I came home yesterday night feeling very happy with the wonderful night drizzle. While walking back, I was thinking of a blog post about – “Who moved my cheese?”. I wanted to post about changes in my work and lifestyles. However, I was stunned and horrified by the opened windows and grills of my rented HDB unit.
I looked into the house and immediately saw that the bedroom doors were all opened. The inside was all messy. I rushed into the house already knowing that my laptop is definitely gone. On entering my room, I found my luggage bag pulled out from the cupboard. My table was messed up - Laptop definitely missing. I went over to the table hoping that they’ll at least spare my external hard disk drive…. But no… they took my drive while leaving its pouch behind (b*******!). I went over to CY’s room and discovered that his laptop was also gone. So, I frantically searched for the police hotline. I was wondering whether I should call 999 or 995 or maybe the police station number if I do have. Anyway, after a short dilemma, I just dialled everyone’s favourite MRT station number – wun-be-der-wun-be-der-wun-be-der. The operator on the other side answered “Police emergency”. Again I was stunned. Is this an emergency? Will I be fined for abuse? (What the hell was I thinking???). Anyway, I told them my issue and the officer just said that he’d dispatch someone over.
The police came about 30mins later and I described to them my statement. They did some dusting for fingerprints. I’m not sure how much it would help. I always felt that in reality it is not like what they show on TV where criminals are caught immediately after their fingerprints are known. I lost my precious white Macbook which I recently repaired a logic board problem! Grrr… Other than that, I lost my red bag, camera as well as a bag of 20c coins. My housemate lost his laptop, bag, Malaysian IC (!!!), driving license (!!!), cologne and some RM. Interestingly although they ransacked my bedroom; they dragged out my luggage bag, they did not touch my Indian rupees although it would’ve given them a nice S$50.
Ah well as my initial intention to write about “Who moved my cheese”, yea… this is one good example as well. My cheese has been taken away and I’ll need to find new cheese. ZzZzZz
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Goodbye St. Michael's.....
News Article from Borneo Bulletin
I am saddened to hear that my alma matter has finally succumbed to financial difficulties. This issue has been there for quite some time ever since I entered secondary. I had so many fond memories of the school. It used to be one of the most prestigious school in Brunei to study in. The boys of St. Michael's School winning academic and sport competitions over and over back in the 1980s and early 1990s. Those were the days when it was a very proud thing to say that I'm from St. Michael's. By the time I'm in Secondary 4, the student population has dropped so significantly that there were only about 25 students in my Sec 4 class - Arts & Science students combined. In addition to that, our school facililties have also deteriorated with lack of facilities. We had to borrow lab equipment from our sister school for normal practical sessions. At times, we had to "save" by having everyone watch the teacher perform the experiment and that's it. For the exams, we had to sit for it in our sister school as we did not have the necessary equipment.
It is quite strange that this all-boys school would suffer while the sister all-girls school is still flourishing. I suppose parents still prefer to send their daughters to all-girls school compared to their sons to an all-boys school. As the newspaper reported, some parents are clearly unhappy with the merger. I wonder if this merger would last or simply disappear after this current batch of students graduate. It makes me as an old boy (usual way of refering to SMS alumni), what should I be doing now? What can I do for the school or should I bother? It is a disturbing thought that I just acknowledge the school closure without feeling much sympathy. Perhaps, I'm just not sure what to feel at the moment.
I wonder what the other old boys think of this situation? Maybe they have no idea what is going on. I do know that alot of them are highly successful professionals in the US and UK. Before this newspaper report, I did not even know that Brunei has a high ranking Chinese 2nd Foreign Minister who is also an old boy. This makes me feel that I should do something to follow my fellow old boys in their glory ...... and more specifically for my own sake.
~ Veritas Vincit ~
Sunday, October 08, 2006
2 Interesting Videos
Light View on Singapore History
Original song by Billy Joel with a collage of pictures and lyrics
Here's a wiki-explanation of this song: We Didn't Start the Fire
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Long absence
Yo! Minna-san!!! CY-desu~~~~! HOOOOOooooo~!
It has been almost 3 months since the last post. Many of you had been wondering where are my new blog updates. SAY! SAY! SAY! I've not updated mainly because I can't seem to find a good topic to blog about. Now, since it's been a long time so I have an excuse to update it. Hahaha... =P
Now, for updates on CY happenings:
1. Java 2 1.4 Sun Certified Java Programmer (SCJP)
Over the past 2months or so, I've been preparing for the SCJP exam. It was quite a funny experience to be doing Java again after being exposed to TPF (Assembler). (Warning: Technical Stuff. l33t? w00t~) I was able to appreciate some of the subtleties that was taken from granted especially on optimization of code and memory allocation. The most interesting part was I felt like an expert when it comes to bitwise operations and logically operate on them. Had quite a good training in Chennai on these. Back in Chennai, one of my TPF trainer's wife is a Java programmer so he told us that TPF can do etc etc etc. We play with memory and stuff such that but when his wife tells him all about Struts and Object Orientation, he just goes "wow~!".
Anyway, I took the certification exam on Aug 31st at Informatics Computer School (Jurong east). I am quite surprised when I went to Informatics. When I got there, my first reaction was "Where am I? Am I still in Singapore?". I had to look behind me to see where I walked from to confirm that I am still in Singapore. Hahaha.... There's so many Africans around that I don't think that they are from any one country in Africa. It must be quite a diverse population there. Interesting but strange as I don't see many people with dark skin around shopping centres.
2. Salsa?
Recently (maybe not so recent), one of my colleagues has started (completed) learning beginner salsa. So, he's been asking me to try it out and go dancing at the clubs. I feel interested but at the same time a little hesitant. I went with him to one of the salsa events to have a feel of how it was like. This happened about 2 months ago. We went to Hard Rock Cafe on their Salsa Thursday? At that time, my friend usually goes to another salsa club and it was also his first time there. We were there to check out how it was like. I find that the place is quite nice and not many people smokes. There are still some but it's not like when coming out of the place, you find that your clothes stink of smoke. Anyway, this place is filled with "experts". Quite a lot were doing advance moves, twisting and turning that I am just in awe watching them. I can't dance in such a place yet... will just feel paiseh in front of so many Pros. Now, recently I forgot how it started but I have gotten the interest of another friend to Salsa. He's also had no dance experience like me and is very very keen to go. Hahaha... Most probably this coming Tuesday, we'll all head out to a "beginner level club" to get a better feel of how it's like and then take a course.
