Ho ho ho

Guess who I met in Maple Story just now? Ha ha... couldn't have been more coincidental: Same Server, Channel and location - Jin Yu! So long haven't been in contact.

Maple Update:
Cleric (Level 36)
Archer (Level 11)
Rogue (Level 16)

The month long term break (recess, as they call it) is already a week old, and so far, much has been accomplished:

Monday
Went for the Waterways Watch Camp Enviro-Awareness 2005 (Camp 2) orientation (for faciliators). Yup, am no longer food IC... We tried dragon boating, and now I know why dragon boaters usually have HUGE muscles. Even though it ached considerable during the tenacious row, it was only after we went ashore that I realized one arm was inproportionately larger than the other. It could be the result of the rowing, but my theory was that it was simply swollen!

Tuesday
Attended a lunch session with President Howard Hunter of SMU for a rather candid and informal chat. Questions raised by a couple of late comers, however, were pretty formal and structured in tone, and hogged much of the second-half of the session. It ended up more like a press conference than an informal lunch.

After lunch, I zipped over the causeway to Malaysia for a two night stay in Johore. The main highlight of the night? A blackout! Whee... luckily we had candles, but couldn't find a lighter, so had to 'borrow light' from our neighbour. For five minutes, we relished in the candle-lit room. Then, to our dismay (after having acquired light merely minutes ago) and joy, the electricitywas back up again!

Started work on a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle.

Wednesday
Day 2 of my Johore retreat. Lunch and much of the afternoon was spent at The Store, one of the largest shopping complexes in the area. Everything's rather affordable (half the price of similar stuff over here) with the exception of electronics.

Dinner was at the hawker centre near Bestmart. We had a pretty awesome spread of zi char, including two house dishes: The rojak chicken (unfortunately, the prawn paste was quite strong) and the fruit platter fish (which has quite abit of vinegar, so just a kind warning here).

Thursday
Final day in Johore. We had to rush back in the morning as mummy had something to attend to. So yup, no shopping today.

Friday
Decided to meet up with JM and ZR after lunch for a trip down to Sim Lim Square. ZR commented that there was something about the atmosphere that was not quite the same. Prolly was the absence of a significant number of flyer distributors at the escalators (Only two pathetic souls were present on the third floor, usually one of the more crowded congregation spots for them).

We ended up hunting around the place for the lowest cost Win XP OEM (Fuwell's quite reasonable) and walking all the way to Sunshine Plaza for the Wanton Noodles (At 3 bucks, there is great value in the quantity and quality of fried and soup wantons! Recommended!).

We were comtemplating having tau huay (soya beancurd) after dinner, but eventually, convenience and rationale thinking took us to Foodmore instead, where I had the barley and ginko nuts dessert. Yummy and sweet ending to a hectic afternoon. Heh!

28 November 2005

*Updates*

Just back from SMU, having completed my first paper - Stats 'B', which was a killer. Our Prof had posted up some sample questions on the intranet, but the questions we tackled this morning were a far cry from hers. Further probing into another class of hers revealed that they had taken a different paper (Theirs had 17 MCQs vs. 20 for us).

The past month has been spent rushing to complete deadlines as well as finding time to find meaning and life in varsity life.

Just a month away to the end of my term break (And it hasn't even begun!)

All I want for Christmas are:

- 12-figure bank balance :D
- 11 am breakfast (more like brunch) in bed
- 10 gold bars
- 9 online hours a day
- 8 hours of sleep a day
- 7 days-a-camping
- 6 hundred Gigabytes hard disk space
- Heroes of Might and Magic V
- Civilization IV
- Age of Empires III
- 2 GB XD Card
- 1 High-end gaming Platform

More to come after my final paper at the end of the week!

Today

Just concluded my LTB Presentation on 'A Leader I have Known'. It was quite successful (And according to Ariel and Kangwei, was better than my Comms presentation), with just a hiccup during Q&A.

Had lunch at the corner coffeeshop along Armenian Street, and ordered a plate of Char Kway Teow ($3), which tasted quite ordinary, shared some Ngoh Hiang Hae Piah (quite expensive, but the prawn crackers were quite nice) with Kangwei, Shouwen and Ariel ($6). Washed everything down with some barley, which according to Shouwen, tastes like 'the water they use to wash the dishes'. Ouch.

Yesterday

Met Debbie in school for the first time. Looks like Pick N Bite is a great place to chance upon friends.

Got back our Stats Quiz. Surprise, surprise... 92 percent. :)

Oh, but the embarassing thing is, my only 2 (rather careless) mistakes came from the MCQ and not the Open-ended questions... :P

All in a Day's Work

Am quite fresh from my first school-free weekend of the semester, which provided a much needed respite from my hecic schedule.

For a change, I met up with Ruiyi on Friday to hunt for Xuelun's present. As I was there rather early, I decided to check out the Library@Orchard. There is a really cool comics collection here (just like Jurong Regional Library, I'd say).

We had our lunch at the Takashimaya basement food court. The Vietnamese Chicken Curry was reasonably good.

After four hours ploughing through Takashimaya and the Heeren, I headed over to SMU for a Blurt gathering, followed by an introduction to the World of Warcraft ;)

Sunday started off with a lazy brunch with Xuelun at Paulaner Brauhaus (Millenia Walk). Food was great, booze (free flow) was in-house and rather light (despite the fact that it contained 4.5% vol of alcohol). It was a simple affair, with most of the usual group present. Buffet-style, great hash browns (authentic ones, at least!) and yummy sausages (88%)

After brunch (It was nearly 3.30pm!), I went home to prepare for dinner with Cousin Lily (which was at Serangoon Gardens Country Club's Jumbo Restaurant). Traditional Chinese crusine, set (table) meals with great value. (80%)

Current Cost of Integrated Casinos (Resorts) to hit S$5 billion
See here for Channel New Asia's take on the issue.

"...property valuers expect competitive price tender for the site and construction costs to add up to as much as S$5 billion..."

"...This will make the Marina Bayfront integrated resort one of the most expensive integrated resorts with gaming component in the world..."

As I see it, the eventual cost of the project will hit 9, 10 billion SGD if the bidding process drags on. Besides, the bidders might need to make space for provisions, expecially miscellaneous licensing and building permits (especially so since the Marina site will envelope the Marina Bay Waterfront and will no doubt be liable to the stringent judiciary requirements of buildings being consructed next to water catchment areas.

Underneath all the glam, potential operators should also carefully consider the hidden costs involved in the construction and running of the Integrated Casinos (Resorts). Mark my words, 10 billion is not too far off.

All in a Day's Work

Still recovering from flu.

FA Presentation went well this morning, which brought much relief to the team. Next up: FA Project!

The two-presentations-a-day scheme never worked out, and my Comms presentation has been postponed till Wednesday.

Had a super busy weekend, having been preoccupied with my FA presentation.

Also celebrated Grandma's 90th birthday yesterday evening at the RC below their flat. Turn out was very good, and several fellas had a go at karaoke.

Schedule is currently filled until the end of the week, so I'd better go hit the books (and the sacks) while I can. :)

All in a Day's Work

Still down with a bout of flu, but recovering speedily.

Had a pleasant surprise yesterday when I received an invitation to Xue Lun's 21st. My, we are certainly growing up fast. :)

On a lighter note, I joined dad at his group's 60th birthday celebrations, where they were recollecting the days gone by when they celebrated their own twenty first. Now enjoying fulfilling and relatively successful family lives, they are the epiome of The Singapore Story. Envy!

All in a Day's Work

Back from Tae Kwon Do training. It was a slightly more demanding session today (Had no time to relearn more patterns...) Oh well, finally tried to spar with sir. :) Ha ha... first sparring session since a long time ago... :P And earned myself a blister in the process... bah. But on a lighter note, it felt good to be back on my feet again. Heh...

Anyway, due to my less than friendly schedule, I do offer my sincere apologies on the less than informative write ups.

All in a Day's Work

Fourteen days and one Stats assignment later, I emerge from my lair, all weary and dazed.

Just a rough idea on what's on my current To-Do list:

- Stats Assignment
- Prep for FA Quiz
- FA Group Presentation
- FA Term Project
- Comms Assignment
- Plural perspectives Quiz

A scream rings through my head.

Was almost pulverized by an overenthusiastic wave (yes, WAVE) of vehicles as I was crossing the road near SESS with Michael on Wednesday, after Tae Kwon Do Training.

Comms Quiz (on Wednesday also) was a killer. It was 'Fill in the Blanks'. And they asked right about anything under the sun. Sigh...

All in a Day's Work

Wow, I had at least eight people asking me if I was local, three in the morning (when I went for the AIESEC simulation programme at NTU) and another five in the evening (when I joined Yao Long for the network marketing introduction at Boon Keng. Varying comments put me as a Vietnamese, a Chinese scholar (*gushes), one said I have mixed blood (Which may hold some truth :P) Any comments from the panel?

Are you a Mover or a Shaker? (Source)

A mover and a shaker

Larry Boucher has a reputation for staying ahead of the curve

Douglas E. Caldwell

Why do some Silicon Valley companies succeed wildly and others fall into the "dustbin of history" with barely a whimper? Larry Boucher, founder and CEO of Alacritech Inc., says there are commonalities that set the successful high-tech companies apart.

My take on the issue?

To be an industry shaker, the finer things in life might just count. It is no use promising to help each other out when one is indifferent to even insignificant issues such as giving up a seat to the needy.

