Fear

What is your fear?

Do you have a phobia of animals, strange small dark insects or perhaps ugly clowns?

Do you panic when you see them in front of you? Do you run?

Do you close your eyes and try to sleep only to be disturb by the endless images?

I Do.

and strangely after 2 years, the memories of it doesnt go away.

Prata anyone?

All these running is making me hungry.

Prata anyone?

Quiet week ahead

I gotta feeling its going to be a quiet week. Almost as quiet as last week. I wonder if Bjork will come down and sing in my office and if anyone would make a ding about it.

The ring

A recent discussion with my pals on the amount of money guys "SHOULD" spend on a wedding ring, brings about an interesting demands on what modern girls expect.

I was quoted by my lady frens that a minimum of 3 months of your salary was necessary.

Anyhow, I stumble onto these interesting set of rings which make great gifts.



and It cost only $10 USD.

Christmas carols

Just the other day, I was sitting in JY's car, leaving Ian's place, after a hearty dinner meal which NDR treated us, I heard an old song. It was a love song played on the local radio, sung by four grown men which the MV gradually show them kneeling down towards the end of it.

Anyhow, that song brought a sense of nostalgia. A lovely one from over 10 years ago. I could remember myself standing there in my good old Primary School Hall. I could recall the guys all behaving a little louder than usual. I could imagine the girls dreading the never ending shyness we really are.

The year was 1993 and I was a mere 14 year old boy attending my first Christmas Caroling session with my Scouts and the charming girl guides from St Hilda's. It was my first Christmas carol and I could not attend the year before with St Margaret as I was infested with chicken pox. A nasty time then.

I too was a shy skinny boy. I vividly recall my patrol then had 3 girls. We took a while to warm up to each other and before long could easily chat endlessly. (I supposed being in a boy school does make us look like bad)

Thinking back, I am amused as I recollect and uncovered such distance memories. There was a girl in my patrol whom now I struggle to remember her name. She was among the cutest then and I did had a crush on her.

There was also 2 other girls whom I was chatty with and they both gave me a card each at the end of our meetings. One of them had a serious crush on me then and I too cant remember her name or even how she looks like.

Ok I should probably stop here as I know I could go on....

With the festive time of the year upon us once more, I do hope we all would find joy and happiness with our loved ones. Its a time of giving and receiving. A time to share and recollect.

To the 2 girls whom I have forgotten your names, I doubt you would read this entry but I dedicate this song to you whom inspire meto write about this entry.

See Tom dance

The last couple of post from me have been tooo serious. Before I start on my next post on xmas carol (pending), its time to unwind a little with the upcoming holidays. Here is tom cruise dancing

Cat with only 2 front legs

What I learned is that the cat has it hind legs and tail removed due to injury. But has learn to walk on its front legs.

With such a cute survivor around, we should find strength through it.

INTP

INTP - (Introversion, iNtuition, Thinking, Perceiving).

Years ago, in the backyard of a temporary home for my old primary school, I sat thru a session of MBTI conducted graciously (and 'freely') by our Group Scout Leader. He gave a long presentation of the MBTI and did an even longer conclusion of it.

In it, the only phrase I did recall is that, there is no right or wrong in this test. Its merely asking for a response on how we would react. So we are to give the response as close as the MCQ could provide.

From then I learn that I was an INTP. And years later I too learned that a good friend of mine, Edwina, too was an INTP. I recalled her saying that we are one of the rarest personality type and something like less than 5% of the population.

Anyhow, I read with interest on my personality once more on wiki. I must say that its quite accurate still. Perhaps my personality never changed, except for now, I am more crappy.

Boycott Cab

Its the start of the recession period. Cabby are probably the most affected by this. After all they are sorta a luxury comfort instead of the bus or train. And no doubt they are plentiful in numbers.

There was a time I was absolutely pissed off by them. Its edging towards the midnight where the charges would increase by 50%. And no matter where you are, there is not one of this blue creatures in sight. Yet at the stroke of midnight, like the full moon brings about the werewolves, these bloodsuckers are everywhere.

Anyway, I have decided to boycott them after nearly getting run down by one of them.

I wasnt feeling too well today and opt to go back home early. As I alighted the bus, I went on to cross the road to my place. The green man sign was on, however as no one was there except me on the other end, a bus proceed to slowly squeeze his way pass. This was fine since I havent gotten to the middle of the road yet.

I waited for the bus to clear and just as I was about to cross the remaining section, a BLUE comfort Hyundai Sonata cab, race across the adjacent road and nearly ran me down. He was obviously not looking for I am not like the skinniest person around. Nor do I wear the no.4 and blend in with the trees.

He was just anxious to cross the lights before it goes red once more and possibly miss out on some potential customers. I took 2 steps back when he threaten to run me down. It was just enough distance for him to stop. I stared into the windscreen and he nonchalantly pretend to look elsewhere. I wanted to slam my hands on his front but decided its not worth that effort.

I should have gotten his license plate but he is fleeing fast after this. He was lucky this time round and I wont be so kind to the next.

So for now, I wont attempt to take any more cabs. They wont earn a cent from me.

My grandpa

I made this comment in regards to the Little Nonya tele-series they are showing on Channel 8 at this moment. Baba and Nonya doesnt speak Mandarin. I guess you probably knew that deep down too but just din realise while watching the show.

Interestingly this is one of the rare shows my whole family enjoys catching. My dad would comment on the traditional nonya cakes and dishes that he has not tasted for decades. My mom would try to see how to incorporate some new ideas into her cooking. My sis would stared endlessly at 715 and I would be amused of the funny costumes and hair they made Joanne Peh put on.