3. Night Cycling
Ah, this was quite a fun event. There were 8 of us who went for this event organized by the PGP gang. Credits to Jenfi for planning to route out. It isn't easy to find the roads and we had to change the routes along the way as the originally planned route is impossible for a group of first time night cyclers. The original route was almost covering the whole of East, Central and West of Singapore. It was planned for like from ECP to Changi Airport then to Bishan then to Upper Thomson Road then to Holland Village? to West Coast park to CBD to Katong and back to ECP. Scary.. Hahaha.. Anyway, we did first cycle to Changi Airport and then to Changi Village for supper. This is the first time I saw planes taking off from Changi airport other than being inside the departure hall. I just love seeing planes take off. I don't know why but I just enjoy seeing them take off (as one of the AIESECer alumni put it - Penguin effect - shall explain more of this "Penguin effect" in next post.... qua.... depends on my mood and inspiration ha :P). Thinking about this, I sometimes curse my poor eyesight else I might've been a Captain? Don't know... Hahaha. Seems fun. Oh well......
Hmm....It seems that I've posted quite a long post here. I shall stop here to allow you all to digest this long post.
It has been almost 3 months since the last post. Many of you had been wondering where are my new blog updates. SAY! SAY! SAY! I've not updated mainly because I can't seem to find a good topic to blog about. Now, since it's been a long time so I have an excuse to update it. Hahaha... =P
Now, for updates on CY happenings:
1. Java 2 1.4 Sun Certified Java Programmer (SCJP)
Over the past 2months or so, I've been preparing for the SCJP exam. It was quite a funny experience to be doing Java again after being exposed to TPF (Assembler). (Warning: Technical Stuff. l33t? w00t~) I was able to appreciate some of the subtleties that was taken from granted especially on optimization of code and memory allocation. The most interesting part was I felt like an expert when it comes to bitwise operations and logically operate on them. Had quite a good training in Chennai on these. Back in Chennai, one of my TPF trainer's wife is a Java programmer so he told us that TPF can do etc etc etc. We play with memory and stuff such that but when his wife tells him all about Struts and Object Orientation, he just goes "wow~!".
Anyway, I took the certification exam on Aug 31st at Informatics Computer School (Jurong east). I am quite surprised when I went to Informatics. When I got there, my first reaction was "Where am I? Am I still in Singapore?". I had to look behind me to see where I walked from to confirm that I am still in Singapore. Hahaha.... There's so many Africans around that I don't think that they are from any one country in Africa. It must be quite a diverse population there. Interesting but strange as I don't see many people with dark skin around shopping centres.
2. Salsa?
Recently (maybe not so recent), one of my colleagues has started (completed) learning beginner salsa. So, he's been asking me to try it out and go dancing at the clubs. I feel interested but at the same time a little hesitant. I went with him to one of the salsa events to have a feel of how it was like. This happened about 2 months ago. We went to Hard Rock Cafe on their Salsa Thursday? At that time, my friend usually goes to another salsa club and it was also his first time there. We were there to check out how it was like. I find that the place is quite nice and not many people smokes. There are still some but it's not like when coming out of the place, you find that your clothes stink of smoke. Anyway, this place is filled with "experts". Quite a lot were doing advance moves, twisting and turning that I am just in awe watching them. I can't dance in such a place yet... will just feel paiseh in front of so many Pros. Now, recently I forgot how it started but I have gotten the interest of another friend to Salsa. He's also had no dance experience like me and is very very keen to go. Hahaha... Most probably this coming Tuesday, we'll all head out to a "beginner level club" to get a better feel of how it's like and then take a course.
3. Night Cycling
Ah, this was quite a fun event. There were 8 of us who went for this event organized by the PGP gang. Credits to Jenfi for planning to route out. It isn't easy to find the roads and we had to change the routes along the way as the originally planned route is impossible for a group of first time night cyclers. The original route was almost covering the whole of East, Central and West of Singapore. It was planned for like from ECP to Changi Airport then to Bishan then to Upper Thomson Road then to Holland Village? to West Coast park to CBD to Katong and back to ECP. Scary.. Hahaha.. Anyway, we did first cycle to Changi Airport and then to Changi Village for supper. This is the first time I saw planes taking off from Changi airport other than being inside the departure hall. I just love seeing planes take off. I don't know why but I just enjoy seeing them take off (as one of the AIESECer alumni put it - Penguin effect - shall explain more of this "Penguin effect" in next post.... qua.... depends on my mood and inspiration ha :P). Thinking about this, I sometimes curse my poor eyesight else I might've been a Captain? Don't know... Hahaha. Seems fun. Oh well......
Hmm....It seems that I've posted quite a long post here. I shall stop here to allow you all to digest this long post.
Monday, July 17, 2006
A New Beginning
Finally... after 4 long months, today I'm having some good directions. Hopefully with this first step, I'll regain my motivation which I had and start chasing my dreams again. YEAH!
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Captain Jack Straw's compass
Yesterday I went to watch Pirates of Carribean 2. I've not seen the first episode so I have no idea what happened then. The thing that struck me was the magical compass that will point to the direction of what you seek the most. I'm guessing that in the first movie, Captain Jack was led to some valuable treasure successfully. *Minor Spoiler alert (in "invisible" ink)* - "In this one, the compass seems broken. Jack is shown as if he knows what he wants the most - Key to Dead Man's chest.... but the compass points in all directions indicating that his heart is not set and he isn't sure what he really wants." .
