simple me v2.0

Jet lag

2010-11-27T20:29:00.001+08:00

International travelers may feel tired and forgetful for up to a month after returning to a normal schedule because jet-lag causes long term changes in the brain, a US study said Wednesday. The finding could have wider implications for shift workers and frequent long-distance travelers, who have already been found to suffer "decreased reaction times, higher incidences of diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and cancer, and reduced fertility," the study said.

It is obvious my job is bad for health, thus a lot of justification is required if I were to stay. Currently, the only motivator is the gross pay although basic is peanuts. However what is more important for me is appreciation. No point staying on if hard work is not appreciated. All eyes will be on the appraisal and increment, then decision point in May.

As for the positives, I am actually left with a few weeks of night shift as time zips by. Normal body clock beckons......

The balance

2010-10-28T23:59:00.001+08:00

Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam has urged Singaporeans to strive for excellence instead of just being competent. “We are always in danger in Singapore of mistaking excellence for competence. Most people in Singapore are happy to be competent, above average than exceptional.” Then at the same time, nearly eight in 10 young Singaporeans suffer from mild to severe stress, according to a new health survey.

You can question my lack of ambitions but i don't strive to become tops amongst my peers because that often means trying to put others down or derive joy when somebody else gets worse off. Is that right in any way? My goal is just to be competent in what I am doing and to earn respect from my peers and subordinates. Appreciation from superiors can wait, siting back and enjoying how the games are played suits me more.

Off days finally arrived and I went for my much needed jog. Good for tummy reduction and ippt clearance. Finally booked my first ippt for this year on Saturday. More like a training for me so if i pass, it's a bonus. November is almost here so I dont actually have much time...

no end

2010-10-02T13:18:00.004+08:00

Singapore's housing prices reached a fresh record high in the third quarter as the city-state's economy booms after last year's recession. I am not too good in economics but what is the point of having an economy boom when everything gets more expensive?

Before I actually forget that I have a blog, I shall make it a point to blog when I have 3 off days in a row. I am supposed to have at least 3 off days per week but it is not happening so far. Colleagues say I should be happy with the OT pay but somehow I am more interested in the work-life balance.

There is a new challenge waiting for me when i return to work tomorrow night. Realistic or not, its a new target to be met. More to come even when what seemed impossible were to be achieved. Quite sure about that......

Floods

2010-07-17T14:24:00.003+08:00

Maturity

2010-07-08T17:04:00.004+08:00

So the world famous lucky sotong got it right again. Spain has knocked out Germany to book a place in the finals. I was backing Asian teams until Japan and Korea crashed out with their heads held high. Now I back Holland to go all the way. I thought the Dutch team deserve to end their years of trophy drought.

This post is a CPR move to save my dying blog. I finally understood why most people stop blogging actively once they start work. Off days are so precious that blogging sometimes drops off the priority list. I hopped on the weighing scale earlier in the morning and found that I actually lost weight despite eating more and exercising less. Very strange. I thought stress takes weight to the other direction?

Felt happier at work these days through the art of 苦中作乐and through the satisfaction when my team and I had a good day. However, there are still times where I feel I am mature enough for my job......

misalignment

2010-06-23T22:51:00.002+08:00

A disgruntled worker drove a car into people at the Mazda factory on Tuesday, killing one and injuring 10, stunning Japan. Sad piece of news that caught my attention. Japanese media reports said Hikiji was a contract worker who had been let go in April. Pinched by cost cutting efforts amid globalization, companies are increasingly relying on workers who are hired on less attractive contracts than regular workers, often through job-referral companies.

There is nothing wrong with getting workers to leave. If the goals and mentality of the individual and the company are not aligned, separation is the best solution. However, the blow of losing a job could be too much to handle for some. This is the point where reality is cruel. Judging from how much he hated the company, I believe Mr Hikiji would have tendered his own resignation if he can afford it.

No. This blog is not dying. Just that due to my irregular working days, I don't know when the next post will come. Adds to the randomness of the blog......

back

2010-06-12T22:59:00.000+08:00

The world cup is on and this is the world cup that Singapore is supposed to qualify for under our ambitious Goal 2010 campaign. Since we are not in, I am backing Asian teams so we might get more slots in future. South Korea just beat Greece by 2 goals to nil. Good start.

I was back from Taiwan on Friday and the trip was great. I liked the weather, the variety of food, the friendly people and the scenic views. I had an idea of showcasing our trip details on this blog but i realise it is going to be quite time consuming, so I gave it a miss. What i wish to add is they are way ahead in doing their bit for the environment. Solar modules are common and although dustbins are rare, they are always paired up with recycle bins. I am impressed by their efforts.

Coming back into reality is always painful and real work awaits me on Monday. Sigh. Tomorrow would be a busy day clearing up 4 years of notes and reading my flooding mailbox......

hurdle

2010-05-22T23:34:00.001+08:00

In the latest edition of the World Competitiveness Yearbook released by the Lausanne-based Institute for Management Development (IMD), Singapore dethroned the United States from its 16-year reign at the top. During the first quarter of 2010, Singapore’s economy grew 13.1% and China’s 11.9%, while Europe struggled with a projected growth of only 1% this year. So for those who have yet to get a job, don't worry.

I got a job, a pretty difficult one and I am sinking deep into the process of learning as much as I can in minimal time. Met an insurance agent recently and I have drawn a pie chart to divide my "take-home" income. Expenditures have been out of the norm recently. Expensive trip, backpack, camera and work essentials etc. As I speed into the new chapter, I got a rude awakening that the results are only going to be released this Thursday. I wish my coursemates for all the luck they can get. All of us shall graduate with the results we want.

I watched Shrek and it was good. Funny and meaningful as well. Do catch it. There would probably not be any post next week, unless I blog using my friend's laptop. So till then......

no disrespect

2010-05-16T22:38:00.001+08:00

I sincerely hope the situation in Thailand resolves soon not just because I want to go shopping again. I admire the redshirts for having the courage to stand up for their rights. I also pity the poor people in Bangkok who depend on tourism for their livelihood. They were supposed to be in the land of smiles, don't they?

Teachers are overworked and underpaid? I shall not judge the overworked part but saying teachers are underpaid shows a lot of disrespect to other occupations. There are people who work as hard in their equally important jobs but are poorly remunerated. The high turnover rate is probably due to the poor selection process. More often than not, they are getting teachers who are there for the money.