Start being a SHAKER today!

I can recall an incident last Friday on campus - A worker was trying to push his trolley up a ramp, but the trolley simply couldn't get onto the ramp. As there were many boxes on the trolley, he was worried they might drop if he was to jerk the trolley onto the ramp. Passers-by opted not to notice, nonchalantly by-passing him as he struggled with the trolley.

A simple act, I'd thought. Just help him lift the trolley onto the ramp. Why didn't anybody rise to the challenge?

For the record, I did, and am glad for having done so. It made the worker thankful for assisting him, but even more so, because that instilled in him confidence in the human spirit of forthcoming assistance, and myself, pride on having made a difference to someone's (otherwise tedious and tremendously mundane) life.

Take another example:

I was on the bus last week, when an elderly man boarded the bus. There were many typical Singaporean commuters (you can recognize them by the way they select their seats - by the aisle) on board. Of course, plonked upon the green seat meant for the aged was this young chap, who promptly shut his eyes and began meditating, as soon as the elderly man boarded. The elderly man tried to squeeze his way across the young lad to his seat, but he did not budge. In the end, in frustration, he shook the young fella awake and promptly got his seat.

Me 1, Society 0

Went to Waterways Watch Society this afternoon to plan for our bicycle patrol. It poured, but that did not dampen our spirits, and we eventually started the patrol proper at four. It was fun cycling down to the Esplanade while keeping a lookout for errant picnic-goers and fishermen. :)

Oh well, will be having lessons tomorrow, so better call it a day.

Probably more on the Groupthink phenomena brought up by Prof Kong (during LTB lesson) in future. It's an interesting concept!

All in a Day's Work

After two weeks of school and two complains that I have not been updating my blog frequently, I finally manage to find some time to make an entry.

The first week passed quite quickly, with 3 days of schooling (My Tuesdays and Fridays are designated 'off' days). Textbooks flew off the shelves like hotcakes (okay, so I didn't manage to get all my textbooks...), most of the profs were nice (at least they do not see the necessity to appear otherwise), I attended a lunch time talk which came with free lunch (so I saved on meals. Clever!)

Yes, a hurried post, no doubt. Will post more juicy stuff when I find time to do so. :P

All in a Days Work

290705

Hopped down to the Singapore Expo for lunch with mum and dad, where we tried out yummy food at the Food Festival, such as the Japanese skewered meat and sushi, Singapore's famous Chilli Crab, Hong Kong Ee Fu Noodles and the Thai waterchest nut dessert.

After the hearty meal, I went on to meet my Asoc Campmates at Marche for Dinner. As facilitator Ron was not feeling well then, Weiming coordinated the meet up instead. And I had the honour of being splashed with water courtesy of their infamously pathetic counter staff (Luckily it was just a small splash. What made me MAD was that he did not apologize for having splashed water on me). Had it been one of my less patient days, I would have dragged him and marched up to the General Manager to complain. As it was, I had the Teriyaki Fish and Wedges, which was probably one of their cheaper Main Courses (Snapple for four bucks, so you go figure). And they've added a new clause which requires a minimum of ten dollars spent per card (cumulative with other cards)

After the initial formalities, we trooped over to the Cineleisure Food Court where I grabbed a 'Cool Blue; (really just Longan with some blue, sweet stuff). Actually, we were waiting for a place at Cafe Cartel, where Cheese cakes go for for 1/2 price (practically S$2.10) after 9pm. A steal! So we tried the Tiramisu, Chicago and Oreo cheesecakes, desparately trying to find space to slot them into our stomachs. :D

280705

Met up with Victor at Starbucks Coffee, Suntec City, for a small introduction session. Despite some efforts at initiation along with Gabriel, he and his friend were quite reserved, but yup, what should be expected of an initial meet up anyway? Of course, we spoke a little about the political climate and current affairs issues such as the bombings in London and Egypt before they scooted off for another appointment.

Note to self: The Mocha, kettle chips and potato salad at Starbucks are pretty good, but it should come with a sticker that screams: NOT CHEAP!

Heh.

Anyway, after the little get together, I walked around City Link Mall for a couple of hours before meeting up with fellas from my SMU Orientation Group (Ed: It's Leadership and Team Building Camp! Whatever...) for dinner at Thai Express. I guess we were enticed by the 'Buffet', which ended up really being a 'Finish up our fine spread of 20 dishes before you may order as you like' Buffet, which is really sad, because most of the fellas were full even before we finished our preassigned twenty dishes.

After dinner, we crossed over to Marina Square to catch a Movie (At a discounted rate, 'cos Xin Yu's working at Golden Village) - The Island

After watching The Island, I realized that if one dwells upon the plot and storyline, one will notice that the film deals with many current issues (I will place the onus on you to find out which scenes were represented by their corresponding issues):

1. September 11 Terrorist Attacks
2. The ethical issues of Human Cloning
3. Man's quest for longevity, at any cost
4. The prevalence of Racial Discrimination in society
5. The violent consequences that may arise from the oppression of thought (Propaganda) in societies
6. The obsession with Designer babies and Production line babies (In Vitro, X-ray gender scans, cloning)

Lifted the ban on the K Box Group and accompanied my OG to K Box Karaoke.

All in a Day's Work

260705

Lunch at Takashimaya's FoodVenture for Kids. They sold reasonably priced meals and snacks, something out of the ordinary (being smack in the centre of town).

Takashimaya's Food Court employs staggered 1 hour tea specials as a tactic to woo customers during break time. I grabbed a cup of coffee (For only 1 buck) for tea.

270705

Yao Shun invited me to join him at the Jurong East Swimming Pool, which I must admit, is HUGE!

There was a (true) Wave Pool, which had sea-worthy waves capable of nudging us onto shore. And it accompanied by a man-made rain, created a stormy atmosphere.

There was also a separate human and float slide, which I tried four times. :D The adrenaline rush that is generated is just like that of a roller coaster!

There's also a Jet Pool (Now I know where SAFRA Mount Faber got its inspiration from...) and Lazy River (which had really strong currents).

After a dip in the pool, we went on to the Jurong East Community Library, the largest library until the opening of the Central Library on the 22nd. They have an entire floor devoted to Youths (Read: COMICS!).

All in a Day's Work

250705

Came home at around 11pm, and was pretty tired already, but when I went online, Daryl, fellow "Leadership and Team Building" Campmate asked me "Where do you stay?"

And one group conversation and fifteen minutes later, Gabriel picked me up from my place and together with Linda, I found myself rushing to Somerset's Coffee Club for supper. I had a nice Peach Smoothie [!], Linda and Belinda shared a Banana Butterscotch Cheesecake [!!] (which I tried a little of) and we had a six-inch Hawaiian Pizza [!!!]. We lingered around for a couple of hours till nearly everyone was jaded (and the fountain was shut off, which created a very quiet atmosphere - Good for whispering sweet nothings but too *eerily quiet for a chat).

Gabriel, Thanks for the ride to and from Coffee Club!

All in a Day's Work

230705

Joined Sharon in the afternoon to catch the Tae Kwan Do Black Belt grading at Toa Payoh Indoor Stadium.

Before that, though, we had a little feast. :D At Fiesta Japanese Restaurant.

We had a breaded pork set lunch, complete with Miso Soup. sliced watermelon and a salad. Coupled with Simmering hot Green Tea (Free flow! Yup, a great value at 80 cents). But we splurged haplessly on the sushi on the conveyor belt to the tune of six whole plates (And Sharon attributes this to the evil tactic employed by Fiesta to prop up customer consumption.)

Anyway, we were so stuffed, we had to pack the late-meal order of two seaweed wraps to take away.

Off we went to view the Tae Kwan Do grading.

My first impression of the grading was "PWOAH!"

There were around fifty fellas taking the brown to black grading alone!

And there was a single fella taking the Dan 4 to 5 grading...

Was an eye opener to see so many Dan patterns in one day, after my retirement from the sport a decade ago.

A few things I noticed about the patterns:

3 schools have developed, namely

1) Speed
2) Strength
3) Display/ Performance

1 and 2 are traditional schools of Tae Kwan Do, but 3 is a new school that I noticed almost instantly. The practitioners are very Wayang and their strokes are both slow and robotic (Jerking, if you ask me).

There were a couple of violent sparring episodes, with a black belter ('helper') being whacked in the jaw by a testee. So much for being helpful!

And I've realized that I have to contact my previous instructor if I intend to covnert my Poom belt to black. Argh... Will need to spend more time and energy to search for him.

240705

We did our first Street sales today for the Youth For Causes Project at the Dhoby Ghaut area. In light of the NKF-SATA twin fiascos, I was pleasantly surprised that we did have quite a good show of volunteers and sales receipts.

*Special reminder: Bring Sharon's hairband on next meeting.

A Penny For Your Thoughts? I'll Give You My Two Cents Worth

London: Strike 2

Egypt: Strike 2

The twin terror attacks on the 'hub of the world' and the 'city of peace' has serious implications on security measures and the US-led effort on the war on Terror. It undermines the hard work of International Intelligence Agencies in addition to making a mockery of US boasts of having weakened the Al-Qaeda network's strike capabilities since the Afghan campaign forced Osama bin Laden into hiding.

Now remains the question of who will emerge victorious in the race against time to halt more mindless slaughter by minds far more cunning and resilent than previously anticipated.