It would be nice if I had such a compass but it just strikes me as well that it might not give me a heading at all. The other day I was talking with a friend at Taka, it was weird that he hit me with the same question that slapped me hard and woke me up in Dec 2004 (@NLDS Singapore). My friend was reflecting on a situation that happened to him at that exact location few years ago and he was pondering on then and now. Anyway, the question was phrased differently but the answer to be given is the same. It has minimal impact compared to NLDS. After 1 n 1/2years of thinking, no answer yet except maybe I was given a shock and charged with motivation that lasted for more than a year. Now I'm wandering again, drifting along with life, swept from side to side.... Where's my heading I ask?
Need to set an aim for myself.
Determination. Courage. If it is to be, it is up to me.
It would be nice if I had such a compass but it just strikes me as well that it might not give me a heading at all. The other day I was talking with a friend at Taka, it was weird that he hit me with the same question that slapped me hard and woke me up in Dec 2004 (@NLDS Singapore). My friend was reflecting on a situation that happened to him at that exact location few years ago and he was pondering on then and now. Anyway, the question was phrased differently but the answer to be given is the same. It has minimal impact compared to NLDS. After 1 n 1/2years of thinking, no answer yet except maybe I was given a shock and charged with motivation that lasted for more than a year. Now I'm wandering again, drifting along with life, swept from side to side.... Where's my heading I ask?
Need to set an aim for myself.
Determination. Courage. If it is to be, it is up to me.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Of French football & my conspiracy theories
This world cup has been quite an interesting one. The weak teams were cleared in the group stages (no surprise there) and the big teams (expected to win - Brazil, Germany, England) were all wiped out before the semi-finals (except Germany). I was half-surprised (after miracle 1 - against Spain and 2 - against Brazil) that France won last night's semi-final match against Portugal. The band of gOLDen men whose average age is in the late twenties? I'm not very sure about this as I did not do a research on them so this is purely speculative. It is interesting to note that they were struggling through the group games. Although they have not yet won the World Cup, I am predicting that they would.. this year.
I was never a supporter of the French football team but I would like to see them win this one. The main reason is because it will be the ultimate retirment dream of one of the best football players in the world - Zinedine Zidane aka The Magician. The strange thing is that... I have not personally often see him play (for reasons that I don't usually watch Real Madrid or France matches). But the wonderful things I've heard about his skills and some video clips that I watched, it is really a wonder how someone is able to control the ball with such grace and strike with precision. Of course, I don't doubt other footballers ability as there are many others who are of equal or maybe better. Here's a clip on Zidane. He has this particular turning move that fools people chasing him down often. On a side note, Zidane actually belongs to the minority in France as his parents were both Algerians. I remember reading somewhere back in December during the racial riots, Zidane was asked to play a role in urging for peace (I could be wrong).
As for France reaching the finals, I have 2 theories that I thought of. One is that the French coach is a very cunning man. He creates a ploy for other teams to think that France is weak in the group stages. Once out of the group stages, they unleash their true power. Another is that related to Zidane and that football is controlled by money. The teams lost on purpose because they were paid well so that the movie will depict Zidane as the greatest footballer of this era. Of course, these are just theories so don't quote me. On the other hand, France might've just been lucky or they enjoy the winning charm of being the underdogs. France defeat to Senegal in 2002 was shocking. I think they've made a good rebound.
Lets watch and see what the final result of this world cup would be. Italy or France? Who do you choose?
I was never a supporter of the French football team but I would like to see them win this one. The main reason is because it will be the ultimate retirment dream of one of the best football players in the world - Zinedine Zidane aka The Magician. The strange thing is that... I have not personally often see him play (for reasons that I don't usually watch Real Madrid or France matches). But the wonderful things I've heard about his skills and some video clips that I watched, it is really a wonder how someone is able to control the ball with such grace and strike with precision. Of course, I don't doubt other footballers ability as there are many others who are of equal or maybe better. Here's a clip on Zidane. He has this particular turning move that fools people chasing him down often. On a side note, Zidane actually belongs to the minority in France as his parents were both Algerians. I remember reading somewhere back in December during the racial riots, Zidane was asked to play a role in urging for peace (I could be wrong).
As for France reaching the finals, I have 2 theories that I thought of. One is that the French coach is a very cunning man. He creates a ploy for other teams to think that France is weak in the group stages. Once out of the group stages, they unleash their true power. Another is that related to Zidane and that football is controlled by money. The teams lost on purpose because they were paid well so that the movie will depict Zidane as the greatest footballer of this era. Of course, these are just theories so don't quote me. On the other hand, France might've just been lucky or they enjoy the winning charm of being the underdogs. France defeat to Senegal in 2002 was shocking. I think they've made a good rebound.
Lets watch and see what the final result of this world cup would be. Italy or France? Who do you choose?
Friday, June 23, 2006
Happy 23! =P
2 days ago, the PGP gang came over to celebrate my birthday. The night before, I slept early so I could catch the WC match at 3am. When I woke up, I had a nice surprise seeing the "posters" sticked at my door by my housemates. As for the night celebration, it was a little unexpected although during the day people were occasionally dropping hints that they'll wanna overturn my house. Nice surprise. =P Hadn't had pizza for a long time so ordered 4 extra large pizzas for 10 people. There was also an initial debate on the size and number of pizzas to order. End of day, the four pizzas were cleared and plenty of "snacks" (pringles, mixed nuts and fish crackers). Thanks for the wonderful celebration! :D
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Fun With Google Earth
I've just started to play with Google Earth recently and.. the world sure does look different from up there. =P
I took snapshots of some famous locations in Brunei. Enjoy!
Lo and behold, Jerudong Park! :D
Empire Hotel & Country Club (Brunei's "6 star hotel")
I took snapshots of some famous locations in Brunei. Enjoy!
Lo and behold, Jerudong Park! :D
Empire Hotel & Country Club (Brunei's "6 star hotel")
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Shocked....
2 days ago, I met my colleague who went with me to India. She exclaimed that I looked skinnier than when she last saw me. I laughed at her remark and brushed it off as this is a common remark from people who I have not met for quite some time. They'll always say.. you look taller, you look skinnier, you look fairer (well... fairer...rarely got this remark after my stint in India).