Indeed watching this little series brought up a little fire in my dad. Its after all the memories of the past that gets him all nostalgic. The years after the war was a terrible time for all. And for those whom grew up the Peranakan heritage, they never understand such hardship before.

My grandma (whom I dearly call Mama) was a wealthy young lady before she met my granddad (whom I call Ah ye). The war took away plenty of the fortune and wealth. And true enough, rich and influential "friends" were all forgotten.

I am not too sure on my grandparents romance story and wonder if they indeed had one. But I do know one thing and that is my Mama loves Ah ye plenty. Sadly, I could not say the same for Ah ye. He was what I deemed as the James Bond without the gadgets and the secret spy mission roles. He is just that, if you know what I am hinting.

Despite this all, Mama never gave up on him. He was still her husband and father to all the five sons. And also to ermmm 10+ grandchildren.

Now that my Mama whom binds our bigger family together has left us. We are left with Ah ye to hold us close. I dare not wonder further what would happen if he would to leave us. Would our bigger family still come together during CNY. Would we still meet up just as often.

However the past couple of years had not been kind to him. He was staying alone right up to 1998 I believed. He preferred the bachelor life and only after an accident prompted us to forcefully moved him out of his bachelor pad. He was moved to my aunt's place where my grandma stayed with.

Over the years, the impact of the accident slowly resulted in memory losses and errant behavior. Then came a night when he became violent for no apparent reason and we had no choice but to place him in the care of a nursing home. He has been there ever since.

Just yesterday, I rush down along with my dad to the hospital. Ah ye has pneumonia and a high fever. The doctor was not too optimistic on his condition. In a sense, we are all preparing for the worse once again.

You might wonder why we would bother after all he din fulfilled his part in the family. Well the simple reason is that he is my granddad, a father to my dad and a husband to my mama. No water is thicker than blood.

Shanghai lady vs Tow truck

Never get a lady angry. Especially if she is from Shanghai and drive a 4 wheel drive.

Tiny the fish

In a strange turn of events, I now have a really tiny fish to take care of. I not entirely sure how this happen. With a colleague even claiming that I created Life.

As you probably know, I have a small Shrimps tank at work. It helps me to destress and keep me occupied. Till date there was never any fish of any sort that swam within the glass chambers.

Anyway here is what I suspect really happened. Just last week, I borrowed my colleague's filter to help clean up some dirt that has been lying around at the bottom of the tank. I din like having a filter for my tiny prawns as it gives them the creeps from the endless circulation and vibration.

So after using the filter for a work day, I unplugged it and returned it before I left. This probably happen on last Monday or so, but I cant be absolutely sure. What I am sure of, is that would scope up a cup of water every morning and replenish it with cleaner source.

Imagine the surprise I had on tuesday morning, when I saw a little dot, no bigger than a full stop, swimming around. At first I thought that this was a mosquito larva and I had been responsible for the Dengue fever a couple of months back. However on closer inspection, I realise it was not.

The larva would not have graze thru the water. It would simply wiggle endlessly till it matures. So could you imagine the surprise I had when I saw a little "fishlet" or baby fish.

Just today, I brought a container and scope up the little fellow into it. It was a feisty creature, knowing that it would be taken away and kept swimming low, hiding in the plant. Took me a while to get it out and nested in its new home. I then fed it with some protein like substance. A liquid diet which I gave my older fishlets a whole year and more ago.

In my thoughts, this is one lucky little guy. He managed to escape all the water changes which I may have killed plenty of his siblings. He also managed to escape his hungry parents (likely to be from my colleague's fish tank). I am sure he would live a long life.

Anyway, I decided that I shall call him Tiny. In no reference to the rock giant from dota.

Watches

Of late, I been more passionate on the good old time piece. Many view of it as a simple time keeper and would not spend more than needed to ensure they are never late. Others value it as a fashion statement. Where a classic watch must be pair with a nice shirt and pant.

As for me, its the design of the beauty. I prefer that the watch has an elegant look. Something that its not clutter by endless font size 5 numbering. For example, the watch you see topmost is something pretty awesome. Its simple and it tells you the time in 24 hrs (not 12 hrs as you would expect)




Next you see a wonderful Omega Timepiece. A brand endorse by the current British Super Secret Agent. Its called Speedmaster Moon Phase. And guess what, it tells you the moon phase. Another beauty indeed and sooo is the price tag. Which is probably why this would likely to be a dream watch to envy and not to own. I would tell you the price here but its likely to break your heart. So better to save the trouble.




Perhaps I should stick to my limit. Something that wont take away more than a quarter of a month pay. Something nice and within reach and most of all, something that is Swiss. The Tissot brand offers good affordable watches that are decent looking. This PRC200 series has one of the better designs I have seen. Perhaps its time I look into this direction.

Then again, the lure of trendy and unique timepiece is something too much to bear. I have found that the French label "LIP", offering some pretty cool designs. I wonder if I would have the chance to pop by France again.

Duran Duran - Come Undone

This was a classic. A song that touches your inner soul and makes you want to sing along too.

Kinda miss my childhood

running soon ended

I should be getting some sleep before my run. But I cant.

I think its the amount of coffee I had today

Update: Ok I complete the 10km in 1hr 19 mins. Did a bit of walking at the 8km mark when my ankle gave way. But well managed to push myself to complete it painfully.

To all those who were walking in front of me when I was running, I am sorry to have bump into you.

PS. My calf and shin are dead at the moment. No amount of Yoko Yoko seems to help

Kungfu fighting

The battle of Bruce and Chuck

The need to bulk up

Very soon now I would embark on a long journey. One that I hope to complete without walking.