I am certainly hoping Strike 3 will not happen in the next decade at least. Now, let moderate Muslims join hands with the rest of the world in the harsh condemnation of extremism and extermination of radical elements within and without. Only a united world can root out the deadly pranks conducted by a handful of vengeful militants.

All in a Day's Work

After a good nine-hour, mainly uninterrupted sleep, I got up refreshed, recharged and ready to go another 72 hours with minimal sleep. Of course, that said, I do not intend to come close to doing something like my marathon, over the past few days, in the near future.

Instead, I zipped straight to complete the task of adding the finishing touches to the minutes on the meeting and clarification session with Ms Maureen Fung on Wednesday, which I applaud for having resolved any miscommunications we had previously.

A Penny for Your Thoughts? I'll Give You My Two Cents Worth

Three things of public concern in the past week:

1. The TT Durai-NKF Saga
2. The London Bombings: Strike Two
3. The revaluation of the Chinese Renminbi and Malaysian Ringgit

1. TT Durai's daughter appeals to PM Lee to help restore father's honour

'SINGAPORE : The daughter of TT Durai , the former CEO of the National Kidney Foundation, has appealed to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to help restore her father's honour and reputation if a review of the NKF shows there have not been any wrongdoings.

Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan disclosed this in Parliament on Thursday.

Mr Khaw, who was responding to points made by MPs over the two days of debate, had urged the House to also look at the issue from the perspective of Mr Durai 's family.

He said Mr Durai 's daughter, a junior college student who is mature for her age, had emailed the Prime Minister.

Saying she was adversely affected by the fiasco, she wrote: "Since I was young, my father had very little time to spend with us. I always asked myself why my father had no time for us. Were we less important to him than his patients? Was his work more important than us?"

And she went on to ask Mr Lee, "After the review by the new board, you will help him to restore his reputation and honour, if no wrong doings were found?"

Mr Khaw said Mr Durai 's achievements for the NKF were real and significant.

But ego and arrogance could have gone to his head, leading to poor judgement and insensitivity.

Mr Khaw cautioned, "I think there are lessons for us here. No matter how great our achievements are, we live for others. Look at the late Mr Hon Sui Sen. There was no ego in the man. He completely personified humility.

"Likewise the late President Wee Kim Wee and hence the huge outpouring of emotions at his funeral. President S.R. Nathan is another such humble man who has done great for society, but remains his past self."

Mr Khaw also had a word of caution for other players in the NKF saga.

He said, "I scanned through the local media today. I could not help noticing the different spin The Straits Times put to the MPs' speeches yesterday, compared to all the other local media, like TODAY and ZaoBao. Let us hope arrogance has not also gone to the head of the victor in the court case." '- CNA/de

2. Man shot dead in London subway station: police

'LONDON : Police shot and killed a man at an Underground subway station in south London on Friday, police said, amid television news reports that he was a would-be suicide bomber.

"We can confirm that just after 10am (0900 GMT) armed officers entered Stockwell Tube station," a police spokesman said. "A man was challenged by officers and subsequently shot...He was pronounced dead at the scene."

Sky News television reported earlier that the shot man was "a suspected suicide bomber", a day after an apparent failed attempt to carry out a new wave of bombings on three Underground trains and a double-decker bus.

Stockwell is one stop south of Oval station, one of three Underground stops that were, together with a double-decker bus, the scenes of apparent would-be suicide attacks on Thursday. '

3. Most Singaporeans say ringgit revaluation will not affect visits to Malaysia

'Most Singaporeans say the revaluation of the Malaysian ringgit will not affect their visits to Malaysia.

But its impact is already being felt by moneychangers and some heading across the Causeway.

On Friday, all eyes were on the currency exchange rates on the board - especially the Malaysian ringgit.

In one morning, 45 year-old moneychanger Abdul Haleem handled more than 50 enquiries on the ringgit's exchange rate.

He said: "No one's changing, they're just asking the rate. Just small transactions, not big transactions about 100 or 200 dollars only."

Another money changer Mohamed said: "This is the first time, never happened before. People don't understand when we tell them, they don't believe, they don't buy...they go check and come back and buy from us."

But the revaluation of the ringgit has not deterred some holidaymakers.

"Once we are in a holiday mood, we just spend, spend, spend," said one Singaporean.

"That doesn't affect us as our trip's already planned for and the Singapore dollar is still strong against the ringgit," said another.'

---

Something else off the 'Net

Microsoft names next Windows version 'Vista'

'WASHINGTON : Microsoft Corp. on Friday said the next version of its operating system used on most personal computers around the world will be called "Windows Vista."

The world's biggest software company stopped short of providing a launch date for the new version of Windows.

The first overhaul of the dominant computer operating system since Windows XP five years ago, is expected to reach consumers sometime next year.

Microsoft, which developed the software under the codename "Longhorn," expects to make the test version available to developers and tech professionals by August 3, it said in a statement.

The new software is expected to sport a new graphical interface, giving it a new look and feel, and enhanced security and communications features.

"It introduces clear ways to organize and use information the way you want to use it," Microsoft said on its Web page for the new system.

"It seamlessly connects you to information, people, and devices that help you get the most out of life."

The operating system, used on around 90 percent of personal computers, accounts for around a third of Microsoft's revenue.'

- AFP /ls

All in a Day's Work

200705

My day started with a three hour power nap (Woke up at six to prepare for the meeting with Ms Fung). Over breakfast at McDonald's with Sharon and Yilinn, we tried out my Tablet PC's wi-fi connection.

We then crossed over to join Erica at the FSC meeting room. Ms Fung was surprisingly early, so we proceeded to do our presentation and clarification session with her. In a nut shell, the meeting was very fruitful, and cleared up any miscommunications that had existed previously. Ms Fung was very forthcoming with her suggestions and assistance, which injected positive energy as a whole to the team. Whee!

After the meeting, we trooped down to Waterways Watch Society to help out in their beach clean-up activity for Primary School children. Yilinn (AKA "Ms Teo") conducted the lesson for the kids, while the rest of us supervised their clean up efforts at the beach.

After being dismissed by Ms Teo, I rushed back home to prepare for Julia's Birthday gathering at Zouk.

I still hold firm my belief that clubbing

-spoils the ears (loud music)
-spoils the lungs (passive smoking)
-spoils the heart (fast music)
-spoils the kidneys and liver (the Drinks)
-spoils the piggy bank (with the exorbitant entrance fees)

Birthday girl Julia was konked out before the hour was up, having succumbed to the lethal combination of Screwdriver, Long Island, Lamborghini and Graveyard (She claimed to having no knowledge of having drunk the Graveyard thing though, so). Linda, too, was over and out with a third of the Screwdriver and some Long Island. Gabriel was tipsy after his share of the Lamborghini and Graveyard. Even clubbing-regular Daryl was not spared; He claimed to be a little 'light headed' after the round of drinks. The girls were dragged to the safety of their homes when they were done in by the alcohol.

Of course newbie me was also not spared.

The jug of Long Island was very strong (and very pricey too, at 60 bucks a jug :( ), much stronger than the one I tried with Junfa earlier on in the year. It was very lethal, the Long Island... Was topsy turvy and couldn't walk upright so had to be helped to a high chair by a bouncer to chill first.

The Long Island was concocted by a female bartender, which might explain why it was so lethal:

-It must have been mixed in accordance to the recipe (unlike the guys, whom I suspect might skive on the vodka
-she was very conscientious. In my own words: "gosh, she looked so meticulous! Like titration or something". Really.

210705

You wouldn't believe this, but I slowly made my way from Zouk to Pasir Ris in the morning to meet up with Azrul for breakfast.

Lunch with Jian Ming and Zi Rong. We had Chicken Rice today, and I'm glad there are still coffeeshops near my place that have not succumbed to modern-day hyper inflation. Yet. Yup, 2 bucks for a good ol' plate of roasted chicken rice. And it was with a rather generous serving of chicken meat and achar.

Yup, wetried the Pearl Milk Tea at the confectionary opposite McDonald's - our usual Bubble Tea haunt. Yup, free pearls! Whee...

Presentation: 18/25
Taste: 22/25
Service: 15 /20
Value for Money: 18/20
Queue: 8/10

Smooth and Yummy! 81%

After lunch, I rushed down to Orchard to shop for Erica's birthday present, along with Yilinn and Huimin. We found her a nice rotating photo frame at Books Kinokuniya.

All in a Day's Work

Why on earth am I blogging at such an ungodly hour?

Went down just after lunch to collect my Fujitsu Tablet PC T4010, which was probably one-odd week overdue. Feeling more poor than excited now, so if you would like to, please donate a USB 2.0 hub or some useful accessories that Fujitsu might have forgotten to throw in.

The sprawling SMU city campus is awesome! It's not very big in any case, but it's connected by an underground mall! So that we can avoid the rain while shuttling between lessons, or pop by a shop to pick up a cappachino or a pair of slacks. Evil!

When I was crossing the road, I noticed a young lady using her sweater to shelter herself from the rain, so I offered to shelter her to Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station. It turned out to be a rewarding experience. Haha... got to chat with her and liven up the mood of things (hey, what else can you do on a rainy day?) Yup, she's an insurance agent currently studying part time and working full time with AIA and was rushing off to Newton and so was unprepared for the rain.