Well, I experienced horror when I weighed myself yesterday. My weight is 56Kg! ARGH!!!! For the past 2 months I've lost a total of 6Kg! Move over Marie-France, SlimFit or any of the whatnot slimming center. What happened? I did eat as regularly as I had in India (Although I did occasionally skip breakfast...but I did that when I was studying in NUS as well). I did notice some weight loss 2 weeks after I was back from India, I dropped from 62 to 60. After 2months, I'm 56Kg now. The last time I weighed 56Kg was back in 2000.
What to do? Hmmm... gotta think positive. Maybe I should change job join the slimming consulting industry. Put my skills to good use. Anyway, I need to plan out how to regain my lost weight. Eat 6meals a day. Ensure daily intake of 120g of protein.
Well, I experienced horror when I weighed myself yesterday. My weight is 56Kg! ARGH!!!! For the past 2 months I've lost a total of 6Kg! Move over Marie-France, SlimFit or any of the whatnot slimming center. What happened? I did eat as regularly as I had in India (Although I did occasionally skip breakfast...but I did that when I was studying in NUS as well). I did notice some weight loss 2 weeks after I was back from India, I dropped from 62 to 60. After 2months, I'm 56Kg now. The last time I weighed 56Kg was back in 2000.
What to do? Hmmm... gotta think positive. Maybe I should change job join the slimming consulting industry. Put my skills to good use. Anyway, I need to plan out how to regain my lost weight. Eat 6meals a day. Ensure daily intake of 120g of protein.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Pictures!
People always say that a picture speaks a thousand words. I realise that these days I'm having a mental block. I do not know what I should write about. So instead, I'll just post pictures of events that happened over the 2 months I'm back in Singapore.
Suntan Picture
No..... This picture is not about my hairy legs. Look more carefully, you'll notice that my feet has 2 different skin colors. Suntan from my travelling. 5months in India, I was very "fair" until I started to travel. I was wearing only sandals so..... you get the point. Sandals are not good for travelling. Haha...
PGP R2 Study Room
Ah..... This places brings lots of memories. Battles on both academic and social issues were planned and fought in this room.
Ken and Chai^2 looks like they are enjoying their studies. Hehehe....
Loon watches on as CY studies?!?! Hmmm... Well, I was always with a book in the study room. I took 2 weeks to complete that boring book. Hahaha... I wished I had something better to read at that time.
Everyone seriously studying.
More serious studying.... and of course, also in picture... plastic bags. Yes.... I've been away from NUS exams for 2 semesters. Study room has changed with the introduction of plastic bags containing food. It was like a fashion statement. Everyone comes in with a plastic bag. A must have item in the bag is the Famous $1.30 butter bun. I felt so out of place... Hahaha.. Oh ya, let's not forget also the "can" of Korean instant noodles.
Chennai Revisited?
This is actually the bus terminal at PGP. It was raining everyday for the month of April. I came back from India to find.... more rain. I was always thinking that Singapore doesn't have water logging problems as compared to Chennai but I was very wrong when I saw this.... tsk tsk tsk. Anyway, May was very hot and warm. Now, it's June, starting to rain everyday again.
Suntan Picture
No..... This picture is not about my hairy legs. Look more carefully, you'll notice that my feet has 2 different skin colors. Suntan from my travelling. 5months in India, I was very "fair" until I started to travel. I was wearing only sandals so..... you get the point. Sandals are not good for travelling. Haha...PGP R2 Study Room
Ah..... This places brings lots of memories. Battles on both academic and social issues were planned and fought in this room.
Ken and Chai^2 looks like they are enjoying their studies. Hehehe....Loon watches on as CY studies?!?! Hmmm... Well, I was always with a book in the study room. I took 2 weeks to complete that boring book. Hahaha... I wished I had something better to read at that time.Everyone seriously studying.More serious studying.... and of course, also in picture... plastic bags. Yes.... I've been away from NUS exams for 2 semesters. Study room has changed with the introduction of plastic bags containing food. It was like a fashion statement. Everyone comes in with a plastic bag. A must have item in the bag is the Famous $1.30 butter bun. I felt so out of place... Hahaha.. Oh ya, let's not forget also the "can" of Korean instant noodles.Chennai Revisited?
This is actually the bus terminal at PGP. It was raining everyday for the month of April. I came back from India to find.... more rain. I was always thinking that Singapore doesn't have water logging problems as compared to Chennai but I was very wrong when I saw this.... tsk tsk tsk. Anyway, May was very hot and warm. Now, it's June, starting to rain everyday again.Sunday, June 04, 2006
Wallet lost and found
Earlier today I dropped my wallet at the Bukit Batok bus interchange. I panicked and searched around the station. Then, got an uncle who came over to tell me that he saw a girl took it from the floor and stared at the buses to see who is looking for the wallet. After a while, she left the station and then he saw me looking for my wallet.
Immediately I went to the Bt Batok Neighbourhood Police Centre to report my lost wallet. At the NPC, there was an officer on duty attending to a lady who was reporting her family feud.. What I understand was related to some divorce issue but who was I to bother about her problem when I had my own problems. I was still in abit of panic and on the advice of the officer, called the bank to cancel my ATM cards. So, I have to replace my cards later for a fee of $5 each card.
After the lady was done, it was my turn to report (30mins after I went). Just as the officer was about to key in my report, 2 teenagers came in, a guy and a girl. They were just about to report a wallet found. I looked at the wallet in his hand and my eyes gleamed as I recognised it as mine. I felt relieved and wanted to give him some money as a reward but he declined. I don't know who he is except if I heard correctly, his name is ChngYi whose IC number starts with 88 so.. means he's born in 1988. Thanks for finding my wallet and returning to me.