So to prepare for that, I would need to bulk up.

Wanna do a big dinner this week guys??

Going the mile

I must say that I have not been running as much as I like.

Perhaps its the endless rainy days. Perhaps its the time and schedule I been having. Perhaps its my lack of motivation after getting Silver in IPPT.

Cant really say for sure. What I do know is that I need to complete 10km this sunday. And I have yet to cover half of the distance.

Now I hope I wont have any trouble waking up early for it

Is it going to rain

The last I check, it says maybe

Pillow time

I never sit in my darn office chair this much before. Perhaps in the last 6 months, I have been in this chair more than I have in the last 2 years.

Anyhow, I came to realise that this chair doesnt provide the necessary support. My back is aching everyday when I reach home and I need to find a solution. I am contemplating getting those pillow to rest my lower back on. Or I could get those stylo-milo plastic netting support.

Hmm hmmm. anyone got a spare pillow to loan?

A roof to shelter us

After working for 3 years, I am arriving at one of the many "detours". Much like the game the Amazing Race, this is a decision that I have to make. And I wont be alone in this process.

During the trip to AU, I came to realise how old my parents have become. The wrinkles are prominent. Their energy level are lower. Time has caught up with them indeed.

Through my growing years, they have toiled to bring me up, fed me well and provide me with a good life and education. These are the unconditional love and care they have given to me. And in return, I do hope to be able to provide them with a comfortable life.

To start of, I would like to be able to provide them with a bigger home. A place where it will be like a luxurious hotel which they could call home. My ideal choice would be a landed property. It doesnt have to be the biggest with a small house to keep the servants (ok maybe not yet). All I am looking for is a nice terrace unit in a quiet neighborhood.

I want them to live comfortably. Give them a nice bedroom with a fancy bathroom. A large living room for my mom and dad to bring their friends over for gathering. A space for my dad's car so that there wont be any more knocks and scratches. A small garden for my mom ever expanding plant collections. And so on.

However money doesnt come easy and especially in a depressing time like this. The only plus point is that the cost of the property would no doubt depreciate as well. At this moment, I am looking at a 2 year plan. In this time, I would save up and evaluate on the finance situation. It wont be easy and I would definitely need to rob in both my sis on this as well.

This is my strong wish and I do hope to be able to make my parents proud.

Startrek vs Starwars

Before you start watching this. We all know there is an endless debate on which sci fi is better than the other. Inky would say startrek while the rest of us would agreed its starwars. I personally like Babylon5 a whole lot better :P

Back to work

Its been a nice 3 weeks away from work. With time spend getting the Helo ready for each flight and so on.

And I am dreading having to go back to work tmr. I kinda skipped working today due to a bad headache. Quite sure I would get a headache tmr.



So glad this din happen to me.

Bruce Lee nokia Ad

I know Inky would be hating this ad

My bro wedding

The day has finally arrived for my bro and his lovely wife. All the best to you Bernard and Karen. I hope to see little BKs soon. Anyhow, I had wanted to get them a wii. But din had the time and with the recent raid on SLS and my endless procrastination, it really din happen.

(my bro getting change)

Here is a brief summarisation of the day event.
0430 Woke up and pack
0530 Left home in a rush (forgot angpao)
0545 Speed like a demon to pick up 2 fellow brother whom stay in sengkang
0600 Arrive at Bernard's place
0700 Drove an E class to Karen place
0715 Played Amazing Race (with speed bumps like challenges)
0730 Ate wasabi choco breakfast
0731 dispose remaining breakfast
0800 Broke into the front gate
0820 Rev the E class to 4000 accidentally
0830 Arrive back at Ber place
0900 Doze off on the floor
0920 Startled by Ber's dad

1000 Lunch. Tea Ceremony. Photo taking
1230 Complaint to the Sister's that the breakfast was not in the agenda
1300 Drove back to Karen place on a Corolla altis
1301 Missed the power of the E class
1305 Bad Jam on CTE
1310 Took a detour
1320 Arrived ahead of the convoy (opps)
1340 Tea Ceremony
1400 Depart to hotel
1410 Stop to find an ATM to pao red packet

1450 Arrived at Shangri-la
1455 Excited that the suite contains a Nessie
1530 As the group rested, I went for a cup of coffee at the cafe and read the paper

(paid $21 for coffee)

1700 Briefing session for night activity
1900 Guest arrivals
2040 Arrivals of latecomers
2100 Start of dinner and March in
2200 2nd March in + Video montage
2330 End of dinner

(Video of our challenges)

Shop Online

Interestingly, 2 close friends of mine have pointed me to their sibling shopping blog last week.

Jeff, my former flying buddy and now pilot trainer (in training) in my NS Squadron, has pointed me to All that Tees. Its a blog setup by his younger brother which has a rather interesting collection of tees. He has tees for both guys and girls and each cost $20. Pretty much like our threadless sales dun you think.

Edwina, my former Film Art and Mode of Invention buddy, has smsed me to colormesweet. Its a blog containing ladies collection of dresses and tops. I am afraid there is nothing for guys there. Anyway, its setup by her sis and the prices varies in the 20-ish region. It seems like they have limited stocks, so do hurry if you see something you like.

Anyway I apologised for my lack of post lately. Been busy (see next post).

Bullet frame ad

Success!!!

After weeks of training, I had managed to pass my IPPT. Not only that, I somehow gotten a Silver award for it. Dont ask me how I did it, I just did.

I must say that the 3 failed attempts were ruining my confident. After all, I did trained for each of them. However I learned that I was really out of shape then and I do need to keep at it.

