Dance like no one's watching

Someone tagged almost everyone in our Sec 2 class photo. Out of curiousity, i went to see how some old classmates whom i haven’t seen in decades look. My my! I must say we still look pretty good. Well maintained bunch of ladies in their 30s

The only colleague outside my department that i chat with regularly is moving to another office. How sad.

That said, i’ll be moving seats too. My new seat will be in between my new & ex-boss. Should have more privacy than my current seat though. My current desk is in full view of my boss cos it’s diagonally in front of him. I believe my boss won’t be able to see my monitor at my new seat. Hehe.

Not sure when I’ll be moving. Half the department are not around next week. Anyway, after 1 month of work, i can say I’m happier here than at my previous company. It was good to move.

I’ve come to realise that when God calls someone to Him, nothing can really stop that person from knowing & believing God.  I have sensed, felt & observed it happen before and I can see it’s going to happen again.

Heard from my mom that Pinky slept in the guest room for 2 hours today… till my dad brought his lunch up to the 2nd floor to eat.  Pinky then ran out of the guest room, jumped onto the dining table chair & then onto the table… but too bad.  Human food is not for him.  Heh.  Such an adorable bunny!

I’m hooked on the TVB series, On Call 36 Hours (official English title is The Hippocratic Crush).  Wanted to finishg watching ep 19 of 25 tonight but i’m sooo tired after an insurer’s launch cocktail party & a dinner with new clients.  Talk about a night of entertaining.  *Yawn*.

I really love the main stars of On Call, Tavia Yeung & Kenneth Ma.  I love their characters too.  I love Tavia’s clothes in the series and i’m inspired to blog daily.  Even if it’s just a short reflection of the day’s events.

But this is temporary.  Haha.  Till another TVB series captures my imagines.

Ah… I love TV.

Recently, I caught myself thinking, “oh dear.  There’s nothing I can do except to pray”.  Then I realised that’s wrong.  The first & most important thing I can do is pray.  Taking action should only come after that.

City boys’ shame after rugby email goes viral

For four young City high-fliers, the adage "what goes on tour, stays on tour" has unravelled after a private email with their "tour rules" went viral.

George Boulton-Lee, James Hill, Daniel England and Rory Jones

By Donna Bowater and Anna White

6:00AM GMT 09 Feb 2012

In the indiscrete (sic) memo, the former public schoolboys – who called their group “G4” – drew up 13 rules for their upcoming trip to the Dubai 7s rugby tournament in March that stated “cheating is allowed” along with compulsory chants about “how rich we are”.

The instructions also included “mentioning parents’ salaries once a day” as well as referring to obscene sexual acts.

The men, who all work for international corporations, included brief profiles about one another in the email that was sent to employees at global companies including Clifford Chance and Barclays Wealth.

Their antics could prove damaging to their careers after they included details of their jobs and employers in a mock “CV”, which made its way around the world.

A source told the Daily Telegraph: “Someone forwarded it on maliciously to so many people. It was just a joke for a holiday.

“It is getting so out of hand. This could ruin their careers. Someone just forwarded it on because they thought it was funny.”

The Telegraph understands the “president” of the group, which boasts of its “capability to dominate social, political and economical spheres,” was James Hill, a terrorism and political violence insurance broker with Willis.

Mr Hill, thought to be in his mid-20s, went to Tonbridge School and played for the University of Bristol Rugby Club, and is believed to be based in Singapore.

George Boulton-Lea, described as the senior vice president, was a student at Epsom College, where he captained the football team and played first XV rugby. He has worked for Arrow as a ship broker for three years.

The two other members, Rory Jones and Daniel England, are alumni of City of London Freemen’s School, and are also believed to be based in Singapore.

Mr Jones, who works for Lightfoot Marketing Asia, was named as the captain of the group and described as a “true Viking warrior”.

Mr England, a trainee solicitor at international law firm Shearman and Sterling, was vice captain of the first XV rugby team and was the youngest player in the school to tour South Africa.

Mr England said he was speaking to his lawyer while Mr Hill, Mr Jones and Mr Boulton-Lea could not be contacted yesterday.

Meanwhile, Mr Hill’s firm, the global insurance broker Willis, and Mr Boulton-Lea’s employer Arrow both declined to comment.