On a side note, the problem occured because of my this particular pair of 3/4pants which can't hold my bulky wallet. I dropped it once 2 years ago in PGP canteen... and now in public. This would teach me never to wear this pair of pants liao when I wanna go out. Tomorrow have to go bank because I in a "stressed" mode quickly freezed my ATM cards. Well, I should also be thankful that I got back my wallet with my 2ICs inside... else it would be more problem..... like the saying goes... po cai xiao zai
Immediately I went to the Bt Batok Neighbourhood Police Centre to report my lost wallet. At the NPC, there was an officer on duty attending to a lady who was reporting her family feud.. What I understand was related to some divorce issue but who was I to bother about her problem when I had my own problems. I was still in abit of panic and on the advice of the officer, called the bank to cancel my ATM cards. So, I have to replace my cards later for a fee of $5 each card.
After the lady was done, it was my turn to report (30mins after I went). Just as the officer was about to key in my report, 2 teenagers came in, a guy and a girl. They were just about to report a wallet found. I looked at the wallet in his hand and my eyes gleamed as I recognised it as mine. I felt relieved and wanted to give him some money as a reward but he declined. I don't know who he is except if I heard correctly, his name is ChngYi whose IC number starts with 88 so.. means he's born in 1988. Thanks for finding my wallet and returning to me.
On a side note, the problem occured because of my this particular pair of 3/4pants which can't hold my bulky wallet. I dropped it once 2 years ago in PGP canteen... and now in public. This would teach me never to wear this pair of pants liao when I wanna go out. Tomorrow have to go bank because I in a "stressed" mode quickly freezed my ATM cards. Well, I should also be thankful that I got back my wallet with my 2ICs inside... else it would be more problem..... like the saying goes... po cai xiao zai
Saturday, June 03, 2006
Me and My MacBook!
Picture taken with my handphone so quality not very nice (in addition to my dark room... the owner is still to fix my room lights)
I bought my FIRST Mac on Friday. I went to the PC fair searching for a new laptop after my previous one is sold. I LOVE MY MACBOOK! I got a free upgrade to 1GB RAM and bought the Apple Warranty for 3 years. The best thing about my MacBook is that I've installed WindowsXP on it. Intel-Based Macs are so cool -> getting the best of both worlds.
Here's a ngongsu image of my handphone as requested previously. This is taken with my MacBook's inbuilt iSight camera. Unfortunately iSight camera doesn't work on WindowsXP yet because the drivers are not yet stable. Hopefully the developers get it done soon then this MacBook will be perfect. Kekeke...
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Unlucky laundry - Loong Way Down
Today is the 3rd time I'm doing my laundry here at my new home. Each time I do laundry, something bad happens. The first time, I forgot to put the washing machine out-hose into the bathroom. Hence, the kitchen was flooded by the time I realised what had happened (I left my clothes to wash while I went out to buy breakfast).
The next time I washed my clothes, I learnt my lesson.... but ..... after hanging it out to dry outside the window, I went out to library to "study" because it was a very hot day. 2hours later at the library, it started to rain heavily. My clothes were all soaked when I came back.
Today, I did my laundry again. I hung my pair of jeans on the pole as usual As I putting it out, the stick started to crack at the support... so I quickly retracted the pole. In my haste, my jeans fell 9 storeys down. Cursing my luck, I went downstairs to find my jeans....... and... whatdayaknow... it disappeared. Same thing happened previously when I dropped a clip. It seems that after falling 9 storeys, somehow the object will be warped into another dimension. Sienz....that was my only pair of jeans.... now I'll have to get another pair.
The next time I washed my clothes, I learnt my lesson.... but ..... after hanging it out to dry outside the window, I went out to library to "study" because it was a very hot day. 2hours later at the library, it started to rain heavily. My clothes were all soaked when I came back.
Today, I did my laundry again. I hung my pair of jeans on the pole as usual As I putting it out, the stick started to crack at the support... so I quickly retracted the pole. In my haste, my jeans fell 9 storeys down. Cursing my luck, I went downstairs to find my jeans....... and... whatdayaknow... it disappeared. Same thing happened previously when I dropped a clip. It seems that after falling 9 storeys, somehow the object will be warped into another dimension. Sienz....that was my only pair of jeans.... now I'll have to get another pair.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Updates
Short JB Trip
I went to JB for the first time on Wednesday. Although I've always passed by JB, I've never actually stopped there before. In addition, the trip to JB was abit sudden. At about 1pm I got a call from my friend and jio to go for lunch in JB then watch a movie. The trip to the border shopping center was very short - about 1hour(not including traffic jams/immgiration clearance).. which is almost the same time it would take me to reach Orchard from where I stay now. Anyway, had a nice meal there (it has been quite awhile since I last spent on these kind of food...) and then Secret Recipe Marble Cheese Cake... Yum! It is interesting that although S'pore has Secret Recipe but the price is (mathematically speaking) in absolute terms, equal. S$5.20 for the cake vs RM5.20. Anyway, after the meal, my friends went to watch Poseidon but I didn't join them because I had an event in the evening and I wasn't really keen on the show. Instead, I went to get a haircut for RM32. Quite satisfied at the service (wash and cut) which I paid extra S$4 for. Usually I would get a haircut only at S$10. After getting my haircut, I walked alone back to the border - a little scary (as I'm not very familiar with the place yet) but it was ok.
Movie & Night Rider
Yesterday went out to watch Over the Hedge at Orchard. Initially we wanted to watch DaVinci Code but because ALL the cinemas were fully booked, we settled for this. The earliest available show for DVC was at 1.45am.... Nonetheless, I'm quite happy with Over the Hedge. The characters are soooo cute. After the movie, I "experimented" with the Night Rider bus service provided by SMRT. The funny part was that I was so confident about the NR that I did not bother to double check my bus guide before leaving for Orchard earlier in the evening. It ended up, I walked from one end of Orchard to the other in search of the bus stop. By the time I found it, it was already 1245am. Although I had to travel quite far, the service was actually quite fast as there wasn't much traffic on the road and the bus doesn't stop on every stop as few people board it at that hour.
To add to my surprise, there was an old lady (60+ or 70 years old?) who boarded the bus with 2 large handcarries (one - folded cardboxes, two - empty cans but it has the rubbish bin stinky smell). It was 1am! My goodness, why is she working till so late into the night. She was having trouble carrying those as well. I helped her carry the stuff off the bus as she could not manage it alone.