Inspired by my friend the Corolla-loving-Smurf, whom failed his attempts, booked his RT and miraculously passed his IPPT while in ICT. I set myself the target to achieve what he did. After all, he said to me that his S2 told him that if he could pass, his RT would be forgone.

And I ran like I never did. I paced an older gentleman whom look to be 10 years older and never seem to be slowing down. I stopped thinking and kept running. The only thought that lingers is that I wont be embarrassed by an old man running in front of me. And like Usain Bolt, I sprinted the last 300 m and left him in my dust.

He was a nice man no doubt and we joked while queuing up to check our timing. I gotten a 11.58 mins while he did 12.15 mins. I must admitted I am envious of his fitness at his age.

Anyhow, I am looking forward for some beer and burgers now. The discipline I enforced upon myself could be partial lifted. However I do have the Std Chart Run in Dec coming up. And I do need to maintain my level.

Amber in for another servicing

Once again Amber is ill and I (finally) brought her for another visit to the service center.

I must admitted that the staff at SE are very polite. A bunch of them appeared to be from the Philippines and they smile and spoke very nicely. I was attend to by a local girl I believe whom was equally as friendly.

Anyhow the following are the problems with Amber.

1. Her screen would become dim for no reason and stayed that way till I leave it alone for a while

2. She would become unresponsive and reboot for no reason

3. She still can never sync with my comp and till now, nothing has been back up.

The iPhone is getting more attractive by the day, but then again X1 seems to have finally arrived at our shores.

Masterpiece Grimlock

There are some toys in your life which you know you have to have it. For me its most definitely this Grimlock in Masterpiece detailing.

The sad thing is that this is only available sometime in March next year when I want to buy it as a Christmas gift for myself :(

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

I visited this church during my trip to Jerusalem

During my visit there, my little "tour guide" and I were a little baffle. The bible says that the body was buried in a tome craved out rock and somehow this place appears to be the place where his body was laid. We werent quite sure and pretty much left it as that.

The wiki entry did clear things up nevertheless. Anyway.....

A brawl happened recently there. Fractions of different church sect were once again finding fault with each other. It aint a pretty sight. (video included)

Up Trailer

Top 10 Most Irritating Phrases of the English Language

These are the top ten most irritating phrases. Are you guilty of them.

1. At the end of the day
2. Fairly unique
3. I personally
4. At this moment in time
5. With all due respect
6. Absolutely
7. It’s a nightmare
8. Shouldn’t of
9. 24/7
10. It’s not rocket science


Absolutely! I personally am. It's not rocket science you know.

Obama briefings

I tot this is funny

Quiz on 80s cartoons

I know for once that Ian would love to have a go at this

This is a quiz on the cartoons from the 80s. Its not that simple and I suffered problems with many questions.

(I score only 47%. Beat that)

Hand crank paper heart

I din understand a word that was said on youtube. My Jap is still bad despite all the animes. Neither did this site make any sense to me either.

So just sit back and click the play and watched the action unfold. Be patience, you would be rewarded

Perhaps Amber, Perhaps not

After only 3 months of usage. I am sad to admit that I no longer am fascinated by Amber.

Though our big problems have been worked out, her constant minor issues have been driving me crazy. She can barely last 2 days before needing a break, she is slow to react to many of my request and I feel that she is ignoring me as well.

I must admit, I love the touch screen and the ability to wifi. But my love for Amber seems to end there.



I must also admit that since I gotten Aileen to run around with me on a more regularly basis, I had started to reconsider what I need most from my lady. I guess I would reconsider in a couple of weeks.

The sunday

Perhaps its one of my quietest sunday yet.

I went to church without my close fren whom is away in Las Vegas, the Sin City. Even my sis are in Penang for a trip. Come to think of it, this is one of the rare times I attended mass alone.

Then I came home and got to work on my fish tank right after lunch. I must admitted that I used to take care of them a whole lot better. But the laziness got the better of me. I trimmed the plants, scrubbed the tank, move my prawns (not cheese), removed dirt from the gravel and replaced a lot of water.

At the moment, there are only 2 surviving prawns. 2 kinda died in the process of the temporary home while a whole lot of 20+ disappear in a matter of weeks. It goes to show that the water in my tank is such a poor state.

Anyway I am mulling on going for ICT tomorrow. Its going to be a 3 weeks of holiday as well as boredom. Aileen camera component has been remove but I may still find some problems bringing her in. Got to see how things are tomorrow.

I would be without my VB, whom has started work at a new coy. But I guess I could take this 3 weeks to do some work out. Time to get in shape for the std chart run.

Anyway enjoy some laughs from my archives

Emo fake cutter

I supposed the Jap did not quite understand the Emo "culture" of slashing their wrists.

Signs of a drunk

Now which of them are you

Traffic accident

There are plenty of idiots on the road. Sometimes way too many. They presume they are a better driver than others and would zip in and out just to squeeze an extra inch of distance.

And while there are times they managed to arrive a few seconds earlier, there are a few occasions they din made it there at all.

Just this morning, I met with an errant driver in his BMW 3 series. I was on the right lane which happen to be a turning lane as well. The driver was either hangover or very stupid and though he was on my left, decided to speed up and cut across me to turn right.

For one thing, I was going straight and immediately tap the brakes when he showed signs of idiotically behavior. For another there was the opposing traffic.

Though he was quick enough to miss me, he wasnt so lucky and ram head first into a taxi. There was a big bang and both front sections of both cars were damaged badly.

I am not aware of the injuries that might have been sustained. But I do hope that idiot would never drive again.