However, I must add that there are teachers who were there for there because they have a passion for education. I personally know a couple of them......

no "yay"

2010-05-09T11:30:00.005+08:00

So Singapore finally gets the rights to broadcast the world cup and it is going to cost consumers $66 before 31 May and $88 thereafter. This can be a case study in business schools to show how breaking the monopoly don't always benefit consumers. Only a boycott could prevent rights owners from ripping Singapore off again in the future. Think about it.

If you haven't watched the video in my previous post, do watch it. It is not just another lame video you find on this site. It is a good presentation about the Earth's limits to growth and carrying capacity. This issue was brought up 30 years ago where no one took it seriously and we have lost that much time. Some of us will be policy makers in the future and we are already consumers, so we could do our bit to help. It is already too late, but better than never.

There is totally no "yay" feeling after my papers. FYP presentation is still looming and we are struggling to get good accommodations in Taiwan. I will never ever plan a trip so late again. And yes, my company wants me to report the day after my presentations. So I can't even smell the "yay"......

good to know

2010-05-04T15:30:00.002+08:00

超人不会飞

2010-05-02T19:19:00.000+08:00

Repost with high quality. Even if you dont like the song, you might like the girl...

Think first

2010-05-02T09:44:00.001+08:00

By march 2011, the employer's contribution for CPF will raise by 1%. They are currently contributing 14.5%. We are still forced to put aside 20% of our gross salary. This remains unchanged. The CPF is definitely a great scheme for people who lack the discipline of saving but it only restricts cash flow for people who are good at managing their money.

And yes, money is always a problem especially for a poor undergraduate like me. Others, like those in the above picture, are already earning big bucks at the age of 25 while i am still studying for my last paper. Plannings for Taiwan are still underway and a comfortable trip could go up to 3k. On top of that, I am looking for a backpack and a camera. But no, I am not joining the craze for DSLRs.

I use the word "craze" because "crazy" comes from it. Bulky, expensive, heavy, noisy and you actually need more than one lens to take different kind of photos. The DSLR also has less field of focus and most of their sensors require cleaning. If you are not even pro enough to know this, forget it! For your wallet's sake, don't buy because everyone seems to own it......

超人不会飞

2010-05-01T10:01:00.000+08:00

I like...

2010-04-27T12:51:00.000+08:00

This is more than a lucky toss. Their accuracy from real deep has really improved. Sick...

is he human?

2010-04-26T11:31:00.003+08:00

He made it look like a routine jumpshot...

between papers

2010-04-25T10:08:00.001+08:00

You can click on the above picture to enlarge.

Hopes of a peaceful resolution between the Red shirts and the government diminished when talks broke down. The demonstrations which already involved grenade launchers threaten to get even worse. The bulk of the rest of the population, the Yellow shirts are increasingly annoyed by the disturbance to their livelihood. I would not be surprised to see foreign influence before a civil war erupts.

Life in the middle of an exam period feels so familiar. Stucked at home. Exercised at most once a week instead of the usual 3. Ate twice as much and more of junk food as the excess involves snacks. Ironically slept more and spent more time watching dramas and on Football manager. The rest of the time involved maximising my brain's carrying capacity.

The next time I blog, the Fluids paper would be over and there is nothing I could do about the result. Since there is no undo button in life, we are only given one chance at everything. Imagine I already went through the paper and I couldn't do the questions, but I got a chance to come back to today with future memory deleted. I would treat today as the second chance that I am grateful to get and I will not waste it.

One of the weirdest ways of motivation I must agree......

drawing boards for wade and heats

2010-04-24T11:39:00.003+08:00

The arguably second best player of the league is almost out of the playoffs. Dwyane Wade put up a fight, playing through cramps and did all he can but basketball is a game for 5. In fact, at least 8 good players are needed on rotation...

what a game

2010-04-23T22:33:00.001+08:00

Former powerhouse Bulls hosts current powerhouse Cavaliers led by king James. Cavaliers led the series by 2. The Bulls are severe underdogs here but they want to stay in the fight. The Cavaliers on the other hand, wants to seal victory fast and get some rest. What a game! They just wouldn't give up until the last second...

i love singlish

2010-04-21T18:32:00.002+08:00

the needy

2010-04-18T09:18:00.003+08:00

The world's tallest pair of duelling roller coasters, also known as the Battlestar Galatica ride will remain closed until all inspections, repairs and testings are complete. This can only be good news. It's about time the world starts to learn from the previous engineering disasters. Negligence is fatal.

My school sent a letter, urging the graduating class to donate. Funds go to bursaries, the school, or for student activities. They are already raising school fees next year. It is not that I am ungrateful but there are more deserving organizations out there which are starving for money. I just felt giving an Ipod touch to someone who already has an Iphone doesn't make any sense.

After all that whining, I actually donated $20. Not a lot. But I am super proud that I am paying for the goodie bags which the talents would queue up for......

what you missed in regular season

2010-04-16T12:41:00.003+08:00

now for the playoffs...

turmoil

2010-04-10T22:30:00.001+08:00

My favorite holiday destination is in political turmoil again. More than 130 were injured as warning shots and tear gases were fired by the soldiers. If you know their story, both the red and yellow had valid grounds and I shall not say more. I guess every city has its good and bad.

The graduate employment survey 2009 has been published. The top median monthly gross salary goes to SMU Information Systems Management at $4000. Lowest starting pay goes to NTU Art, Design and Media at $2300. Top permanent employment rate goes to NUS Nursing at 100% and Lowest employability goes to NTU Art, Design and Media at 61.7%.

Not very good news for ADM but that was last year, so this year might be different. I always believe the real competition only starts after graduation. Hats off to the scholars who deserved the head start. But here comes the chasing pack......

focus

2010-04-03T23:17:00.001+08:00

Based on impression, the English Premier League seemed to be the highest paying league by miles with so many clubs owned by money bags. However, eurosport's findings show that NBA leads the way, followed by surprise package, India's cricket league. MLB also managed to edge the EPL for the third, with NFL rounding up the top 5. So now you know why Americans don't play soccer?