It is the latest in a string of embarrassing emails to inadvertently go viral to the embarrassment of their authors.

In March, a pair of City friends landed in hot water after they discussed one of the couple’s ex-girlfriend in an email that was accidentally copied to the young lady in question.

The unflattering exchange came to the attention of Harry Fildes’s employers, property firm GL Hearn, after his email designed for friend Sebastian Marsh was also sent to his former partner Jenni Palmer, who was then still his housemate, as well as hundreds of others.

And in June, a cutting email from a step-mother to her future daughter-in-law describing her behaviour as “staggering in its uncouthness” also received nationwide coverage.

The message from Carolyn Bourne to bride-to-be Heidi Withers caused a rift that led to Mrs Bourne missing Miss Withers’ wedding to Freddie Bourne in the Cotsworlds last November.

Mrs Bourne was labelled Miss Fancy Pants for the email, with the level of attention in the row causing Miss Withers to cover her entire head with a white parasol as she entered the church.

The tour rules

(i) Cheating is allowed;

(ii) No anti-lad behavior allowed (i.e. calling girlfriends, being nice to random expats);

(iii) Everyone has each others backs;

(vi) No stealing ties or light bulbs;

(v) Compulsory gunning of parents affairs;

(vi) Mentioning parents salaries once a day; and

(vii) Being good lads (i.e. getting a round in for England);

(viii) Chants about your surrounding environment, being oily and how rich we are, are compulsory;

(ix) Public school boy 10 minutes (collars must be up) at specified 10 minutes past the hour;

(x) No cameras allowed after sunset, unless it’s an underwater camera or there’s a [redacted](for evidential purposes);

(xi) high fives (and [redacted]) are obligatory during a [redacted] and after;

(xii) All universal consumption laws will be in effect throughout the duration of the tour; and

(xiii) At least one ‘Silly 5’ at the bar per night. All G4 members must go to the closest bar and get loose with their credit/debit cards. All drinks purchased to be consumed within the allotted 5 minute time period.

The members in their own words:

James Hill

James is a Terrorism and Political Violence Insurance Broker at Willis. His responsibilities focus on reviewing submissions, structuring, servicing and placing Terrorism insurance and reinsurance in the London, Singapore and overseas marketplaces. James attained First Class Honours at the University of Bristol where he was also an active member of the University of Bristol Rugby Club and University of Bristol Squash Club. James attended Tonbridge School where he played Rugby, Hockey, Cricket and Rackets to a very high standard.

He is a remarkably good looking individual who is permanently tanned and has an extremely muscular body. Due to his age and competency he will be President of the G4 and will be respected by his peers at all times – no one doubts his ability to stay strong throughout the tour.

George Boulton-Lea

George is a Ship Broker at Arrow, where he has worked three years. His charm with people have ensured his rapid progression in the Shipping Industry and he is tipped to be the next big thing in the world of Shipping. George attended the University of Leeds where he was a strong figure-head amongst the social scene – combining work and play in order to succeed . Before this he attended Epsom College where he was captain of the 1st XV Football team and played 1st XV Rugby.

He is a key component of the G4 and his consistency in performances have secured his place as Senior Vice President. He is known for his energetic and party side and he will certainly be one to follow when the sun goes down.

Rory Jones

Rory is currently and Account Executive at Lightfoot Marketing Asia. However his true career path lies in Law – Rory was an Intern at Justice where he formed part of a small team scrutinising the implications of EU justice and home affairs proposals. He has also interned at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and will be training to be a Lawyer in London next year. Rory attended the University of Nottingham where he achieved a Distinction in his Masters. Before this he attended City of London Freemen’s School where he captained the 1st XV Rugby team.

Rory’s ability to be a team player and push himself and others beyond their normal boundaries means his role as Captain will be central to a successful Dubai tour. He is a strong character and his resilience in battle time and time again mean that he can now be compared to a true Viking warrior.

Daniel England

Daniel is successful lawyer at Shearman & Sterling LLP. He attended University College London where he obtained First Class Honours. At University he was also a member 2nd XV Rugby Team and the Law Society. Before this he attended City of London Freemen’s School where he was Vice Captain of the 1st XV Rugby team and was the youngest player in the School to tour South Africa.