Wasssssuuuuup!

Edw: you might like this.

How the stock market works

Once upon a time in a village, a man appeared and announced to the villagers that he would buy monkeys for $5 each. The villagers seeing that there were many monkeys around, went out to the forest and started catching them.

The man bought thousands at $5 and as supply started to diminish, the villagers stopped their effort.

He further announced that he would now buy at $10. This renewed the efforts of the villagers and they started catching monkeys again. Soon the supply diminished even further and people started going back to their farms.

The offer increased to $15 each and the supply of monkeys became so little that it was an effort to even see a monkey, let alone catch it.

The man now announced that he would buy monkeys at $50. However, since he had to go to the city on some business, his assistant would now buy on his behalf.

In the man’s absence, the assistant told the villagers “Look at all these monkeys in the big cage that the man has collected. I will sell them to you at $45 and when the man returns from the city, you can sell them to him for $50 each.”

The villagers rounded up with all their savings and bought all the monkeys. Then they never again saw the man nor his assistant, only monkeys everywhere!

And THAT ladies and gentleman is how the stock market works…

GTR on National Geographic

NG signed a NDA to go behind the scenes in the making of the GTR.

Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 and Part 6

Not sure how long the video would be up

Red eye

I been rubbing my right eye for 2 weeks now.

I guess something went in a while back. A dust, a grain of sand, some termite.... who knows. But all I know is, it stayed there for a long while.

For days I could feel it moving around but simply could never find it with a mirror. I tried to wash/rub/blow dry but to no avail.

It simply wont go away.

Then just a few days ago, I felt the mysterious alien has left this sphere. But it left behind a constant itch. Unknowingly, I would rub my eye to ease the tickle. And there when the scary vampire red eye started.

I guess I should stop this.



oh and I am kinda hungry now and its about 1.30am

Jim Henson tribute

I was too young to remember the passing of the legend. All I do recall was the singing in Sesame streets and a change in the voice of kermit.

However this tribute by Big Bird touched me and moved many to tears.

Just want to share this with you.

Aileen is in intensive care

After months of deliberation, I was forced to remove Aileen's beautiful eyes.

She was the first among my ladies and was the eye catching model. But we were forced to make a decision. In some parts, Amber was the cause of it.... sighs.

I brought Aileen down and spoken with the "nurse" over the counter. She was nice throughout and find me amusing for such a strange request. After all, many of the people she met each day would shout and scream at her. Complaining of various problems. I was the first to reply that there is nothing wrong with Aileen, when she asked.

After some discussion with a senior staff, I was quoted a token of $10.70 for this visit and would paid in total of $37.45 once the terrifying "doctor" set down to surgically poke out her eye.

It was a small sum, nevertheless a necessity. Aileen had been crying quietly many times at night. She knows Amber is my true love now and in no way she can replaced her. But she is also very jealous of an old and cunning girl whom was my companion at work. She very much wanted to get rid of that slut.

My heart aches when I learned about this. I know I had to do the right thing. In a few days, I would know of Aileen condition.

To be continued....

Its time to belt up

Here is BLM first and perhaps only safety tip. Its for all drivers and passengers out there. Please belt up (or buckle up) whenever you are in a moving vehicle.

I must admit that I do get lazy whenever I am at the rear seats. Always thinking that it is safe as long as I had to front seats there to protect me. But well, its this kind of thinking that would kill me eventually.

And you probably scratching your heads wondering why out of the blue I would give such an advise. Well for one thing my good bud, Martin has advised me time and again on safety. Sitting in his Ernie, you would be glad that you have the seat belt pressing hard against you.

For another I was wiki-ing while at work :$ Was reading on James Bond that leads to Aston Martins that leads to Jaguar and then 24 hr Le Mans and finally Jacky Ickx (I did venture into Top gear Challenges as well, God I love that show)

Apparently in the 1969 Le Mans event, new rookie Jacky Ickx did not like the tradition of running to your car at the drop of the flag. Many drivers would do so to save valuable time and might even skip the mandatory strapping up. Jacky protested the method by walking across the track while his competitors ran and nearly hit by a faster competitor's car while walking. Ickx took the time to fasten his safety belts before pulling away.

Sadly, the first lap of that race saw privateer racer John Woolfe killed in an accident, while Ickx would go on to win the race.

what i did after my meeting yesterday

.....

I went for an afternoon meeting away from office. Expecting it to end late so I drove there. Would have drove anyway cos I am lazy to walk 2 km into the base.

What I din expect is that it ended after slightly over an hour.

My colleagues went for tea but I decided hey since I have the spare time, I drove to NUH and went for a blood donation. Its probably my 28 time, but I am so not sure. Kinda lost count.

While I was there pumping away, it occurred to me that I never jio anyone to come along this time. I have simply given up on asking. Friends and colleagues alike that I have approached would tell me the silliest excuse and shoo me off.

I guess it times I shut up and move along. Will just quietly donate from now on.

Anyway, I drove to a fish shop and bought 2 bags of cherry prawns for my home tank and caught 4 little Crystal Red Shrimps for my office tank. Going to watch this $2 critters grow up slowly.



Anyway enjoy this new hit from Coldplay - Viva la Vida

Good Morning Vietnam

Hi all!

I guess I should have said here that I was heading to Vietnam for a short trip.

But kinda in the midst of all the planning, I left this part out :S

Anyway, I visited a country which was never in my to do list. Nevertheless I had a great time there despite some incidents I am trying to forget.