I found out that I not only lost to the personality test, but also to a guy who seems to be very sloppy. For that receiving company's sake, I hope my impressions are wrong. You may smell sour grapes but all these might be good news. I got an offer from another company. Way lower remuneration but way better working conditions and environment. The main attraction is the product we will be working on.

For now, all the focus would be on the exams and my final-year-project. I hate studying. But doing it good for the last time means I would never have to study again. How cool......

whats with 3d

2010-04-03T13:09:00.001+08:00

defeated

2010-03-28T11:38:00.002+08:00

Of the 7 princesses, all 3 that i liked have left Mediacorp. So sad. I think Rui En will leave next. Looks like it's time to promote Yahui into leading roles. Anyway i have been watching Taiwanese dramas more than local ones nowadays. Simply because I do not have an hour to spare in front of my television set.

If we were not to take you, it's because the personality test shows that your motivation level drops very steeply in a short period of time. This is the message I received from the director of department at the final round of my interview. I tried defending but they seemed to trust that test a lot. So very probably, I have lost to the scanner that analyzed my shaded ovals. Pathetic isn't it?

Had a great night with steamboat, barbeque and KTV. Now it's final-year-project, revision and one more job interview next week. Jia you, jia you, jia you......

chance

2010-03-21T14:01:00.000+08:00

Another man jumped off the Tanah Merah platform yesterday afternoon. This might lead to more construction of the platform screen doors which are already in operation at Jurong East, Yishun and Pasir Ris. I support the construction, not to prevent the suicides, but to prevent commuters from being pushed down.

I was almost a victim at Jurong East during one of those crowded mornings. I felt like giving those idiots black eyes but i didn't of course. Singaporeans can really be very inconsiderate. Getting up that train at the expense of killing someone else seems alright to them. This reminds me of those irritating commuters who simply refuse to move to the back of the bus, allowing room for more passengers to get up.

Looks like when you keep knocking, some doors will open. Going for a round 2 tomorrow and another round 1. Yes, please wish me luck. I need all of them......

funny interesting meaningful

2010-03-21T12:18:00.000+08:00

evolution

2010-03-13T23:09:00.001+08:00

Michael Schumacher ranks with Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan and Usain Bolt. You dont have to know their sport to know them. I have been following F1 a little since Singapore hosts a race leg and Schumacher is coming back this season. It's great to have a legend on the track but I am unsure if he will make any kind of impact. The sport have changed a great deal since he left.

I am not writng about Mr Neo but I want to add my few cents worth about fidelity. There are 2 types of guys in this world. Type 1 is your flamboyant smooth talker who always seems to have his way with girls. Type 2 is your dull guy who is rarely in the foreground of social gatherings.

Assuming there is no difference in looks or potential wealth, girls tend to pick the Type 1s. So by evolution, the type 2s will want to change themselves to be more like type 1s. This could explain how fidelity is eroding in today's world. The type 2s who are becoming endangered, could actually be nature's best gift to girls who want their man to stay loyal.

If in anyway this sounds like a personal advertisement or a lamentation of my past grievances, no it's not. Currently I am more interested in finishing my course and getting a nice job to kickstart the most important part of my life. Wish me luck......

up in the air

2010-03-07T11:57:00.004+08:00

A South Korean married couple knew each other through an internet chat site. They were both obsessed with a role playing game where they virtually raise a girl. Weird enough but it still sounds okay until the part where they accidentally killed their real daughter after forgetting to feed her. They were too engrossed with nurturing a virtual girl at the expense of neglecting their real 3-month-old daughter. Thats very sad.

Watched "Up in the air" last night. I love how the movie was made. Nothing fanciful. Just good story telling with the right casting. I feel it is somewhat similar to the animation winner "Up". Imagine living to your philosophy and enjoying it, convinced that this is the way you want to spend your days.

Then came something that threatens to change your way of life, for the better maybe. You finally made the big decision to pursue your new direction, only to realise that it wasn't what it seems to be. Nothing more than a bad prank. The result? Neither here nor there, up in the air.

Singapore lost 2-1 to Jordan and failed to qualify for the Asian Cup. So near yet so far. Near because we are only one goal away and far because we are simply not good enough. Time to bring in fresher legs and build a team round Harun. Bright future ahead......

a captain's duty

2010-03-01T23:09:00.002+08:00

priceless or priceless

2010-02-27T23:44:00.005+08:00

Petra diamonds sold a 507-carat diamond for $35.3 million on Friday, breaking a record for the highest price ever paid for a rough diamond. This price made a lot of things look cheap. I would only rate it as some stone, which would later be processed to created a total internal reflection, trapping light that pass through it. The same thing can be done to cubic zirconia, which is very much cheaper.

A lot of things in this world is over-priced because of weird demands. Why are diamonds considered a luxury? Probably because the rich and famous wears them. Want other examples? How about abalone? I wouldn't say they taste awful but I feel most people can do without it. So why arn't they as cheap as button mushrooms which i would rather have? The common believe is that abalones are hard to harvest. But no. The job merely involves walking round the farm. It beats me.

Our national soccer team is in Jordan, preparing for their crucial Asian Cup qualifying match. A victory might bring us to the finals in Doha for the first time in history. Looking forward to Wednesday night 2355hrs......

criticism

2010-02-20T18:28:00.006+08:00

Renowned action choreographer Yuen Woo-Ping believes Jay Chou has all it takes to be in the same league as Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Donnie Yen. If the comments are made to stir up box office returns for "True Legend", fair enough. But he is serious about it, I am amused. I watched "True Legend" and i am a fan of Jay, so you got to believe me.

This brings me to the topic of taking criticism. In life, we are bound to meet arrogant people who think they are the king of the world. Some derive pleasure from jabbing at our weaknesses and our composure at that spear end is crucial. Retaliating or any sign of irritation merely increases the margin of defeat as they are probably right. Looks like laughing it off is the best bet. Let them take the lead. The game doesn't end at that instant. I am not encouraging a "tit for tat" but use that anger as a drive. Criticism provides the best motivation for improvement.