Daniel’s loyalty, honesty and positive attitude bring another dimension to the G4, he rarely puts himself first and can be trusted by all other team members. His whit, intelligence and looks will ensure the G4 socialise with the right people in Dubai – he his definitely one to watch.

Marsh woes continue as London executive is dismissed

By Andrew Cave

12:01AM GMT 04 Nov 2004

Marsh, the American insurance broking giant, has dismissed an executive in its London operations, it confirmed yesterday.

Julian Taylor, a senior vice-president of Marsh’s terrorism insurance unit, was suspended while Marsh examined allegations that he charged a client "slip commission" (individual commission on an insurance deal) when a global commission fee had been paid.

Mr Taylor has now been dismissed for alleged misconduct.

The action is understood to be entirely unrelated to last month’s decision by Marsh UK chief executive, Bruce Carnegie-Brown, to bring in law firm Freshfields.

The law firm was given the task of auditing Marsh’s business practices in London in the wake of the investigation into Marsh in the US by New York attorney general Eliot Spitzer.

Mr Spitzer’s inquiry centres on so-called premium service agreements under which insurers pay fees to brokers in return for business.

Freshfields has set up a base in Marsh’s Tower Hill headquarters and has been given unhindered access to all Marsh employees and documents.

Interviews have been held with heads of business to discover whether any unauthorised payments were made.

Mr Taylor’s case was not dealt with by this unit, but by Marsh’s compliance function.

A Marsh spokesman told the Insurance Insider trade journal: "Marsh has suspended a London-based individual for misconduct. This is totally unrelated to the allegations contained within the New York attorney general’s civil lawsuit against Marsh in the US.

"As the matter is in the hands of solicitors it would be inappropriate to make any further comment at this time." Marsh has moved quickly since Mr Spitzer alleged it is part of a cartel that fixes prices and squeezes out competition.

Last week, it announced the resignation of chief executive Jeffrey Greenberg, part of America’s powerful Greenberg industry dynasty.

Marsh may have to pay up to $500m (£270m) in fines to settle Mr Spitzer’s charges, although the atttorney general has suggested that the figure could be even higher.

Marsh has also announced that it is setting up a $230m compensation fund.

For some strange reason, I can post to the blog via my ipad, Nokia and blackberry, but not my laptop. Why why why? It’s easiest using laptop!!

I’m so looking forward to the newly announced Nokia 808. Reason why i haven’t changed my Nokia N8 is because i haven’t found a hp that better suits my 4 very basic requirements:

1) Able to multitask.

I’m an impatient person and i hate waiting for things to load on the hp. If i surf to a site or launch a game that cannot be loaded in 2s, then i want to be able to switch to another app, be it to read e-mails or check the weather, while the first app loads whatever it’s supposed to.

2) An excellent camera phone

I love snapping pictures on the fly. Whether it’s pics of my bunny hopping around or stupid drivers who can’t park properly, my hp must deliver superb quality pics in a range of settings (moving object, low light, etc).

3) Offline GPS navigation

I think GPS navigation apps that require an online data connection just doesn’t cut it. Since i’m most likely to need navigational help when i’m in unfamiliar surroundings (read: overseas), then it doesn’t make sense if i have to connect to the Internet and incur huge data roaming charges.

4) Flexibility in customisation

I love customising my hp. I love setting different ringtones for different contacts, different profiles for different environments (e.g.office, outdoors, home, privacy, etc) and what i love best about my N8 is how it can automatically switch to different profiles based on pre-defined parameters. For e.g., when it picks up the base stations near my office, my hp automatically goes into the soft “office profile”. Every Sun, it switches to silent mode from 9:55am – 12pm when i’m in church. When i select “drive profile”, it switches on the bluetooth to connect to my earpiece & launches Vlingo, the voice command app. The feeling of having a phone adjust itself to fit my schedule is fantastic.

To date, i’ve not found another phone that meets my 4 criteria above and thus i’m loyally sticking to my N8.

The Nokia 808 looks set to meet all my requirements, and more!! Just search for the white paper online and u’ll see why it’s the best digicam around. Being a Nokia Belle OS, it means the hp can multitask & allow users to customise it they way they want it to work.

And being a Nokia Symbian phone, the Maps software offers offline nav capabilities in over 80 countries.

The 808 is said to be priced at EUR 450 w/o contract. Bring it on man!