I took an early flight. Way too early for comfort. As we arrived at the hotel, the cab driver saw my dreaminess and ask for 1 million dong. I had forgotten that the exchange rate was 1 SGD to 11,000 dong and crazily gave him that. He must have been trying not to laugh. For he disappear in a second after that.

sighs

Anyhow, the rest of the people are nice. Generally everyone is friendly and curious to see you. I went for a trip to the cu chi tunnel where part of the Vietnamese war was fought. It was interesting to see how hundreds of guerrillas could keep thousands of American troops frighten for years.

There was a portion where we crawl through a narrow tunnel. I was down on all 4s and though the adventurous part of me wanted to complete the 100m journey, the idiot decided to give up after 65m. When we got out, the 5 of us were looking at the 10 others (along with the tour guide) whom stop at 25m. The russian guy was amused that we are only 40m apart and yet we are so much more tired. I jokingly said that we have to go back down as we must have miss their exit. He din really laugh.



The impression vietnam gave me was that it reminds me of my childhood. I recalled food cooked on the streets, the dirty lanes, the people hanging out at the park (cos its free) and the old worn down building. This is Singapore 20 years ago. A trip back to a past that has been forgotten. A nostalgia feeling grips me. Like opening the old photo album and your pesky aunt is going thru and laughing how skinny we were.

There were endless motorbikes. Almost 1 per person. The rich guys are the only ones with cars. Crossing the street is an interesting challenge. Despite the street lights and the zebra crossing, its a local practice to keep moving. No matter what, the traffic never stands still. The trick is to walk slowly and see them give way to you. I had a hard time looking out for bikes that would dribble around you.



I wonder how did the Top Gear cast fare in Vietnam. I guess we would know in some weeks time.

Just a final note. If you do visit there, be careful of snatch thieves and pickpockets. I was harassed by them, for they seek to distract me while someone slip their hand thru my bag. It din happen as they plan as my valuables are all tuck in my berms and that I shouted at them the moment I felt my bag was opened.

Ferrari California

Ferrari main line of cars are the bunch of fast red machines. They normally come with a hard top or no top at all. Never did they develop a foldable hardtop convertible.

Until Now....

This is Ferrari new line of cars. A 2+2 configuration no less. For the layman, its means got 2 doors only car with the front seats collapsing to allow short rear passengers to get in. Yes short, and if you are more than 5 feet tall it would be painful for you when they brakes.

Perhaps in a way its a family car. The rear seats can easily fit your little ones. But of course, the little ones would also means permanent stains on your expensive Italian handmade fabric Leather.

So I guess its not a family car and the back seats are just for show. Nevertheless, I like it all the same.

evil thoughts

My fishes (the danios) are getting a little old....

Couple of months ago, my home tank which had a population of 20 cherry shrimps were wipe out in a couple of days. Its likely due to a lack of maintenance when I was overseas for 10 days. Back then I had an autotimer which fed the fishes their food. However this little timer is hard to control and likely it might have overfed them.

As such, the water gotten quite polluted and I am sadden by the loss.

The last couple of weeks, I been maintaining the tank frequently. The water conditions are back to its prime condition. And as such I have introduce new cherry shrimps once more. In the past, the condition and timing were optimal and within a couple of weeks, they were carrying their eggs and breeding happily.

I am seeking for them to populate the whole tank once more and began their breeding.

But there is a worry. My fishes always want to be the dominant species. They dun really attack the prawns, but enjoy teasing them endlessly. This would make it a tough environment to bring up ones young ones.

SOOOO well, I am considering getting rid of the fishes. Though I may keep the cory. Anyhow, my office has a feeder tank for the prawns to spawn in. They are hitting maturity in 2-3 months time. I guess I would see some activities here too.

Swinging fun

you are kinda fearful for this guy and yet you cheer him on, hoping he can do a 360 swing

Poor Cherry

Once in a while, the folly foolish owner did something disastrous to his cherry shrimp tank that would lead to a chain of events.

Couple of days back on a tuesday, I was snacking on the dried fish snacks. I thought that since us human could love and enjoy such a tasty fishy treat, surely my shrimps would love them too.

I placed a tiny slice of it into the mini tank. Before long, a gang of shrimps were happily munching away while standing so comfortably on the thin slice. I thought that this might make a good treat for them. Much better than munching on crush goldfish food.

The next day (Wednesday) I arrived to find that there are 2 dead prawns. Statistically, 2 dead out of possible 40 is normal. Death is bound to happen after all. And well since prawns eat their own, I wont have to clean up.

Then on Thursday, I found 2 more dead. And I know that this is getting unusual. I checked to see what could be the cause for this. Placing my nose over the tank, I could detect that the water has turned foul.

This was unlikely to occur. After all, I regularly replace the water to ensure its cleanliness. Its then it hit me that the bloody fish food is the cause of all this.

I scope out the remainder and started to change the water. I couldnt possibly change the whole tank as that would stress the prawns. So a good 25% was swapped and I did another 25% today.

This greatly reduce the odour and since I see no more dead prawns. I would say that a major disaster was prevented. No more fooling around for me.

On a side note

One of my colleague who has invested in stock is wondering is there a connection between my prawns death and the stock market recent plunge. If there is a link, I guess I have to stop fooling around and just take good care of them.

Benefits of seaweed

I been munching seaweed as a snack every afternoon. This was started when my dear friend of mine whom wont stop eating them.

I came to realise that not only are they a good snack. They are good for you too.

1. Small bite size and wont ruin your dinner but yet ease the hunger.


2. Supposedly good for the skin and hair
   


3. The little pieces that littered on my table, makes good snacks for my prawns

What more can you ask from such a wonderful snack.

