Alvin Soong’s Blog

I just came back from Australia Gold Coast with my wife, having the fortunate to be done so and approved by CE Tan Suee Cheh even though I had gone to a financial advisory firm.

On the day to Australia, I left with a joyful yet heavy heart and rather mixed feelings. Having known a few days ago, that a close family member had struck with lung cancer stage 1 and had part of his lungs removed. My sister being in confinement couldn’t have helped much. I know that I had laid everything in fine hands after arranging the very night before I was in airport and calling up on the doctor. My wife was all along standing and supporting me.
There were minor hiccups with our group who in the process of transiting from airplanes from Singapore to Sydney, had to split to 2 groups of different airflights to Gold Coast. Again this brought to my attention to how unpredictable life can be.

What was most touching was the fact that on arrival, Ms Tan Li Leng actually was concerned about our well being. On the brunch destination, we had greeted with kind words on our honeymoon from CE Tan Suee Cheh and his wife. I was really touched. I told my wife and I told her NTUC INCOME had found a compassionate CE. I witnessed the same thing when young members like myself and Helmi received encouragements from him when he spoke to me of Rich Dad and Poor Dad, and Assets & Liabilities. Benevolence has found its way in this organisation.
For that moment I felt really like a part of the family member

But of course not to go further into such mushiness, the days in gold coast was packed with games from company like amazing race and shopping trips, farm tours and theme parks like Dreamworld, Seaworld, not forgetting the BBQ at MacClauren’s Landing & the gala night after that etc. Then of course there is the golden famous beach in Gold Coast, and bikini metermaids, beach babes.and surfer dudes, both for the eye candies of myself and my wife. I could go into that, but that would be another story on its own.

As this story speaks of the sentiments and how I felt in my trip in Australia, it was more of a emotional journey that I would narate from here.

One of the nights during free and easy, I walked my wife to the supermarket, shops and their X Zone amusement park. We realised that most of the shops were closed early in the night. Contary to the belief that they were lazy, I felt the Australians were hardworking and focus in the day while in the night, they were focused with the family. Most of them struck me as family orientated from the fact that families are seen out dining together, doing their groceries together(even with the children) and most amazingly as I noticed, in the amusement park, all the games were not just computer arcade games, but rather active family games like mini golf and other family participative games. I often told my wife I always like to hit the amusement parks in overseas, not for the purpose of playing them, but rather to know how the youngs are thinking and how they are encouraged to think.
(this of which my wife sometimes find it hard to believe that I have such intellectual thoughts as an excuse for the immature plays at the arcade machines =p )

My last notes of what I had felt in the narration I wrote above:

1. Health, Life matters, Investments are just as unpredictable as our life happenings. It is how our mental attitude handles it.
2. Emotions management is important just like in the present situation of economic crisis. Knowing when to be patient till the good times are here, will reap good results in the long run
3. Believe in cause & effect. Doing good without any intentions brings about greater good from others as well. In life. Having a life insurance is like having doing good to the family, because at the end of the day, when one is critically illed, the good intention of having that piece of insurance paper to protect the family expenses, can now be used.

Below is a photo of our group before the dinner at the Gala Night, Dreamworld:

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