Arranged to meet Zi Rong and Jian Ming for dinner at Heartland Mall. We ended up eating at KFC. Shared a buddy meal with buddy Jian Ming. :D haha... why else do you think they coined such a name? R-i-ght. At ten bucks for two pieces of chicken, a chicken taco wrap, two drinks and four regular sides, I think they might have overpriced it a little. Eight dollars for the package both sounds good and affordable. Remember MacDonald's $2 promotions in the past where they just showed how two golden coins can buy a burger. KFC can try something similar: How about the buddy meal for 8 bucks, with (specifically) two golden coins change if you pay with a ten-dollar bill. It catches on, and has the added bonus of splitting the cost evenly between buddies (A buck each). Just a thought.

After dinner, we walked around Heartland Mall in search of a reasonable USB 2.0 Hub. Anybody who does not need his/her USB hub can toss it my way. Would be very much appreciated.

A Warcraft III Battlechest is going for $74.50 at Comics Connections, up from $65 three months ago and $50 when Loren bought his half a year ago. I suspect DOTA has a role in the recent price spike. Oh well...

Bubble Tea resurgence! - Okay, so it's just a recent rekindling of interest in bubble tea (Thanks to Zi Rong, who got the ball rolling). Today's choice outlet is the Co Co Bubble Tea outlet at Hougang Heartland Mall. There is a good variety of drinks here as well, but for additional toppings (such as pearl, or the 'bubble' in 'bubble tea'), it would set one back thirty cents. It's complimentary at the Bubble Tea shop in Serangoon Central. Anyway, I tried a 'Black Crystal Milk Tea', half disappointed that they didn't serve up cappuchino Milk Teas, but was delighted when it turned out to be Coffee Milk Tea, and that the mysterious 'Black Crystals' were caffeine-infused pieces of agar-agar!

Presentation: 18/25
Taste: 17/25
Service: 15 /20
Value for Money: 15/20
Queue: 8/10

A feasible alternative to the average Kopitiam's kopi-bing. 73%

Preparing for the all-important meeting and clarification session at AWWA at eleven. This will test the mettle of our team. Do keep you fingers crossed for us!

All in a Day's Work

Had the McChicken Extra Value Meal with Zi Rong and Loren at the MacDonald's (Serangoon Central branch). At 5 bucks for the EVM and 2 bucks for the McChicken Burger, Loren reckoned it'd be more cost efficient if we had bought two EVMs and a burger.

Guess who I met at the Serangoon NEL Station again? Huiling! She's leaving for Shanghai on the 3rd of August for an internship with HP there. Woo... everyone's moving forward! That's great news for our A4 class... The world is our playground!

Popped by the YMCA in the evening to hear more about the Y Club, an up and coming CCA in SMU. Mr Dexter Tai was there as usual, as well as Mr Albert Ching. But I didn't sign up for the club due to the necessity for club members to be affiliated with the YMCA directly.

All in a Day's Work

150705

We had our AWesome SMU volunteers come down to Jalan Besar Towner RC for a little get together session, and I must admit that the turnout was very disheartening. Yilinn ended up speaking quite a bit, even though she had just undergone Dental Surgery that very morning for wisdom tooth extraction. Woo, yup, but the volunteers were enthusiastic and we achieved our goal of introducing our project to the volunteers. It was a very frank and fruitful two-way conversation between us and the volunteers, so I think it was a success in some ways. :)

160705

Met up with Yao Shun at Toa Payoh to catch Weizhang's performance at the Indoor Stadium. The SOKA Youth Peace Culture Festival 2005 was a rather good performance, as it tapped into manpower from all the various departments in the organization, including the Chinese Orchestra, Choir, Gymnastics, Student, Lower and Upper Primary departments.

And guess what? When an announcement was made to invite someone on stage to give the opening address, you should have been there to catch my gaping, wide-eyed face, as I stared in disbelief when the lady seated to the left of me, across the aisle, rose to take her place at the microphone. Yup, we were seated in the VIP box (though not accorded VIP seats). :) It turned out to be an energy-packed performance, complete with human pyramids and marching bands.

Yock Song's leaving for Perth on his well deserved vacation on the 22nd. Sounds like fun Down Under! Whee...

All in a Day's Work

3D/2N CIRCLE Experience

Day 1
120705

Slept at three in the morning (Was packing my bag the whole night), woke up three hours later to wash up.

Was at SMU rather early as dad gave me a lift there. And so we waited till around nine before setting off by coach. In the mean time, Chin Wan and Julia did an informal introduction, as they were not present during the pre-camp meet up the previous Sunday.

The journey to the Chinese Gardens was plagued by a terrible traffic jam, which worsened as we approached Clementi. And this was in the direction away from town!

Anyway, it started to pour as we entered the Chinese Gardens (What a ceremonious welcome indeed), so we settled down to some ice-breakers.

Just before lunch, we had to come up with a name for our Group as well as paint our Group's flag. Being wary of mosquitoes in the Park and Woodlands over the next few days, we brain stormed for creative names and ideas, such as 43ers and 4-3-2-1, but eventually decided on SWAT (It's both cool as well as graphic, as in fly-swatter, you know?). Oh, and we also came up with our Group's cheer.

---

The SWAT Cheer (In Hokkien)

Ecstasy wa boh jia
CID wa boi kia
SWAT! kia si nang!

(Translated version)
Ecstasy, I don't eat
CID, I'm not afraid
SWAT! Now, that's frightening!

---

--Lunch--

Fried Fish Fillet
Stir-fried cabbage
Fried Toufu
White Rice

We enjoyed our lunch raffia- (Derived from the African Raphia ruffia palm tree) style, that is, we were bound at the wrists.

After lunch, the weather cleared up abit, so we proceeded to engage in our water activities.

I had the opportunity to Canoe first with Xin Yu, who was able to control our little vessel skillfully in the water. Incidentally, she was a canoeist previously.

We came in first (Out of four teams) in River Rafting, with the least raffia string used and for submitting the banana in the best condition. As a reward, we were given two bunches of bananas (I suspect they were leftovers from lunch. Oh well...). We also had to do a forfeit (Hey, I thought only losing teams would do a forfeit!): The Banana Dance (See lyrics below)!

---

The Banana Song

Bananas of the world unite!

Peel banana
Peel, Peel banana

Chop banana
Chop, Chop banana

Fry banana
Fry, Fry banana

---

The weather took a turn for the worse, and as such, we did not get to try out Dragon Boating and Bridge Building.

We ajourned for dinner after playing "Helium Cane" and "Human Scrabble".

--Dinner--

Chicken Drumstick
Bok Choy
Fried Omelette
Chilli Rice

After dinner, we were briefed on the Night Walk at the Japanese Gardens. Ghost stories galore! Anyway, it was pitch dark by the time it was our turn to do the walk. And the facilitators took it upon themselves to scare the living daylights out of us freshies, but we were well prepared for that. Ho ho... Probably the only complaint was that one of the checkpoints was not lit, and the marker was slightly off the intended location, so we spent the better half of our walk searching for it.

Day 2
130705

We were fortunate to have been allow to sleep in the Pavillon, as our campsite was washed out by the rain.

--Breakfast--

Fried Mee
(It's quite like the SFI one, but slightly better)

The Circuit

We did activities such as transferring water from one point to the other using only plastic cups supported by our teeth and mouth, toe tower, where we had to use out feet to form a tower (We formed one that was 1.8 metres high), the rice game (We didn't get to execute the whole plan, though), the sponge game (which saw our whole group nearly picking 'ankles' for part of body to be tied, giving us a marked disadvantage during the game such that we had to rotate two pairs who had 'wrists' and 'elbows' quite frequently. Ha), the Wheelbarrow game as well as a 360 revolution game (Where we had to do a forward roll without touching the ground).

--Lunch--

Chicken Wing
Bagadel
Coconut rice

Route March. Yup, you've heard it right. We're going on a route march today. To SDANs Adventure Camp. Whee... Basically, we went from Checkpoint to Checkpoint while going on a Scavanger Hunt concurrently. And we ended up running towards the second half of the journey.

And for our hard work [we came in fifth (There was a mistake prior to this which ranked us sixth, before time advantage deduction)], we were given Menu B for dinner. Along with 4 Mess tins, solid fuel and some seasoning. We had to come up with a dish or two for a gourmet food competition, and so we had Gourmet chef Gabriel to do the cooking. He did a marvellous job at cooking and the presentation, but we lost out (I presume) due to the small serving (It's gourmet crusine what!)

Of course, while the scouts were starting the fire and the chefs were busy going about creating their feast fit for kings, the rest of us huddled around a second camp fire that was set up to cook FOOD for the army of starving mercenaries. And cook up a storm we did! Chef apprentice Azrul made dry mee, sardine noodles, seafood noodles, curry chicken as well as egg noodles for the lot. Response from the mercenaries was swift. They gobbled down serving after serving of noodles, such that Azrul was swamped by requests and was only able to relinquish his duties and break for his own dinner an hour and two restarted fires later. By the time I got to work, though, hunger was no longer an issue, and my curry mushroom noodles went somewhat untouched (but that meant I had more to myself. Ha!).

The mobile bath stalls are definitely better than the Public bathing facilities! (Hint to NParks: Sort out your pathetic, trickling shower heads!)