Free Chupa chups for all

Spanish lollipop company founded in 1958 in Barcelona by Enric Bernat. Its logo was designed by Salvador Dali. Today Chupa Chups is sold in about 150 countries and has even been brought to the Russian space-station Mir.

Bet you din know that. Well neither did I.

All I know is, I have free chupa chups at my cubs. They are free for taking, but limit yourself to 1 a day. Bad for your teeth :P

You dun even have to thank me or pay me. I just love to give away free candy.

The wonders of Macross

I been a big mecha fan for a long time. Macross is one of the first I watched as a kid and rewatch as an adult (to understand why they kept talking abt love and not kept blowing things up)

Anyhow the Macross Frontier is a great sequel to the franchise, thought I would think that the ending could be more flying and fighting. Anyhow, I hope you like the song above. Its "Do you remember Love"

Accordingly to the series, this is an ancient love song. And it would wake up the lover in you.

Now when is Gundam 00 coming back....

2 of which

I was having this debate with my friend. Neither of us won the argument. So I am leaving his for further discussion.

Would you consider this week as having 2 Fridays or 2 Mondays

PS. I am casually dress today for work!

Post F1

Strangely, after the F1 race I am hearing lots and lots of cars reving up their engines along the road next to my place.









Perhaps they too wanted to experience the blasting loud noise those engine makes.
Perhaps they are inspired by the sensation.
Perhaps they are just happy the road closure has finally ended.

Who knows

Experience Wii

You guys ought to see this youtube clip on Wii

quite sure you would want to try the game after this

A Past Memory

We have all been down this road. We meet someone, we became close and then we are no longer talking.

This post is dedicated to a former pal of mine. A person whom I am so close with that I had even considered him to be my younger brother. But alas our choices in life have brought us apart.

M as I should address him by for privacy sake, was a close friend of mine whom I known since my sec sch days. He was a unique individual and funny in all sort of ways. Everyone gotten along with him pretty well and he was always entertaining to have around.

He and I shared many similar ideals. We enjoy scouting and the adventures that it brought us. In fact, after the times we pursue our scouting passion strongly and became volunteer leaders for the boys. Coming back weekly to the meeting and helping to organise camps and events. The work was never done and like a long difficult trekking path, we enjoyed bashing through this journey.

However back in 1998 he was introduce to a radical Christian belief and succumb to the peer pressure and became a devoted cult member. When I say radical here, it is no more then a mild description I could give. The group (cult) believes and supports polygamy. Stating that many key figures in the bible have multiple wives. In this they define that a great man is entitled to more partners. (yes not even Jesus whom is single could dispute his “belief”)

They even stated that the female population is always higher than the males because God had arranged this for some great men among us. I frankly thought its bullshit and we argue on many occasions. Beside this point, the cult also engaged in some weird matchmaking practice. If any guy has interest in any of their female members, they are to inform their pastor. The pastor would then open his book to note the guy down into the girl’s particulars. He would be informed when a date would be arrange and might have to wait if there is a list. And yes, there would be a list definitely.

Grumbles.

The sad fact is that it almost impossible to debate with my friend. They read and interpret the bible in their way and no matter how absurd the facts are, they would say that the Holy Book says so. I should just stone them.

Anyhow, it came to a point that I made a decision. I could no longer condone his beliefs and chose to cut my ties with him. He was surprised that I no longer call or acknowledge him when we are near. At first he kept his distance but it wasn’t long before he tried to initiate conversation. I kept my replies brief if any. Time soon allow us to drift apart and perhaps its better this way.

He gotten hitched last year and invited me to his ceremony. Despite feeling happy for him, I could no longer face him without feeling disdain. The thought of meeting his fellow church members and pastor gave me the strong desire to burn down their church (a shophouse) while they are all away. I did not reply to him. I did not attend. Despite more sms and prompts from our mutual friends.

Anyway, I have this final thing to say to M. I do hope to never meet you again. I do hope my kids wont be a student of yours. I do hope our paths never have to cross. I do not like to make another decision.

Going on a date, i hope

I been a big fan of the Mazda 2. That little nifty hatchback would have been a perfect car for me. Its small, light and fun to zip around the traffic with its 1.5 ltr engine. Just enough for me.

I was eyeing it for a while now and would have gotten it once my "situation" improved. In which case, it would be a while more to go.

Its then I notice a new babe on the block who is both young and easy on the eye. She has gotten my attention and I am lost for words now.

Meet the new Honda City

Now I am just waiting for an opportunity to arrive before I can ask her out.

My Bro wedding in 2 months

One of my closest buddy (whom I called my Bro) which I have known since Sec sch is finally tying the knot. It would be a joyous occasion and he has given me the task to be his band of brothers as well as the CO (Commanding Officer) for the dinner.

I said yes easily. And just last night I was at his place tasting Aussie, California, Spanish and French wines to decide which is the best for his guests. After like a sample of 4 shots a long way after dinner, I gotten a little tipsy and pointed the Aussie label.

Anyhow I am thinking of getting this lovely couple a Wii as a wedding gift. But I must first make sure he doesnt own one to begin with. The last I check his room was a mess after the renovations and I couldnt even find his TV. So what you guys think? Would a wii be a good gift?

And yes, Please avoid all China products. Dairy product is only the beginning.

time for a visit

It has been a couple of months since I saw my mama. Perhaps I would visit you tomorrow or sometimes soon.

I miss you a lot and you are in my thoughts frequently.

Free Falling Stocks

Pick me up song

ok i am thorough embarrassed. The above song is a mistake. I merely click on youtube and guess on the song without listening.