Other interesting note on the bus was this group of 4 people - 2 guys, 2 girls. It seems that one of the guy was being "bullied". He was kinda anti social as initially, he sat at another seat then one of the girl asked him to sit next to the other girl. He sat next to the girl very "unwillingly". From my view, it seems that he's afraid the girl he's sitting next to, is going to eat him alive. He shifts his body towards the edge of the seat away from the girl (he could fall off the seat!). So funny.... the other 2 frens of him asked him to sit properly. He adjusted... but slowly shifts outwards again. Dunno what's the matter but quite an amuzing thing to see. Hahaha....
I went to JB for the first time on Wednesday. Although I've always passed by JB, I've never actually stopped there before. In addition, the trip to JB was abit sudden. At about 1pm I got a call from my friend and jio to go for lunch in JB then watch a movie. The trip to the border shopping center was very short - about 1hour(not including traffic jams/immgiration clearance).. which is almost the same time it would take me to reach Orchard from where I stay now. Anyway, had a nice meal there (it has been quite awhile since I last spent on these kind of food...) and then Secret Recipe Marble Cheese Cake... Yum! It is interesting that although S'pore has Secret Recipe but the price is (mathematically speaking) in absolute terms, equal. S$5.20 for the cake vs RM5.20. Anyway, after the meal, my friends went to watch Poseidon but I didn't join them because I had an event in the evening and I wasn't really keen on the show. Instead, I went to get a haircut for RM32. Quite satisfied at the service (wash and cut) which I paid extra S$4 for. Usually I would get a haircut only at S$10. After getting my haircut, I walked alone back to the border - a little scary (as I'm not very familiar with the place yet) but it was ok.
Movie & Night Rider
Yesterday went out to watch Over the Hedge at Orchard. Initially we wanted to watch DaVinci Code but because ALL the cinemas were fully booked, we settled for this. The earliest available show for DVC was at 1.45am.... Nonetheless, I'm quite happy with Over the Hedge. The characters are soooo cute. After the movie, I "experimented" with the Night Rider bus service provided by SMRT. The funny part was that I was so confident about the NR that I did not bother to double check my bus guide before leaving for Orchard earlier in the evening. It ended up, I walked from one end of Orchard to the other in search of the bus stop. By the time I found it, it was already 1245am. Although I had to travel quite far, the service was actually quite fast as there wasn't much traffic on the road and the bus doesn't stop on every stop as few people board it at that hour.
To add to my surprise, there was an old lady (60+ or 70 years old?) who boarded the bus with 2 large handcarries (one - folded cardboxes, two - empty cans but it has the rubbish bin stinky smell). It was 1am! My goodness, why is she working till so late into the night. She was having trouble carrying those as well. I helped her carry the stuff off the bus as she could not manage it alone.
Other interesting note on the bus was this group of 4 people - 2 guys, 2 girls. It seems that one of the guy was being "bullied". He was kinda anti social as initially, he sat at another seat then one of the girl asked him to sit next to the other girl. He sat next to the girl very "unwillingly". From my view, it seems that he's afraid the girl he's sitting next to, is going to eat him alive. He shifts his body towards the edge of the seat away from the girl (he could fall off the seat!). So funny.... the other 2 frens of him asked him to sit properly. He adjusted... but slowly shifts outwards again. Dunno what's the matter but quite an amuzing thing to see. Hahaha....
Saturday, May 13, 2006
New Home
I finally moved to my new place at Bt Gombak yesterday. When my housemates and I chose this place, we liked it a lot because the previous tenants were girls AND SUPPOSEDLY, the apartment was very clean...... until Chin Yoong and I started to clean up the place. Everything that is visible to the eye is ... well... "ok ok clean". Everything that is under the table and behind the cupboard... is EXTREMELY dirty. You can't imagine the amount of hair they left behind.
Chin Yoong and I did a thorough clear of all the unwanted stuff that might've belong to the girls or the owner such as empty boxes, plastic bags, etc. After that, swept all the thick dust behind the cabinet and desks. Oh yea, we also bought 2nd hand vacuum cleaner from the girls at 1/2price. I should've listened and looked deeper into the meaning when they told us, "Oh, this house very easy to clean. We just buy a vacuum cleaner because we very lazy to clean up. Easy, just vacuum all the hair." When I switched on the vacuum cleaner ah, I noticed that nothing was being sucked up. As I ponder about it, I opened the "extension head" of the vacuum cleaner and found long strands of hair clogging the air passage. It was DISGUSTING..... CY took a picture of me looking very disgusted pulling out the hair from the extension head. This is very bad... I thought I'm a lazy person in cleaning houses but when compared with them, I'm definitely a lot better.
Anyway, after cleaning up the whole place, my housemates and I were very satisfied with our job and went IKEA shopping for bedroom and house accessories. Now the place looks so much brighter and cleaner.. Hehe...
Side note: My laptop spoil again. Am so sad. Lucky one of my friend is kind enough to lend his laptop for me to use over the weekend as he goes home.
Chin Yoong and I did a thorough clear of all the unwanted stuff that might've belong to the girls or the owner such as empty boxes, plastic bags, etc. After that, swept all the thick dust behind the cabinet and desks. Oh yea, we also bought 2nd hand vacuum cleaner from the girls at 1/2price. I should've listened and looked deeper into the meaning when they told us, "Oh, this house very easy to clean. We just buy a vacuum cleaner because we very lazy to clean up. Easy, just vacuum all the hair." When I switched on the vacuum cleaner ah, I noticed that nothing was being sucked up. As I ponder about it, I opened the "extension head" of the vacuum cleaner and found long strands of hair clogging the air passage. It was DISGUSTING..... CY took a picture of me looking very disgusted pulling out the hair from the extension head. This is very bad... I thought I'm a lazy person in cleaning houses but when compared with them, I'm definitely a lot better.
Anyway, after cleaning up the whole place, my housemates and I were very satisfied with our job and went IKEA shopping for bedroom and house accessories. Now the place looks so much brighter and cleaner.. Hehe...