Day 3
140705

Creature comforts! Oh well, we slept in nicely pitched tents out in the field, so it wasn't too bad. Ha ha... Hao Yi complained that he was sleeping on a nail, which explains why he looked rather puffy in the morning (Besides the fact that he tucked in at three in the morning... :P)

--Breakfast--
Omelette
Ikan Bilis and Peanuts
Nasi Lemak

After breakfast, we played "Perfect Square", an ACTIVITY where we were supposed to be blindfolded, arrange ourselves in a specified order, and then form a square (or in our case, a rectangle) in that order, without so much as to whisper a word. Then came the surprise. We were separated from each other, and so had to find a way to link up the others. And the rope... was nothing thicker than a raffia string, which was why we were unable to locate it using our 'kicking' method. Oh well...

After successfully completing the task, we set off to try out another camp-favourite (-must-have, I must say): Spider Web! We tried to get through many times, but thanks to integrity, failed to get more than three members across at any one attempt. :P However, it was due to the group's perseverence that we tried again and again, and in the face of adversity, did not succumb to failure as easily. It was a case of enthusiasm building upon enthusiasm, I must say, that kept the team going.

--Lunch--
Fishball
Hokkien Mee

After lunch, we were supposed to do a confidence game, ala OBS, but a sudden heavy downpour forced us to retreat to the sheltered Basketball court, where we played our game of 'Tiu Tiu Tiu' and 'Cowboy'. :P

Instead, we did a trust fall activity when the weather cleared up.

The end all game, the finale, was Human Chariots (A water bomb activity). We had to hoist our targetboard at least one metre above the ground, and being the medic, I piggy backed Shili, and we advanced alongside Lionel's group to assault the common enemy - Section 3...

First blood was drawn when Our forces struck an enemy target from a distance. After the initial artillery bombardment, we did a flank attack on the enemy, attempting to do a sweeping movement and encircle them.

Deep into enemy territory, we were ambushed by a phantom army (Their flagbearer[target board] had been decimated by the combined attack) and our buddy group was wiped out. We reorganized and mounted a counter attack on the renegades, bringing down another in the process.

When the dust settled, all that remained were three Section 4 groups and a single Section 3 one. It was a no brainer. We jointly took out the Section 3 group before turning against our former allies. As I withdrew behind our three-men deep ring barricade, assassins sneaked up upon me. And that was when Azrul stepped in, and ala Lord of the Rings["You shall not pass!"-Gandalf the Grey, Fellowship of the Rings], he made a stand against the sneaky bombers, stopping two blasts that would have shattered my skull. A third, also from a phantom bomber, grazed my left hip (To which I still bear the scars of war till date), barely missing the princess that I was protecting.

We emerged victorious. The last remaining chariot in the land. And peace reigned. Okay, at least we could go home. Camp was over at last. After 3 gruelling days and 2 long nights, we have survived SMU's Leadership and Team Building Camp 2005.

Kudos to the facilitators who spent many a sleepless night worrying about our safety, and for being our guinea pigs in trying out the stations before we did.

All in a Day's Work

Just came back from my introductory WaterWays Watch Society Boat patrol. It was a rather good experience, coupled with chairman Eugene's generous lunch contribution. :P Am looking forward to the first bicycle patrol and the camp at the end of the year. Oh, and you get to come REAL close to the Merlion. Heh... It's amazing how much trash the Singapore River can take, but then again, it was exceptionally dirty today due to the downpour yesterday afternoon, which washed out the waste to the Lifeline of Singapore.

Chlorine Gas Leak ["54 hurt in chlorine gas leak at Safra Club" The Sunday Times, July 10, 2005, Page 3]

Wah, a tear gas attack on SAFRA? Not exactly. Apparently, the contractor 'accidentally poured bleach into a drum filled with hydrochloric acid'. Phew, it could have been me, as I was there just the previous week with Yao Shun. My heart goes out to the affected victims of the harrowing episode.

Now I know why so many Singaporean Muslims wear the Tudung, which is not an indigenous Southeast Asian religious attire, but that of many madrasahs.

There was a little discussion on Zouk and clubbing just now (as we were on our way to lunch). My two cents worth? It spoils your lungs, liver and kidneys. 'Nuff said.

Will be away for the 3D/2N SMU CIRCLE Experience from tomorrow till Thursday.

All in a Day's Work

Something about the Kodak Shop near my place. After shifting from their old location when Fairprice took over, I noticed that the quality of service has gone down the drain. It is no longer so personalised a service, and the staff have become more cocky [Ed: I shall call them TCS for The Cocky Staff].

First hint of cockiness: This is the first time at the outlet that I have been asked to operate the photocopy machine myself. And this was with an attitude "You can operate the photocopy machine yourself, you know? Self Service."(Translated from mandarin) Never mind that. The machine was set to a certain A4 mode, so I simply placed my book on the copier and pressed 'copy'. To my horror, the page came out distorted (It copied two thirds of one page and a quarter of the other). This was when TCS came over and told me sternly, that "This is the wrong mode!" Oh, right... as if I was trained in the use of the photocopy machine. Besides, TCS did not do a check prior to allowing me to photocopy my stuff.

Anyway, when it was time to pay up, TCS told me that each copy was 10 cents, which is an outrageous price to pay for a normal B&W photocopy. Even the Fujifilm outlet at the other end of Serangoon Central offers 'ROYAL WHITE' paper printing at the same price. And she said the price was "clearly stated outside (On the glass panel)" when I reeled in shock. In bewilderment, I went to take a look at the price for myself, and lo and behold, there was no mention of the B&W photocopying cost!

Oh well, a bad experience is a bad experience. 'Nuff said.

-----------

On a side note, we sent Sean off at the airport today. He's leaving for ANU where he'll spend the next three to four years stuffing himself with Fish N Chips and OZ culture. G'luck, matey! So our class was out in force (The largest group outing I have seen in YEARS! Caleb, Ivan, Shih Ling, Rui Yi, Xue Lun, Cindy and May May turned up to send our dear Sean off.)

All in a Day's Work

The matriculation exercise at SMU upped its tempo, as nearly two-thirds of Freshmen (as of Friday) are expected to turn up today or tomorrow. Am still busy with preparation for the session on the 7th as well as the current recruitment of Volunteer Managers, Logisticians and Volunteers.

On a side note, I have placed an order for my Fujitsu Tablet PC, which should be ready for collection this Friday or Saturday. In addition, I have signed myself up for SMUve, the Business and Accountancy Camps as well as several Community Outreach Programmes (Which I have put under kiv).

All in a Day's Work

It was more like a Pasar Malam to the curious passer-by. Food stalls, Crafts stalls and the touting of wares.

But the Mon Tong Durian (Golden Pillow Durian) clearly defined the all-too-familiar annual event at the Royal Thai Embassy this afternoon. I must congratulate the Embassy for taking the effort to organise an Open House to introduce Thailand and bring Thai culture to our doorsteps.

So besides the Mon Tong durian (My first time trying it, it was a little on the bland side, but was very creamy), Thai coconuts (and incredibly reasonable chocolate cone ice creams going for a buck a pop), Tom Yum kuay teow, Thai otak-otak (You get the picture), and even a sauna-bath canvas (as if it's not hot enough in the city-state already!) going for S$175.

What is a Mon Tong Durian?

"Thai durians are noted for their subtle flavour and smooth texture, often winning over gourmets who have failed to respond in other countries where the fruit grows. Three of the most popular varieties (and there are several dozen to choose from) are cha ni, kan yao, and, perhaps the most prized of all, mon thong."

Click here to find out more about Tropical Thai fruits!

---

020705

Went to Choa Chu Kang Swimming Pool with Yao Shun. There's a Wave Pool there (and another one at Jurong East and Wild Wild Wet) which operates on an hourly basis. At two bucks per entry for adults on a weekend, it's nearly twice the admission price of the one at Serangoon, but with the added facilities (such as a large water slide and a mini-waterfall at the end of the 0.6 metre pool.

Yao Shun said that the wave pool at Jurong is worth renting an inflatable, but not this one. Anyway, the pool was incredibly packed (with at least three swimming classes going on concurrently while the remaining fifty-odd leisure swimmers struggle to make the most out of the cramped confines. The presence of such a large crowd made the water evidently murky (And salty, according to yao Shun). We found a very good spot to sun tan - The round pool just beside the olympic-sized pool has the best exposure to the elements, with the added bonus of allowing just about anyone to be seated comfortably in it.

Advice: Go on weekdays, and during office hours, as it is cheaper, and you have the whole pool to yourself (well, nearly).

Fresh off the Net

BUSINESS News

Hong Leong Finance gets nod to expand into banking business

SINGAPORE: Hong Leong Finance has received approval from the Monetary Authority to expand its lending business.

From Thursday, the firm can underwrite and sell shares for companies which are listed, or which intend to be listed, on the Singapore Exchange.

It can also act as an agent for insurance policies covering general, long-term accident, and health policies governed by the Insurance Act.

Hong Leong can also sell life insurance policies governed by the Financial Advisers Act and offer foreign currency trading services.

The latest move effectively gives Hong Leong Finance a banking licence.

The company said it will continue to focus on the funding needs of small and medium enterprises in Singapore as well as heartlander consumers.

With the increase in services, it will be able to help SMEs in their regional expansion and listing plans. - CNA /dt

---

Trade ministers of Singapore, India stress mutual benefits from pact
By Channel NewsAsia's India Correspondent Vaibhav Varma

NEW DELHI : It took more than two years to work out the fine print, but Singapore and India have both come out winners.