No. Please don't take it as I met a lot of arrogant people during the new year period. You know my posts are random. In fact I enjoyed the new year weekend. I think i am really going to "huat" because I "lao(ed) yu sheng" twice. Let's all "huat" together......

a night at the emirates

2010-02-16T14:35:00.003+08:00

lunar new year

2010-02-13T19:18:00.005+08:00

A happy lunar new year and Valentine's day to you! I feel bloated after my reunion dinner for 3. I told myself not to over-eat this festive period but i did just that even before I even start visiting. There is totally no new year feeling this year. Kind of sad but I actually hope that this is just a normal long weekend, so I can do the things I want to do, and those that i need to do, like the FYP stuff.

Other than the money, my part time job allows me to brush up my conversational English. Coming to think of it, besides speaking to my FYP professor and random strangers when the need arises, I rarely speak English outside work. Over the years, I believe there is improvement but I am still not good enough. I was one of the quiet ones at a pub with my colleagues weeks ago, and it wasn't because I have got nothing to say. Sometimes I am just not fast enough to put my thoughts into words. That's sad.

Like I said, I am not looking forward to the routine, boring visits but I hope the events in the next few days will prove me wrong. And yes, feast in moderation......

church wedding 2

2010-02-07T09:59:00.003+08:00

A good week for Singapore football this is. Our nation is represented again in this year's world cup. This time it's by assistant referee Jeffery Goh who had experience of running down the lines of an AFC Champions League final. Secondly, Singapore's longest serving and best ever coach Radojko Avramovic extends his contract to 2012. Finally, SAFFC edged out Thai club Muang Thong United on penalties last night to qualify for the group stages of this year's AFC Champions League.

So a second member of my upper secondary class got married. I was a little hesitant when asked to help out with the ushering but was glad that I eventually agreed. His church wedding is much less solemn than the previous one I attended. I guess it depends on the Pastor. From what I see, the groom is a changed man. It looks like marriage does change a man.

At the dinner, i was a little cagey as he didn't invite a lot of our common friends and of those invited, I haven't been seeing some of them for years. However, as the night goes on, we got along well and it was a good reunion. The food was good as well. It seems like some of them are tying the knot soon. So till then......

who wins

2010-01-30T22:24:00.006+08:00

The world cup is round the corner and Singaporeans might not be able to catch it on their tv screens. Singtel and Starhub had their horns locked in the bidding war and now a British company is coming into a picture. Perform Group is looking to broadcast the world cup in Singapore through a pay per view website.

This is getting ridiculous. It all started with Singtel's monstrous bid for the exclusive bpl broadcasting rights. Now every organisation is queueing up to rip us off. Countries like Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia has been able to broadcast previous world cups free to air. The culprit has to be pay tv.

Come June, I am predicting heavy traffic on free live-streaming websites that are readily available. You can say it not ethical as it breaches copyright issues and all but dont we have the rights to retaliate someone holds you at gun point? For me, I am more concerned if Mediacorp is going to show the match between Jordan vs Singapore live in March. I easily derive more pleasure when watch our lions play......

the nagger

2010-01-23T20:14:00.005+08:00

McDonald's is selling soft toys depicting the 12 Chinese zodiac signs this month. In an attempt to avoid conflict with the Muslims, they left out the pig and replaced it with a cupid. There is valid grounds for that as valentine's day will fall on the same day as the lunar new year.

However, this move backfired as the fast food chain is ready to bring the pig back into the toys line-up under a limelight. This turn around happened when several Chinese consumers complained about the missing zodiac sign. Singapore has done a good job in maintaining racial harmony but I feel we might be overdoing it at times. It is just a toy. It is only sensitive if you want to be sensitive about it.

Yes I am really quite an irritating friend. I have been talking bad about people behind their backs and I can be a real nag. I have been getting people to exercise weekly, to visit the dentist, to think twice before spending and to stop drinking coke. And I am going to continue that. Ha. Endure folks, it's for your own good......

ambition

2010-01-17T12:09:00.003+08:00

In a survey that involved kids aged from 7 to 14, being a lawyer turned out to be the coolest job for the second year running. Also in the mix are careers as a teacher, doctor and with the police force. I bet when they get exposed to more jobs, their dream job will change. I used to want to be a double decker bus driver. Lack of ambition is evident.

I do not see myself as ambitious now. It is just that I have realised the importance of getting a good job with good steady income. Money is essential to my goal in life, which is comfortable living. Monetary issues aside, I want to be successful in my career. For the sake of my personal pride, I want to outdo peers who get better honours from easier courses. The class distribution is not the same. I have never heard of anyone from SPMS who has a GPA of less than 4. Let me know if I am wrong.

There is something else I want to improve about myself. Time management. I have only 4 modules this semester but I am still fighting for time. I worked 3 nights last week and will be working 3 nights the coming week but I am not going to allow work to affect my results and FYP. I must optimise my time usage......

disastrous refereeing

2010-01-09T20:54:00.007+08:00

A 44-year-old man, CEO of YTL Pacific Star, lost his life after his liposuction treatment. That was some piece of unfortunate news. A friend once shared her theory about the link between wealth and weight. Browsing examples around me, I admit she had a point there but most people end up fat anyway. It could be the genes, stress, beer or the lack of exercise, not really wealth.

We were at the National Stadium for an important soccer match between Singapore and Iran. Our national side were the better team for long periods and could have gotten a draw if not for some amazingly bad decisions from the mainlander referee. To make things worse, the dirty Iranian team took advantage of the bad refereeing and dived into every tackle. I went home with a hoarse throat as I was cursing whole night long. Defeat means we must now beat Jordan and I believe we can.

Since Bangkok, I managed to meet up with most of my friends and visited Kbox. Next week, it is going to be boring school and FYP again. I will be back working at night after 2 months and I suspect there is going to be a lot of changes. Will find out come Monday night......

2010

2010-01-02T20:24:00.008+08:00

My last movie of 2009 is Sherlock Holmes at Bangkok's Centralworld. The comfort level of that theatre beats GV Max Vivo City hands down. I fell asleep and missed the initial part of the show but it wasn't because the movie was boring. It was the seat, or rather bed and my accumulated tiredness. One movie we can expect in 2010 is Iron Man 2 featuring "Sherlock Holmes"(Robert Downey Jr.)

In my attempt to project a more professional image in the new year, this blog must follow suit. From this post onwards, you will finally see capital letters where they are supposed to appear and the grammar will be correct as far as possible. This will increase my time spent on blogging but i shall treat it as training for the tonnes of email I might have to type out daily when I start work.