Side note: My laptop spoil again. Am so sad. Lucky one of my friend is kind enough to lend his laptop for me to use over the weekend as he goes home.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Pictures from Delhi Trip!
Yesterday I got back my files which I backed up to a friend's comp. Gotta thank Audrey for lending me 3+GB of diskspace to store my stuffs.
Here's some of the pictures that I've been wanting to share:
Viewing the Main Prayer Grounds of Jama Masjid
Here's some of the pictures that I've been wanting to share:
Viewing the Main Prayer Grounds of Jama Masjid
This view reminds me of Richard Gere in the Visa advertisement
Main Building of Jama Masjid (yes yes... CY promoting AIESEC to tourists.. Hahaha)
Purana Qila (Red Fort in Delhi)
When looking at these pictures, sometimes I wonder whether the background is doctored into the picture because of the breathtaking views of the buildings and structures. There seems to be a huge obsession of many Indian architects of the past (especially during the Mughal dynasty) with the desire to build HUGE structures with perfect symmetry. The forts are actually very nice places to visit. Coming to the fort is like escaping from the hussle and bussle of the stressful city life to a very calm and peaceful place. I'll post more pictures.. Maybe in myphotoalbum but not so soon yet. Hehehe...
When looking at these pictures, sometimes I wonder whether the background is doctored into the picture because of the breathtaking views of the buildings and structures. There seems to be a huge obsession of many Indian architects of the past (especially during the Mughal dynasty) with the desire to build HUGE structures with perfect symmetry. The forts are actually very nice places to visit. Coming to the fort is like escaping from the hussle and bussle of the stressful city life to a very calm and peaceful place. I'll post more pictures.. Maybe in myphotoalbum but not so soon yet. Hehehe...
Monday, May 01, 2006
Short Update
Finally got back my laptop today! YEAH!!! Been a long time since I last updated my blog. This is mostly due to not having easy access to internet. Have been "leeching" internet access from my PGP friends for the past 1 month.
Well, new updates - I'm moving into my new apartment on 14th May. The place looks cosy and hopefully it is still after we moved in. It is a "short" distance walk away from the MRT (considering what I've been through in Chennai) - 600m is good for early morning exercise. Anyway, if I'm lazy, I could just catch a bus to the MRT station from my block. Muahahaha.... the convenience of Singapore life. Public transportation is just so efficient.
I haven't been doing much recently except for maybe travelling around Singapore and window shopping. I'm still searching for a pair of cufflinks for my shirt. At the moment I have eyed a pair from Takashimaya but I'm still looking for more options. Hehehe.....
Hmmm... either I'm in a very confused state or I've not been blogging for a long time; this particular post of mine feels very jumbled up and has no structure with raw thoughts just going straight to this post. As my friend says - "laptop back, no need sleep". Hahahaha... Time check - 4am.
Well, new updates - I'm moving into my new apartment on 14th May. The place looks cosy and hopefully it is still after we moved in. It is a "short" distance walk away from the MRT (considering what I've been through in Chennai) - 600m is good for early morning exercise. Anyway, if I'm lazy, I could just catch a bus to the MRT station from my block. Muahahaha.... the convenience of Singapore life. Public transportation is just so efficient.
I haven't been doing much recently except for maybe travelling around Singapore and window shopping. I'm still searching for a pair of cufflinks for my shirt. At the moment I have eyed a pair from Takashimaya but I'm still looking for more options. Hehehe.....
Hmmm... either I'm in a very confused state or I've not been blogging for a long time; this particular post of mine feels very jumbled up and has no structure with raw thoughts just going straight to this post. As my friend says - "laptop back, no need sleep". Hahahaha... Time check - 4am.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Back In Singapore Again
It has been more than a week now since I last blogged. A lot of things has happened especially the trip to Delhi, visiting Taj Mahal, friend stuck at Delhi Airport, etc that I don't know where I should begin. Instead of my usual way of describing my visits to all the places and writing a super long essay, let me start off with the latest happening - my friend being stuck in Delhi Airport.
It happened when we were clearing immigrations. The immigration officer did not allow him through because his visa was supposedly expired. This is due to the fault of some miscommunication on my friend's side as well as BAD english on the Indian government side. It was written on the embarkation/disembarkation form that one would need not report to the immigration office if staying less than 180days. We had assume that the visa validity is for entry only - as in when we are in, we are allowed to stay for 180days. Somehow, my friend's visa was only valid for 2months (60days). We tried to plead his case with the customs officer but the guy just would not listen. It ended up we had to leave him behind and fly back first. He was left to stay in the airport visitor's lounge (like Tom Hank's Terminal). The officer treated him like as if he was a very bad criminal. Fortunately when we got back to Singapore, we informed our manager and got the staff in Delhi to help him out. It was a horrible experience for him. Fortunately he did not met up with much problem and was has returned to Singapore this morning.
As for my trip to Delhi, I'll have to say Delhi is a marvelous place. It is well-planned and not messy like in Chennai. The roads are straight and well maintained. The level of cleanliness is better and public toilets are available (well... kind of... is just an open area with running water to wash hand and a hole to pee in. At least better than peeing on the wall.) The first thing we did when we arrived in Delhi was search for Mc Donalds (the only restaurant we are confident with the pricing and food quality.. hahaha). For travelling, we have visited almost all the historical or monumental places in Delhi (both New & Old) such as Connaught's place (shopping arcade), Jama Masjid (the largest mosque in South Asia, very beautiful), Qutab Minar (the advertisement that we see often on billboards here in Singapore for visiting India), Red Fort a.ka. Lal Qila whose main entry is Lahore Gate facing Pakistan (very significant to Indian history & independence), Old Fort a.k.a Purana Qila (another fort.... nothing special after visiting like 2-3 forts before), Lotus Temple (very beautiful at night, people of any faith can go in and pray to whatever you believe in) and some other places in Delhi which I can't recall at the moment.