This is the assessment of trade ministers of the two countries, who say the newly-inked comprehensive economic pact holds tremendous potential for both countries.

Trade and economic ties have been the highlight of Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's three-day visit to New Delhi.

The comprehensive economic agreement signed between leaders of the two countries opens up India's banking sector, cuts duties on more than 6,000 exports from Singapore and does away with double taxation.

Singapore's Trade and Industry Minister Lim Hng Kiang and his Indian counterpart Kamal Nath said the landmark economic pact would not only give bilateral trade an immediate boost, but also generate long-term benefits.

Mr Lim said: "We would like to attract Indian companies to use Singapore not only as a place to do business but also a base for their forays into the rest of Southeast Asia and East Asia.

"So in that sense, we see the relationship as mutually beneficial and offering tremendous opportunties for both sides."

Mr Kamal Nath, Commerce and Industry Minister of India, said: "This is, we believe, an agreement, a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement which is a win-win for both countries.

"Singapore for India is a gateway for the Asean countries. Singapore is a very important international financial centre and now over the last few years, it has become a very important investment hub for investment flows, most of all to the Asian countries."

Mutually beneficial economic opportunities and synergies are the crux of the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement.

The pact marks the beginning of a new chapter towards turning the 21st century into an Asian one. - CNA/de

Source: channelnewsasia.com

All in a Day's Work

Went back to SRJC with Jian Ming. I submitted my group's proposal to Mrs Kok, which was given the go ahead. Whee! We searched high and low for Miss Karen Ong, but couldn't seem to locate her. Oh well...

On a side note, the Drinks stall at the canteen now sells dessert. I tried the Ice Kachang, which wasn't too bad, but the ice was not finely shaved, creating a very 'rough' finish to the dessert. The new cafe beside Lecture Theatre 5 also sells reasonably priced food: More expensive than the canteen, no doubt, but drinks here cost at least half that of a cafe at Heartland Mall.

After the short visit ("Hui2 jia1 xiang1", or return to one's hometown, in Mr Philip Tan's own words), I made my way to Choa Chu Kang for my next appointment with my former campmates, including He-Who-Insisted-On-Not-Being-Named-On-My-Blog.

As I was early, I popped by World of JJ, and noticed, for the first time, that they were selling Magic:the Gathering (R) common cards for 10 cents apiece, which makes it cheaper than if I were to get it at Yishun. Hurrah! I might be going down to the Bishan branch to take a look once renovation works in the area is done.

Okay, so on to the Movie. Screening today was Initial D, which I must admit is not a very good movie. The over-emphasis on the racing scenes (There were at least four rather long racing scenes!) leaves a very much diluted storyline.

" As they are Hong Kongers adapting one of Japan's most successful comic series, there is even greater pressure on Mak and fellow director Andrew Lau. Since its launch in 1995, Initial D has sold more than 39 million copies, spawned 39 episodes of anime (Japanese animation), 23 novels and even a PS2 game. " Source: Channel Newsasia

Theme / Relevance 16%
Content / Storyline 10% (The plot was dampened by the races)
Acting / Cast 17% (There's Jay Chou, so...)
Sound / Special Effects 10% (Too much screeching of car tyres and vomiting)
Bonus / Pleasant Surprises 13%

Salvation comes in the form of the letter 'Jay': 66%

A Penny for Your Thoughts? I'll Give You My Two Cents Worth

On my Wishlist:

Fujitsu LifeBook T4010

Primary Specifications
Intel(R) Centrino(R) Mobile Technology
Intel(R) Pentium(R) M Processor 725 (1.6 GHz, 2MB Cache, 400 Mhz FSB
Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG - 802.11b/g with Dual Antenna
12.1" XGA TFT "Wide Viewing Angle"
512MB DDR333 MHz, max 2GB (Optional Upgrade to 1GB)
60GB Hard Disk space (Upgradable to 80GB)
<2kg
(Optional Upgrade to Fujitsu DVD Super Multi Drive [DVD+-R/RW/RAM])

Fujitsu Deckpower P300

Primary Specifications

Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 Processor 530 with HT Technology (3Ghz, 800Mhz FSB, 1MB L2 cache)
256MB DDR 400 MHz, max 2GB
80GB SATA HDD
DVD & CD-RW Combo Drive
Integrated Graphics (32MB VRAM on board)
Integrated Audio & 100/10Mbps LAN

Ahem, so anybody interested in sponsoring me a piece? Many thanks in advance!

Cheers!

All in a Day's Work

Was at SAFRA Mount Faber yesterday with Yao Shun, when after coming out of the arcade, we saw several ladies smiling sheepishly at us. It was only at the pool did Yao Shun ask me, "You don't watch TV, do you?"

Apparently, one of the fine ladies was Channel U's Jamie Teo. Ho ho... Well, it also seems that media-shy stars(What an irony!) usually opt for office-hours on weekdays (ulu timeslots which won't see them swamped by fanatical goggle-box teenagers or 'sign on here, there, anywhere' aunties) to go shopping/ out with friends.

All in a Day's Work

Went to Yishun SAFRA to bowl, along with Jian Ming, Darryl, Zi Rong (Who was very late as usual... :P) and Loren (who was, surprisingly, able to turn up). For the record, we played one round almost like pros, all scoring a minimum of 100 pinfalls, with numberous strikes and spares going around. :)

Dinner was at Paddy's Fish Cafe (at North Point). Crumbled Fish and calamari with potato wedges was in the order. At 6 bucks (including a salad), I reckon going Western is a worthwhile option at food courts. In comparison, a simple meal of mini-wok seafood soup can set you back more than five bucks.

All in a Day's Work

Finally found time to return to Gedong to Collect my IC. My last signature (on my clearance form) was this QM guy who was on MA (Medical Appointment) last Thursday as well as today. He was supposed to return back to camp after his MA (I was waiting at the Logistics Branch, waiting to pounce upon him... :P). In the end, I got his boss to sign it. Oh well...

There's a new Chief Clerk (who seems rather nice) and a new S3, whom I heard will be getting his crab soon.

All that waiting in vain, which was why I was late for my appointment with Loren and Jian Ming at SAFRA Mount Faber. Apparently, the medics at Nee Soon Camp also chose the same day (and time) to host some function (CoC or something) at SAFRA Mount Faber.

After a dip at the pool, we headed for the famous (according to Loren and Jian Ming anyway) Laksa stall next to CMPB. As luck might have it, the whole row of shops had closed down; the housing blocks probably slated for demolition. Instead, we went to Tiong Bahru Hawker Centre, where I tried the Yee Mian (which wasn't too bad) and Soya Beancurd with Ginko Nuts (which didn't quite complement each other, one being too sweet and the other, too bitter).

A Penny For Your Thoughts? I'll Give You My Two Cents Worth

A panel of food tasters, comprising a food critic, two food correspondents and an ex-NCC (National Cadet Corps) member came together to sample several dishes on the Singapore Association of Foodies' (Okay, not quite so) outfield menu. Their Verdict (including selected comments)?

Peranakan Style Chicken Dumpling [3/5]
GS: 'This tastes like glutinous rice so that's good. It's not too wet or dry...'
[Ed: I have tried the Dumpling Rice, and it does taste like one. However, keeping in mind outfield conditions, it is also relatively dry and somewhat oily.]

Mutton Beriani Rice [2/5]
KH: 'It's way too gooey. Is this mutton? I thought I pulled out a piece of chiecken skin.'
[Ed: As a guideline, the pastas usually taste better than their rice counterparts. My guess is that the secret lies within the seasoning. Chicken skin? :)]

Bubur Terigu with Corn [4/5]
GS: 'This tastes as good as the desserts you'll get in the food courts.'
[Ed: I had the opportunity to try out this dish even before entering the army. Is the soldier's morale booster (apart from the Cadbury and what nots) out in the jungle. Sweet but not too thick, it quenches one's thirst and fills one's stomach. Best served chilled. :P]

Pasta with Shredded Chicken [1/5]
PL: '... I can't tell it's pasta and there's not much taste to speak of.'
[Ed: I'm surprised at the strong disapproval at a Pasta dish. SFI, take note!]

Peanut with Lotus Root [3/5]
GS: '...It tastes like sugar water.'
[Ed: Sweet relief for the soldier outfield, though it is quite starchy and too thick to make it an effective thirst quencher.]

Japanese Curry Noodles with Chicken [4/5]
AY: '... This could be good enough for airline food...'
[Ed: Have not tried the dish before, but it seems that the food critics are tossing favourable comments about the curry (That it tastes LIKE curry).]

During my outfield days, I would selectively pack the rations that will help boost my morale (Meals that are tasty, that is). During BMT, it was the pasta dishes (Pasta with ham and cheese, Pasta bolognese and Satay Chicken Pasta, in that order. Satay Chicken Pasta tasted exceptionally good when heated.). Later on, it was down to the drink sachets, the desserts only, and a single packet of Khong Guan biscuits for sustenance.

(Source: The Straits Times, 19 June 2005)

All All in a Day's Work

ORD loh.

After two years and four months (After the two month reduction), I have finally ORDed. The feeling and mood of an ORD personnel is simply not present, since I was on leave and off for much of the past three months. And to top it up, ORD is not the end of emancipation from the Force. The true celebration should come in a decade's time, when I ROD.

Which is why I didn't go back to camp to collect my IC. Yet. Was actually out at Redhill with Yao Shun, for a day of Rest and Relaxation at the SAFRA Mount Faber.


