2010 is a big year for me where I will get out of sheltered life and set to kickstart my career. Time has been spent to think about the career path I am looking for, the kind of insurance plan I will need and the investments I plan to do. It is good to know what I want to achieve in my first few years of working life, so even if I am going with the flow, I know I will be flowing in the right direction.

If there is anything i want to change about myself in the coming year, I want to be less absent-minded. I want to be seen as a person whom my future employers or whoever knows me can rely on......

alive again

2009-12-19T22:38:00.008+08:00

the integrated resorts will be ready real soon and i feel it might cause social problems. stuck under the same roof while dodging rain in the jungle, a guy beside me was boasting about how he managed to earn a few hundred dollars a day in casinos overseas. the more he elaborated, the less convincing he sounds. he is just one of the many locals who cant wait to turn up regularly for donations.

our defence force took 7 days of my life away just like that. i am suddenly motivated to earn big bucks soon, so as to make them feel stupid by paying me to laze around. the only gain from this reservist though, is actually the little allowance they are paying me. have been in the red for a few months so that really helps. still not sure if my part time contract is going to be renewed next year. hopes are not high.

so my holiday finally starts. besides the dreaded fyp, i shall embrace football manager, dramas 那一年的幸福時光 and white collar, movies online and will try to keep fit. i shall read up too. i have a few months to learn financial management before by first pay check......

another semester down

2009-12-12T23:07:00.008+08:00

tiger woods is leaving professional golf and there is no return date set. i dont really follow golf but the scene would definitely miss a great player. my exams are over but there are no celebrations. the defence force is zapping up days of my life and i have yet to finish my interim fyp report. no fun yet.

now for the sequel of examination hall happenings. i was distracted for the whole duration of my last paper. it was a specialisation module and there were only 12 of us. so our 2 lecturers were walking round and round our row and spying on our work. this is not the main distraction though. to my right is a cute girl taking another module.

that was still not the main distraction. the girl's lecturer would always end his rounds beside her. he would look at what she has written and occasionally asks her to check her work. it became more blatant towards the end when he actually asks the girl why is she not using the other method. he was loud enough to attract quite a lot of stares. my guess is that the girl was a repeat student and really needed to pass that module. if not, i leave it to your imaginations.

i was aiming at some on-sale polo tees going for 2 at 48 a few weeks ago. now they are going for 3 at 59. i intend to wait till i am back from bangkok but if the prices bounce back i would eat my hand. i am going to jog in the camp next week if we are not booking out. i am not going to let them burn my time like that. go team singapore in the sea games......

if he isnt cheating, thats sick

2009-12-09T23:53:00.000+08:00

i knew i loved you

2009-12-08T20:15:00.000+08:00

arsenal 2 - 0 stoke

2009-12-06T18:33:00.000+08:00

Arsenal v Stoke City
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integrity

2009-12-06T08:44:00.008+08:00

it has been an unlucky patch for tiger woods. as if the car crash wasnt bad enough, now his scandals are unearthed. rich men like him are bound to be flocked by pretty attractions and its a matter of control. i dont think i would ever get that rich, but if i ever get married, it means i am ready to resist all other temptations. by the way both mr woods and fellow front-page hogger henry stars in gillette advertisements. coincidence.

i need to complain again. a mainlander who was taking a paper beside me rose his hand to get attention. no he wasnt trying to enquire about a question. he said he wasnt feeling well and asked if he could go see the doctor. he was escorted to the medical centre thereafter. well, this semester's questions are rather unconventional.

lots of people take leave for papers when they feel they couldnt make it. but mainlanders are up a notch. they see the questions before taking medical leave. and in the end only results matter. integrity dont worth a fish. and we actually paid for these talents' education to replace us.

however, i have to add that if the person mentioned was really sick, i sincerely apologise for the above comments. taking one module all over again in the next semester because of illness wasnt fun at all. get well soon.

most people are done while i still have 2 papers. good week as a sports fan though. knicks won a couple, arsenal won, blackburn beat chelsea and held liverpool but the young lions threw away a 2 goal advantage and got held by the indonesians. should be able to qualify though......

take me to your heart

2009-12-04T11:51:00.001+08:00

blackburn 3* - 3 chelsea

2009-12-03T17:42:00.000+08:00

Blackburn Rovers v Chelsea
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thats why (you go away)

2009-12-02T18:51:00.002+08:00

chart-toppers then, now classics

cash flow

2009-11-28T22:56:00.004+08:00

investors all over the world dump shares on friday after dubai requested to suspend loan payments for 6 months. hello. the oil boys should really think twice before doing anything funny. the economy is supposed to bounce back by next year, so that i can get a good job when i graduate.

i have suspended my part time job since mid october. and duties to serve the nation plus fyp commitments means i dont really have time to work in the december holidays either. cash-strapped but it looks like i cannot postpone my need of a new cpu anymore. i have to get one after exams before this one crashes on me. (choy!) it is showing signs.

if our bangkok trip can finally happen, i need to spend smart. other than tailoring shirts, i need a belt. a wallet? a leather sling bag? from here in singapore, i need a pair of nice leather shoes and some good polo tees. can wait for the post christmas sale though......

impressive

2009-11-26T14:50:00.001+08:00

thailand 0 - 1 singapore

2009-11-21T23:45:00.002+08:00

what the fish

2009-11-21T22:56:00.006+08:00

jackie chan may be a daredevil in his movies but he is afraid of needles. i used to hate needles but since becoming a medic and after several blood donations i am ok. however, when our defence force rounded us up for refresher again, i cant help but curse them. i really dont like the idea of giving each other intravenous infusions.

doing that in nsf days are still ok as most of us are good at it. come on. the medical officers who pen the directives should know regular vein damage is no good. with some exaggeration, this can be compared to using each other as targets in at the range during marksmanship training. i dont think nurses in the polytechnics are trained this way. the training(fake) arms are realistic enough arnt they.

now that they added 2 days to my ict in such a short notice, i have to write my interim report in-between my papers. our defence force totally sharks. by the way we beat the thais 0 - 1 in bangkok and overtook them to the second qualifying spot. revenge in sweet but qualifying is still a long way to go......