This is the correct one which I listen on Class 95



Now to find a hole to hide in

(try youtude Hey Baby and see what you get)

Reads

Whenever I am overseas, away from my comp, I have a terrible time keeping track of the stuffs I read. Oh I do read quite a fair bit online. Would spend like 2 hrs daily just reading.

So to bookmark my stuffs so that I can access it anywhere and also to share my nonsense with you guys, I have added a Reads column on the left. Yes your left not mine.

If we happen to be the same bunch of reader, ah you are a like-minded pal.

losing someone

Would you believe me, when I say that I din intend to post this entry but yet situation prompted me to. Perhaps God up there above is asking me to share how I feel. Or it could be that the mighty man is wanting to tell me something. In any case this is what happened.

Just a little background. I had visited the Holy Land a couple of days back. It was a one in a lifetime journey and I am glad to have made it. I visited the Holy City and look upon the path and tribulation of a man known as Jesus who carried the heavy wooden beam (to be formed as part of the cross).

Indeed no mere man could have complete this. The bible says the weight of the cross represents the weight of our sins. Thinking back now, I am a little embarrassed that I complained on the hot weather that day and shorten the 13 stations of the cross to just one short trip to his final resting place.

Interesting just a day or 2 before I visited Jerusalem, I teared uncontrollably in my tour bus. We were merely "visiting some other attractions", when my eyes well up and I immediately turned away from all. My sunnys were on and perhaps that cover the suspicious act.

What happen was that I was listening to my mp3, when a particular song reminded me of my dear grandma. I began to reminisce the times we had and I broke down after that.

I was rather surprise I broke down. After all, she had passed on for more than a year. Yet it strike me unexpectedly. I simply couldnt carrying on listening to that track. It was killing me hearing the words coming out. I switched it off and took the next 10 mins to calm my emotions down.

I had intent to keep this private. But a series of events prompted me to share my experience.

A close friend from my Poly days has suddenly passed away. I had initially tot that he was having problems with his wife when his MSN nick mentioned that he is awaiting for God answer on when he can go home. Now I understand it a whole lot better and would be paying my final respect to him tmr.

I also just came to know that another friend of mine grandma is critically ill. I am sadden for her and I do hope things would turn for the better.

UK a 3rd world country

Read on to decide if Jeremy Clarkson is right

Ahava the hebrew word for Love

Beside being the hebrew word for Love, Ahava is also a company which uses the dead seas as a resource for their skin care products. Its a cosmeceutical company that manufactures skin-care products made of mud and mineral-based compounds from the Dead Sea.

Interestingly, I had tried one of their muds product. It caused my body to itch all over when I applied it. But after you washed it off, you would be pleasantly surprised by the smoothness of your skin. Those whom visit the dead sea, could easily dip their entire body freely in the mud and proceed to the water to wash them off. God knows how many people have dip into the same mud you have paste onto your tonsil :P

Anyway I bought a few of their products and cant wait to try them. I do hope to avoid getting an itch again, but if its gives nice smooth baby skin, hey why not. I could use some anti ageing formula now.

Cheers to all, I would be back late this week.

It aint easy....

but I may have to do it.

Going to Europe

Dear all, I would be once again traveling overseas. This time for work and it would be short few weeks. Dont you miss me too much (or too little)

I would be heading to "Europe" *Wink Wink*

Now that I have Amber, I hope I could tap into some free network. Well see how things go.

Anyway, enjoy this little song. Its been on my playlist for weeks now.

yuckie mushrooms

after looking at this, you wonder why I never like mushrooms.

Threadless sales

Threadless sales. Order closing tonight. Please email me design/gender/size.

Everything is going for $12. though there is one tee there is going for $5. I have 15 orders at the moment. Keep them coming

Design by humans tee

Hey threadless buds, I found this site that appeared to have louder and better prints than threadless.

Its called Design by Humans. and I thought that we may want to consider during our regular spending spree.

Lost my skinner

There is this little knife I had for years. Its called the skinner and I love the nifty little knife.

My very first skinner cost me 25 and it was a lot for a small knife and as a poor sec sch student, it took me a couple of weeks of savings. Sadly, the first skinner was lost in one of my camps. I recall someone borrowed it and he loan it to someone else and so on. That bastard lost my knife and I still blame him. Anyhow, I never loan my knife ever again after that.

I bought my 2nd skinner from my best fren who was in need of some cash. Actually I bought a whole collection of knife from him on a cheap sale. And this little baby lasted me till a few weeks ago.

I was at the airport awaiting to board my flight. The xray scanner saw something and the officers inspected and took it away. I knew pleading is useless and walked away in despair.

I do hope to be able to get it back again. I may have to look for that shop but I strongly believed its long close down. I shall start my search in a couple of weeks. Have to get my baby back to me.

What to do with coffee after brewing

Well if you are a fan of 3in1, you probably wont find this useful. For those who has an espresso machine or like me an Nespresso, there is much usefulness after you brew your nice cup.

For example, Coffee grounds fit the standards set by gardeners for compost materials. The grounds, when mixed with soil, release nutrients that make the ground richer and more acidic. Plants that flourish in acidic soil will be healthier since they can get the needed nourishment from the ground. If you have a good supply of coffee grounds, just spread them evenly in your garden. Your plants will reward you by producing robust blooms.


and

Storing different types of food inside the fridge can produce a nasty mixture of odors. Remove those pungent smells with a bowl filled with coffee grounds. Place the bowl inside your fridge and your coffee ground deodorizer will gradually absorb all unwanted scents. If your fridge is packed with stored food, just add more grounds and a few drops of vanilla to your deodorizer so that it can absorb more odors.

read on