Yes, the map was deceptive. It certainly wasn't just one bus stop between the Bukit Merah Swimming Complex and SAFRA Mount Faber. After an initial fluster and three bus stops later, we were forced to seek shelter when the gloomy sky decided to pour upon us. It turned out to be passing showers, so we proceeded on to our destination.

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SAFRA Mount Faber is the latest addition to the (currently five-strong) SAFRA club family. One let down is the absence of a sauna, which can only be found at the Tampines branch. According to the website, "leisure swimmers may opt for the free-form pools at ... [SAFRA Mount Faber]... Surrounded by pleasing foliage, it is the ideal place for a relaxing swim, or a laze by the poolside." Having rushed down from home, I had forgotten to bring along my pair of goggles, and decided to buy one from the club's sports shop. The cheapest model, a $8.90 pair, was so poorly manufactured that it snapped upon wearing. So I topped up another eight bucks and got myself a more decent pair. So much for the 'cheap and good' mantra. Anyway, we spent a couple of hours lazing in the metre-deep pool. The natural look and feel of the clubhouse and its surrounding landscape makes it a good place to go for a relaxing experience.

After the dip at the pool, we went down to Sunshine Plaza for dinner. We had the wanton noodle set ($3), which came with a generous serving of wantons (I had four crispy and two non-crispy wantons). A must-try for all food enthusiasts. [82%]

Next up on our gastronomical tour was Bugis Junction Hawker Centre (Near Bugis Junction and Fu Lu Shou Complex) to try out the Lala (Shells). At four buckeroos for an overflowing plate of shells (It's spicy too, just so that you're mentally prepared!), we certainly got a bang for the buck. The 'fishy' taste that usually comes with seafood was also pleasantly absent, which made the dish all the more delicious. [80%]

After dinner, we went to the Harvey Norman outlet at SUNTEC City. Yao Shun finally made up his mind to get a new Personal Computer to replace his 266MHz one. I'm still contemplating if I should get one myself. There is always the urge to adopt a 'wait-and-see' approach to everything IT, as the mentality that prices will fall in future offsets the desire to purchase a spanking new, top-of-the-range gadget at a premium price. Oh well...

All in a Day's Work

Made a trip back to Gedong after lunch, bringing with me CHEESECAKE as bribe for the starving(but they get FREE food!), underworked, overpaid (Whoops, heh, shouldn't it be 'underpaid, overworked'? :P) inmates. After hiching a ride to the bus stop on my Senior Medic's Mazda, I was horrified to board an overflowing bus, literally a can of sardines on wheels! Thursday and Nights off day for some at Gedong. No wonder!

Anyway, the Golden Bamboo Minimart at Serangoon Central is no more! Over the past week, industry big gun NTUC Fairprice renovated the place, in preparation for the big day (which was today). After browsing through the shop, I noticed several things:

1) They do not stock up on the twin pack soya milk (only Hi-Lo milk came in twin packs).

2) The queue system was not good. With the exception of counters 1 and 2 (which were built over the former cashier spots at the now defunct Golden Bamboo outlet), the rest of the counters did not have an orderly queue system, which led to many a shove. And there was a mighty long queue inside the cramped confines of the cash-out area (A problem with its predecessor as well), while the two cashiers outside the shop hardly had any customers.

3) Golden Bamboo sent their warmest regards on Fairprice's opening in the form of two garlands. So, no hard feelings about being booted from the prime spot then? *Conspiracy Theory: Were there sweeteners handed out to Golden Bamboo in return for giving up the location to Fairprice? And why did they have to fight over the same location? Was it to compete directly with rival G'Value (which has an outlet nearby)?

4) The Fairprice outlet has a more 'spacious' feel, and the aisle are actually wider (to allow trolleys to be pushed around.

5) Oh, and they didn't have any feedback forms ready for (insert:unhappy, angry, frustrated, dissatisfied) customers. Boo!

*Disclaimer: Of course, these are just opinions based on the author's imagination, and not entirely on facts.

All in a Day's Work

Spent the day (as well as yesterday at SRJC-Heartland Mall) with the AWesome WAymakers. We went down to AWWA to finalize some details, then proceeded to the YMCA Building for the lesson on Financial Management. Chatted up two past year winners, Ian and Malcom, as well as some of the participants. I guess we learned much from the sharing session.

Thankfully the session was not packed with participants... Heh... which meant there were more refreshments for us (And they egg sandwiches were rather nice... :P)

Fresh Off the 'Net

2.8390715290765, 1.4080820618134, 0.15425144988758, 2.6669380616523, 2.9649660284921, 1.9524129804152, 3.6333192030863, 2.110387243839

Congratulations Swee Shoon, you are...

Scarlett Ting of joewei.blogspot.com

You are independent, smart and beautiful. Its too bad you don't see that yourself because life's little difficulties brought down a lot of your self confidence. As a result, you talk cryptic and you don't trust people easily. You care a lot for your friends and your loved ones, sometimes even more than you care for yourself, although they don't always seem to appreciate it. Don't let that affect you. As the saying goes, you don't miss the water till the well runs dry. So hang in there, you're a star in the making.

Which Singaporean Blogger Are You?

All in a Day's Work

Over lunch at Funan the IT Mall with Yao Shun, I chanced upon a surprising find. Within a five minute period, I spotted eight Uniformed Army Personnel (UAP) lingering around the mall and food court. And they were, naturally, commander level. In fact, I was taken aback when I first realized that there were so many UAPs in the Mall.

"Is this Funan City Camp?" I even asked aloud.

To which, Yao Shun told me that there were even more (UAPs) over at the other side of the Food Court.

We then trotted down to Bras Basah to take a look at the cheap novels and assessment books there. I managed to unravel three old issues of INQUEST at Knowledge Book Store, which were going for fifty cents a pop. Cheap! There's also a corner shop (I can't remember which one) which sells novels at a clearance price of one buck. Yes, uno shiny buckeroo! Heh, which was why I bought fifteen myself (Haha, Yup, you've heard it right). :P

After I was done with my shopping spree, Yao Shun spoke of 'LaLa' (Shells) at Bugis Hawker Centre, which we HAD to try, so off we went, stopping by Shaw Tower to try out the much talked-about Rotiboy bun, which turned out to be less 'coffee-y' than I had anticipated, but with the crispy yet melts-in-your-mouth texture that I expected.

It turned out that the stall at the Hawker Centre was closed, so we decided to dine at V8 Movie Cafe instead. The ambience there is rather soft, but the more homely environment also makes it a noise trap. With mains going for just under ten bucks, I might dine there again in future. I'd just have to bear with the uninteresting(considering the fact that it wasn't a blockbuster in any sense) silent(probably the noisy environment has to take a share of the blame as well?) movies that will be aired.


Fresh Off the 'Net

Click here to see my piggy!


You drew the pig:

Toward the top of the paper, you are positive and optimistic.
Toward the middle, you are a realist.
Toward the bottom, you are pessimistic, and have a tendency to behave negatively.

Facing left, you believe in tradition, are friendly, and remember dates (birthdays, etc.)
Facing right, you are innovative and active, but don't have a strong sense of family, nor do you remember dates
Facing front, you are direct, enjoy playing devil's advocate and neither fear nor avoid discussions.

With many details, you are analytical, cautious, and distrustful.
With few details, you are emotional and naive, they care little for details and are a risk-taker.

With less than 4 legs, they are insecure or are living through a period of major change.
With 4 legs showing, they are secure, stubborn, and stick to their ideals.

The password for the Main Gallery and Top Oinkers Gallery is "oink"

All in a Day's Work

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Dinner at Pizza Hut

Our (mostly ORD-ed) group of 9 poured into Pizza Hut, sending the service crew flustering in all directions and scrambling to set our grand table. Heh. And the feast fit for a king? Two large pizzas - Hawaiian Supreme and Aloha (which, incidentally, isn't very generous on the toppings).

The gang wanted to proceed on to rampage Kbox, but at S$20+ per person, its high ransom demanded shunned the maurading horde.

Instead, we proceeded on to something more homely: Starbucks Coffee, where we got down to sampling two cheesecakes and muffins, fully paid for by the supper fund generously provided by Yock Song.

All in a Day's Work

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Met up with Huimin and Sharon at MacDonald's (Hougang Mall) to update Sharon as well as discuss the next step for our Youth for Causes project.

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Went down to Crown International at Harbour Front to get some samples before rushing to the YMCA for a meeting with our mentors.

The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy

A re-make of the '70s classic, The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy, according to Yao Shun, comprises a cool five books. The pessimistic Marvin is what matters most to the show, from his lame (But oh-so-relevant) jokes to his apocalyptic comments. Marvin IS the show.

Theme / Relevance 14%
Content / Storyline 12%
Acting / Cast 16%
Sound / Special Effects 18%
Bonus / Pleasant Surprises 18%

Utter nonsense. But that's what makes it hilarious! Go catch it and see for yourself! 78%

All in a Day's Work

On the Lee Kong Chian Scholarship Interview

My first take at a scholarship interview (which I didn't manage quite so much to clinch, but was a thoroughly rewarding experience nevertheless) lasted the entire day. Initially a half-day group interview, it dragged on until the early evening.

There were 50 places this year, and 350 qualified applicants (Although there were some interviewees who professed that they did not apply for the scholarship at all).