ouch

2009-11-17T14:29:00.000+08:00

pigeon impossible

2009-11-16T13:17:00.000+08:00

arsenal's title hopes ruined by italy

2009-11-15T13:20:00.000+08:00

2012

2009-11-14T22:53:00.005+08:00

in a chinese dating competition that hopes to matchmake rich bachelors, the men must possess at least 10m yuan in assets. female applicants need to be pretty and educated. the turnout, 8 male and 2000 female applicants. there is something we can draw from this. they are not a lot of rich bachelors around, simply because women (at least that 2000) obviously would prefer to marry someone rich. haha. nothing wrong with that though.

so the next time we hear people ruling out the possibility of doomsday 2012, it might just be a lie to keep us calm. 2012 is one great movie. but to be honest, i wasnt having the best of time in the cinema. watching people die in the most catastrophic ways for 158 minutes isnt really my cup of tea. no eye candies in this one unless you are a pedophile but it is totally worth the money. for me, it outshone the rest of the end-of-the-world movies.

so the thais walked away 3-1 winners and but it was an entertaining game. we arnt at our best especially in the first half and it could have gone either way if we manage to bring it to 1-1. i can sense that coach reddy is as frustrated as i am. it is not just a defeat. it is a lost chance to restore national faith in the only football team we can call ours......

those helpful people

2009-11-07T22:39:00.009+08:00

a 23-year-old indian man confronted his 18-year-old girlfriend at knife point after witnessing her with another man. the girlfriend confessed that she cheated on him because the other man was better in bed. the girlfriend was then stabbed to death. shocking isnt it? I thought it was some foreign story but it actually happened in singapore. these people are actually younger than me, and they are having so much drama in their lives. i am not jealous though.

those insurance people or financial advisers at boon lay interchange just got better. first they made use of the natural law of attraction by getting female agents to approach guys, vice versa. second, they are aggressive. they keep up with your pace even when you try to walk fast. some even grabbed my upper arm. third, they got tonnes of tricks up their sleeves. one said she just wanted to take my photo to enter some competition.

however, i have been able to escape whatever they throw at me by saying i am in a rush or by not slowing down. but on one fateful day, i suffered my first defeat since army days.

i saw this girl approaching me so i tried to walk slightly wide towards the right and it turned out to be a wrong move. i was too close to the railings of a queue area. she overtook me and i was cornered. i could have done a rugby feint to get away but that would be deemed rude. it didnt help that she happen to look like the kind of girl i would go after. haha. so i surrendered.

she started off with a short survey about jurong point and i let my guard down. i thought she wasnt one of those people but gradually the standard questions about saving habits started to come. she is good in the sense that she made everything sound like a small talk. she talked about her undergrad days, obviously trying to strike a common topic. asked if i stay in the halls and why not. said i looked like i play soccer etc. she touched my arm several times during the conversation and i was totally defeated.

here came the interesting part. when asked for my number, i am programmed to write a number that has one digit wrong and i usually get away with that. i apologize to the owner of that number as i have written it several times. but this girl stunned me by immediately saving the number into her mobile phone. thereafter she dialed "my number" to give me a missed call. of course my phone didnt ring and i have to correct my "accidental" mistake. before i go she tested if i can remember her name and said that we can actually be friends.

i always believe that when something seems too good to be true, it is too good to be true. she is a just nice girl who is trying to make sure that she is first on your list when you need financial advice. mission accomplished in most of her targets i think.

by the way i just watched xiao jing teng perform on the sinagpore hit awards. awesome is the word......

arsenal 4 - 1 az

2009-11-05T18:11:00.000+08:00

Arsenal v AZ
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i smell the end

2009-10-31T23:10:00.003+08:00

xiao jing teng's poor tooth hygiene left him with lots of cavities and a painful trip to the dentist. sounds familiar? haha. i think he is in worse shape as he claims to love candies hates brushing teeth. me on the contrary hates candies (except clorets) and dont mind brushing twice a day. nonetheless, he is still one of my favourite singers. he seemed to give an unique touch to any song he sings.

exams are round the corner and i am not peeping. I hate group assignments. just wrapped up my qa assignment. wrote the conclusion and did the formatting as i dont see anyone volunteering. this is the best way we should attack a group assignment though. meet once. decide on the outlines and delegate tasks. somebody (if not me who) will then consolidate and do the formatting.

this is how the many assignments in a semester are slayed. leaving out monstrous tasks like mechanical design and analysis, the rest of the group assignments are less pain provided each member does satisfactory work. i must admit we are all guilty of giving unsatisfactory work. why? does my msn nick ring a bell? too many thing to do; too little time......

盜版之王

2009-10-31T18:54:00.004+08:00

arsenal 2 - 1 liverpool

2009-10-30T00:24:00.001+08:00

Arsenal v Liverpool
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blackburn 5 - 2 peterborough

2009-10-30T00:08:00.000+08:00

Blackburn Rovers v Peterborough United
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snorts of air between long dives

2009-10-25T10:10:00.003+08:00

less than a month to exams and busy is the word. i have got a knee injury and i have no idea how i got it. my right knee hurts since the bus ride home on friday. swimming and jogging is suspended for the time being and i am quite uncomfortable about that. i dont like my routine broken.

I have moved on to a new drama - 那一年的幸福時光. i dont think i would like all taiwanese dramas but so far what i chosen to watch didnt disappoint. this one is about a pair of countryside siblings growing up, looking for what they want in life. the elder brother is quite a loser and i am quite curious how he will end up. totally humorous, heart-warming and not short of eye candies.

meanwhile i am trying to fill my brains with stuff outside engineering. my new bedtime book is freakonomics. it is an interesting book that explains the hidden side of everything......

knicks 94 - 92 nets

2009-10-22T23:53:00.001+08:00

celtic 103 - 108 knicks

2009-10-21T23:05:00.001+08:00

pixar parody

2009-10-21T22:54:00.000+08:00

kung fu bao

2009-10-19T19:22:00.001+08:00

blackburn 3 - 2 burnley

2009-10-19T14:49:00.001+08:00

Blackburn Rovers v Burnley
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maccabi 91 - 106 knicks

2009-10-19T09:06:00.000+08:00

where is my assorted nuts?