We went to visit Taj Mahal on Saturday as the place is closed on Friday. The Taj Mahal is magnificent. It is the symbol of Emperor Shah Jahan's love for his wife Mumtaz. My friends and I took lots of pictures at this place. Although I had a normal 5megapixel camera, the pictures taken are still breath-taking. The Taj Mahal is really amazing with so much planning put into it. I mean, if there was to be a natural disaster in Agra, the Taj Mahal would very likely be the last structure to collapse. The four minaret built are slightly tilted outwards so that if it collapse, the central building will still be unharmed. The main tomb is built on a base that is more than 100feet deep. It is quite amazing that the people who built this structure had such foresight and took 22 long years to complete it. (ps. I learnt one thing about marble - Real marble is white and translucent. If you shine a light, it will penetrate through the marble, unlike plastic)
Now that I'm back in Singapore, there seems to be so many things that I would need to settle. I'm feeling a little lost at the moment but I think is because of the bombardment of things to do. I'm sure that if I plan out the things I need to settle, it is actually very easy - haven't really sat down to do the planning yet.. still in a little holiday mood and confused by the situation around me. Is this why there is a need for reintegration?
It happened when we were clearing immigrations. The immigration officer did not allow him through because his visa was supposedly expired. This is due to the fault of some miscommunication on my friend's side as well as BAD english on the Indian government side. It was written on the embarkation/disembarkation form that one would need not report to the immigration office if staying less than 180days. We had assume that the visa validity is for entry only - as in when we are in, we are allowed to stay for 180days. Somehow, my friend's visa was only valid for 2months (60days). We tried to plead his case with the customs officer but the guy just would not listen. It ended up we had to leave him behind and fly back first. He was left to stay in the airport visitor's lounge (like Tom Hank's Terminal). The officer treated him like as if he was a very bad criminal. Fortunately when we got back to Singapore, we informed our manager and got the staff in Delhi to help him out. It was a horrible experience for him. Fortunately he did not met up with much problem and was has returned to Singapore this morning.
As for my trip to Delhi, I'll have to say Delhi is a marvelous place. It is well-planned and not messy like in Chennai. The roads are straight and well maintained. The level of cleanliness is better and public toilets are available (well... kind of... is just an open area with running water to wash hand and a hole to pee in. At least better than peeing on the wall.) The first thing we did when we arrived in Delhi was search for Mc Donalds (the only restaurant we are confident with the pricing and food quality.. hahaha). For travelling, we have visited almost all the historical or monumental places in Delhi (both New & Old) such as Connaught's place (shopping arcade), Jama Masjid (the largest mosque in South Asia, very beautiful), Qutab Minar (the advertisement that we see often on billboards here in Singapore for visiting India), Red Fort a.ka. Lal Qila whose main entry is Lahore Gate facing Pakistan (very significant to Indian history & independence), Old Fort a.k.a Purana Qila (another fort.... nothing special after visiting like 2-3 forts before), Lotus Temple (very beautiful at night, people of any faith can go in and pray to whatever you believe in) and some other places in Delhi which I can't recall at the moment.
We went to visit Taj Mahal on Saturday as the place is closed on Friday. The Taj Mahal is magnificent. It is the symbol of Emperor Shah Jahan's love for his wife Mumtaz. My friends and I took lots of pictures at this place. Although I had a normal 5megapixel camera, the pictures taken are still breath-taking. The Taj Mahal is really amazing with so much planning put into it. I mean, if there was to be a natural disaster in Agra, the Taj Mahal would very likely be the last structure to collapse. The four minaret built are slightly tilted outwards so that if it collapse, the central building will still be unharmed. The main tomb is built on a base that is more than 100feet deep. It is quite amazing that the people who built this structure had such foresight and took 22 long years to complete it. (ps. I learnt one thing about marble - Real marble is white and translucent. If you shine a light, it will penetrate through the marble, unlike plastic)
Now that I'm back in Singapore, there seems to be so many things that I would need to settle. I'm feeling a little lost at the moment but I think is because of the bombardment of things to do. I'm sure that if I plan out the things I need to settle, it is actually very easy - haven't really sat down to do the planning yet.. still in a little holiday mood and confused by the situation around me. Is this why there is a need for reintegration?
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Shopping for.... BOOKS!
Last weekend I've spent about $100 on books alone and got myself 10 new books. Hahaha... It was on special offer - buy 4 books, the cheapest book will be free! Ever since I came to India, I've been reading more and more (partially because there's nothing much I can do here except watch TV and read - TV getting boring as I'm not so keen to watch Tamil/Hindi shows, anime only 1hr every night - Every morning, will just tune to BBC). I realise that I'm spending quite a "good" amount of time "studying". It wasn't as fun when one is forced to read case studies and perform analysis for the sake of getting 15% - In fact, it was horrible - the stress to do well especially when I know that the module is "fun" and "easy".
Now I'm picking up the books again but on my own initiative. There's so many things to learn from the gurus of various disciplines. At the moment, I'm very interested in management books as well as self-help books. It has opened me to think critically about issues relating to my own life, career growth and my company's development - how it is important to be taking initiatives instead of sitting back and waiting for things to happen.
Anyway, shall not dwelve too deep into those topics. Maybe I should write an essay or research paper in the future based on what I've learnt so far and use it for MBA application... Hehehe.. but for now, it is too soon to say what I'll do in the future. I'm just planning for my future. ;)
The immediate plan is tomorrow is final day of work in Chennai and I'll be off to Delhi on Thursday morning - freaking early morning flight (555am IST).
Now I'm picking up the books again but on my own initiative. There's so many things to learn from the gurus of various disciplines. At the moment, I'm very interested in management books as well as self-help books. It has opened me to think critically about issues relating to my own life, career growth and my company's development - how it is important to be taking initiatives instead of sitting back and waiting for things to happen.
Anyway, shall not dwelve too deep into those topics. Maybe I should write an essay or research paper in the future based on what I've learnt so far and use it for MBA application... Hehehe.. but for now, it is too soon to say what I'll do in the future. I'm just planning for my future. ;)
The immediate plan is tomorrow is final day of work in Chennai and I'll be off to Delhi on Thursday morning - freaking early morning flight (555am IST).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)