We were separated into two groups and provided two different sets of questions each. Of course, all this is just play-acting, a mock-up. The real intention of the three interviewers (and two student-observers, who arrived later) was to gauge the participation level of each group, aggressiveness of each individual at driving home his point and ability to work as a team. The resulting 'presentation' was marked by hostile questions thrown at the two groups, irrelevant to the questions selected for presentation, such as why a question was chosen (We had to Choose one of two available questions to present).

Okay, so basically, the Lee Kong Chian Scholarship is SMU's most prestigous scholarship programme. To have been one of the 350 luck souls to be given the chance to vie for it? A priceless experience.

In summary,

Lee Kong Chian Scholars Programme

Funded by a grant from the Lee Foundation, the Lee Kong Chian Scholarship is available to outstanding local and foreign undergraduates studying full-time at the Singapore Management University.

Applicants for the Lee Kong Chian Scholars Programme must complete two degrees in four years. One of the degrees must be awarded by the Lee Kong Chian School of Business. The other degree can be from any one of the other three Schools in SMU.

Up to 50 Scholarships are awarded annually, each tenable for four years.

Eligibility Criteria

• Full-time SMU first year undergraduate student of any nationality.
• Outstanding academic results and SAT I score.
• Demonstrated leadership and communications skills.
• Substantial record of CCA and/or community service involvement.

Tenure and Benefits of the Scholarship Award

• The Scholarship covers tuition fees and a one-off grant for the purchase of a notebook computer (of up to $3,000), which the scholar may keep on successful completion of his/her studies.
• Scholars will receive an annual book allowance of $500.
• Scholars will participate in a funded International Student Exchange Programme with a partner university; a funded Overseas Study Mission; an International Community Service Project, a Global Issues Forum and special seminars.
• A Living Support allowance of up to $5,000 per year is available for Scholars who qualify for financial assistance.
• The Scholarship is tenable for four years.
• No bond is required under the terms of this Scholarship.

Tuition Grant Scheme

• Scholars are required to take advantage of the Tuition Grant Scheme (TGS) provided by the Singapore Government for subsidized education.
• Under the TGS, foreign scholars will be obligated to work in Singapore for a minimum period of three years upon graduation.

I did not make it past the first round (We were the last group to be interviewed, so they gave us a call later that evening to inform us if our attempt had gone through.), but the interview process has opened my mind and expectations of things to come.

It sure was a nerve-wrecking experience for someone like me who has never been to a scholarship interview, much less such a prestigous one, so I'm actually glad that such an opportunity even came my way.

All in a Day's Work

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YFC project

Our Youth-For-Causes Project Proposal was given the go-ahead, and a ceremony was held to officiate the transfer of the seed funding to the Non-Profit Organisations of the successful teams. Met up with our YMCA mentor, John Chin, as well as Erica from the American Association of Singapore, who will be mentoring our group as well.

Yock Song's Birthday

Due to an unfortunate last-minute activation, the turn-out crowd was smaller than anticipated. Met up with Dennis at Junction 8 before hitching a ride in Ban Xiong's maroon Toyota. Food was good, cake was delicious. A pity everyone left early.

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World Book Fair - The Business Week Saga Continues

Four things I am still unhappy about with Emit Asia:

1. Gifts are crap. Okay, relatively crap, as Righteous International provided me with three gifts and several magazines to take home (and hopefully subscribe to in future). That is what I call 'in the business of doing business'!
2. Pricing not flexible. They relented only after action has been done, when they could have taken pro-active measures beforehand, and before the damage was done.
3. The promised Christmas Bear Hamper is Three years overdue. And I'm still waiting (hopefully) for my gift long overdue!
4. All the above transport costs (Not including the absolute waste of time) borne by me, the customer.

Dharsh's Birthday

Was more than an hour late for the party (My apologies!) There was a nice spread of Indian crusine and refreshments, something I wouldn't get the opportunity to appreciate often.

Heh, and for the record, we share the same Birth Dates (Day, month, year... everything!).

All in a Day's Work

Lunch was at Loren's place. We whipped up a storm (Literally)... leaving the kitchen in a complete mess by the time everything was done.

Ahem, on the menu was Boneless Roast Chicken Drumstick (Loren), Omelette with Taiwanese sausage and Onions (Jian Ming and Zi Rong), and Sng (Count) with toufu.

It wasn't too bad for first time chefs like us, so we've organized another cooking session this coming Wednesday.

After lunch, I went down to the PC Show with Zi Rong. The Exhibition Hall wasn't very big, and with a quarter of the Hall set aside for food stores, it was even more squeezy.

We're eyeing the CD cleaner and repair solution ($28). He's eyeing the HP all-in-ones while I'll be placing one of those cool Korean Ultra-slim mini-CPUs on my wish-list. Oh, and the uber-cool Sony LCD too!

We adjourned to Popeyes Chicken and Biscuits at Changi Airport for dinner. A 2 piece chicken set meal (with a regular coke and 2 side dishes) was in the order. And yes, they do reruns of every spinach-lover's favourite cartoon super hero.

All in a Day's Work

World Book Fair Businessweek Saga

I recieved a call regarding my Businessweek subscription, in which I had complained of a discrepancy of nearly fifty dollars as compared to what I had paid previously. I brought proof down to them of my prior subscription price and the manager was speechless. Or at least she was not able to provide an encouraging answer, so I decided to go back to my original vendor, and after some deliberation with his boss, gave me the subscription rate at the promotional rate that was still on-going.

That was when the manager did an about-turn, and counter-offered me the same rate, which resulted in some friction between the two neighbouring firms. By default, the second company has to give in to the first one who signs up a subscriber, but heh... the final twist was about to be unleashed.

At the decisive moment, I told both parties that I would continue my subscription with BOTH firms, for a total of THREE (3) years each, with the current subscription terminating in 2006.

Looks like I'll be getting Businessweek until 2012. Someone exclaimed that I was their longest subscriber. Ever. :)

A Penny for your Thoughts? I'll Give You My Two Cents Worth

No more bunks. Just rooms.
No more book-outs. Just check-outs.
No more regimentation. Just self discipline.
No more Company, Platoon, Section. Just Group, Company (As in the business sense) and Department.

And for the first time since enlistment, we (Yes, my dear 02/03 42nd PTP Enhanced Intake) can finally whisper... "ORD loh!"

All in a Day's Work

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Met up with Zi Rong and Loren at Ang Mo Kio's Jubilee to catch the movie Monster-in-Law. Okay, so I was the one who wanted to watch it (despite the majority favouring Madagascar (Reviewed: 80%). It's a Jennifer Lopez-Jane Fonda movie on bickering in-laws-to-be. It tugs at our heartstrings. If we are to take a step back, I believe many a times we have fallen into this endless spiral of meaningless plotting, hostility and hurt. The ending is particularly Cinderella-like. In other words, a fairy tale ending. Who doesn't want a fairy tale ending to a beautiful story?

Theme / Relevance 17%
Content / Storyline 17%
Acting / Cast 16%
Sound / Special Effects 14%
Bonus / Pleasant Surprises 17%

Tit-for-tat will not build a lasting marriage. Love your in-laws like you love your spouse. 81%

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Initial plan was to Hougang Swimming pool with Jian Ming and Loren to laze around, but thanks to an incredibly unpredictable weather, it was pouring by the time we reached Hougang station, so we decided to drop by Jian Ming's place to wait for the thunderstorm to be vanquished by a master elementalist. Okay, we were just waiting for the rain to stop. Loren wanted to watch the final episode of the Semi-Devils and Demi-Gods (Tian Long Ba Bu) there, but was engaged in a teeny experience sharing by Jian Ming's Dad, which lasted till the rain subsided.

We made our way to the Swimming Pool, which wasn't crowded at all, thanks to the prior downpour. While we were soaking in the dirty, chlorine-bleaching water, I saw Sharon, my SRJC Junior and SMU Senior (Heh...). Okay, actually, she was the one who saw me. Yep, that reminds me... Our proposal for the Youth-for-Causes project was accepted, so I'd be quite busy during the June-July period.

A Penny for your Thoughts? I'll give you my Two Cents Worth

"There are three things in Life, that once gone will never come back. Words, Opportunity and Time."

Which, incidentally reminds me of a story my dad told me when I was young.

My adaptation of the story:

A Man got into a heated argument with his pal, and in a spur of the moment, said something he didn't meant to. Something that truly hurt his pal - like a thousand blades pierced through his heart.

Feeling remorseful, he decided to visit the village elder, a man of unparalleled wisdom. The village elder told him to take a box of feathers, and one by one, lay them on the road, a feet apart. All the way from the man's house to his pal's one. Then he was to turn back and retrieve all the feathers.

"That should resolve your woes."

The man did as he was told. He laid the feathers on the road, a feet apart. All the way from his house to his pal's one. But when he reached the doorstep of his pal's home, he turned around, and was horrified to see that all the feathers he had painstakingly laid had been blown away by the wind. There was not one feather left. He quickly rushed down to see the village elder to report his observations.

To which, the reply was,

"Words are like feathers. You can say whatever you like, in any way that pleases you, but if you wish to retrieve anything you say, it has already been blown away with the wind."

At that moment, it dawned on the man that the wise man was right. If he valued his friendship, he wouldn't have used such remarks on his pal, for such hurtful remarks, once said, can never be taken back. Ever.

Story by Swee Shoon. Please reproduce only with author's knowledge. Thanks.