2009-10-18T10:44:00.006+08:00

i donated blood last tuesday and i am totally annoyed by the school's red cross society. first, the venue is at the old canteen A. sanitation is totally compromised. i can smell people eating "ban mian". imagine that. ventilation is totally poor. the hsa nurse is complaining to me that she is sweating like mad.

the queue system is totally screwed as well. tonnes of people who came later got to go before me and i got to go before some who came earlier. the 2 girls who were managing the queue are totally blur. i am not defending them even when one of them is quite cute. what is the point of asking for the preferred hand when they often send people to the wrong side. 2 hours of my break burnt. finally, there are no freebies! i am not a noble blood donor who just want to save lives. where is my pack of delicious assorted nuts! haha.

and yes i am one of those who will periodically run all versions of my name through search engines. fish! this blog appears on the first page at yahoo sg. there is totally no trace of my name on this blog. i totally regretted installing ie8 from the yahoo source. i subscribed to this blog using my yahoo mail and they must be phishing my information. sharks!

lets face it. young hr personals will try to find your facebook account and google your name. i hope they stick to google. if not they will find out that i donate blood for assorted nuts. thats bad......

nets 89 - 93 knicks

2009-10-17T13:03:00.000+08:00

rosicky against poland

2009-10-15T18:38:00.000+08:00

psle

2009-10-11T10:43:00.004+08:00

the slackest module ever - professional communication is almost over. we wore a tie for the presentation and i must admit i enjoyed wearing the tie. haha. meanwhile this is the busiest weekend ever. i am 2/3 through an assignment which is worth 30%. i have to finish it by today as there are more things waiting for me.

i have been helping my colleague with primary school maths questions and yes they are challenging. they can be solved using algebra but the tricky part is conveying the solution in "non algebra" methods. parents are making noise over the following psle maths question:

Jim bought some chocolates and gave half of it to Ken. Ken bought some sweets and gave half of it to Jim. Jim ate 12 sweets and Ken ate 18 chocolates. The ratio of Jim’s sweets to chocolates became 1:7 and the ratio of Ken’s sweets to chocolates became 1:4. How many sweets did Ken buy?

i tried using algebra and my answer is 68. tough but i dont think there is anything wrong with hard exam questions since parents over-prepare their kids anyway. that is only their first important exam. soon they will realise easy papers penalise those who are careless while tough papers benefit those who are smart. if they are like me, careless and not smart at the same time, good luck in their future endeavours......

nets 107 - 115 knicks

2009-10-05T08:02:00.002+08:00

i can really walk man, only if i have to

2009-10-04T09:53:00.011+08:00

this poster make a lot of sense. santa gives more to rich kids than poor kids. because rich parents can afford more that is. as for the joy of receiving the gifts, additional posh toys on the overflowing display shelf for the rich kid can never be compared to an occasional less attractive toy for the poor kid.

hunting down the things i need for fyp is no easy feat. i started from sungei road and walked the whole stretch of jalan besar, before i hit lavender street where i found the rare shop in singapore that sells shellac flakes and methanol. i count myself lucky enough to be able to get these things. now my proposed method better work cause the stuff needed for plan b are harder to find.

after a long train ride with 1 gallon of methanol, looking like a terrorist, i was dead tired and hungry so i had lunch at burger king. the bbq turkey bacon cheese tendergrill was totally delicious and i was observing a group of ah-bengs a glass wall away. the way they sit, the way they shake their legs, they way they gesticulate, their distasteful hair styles and tattoos, and yet they are beaming with confidence. there is something from all kinds of people that i can learn from......

arsene wenger tribute

2009-10-02T20:04:00.001+08:00

it was never a recess week anyway

2009-09-27T10:17:00.003+08:00

this is the first weekend this season where both arsenal and blackburn won. ten men blackburn stunned villa through a david dunn penalty and arsenal won away at fulham through the heroics of 21-year-old italian goalkeeper vito mannone. it was the f1 weekend of course and i enjoyed watching the qualifying yesterday. interesting sport indeed.

cleaned my upper teeth last friday and dentist didnt lie. it was a torturous experience and i am so glad it was over. i need to go back next thursday for more filling but as long as it is not cleaning i am perfectly ok. now i am pondering. maybe i should wait till i start work and use the dental allowance instead of visiting again just before i graduate.

yes the recess week is never a rest week i know. but this one is a little too busy? tonnes of work to complete and the things i need for fyp is not easy to find. even jy's "shop that sells everything" couldnt help......

arsenal 4 - 0 wigan

2009-09-20T18:04:00.000+08:00

Arsenal v Wigan Athletic
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inglourious basterds

2009-09-20T10:25:00.004+08:00

dont be offended by the picture hor. it is meant to be cute, not to be vulgar. watching a movie with a rather vulgar title tonight. inglourious basterds - a group of jewish-american soldiers chosen to spread fear throughout the third reich by killing nazis brutally. staring brad pitt and odds on to be a best picture nominee.

gone through 2 tests this semester. did great for the 1st one but it is only 10%. did bad for the 2nd one and i am not sure about the weightage. at least 20% i feel. a massive disappointment but i am not giving up. it is not over until it is over. not like i am chasing the next class, but more like i want to finish my undergraduate days on a high. for personal pride that is.

i need luck to shine on me. or it already did, and i am just not contented enough to realise......

the worst job?

2009-09-15T08:27:00.001+08:00

blackburn 3 - 1 wolves

2009-09-13T15:18:00.000+08:00

Blackburn Rovers v Wolverhampton Wanderers
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the dental experience

2009-09-13T09:53:00.002+08:00

things to be done has come to a saturation point. it helps that i sleep a little later now so i have slightly more time. i sleep just after midnight nowadays because the earliest i have to wake up is 730. i have limited football manager to fridays but i have a new indulgence. 比赛开始 is a super nice, heart warming drama. i can only afford to watch part of an episode daily though.

yes i visited the dentist after 7 years. after secondary school that is. as expected, i have some decays. so last friday, i got my lower teeth cleaned and one tooth filled. damage $70. next appointment 25 sep, 1pm for the cleaning of upper teeth and more filling. mr dentist warned that cleaning the upper teeth is more painful. that is some news as cleaning my lower tooth was already a horrible, bloody experience. i would probably need at least 3 sessions to return to a good dental condition.

i can only blame myself for not visiting the dentist for so long. yet i am very glad that i finally dragged my feet to one. after this string of horrific experiences, i vow to visit the dentist again in 6 months before i graduate. i cross my heart......

the return of arsenal?

