Jolly Good Times, 10 Anson Road, #27-15, International Plaza, Singapore (2025)

30/12/2024

Simplifying our life can be therapeutic–it presents a new viewpoint of life. “Simplicity” has conflicting meanings, depending on who decodes it. To some, simplicity is splendour, purity and clarity, whereas others may hold opposing views.

Simplifying our life can be therapeutic–it presents a new viewpoint of life. “Simplicity” has conflicting meanings, depending on who decodes it. To some, simplicity is splendour, purity and clarity, whereas others may hold opposing views. To this group, it may mean inadequacy or a deficit to w...

14/10/2024

The next time you are tempted to belittle someone, take a step back and tell yourself, “When you judge others, you do not define them; you define yourself.”

There once lived a blind man named Jeremiah in a small town by the sea. He was well-liked and was fiercely independent. He sold souvenirs by a beachside hut which was flocked by tourists. Holidaymakers came in droves to experience the splendour of the breath-taking scenery the town offered. Every da...

01/08/2024

I chuckle every time I am reminded of my childhood barbershop — the memory is still vivid, though 40 years have since passed. Uncle Muthu’s “Stylo Barber” still beckons whenever I walk down memory lane...

The neon light with flickering signage emblazoned, “Salon for the Rugged Man”. It was captivating and I stood enthralled by the hoarding advertisement situated in the high-end shopping complex. A wave of emotions swept through me as I began visualising the barbershop in Redhill estate where I gr...

17/05/2024

“Words have a magical power. They can either bring the greatest happiness or the deepest despair.” The next time, before you speak ill of a person, bear in mind that it can ruin a person. Consider the aftermaths of your words before you spit them out.

There once lived a grumpy man, Tom, who felt he could get away with whatever he did. Being obnoxious, he quarrelled with everyone as he went about his daily activities. One day, he argued with his neighbour, Jerry over a trivial incident: Jerry’s dog had aggressively barked at him when he went for...

12/03/2024

We should not form an opinion on someone based on what is seen on the surface. When we delve into the subject, it may be different from what was expected.

“Dad, the trees are moving behind us!” cried the 20-year-old youth. The father smiled at his son and patted him on the shoulder. The duo were travelling on a train. A group of executives sitting opposite them looked at the youth with pity and felt sorry for the youth’s childish behaviour. Sudd...

25/01/2024

We did not concur with Miss Rita’s justification; we empathised with Stanley who ended up the scapegoat to our antics...

The year was 1979; I was in primary 4, enrolled in a school in Bukit Merah estate in Singapore. It was an era where the adage, “spare the rod and spoil the child”, was steadfastly advocated in most homes and schools. Our favourite English lesson was over and soon, the dreaded Mathematics class w...

02/01/2024

Whether you need to ace the presentation, give a wedding toast, impress a client, or astound a date, a quick browse through our “Good to Know” series may just “Save the Day” and liken you to a repository of information.

There is a correlation between increasing your vocabulary and the ability to communicate more effectively with the world around you, subtly opening up your perspectives and ways of interaction. In our daily lives, we may have come across terms which are good to know but would have overlooked as we a...

27/11/2023

“Words are powerful, they have the ability to create a moment and the strength to destroy it”

A group of frogs were travelling to another region for greener pastures. It was a long and arduous trek. All of a sudden, the leader realised that two frogs were missing. When the group retraced their steps, they noticed two frogs had fallen into a pit. Meanwhile, the “tumbled” frogs were relent...

17/10/2023

Mary Kay Ash: “Don’t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember, you can achieve.”

A man was passing by an elephant camp. He was enchanted by the majesty of the gigantic animal. Suddenly something caught his eye. He noticed that each of the elephants was tied to a rope. This confounded him as they were neither caged nor held back by thick chains — but a mere rope! He […]

08/09/2023

"All these years, I had been chasing happiness and it was a futile attempt. Now I’ve decided to live without thinking of attaining happiness and enjoy life. This simple truth has made me happy.”

There once lived a grumpy old man in a village. He was the epitome of a quintessential complainer. Anything under the sun did not escape his scathing remark. The villagers kept away from him as being in his midst was physically and mentally draining. As the years went by, he became grumpier and he w...

24/07/2023

Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Speech is power: speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel.”

You are supposed to do a presentation for your organisation’s Silver Jubilee anniversary. You walked on stage confidently but felt jittery upon seeing the anticipative crowd. A sinking feeling that your speech will end up horrendously, sets in. You are not alone in feeling this way. In a survey co...

13/06/2023

We are born to live a purposeful life. We should not deny the joy and happiness rightfully befitting us. Our life pans out by what we draw attention on. Therefore, focus on the ‘good’!

Tom and James were best of friends and were trudging through a desert. They both were employed as trekking guides. After completing their studies, their love for the outdoors landed them their dream job. They were on a mission to recce the terrain for a forthcoming expedition their adventure club wa...

14/05/2023

The innocuous machine taught us resilience and patience. Sometimes, the cassette would get stuck in the recorder or the reel got jammed in the cassette mechanism. In an era where “Internet Search Engines” was unheard of, we could not get help at our fingertips. Instead, we had to rely on our ingenuity to solve the problem...

The video cassette recorder may have died a natural death, but the memory is very much alive. I vividly remember my maiden movie watched via the VCR. The year was 1979 — my brothers and I were over the moon as we gathered in my home to watch Sylvester Stallone’s “Rocky”. In the spirit of [.....

13/04/2023

Acquire knowledge in your field, sharpen your skills and draw upon your life experiences and that of others who can help you achieve excellence in your endeavours.

Richard was the CEO of an established company; he had the moniker of a hard taskmaster. His subordinates hated him for his discipline and high expectation of them. He always corrected his employees’ mistakes and reiterated their lackadaisical attitude toward work. The staff on the other hand, labe...

13/03/2023

We may have overlooked obscure foreign terms as we are bombarded with “infobesity” or information overload. However, some of these terms may be worth knowing as it gives a feeling of empowerment in our daily activities while meeting our clients, doing presentation etc.

In our day-to-day living, we may have used foreign words in our English usage while speaking and writing; sometimes not knowing that it is borrowed from another language. For example, the word ‘bungalow’ whose origin is from India, means a one-storey house — usually surrounded by a ‘veranda....

02/02/2023

One of life’s tragedies is that many aspirants who were resolved in their pursuit gave up just when their sacrifices were to bear fruit.

How do you define persistence? I would say people who are persistent continue to complete the task they undertook in a determined way despite the difficulty and opposition. In a nutshell, they never give up or waver from their purpose. One of life’s tragedies is that many aspirants who were resolv...

12/01/2023

We are walking on Acres of diamonds — this truth will dawn upon us when our Attitude is right. We don’t have to go searching for opportunities elsewhere — it is just under our feet. We need to recognise it.

Once upon a time, there lived a man by the name of Adam in Africa. He was contented because he was a wealthy farmer. A wise man came to see him one day. The wise man’s intent was to educate Adam about the magnificence of diamonds and the prestige that accompanies them. The wise man […]

03/12/2022

The warm, golden grains of sand cushioned our feet as we strolled along the beach leisurely. Watching the sunset was a timeless perfection for us. We felt closer to nature and were full of awe of the Almighty for His magnificent handiwork.

The year was 1986; we were a bunch of teens growing up in Redhill estate in Singapore. We were feeling on top of the world since the school holidays had just begun. *Richard was a youth leader in the social club we attended. Being older and responsible, he earned our respect for his leadership quali...

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