please enjoy the guide! Best regards, Emma Williams, Managing Editor, Schmap Guides Here’s the 2 photos: Baden-Powell House Hereford Arms First Week back in Gold Coast Back in the Gold Coast again. Here’s some pictures of my first week back. My first meal back in Gold Coast - Spudzley & Snitchzel. My colleague from New Zealand. Home cooked meal - pork chop + instant soup (bacon & peas) The cook Went to Toowoomba for a meeting at University South Queensland. Stopped for lunch. The Rendezvous - Lebanese Cuisine The kitchen They make good wraps. Tony the chef (moonlights as a Radio DJ) with my Boss. After the meeting, we visited the Japanese garden within the campus ground. Me with Mr Elms. Back at the apartment - i woke up one morning to find a surprise visitor… Mr Iguana Sunning himself on our veranda.