2009-09-09T23:19:00.002+08:00

Arsenal 09/10 - The Response from Andrew Chan on Vimeo.

tough times

2009-09-06T10:00:00.003+08:00

raining for two consecutive sundays. whoever is in charged of when to rain seemed to want me to put on weight. ha. somehow i am only free to jog on sunday mornings and there is a need to burn alway all the fillet doubles and mega mcspicys that i have had since school starts. hopefully next sunday is sunny.

we are officially into the busy part of this semester. the first of the tests is coming up on tuesday and i will spend the rest of the day studying. completed one assignment yesterday but there is 3 more to go. then there is always fyp. like what i told the rest: the fyp is going to haunt us week in week out until we graduate, so get used to it.

i have 2 night sessions this week. the boss seemed to have conveniently forgotten that i can only afford to do one session per week. this is totally the wrong week to give me 2 sessions. i suspect i wont have enough sleep this week......

hitler on chelsea situation

2009-09-06T09:50:00.000+08:00

top 10 knicks plays last season

2009-08-30T15:38:00.001+08:00

farewell auntie cl

2009-08-30T09:47:00.006+08:00

it has been a rainy week and it rained again this sunday morning. thought of jogging in the rain but decided not to risk it when i got downstairs. falling sick during school term is so not fun. just realised most of the modules this semester requires a great deal of memorising and understanding some very complicated stuff. tough times ahead.

weeks ago, i mentioned that a close friend of my mum is down with cancer. on tuesday, i received a call from her daughter to inform my mum that auntie cl has passed away. it was sad news but also a relief as i heard her last few days wasnt very comfortable. she insisted on not going to the hospital as she couldnt bare to leave her 3 children. so on tuesday her 3 children saw her take the last breath.

i havent been visiting her since i grew up but when i happen to run into her months ago, she recognises me and is still the kind and soft-spoken auntie that i know. what we all didnt know, is that she already knew about her cancer then and has been keeping it to herself. according to my mum, a wheelchair-bound lady weeped her eyes red at the wake. her neighbour, auntie cl volunteered to help her do the groceries daily, for years until she couldnt do it anymore. like everyone else, she only knew about the cancer at the terminal stage. the world lost a very good person.

went to redhill on wednesday and renewed our contract. it was only up to 31 december and there are plans to lower our pay after that. well, most of them didnt like the news. but for me, i wont have much chance to work there anyway so we will see what happens after december. the usual beer, chicken wings and fries gathering after that was enjoyable. probably because somehow the one who matters, still matters......

tan hong ming

2009-08-27T21:13:00.001+08:00

real life transformers

2009-08-25T20:34:00.001+08:00

arsenal 4 - 1 portsmouth

2009-08-23T14:15:00.001+08:00

Arsenal v Portsmouth
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so not fun

2009-08-22T22:59:00.005+08:00

after 2 weeks of school, it seems like the killers for this semester are the 4011 project and fyp. i am still feeling the inertia to study and i better adapt fast. i intentionally arranged to meet my professor on monday instead of friday again so that i will be forced to do my research during the weekend.

received yet another wedding invitation from a friend. this time its a wedding dinner in october but i might not want to attend. the reason being there is not much common friends attending and i am not really close to the common friends now. i know thats not a valid reason thats why i dont know how to decline the invitation. ha. by the way one of my cousins is having her wedding dinner soon in september as well. looks like this is a good year to get married.

i expect the next few weeks to be very boring as school work kicks in. contract renewal at redhill next week. wonder if they still want a periodic worker like me......

celtic 0 - 2 arsenal

2009-08-19T18:46:00.002+08:00

View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

fabregas versus everton

2009-08-18T22:02:00.000+08:00

Fabregas Vs Everton - The funniest videos are a click away

everton 1 - 6 arsenal

2009-08-16T14:31:00.001+08:00

Everton v Arsenal
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final year

2009-08-16T10:15:00.009+08:00

so i am in my final year. not just the final year in ntu but probably this is my last year as a student. got to finalise modules for this semester and draw out the scope for fyp by this week. my dear professor is a nice guy but it seems like he is not very willing to get involved with my project. when i ask if my suggestion is ok, he would go "well, up to you!" 50% of the time. smells like trouble.

travelled 23 mrt stops to attend a muslim wedding yesterday. it was very different from the previous muslim wedding i attended. most of the guests just came, ate and went off. we were late as it took some time for us to find the place. so when we finally arrived, the people we know are about to leave. thus the 4 of us said hi to the groom, grabbed some food and sat down at a corner. the food wasnt fantastic and it was a little too noisy to talk so we moved on to starbucks at one of the many malls in tampines. the day ended with l and i walking round tampines 1 after the other 2 left. boring lar. wouldnt go to tampines unless i got summoned again. ha. the train ride is longer than long.

some self reflection. i realise i often blame the world or even luck when i fail to archieve to my goals, be it academic or anything else. it is time to realise that most of the time it is about me not trying hard enough or not being eager enough to do things to impress the professors or whoever. i am someone who likes to stay in the comfort zone and is very reluctant to do things that are deemed as "over". but looks like those are the passport to success......

gunners' pledges

2009-08-15T23:50:00.000+08:00

le kua si mi

2009-08-13T08:49:00.001+08:00

national day

2009-08-09T11:17:00.003+08:00

happy national day to all! while jogging just now, i came across a car owner who cheekily placed a flag on the car. no worries about being mistaken as the president's though as the car is rather old and small. missed the national day rally. not that i am super interested to know what he has got to say. just that i am learning to express myself better in english, no harm listening to a supposedly good speech.

we watched "up" instead last night. good decision. cause "gi joe" is a movie i would eventually catch a few weeks later at home and i am likely to give animated movies a miss. "up" is one of those heart warming cartoons that is worth watching. old carl fredrickson would do whatever he can to bring his house to a waterfall in south america. but when he eventually accomplished that, he realised that he would be better off helping a boy and a bird even if it means giving up his house, along with memories of his wife.

in life we need to learn to give things up but not before giving it a shot. it has been a fulfilling break with some good memories to take away......