Blogger doesn't understand the Chinese I'm typing! Sobs.

I think it's time for me to dig up my old Chinese textbooks and the infamous 词语手册 which everyone wished that they could just burn it (that's hell lot of ashes) and drink it the night before your mother tongue exams. Those were the times when we would all crowd around the best students and hoping to get a piece (or a few pieces if you wanted) of wisdom from the walking dictionaries, because, as we know, we are always a lazy bunch who throw paper aeroplanes in class, whip out our handphones (it was banned in school - it'll be confiscated if it's found in your bag, even if it's turned off - but we brought them anyway), and beg and bargain with our teacher to give "discounts" on homework. You see, we are typical Singaporeans, right from the day we're born on this sunny island.

I still remember the most vocal guy (also the most amusing - in a good sense - guy) who happened to be our chairman. The year he became our "chair-mair" (or "blind" in Hokkien), we kept calling him that 'cos they were known as "class monitors and monitoresses" the previous year, and that's how they pronounced it over the PA whenever they had been called to task. Lols. But, he's witty with words and with vivid expressions, he would stage a mini-drama to get us the stuff we needed. Anyway, before we hear what he has to say, I'd like to tell you that Eugene had auditioned for the Project Superstar before, and had a few seconds of fame on TV. Not bad eh.

"Cher, skip the practice questions, lah. That one so 'chicken feet', leh. We still got Chemistry (this teacher very fierce, cannot bargain), Lit, Geog (never mind that only half of the class did Geog and the rest, Lit), then also got your E Maths, the question a lot of graph, draw until hand pain leh."

"Aiyah, cannot lah, your final year exams coming in 'bout a month, must practice."

"Cher, cannot. You ask E. "Chilli Padi" Lim (our Chemistry teacher), she asked us to finish one mock exam paper by tomorrow. (That means our famous Mrs. Elizabeth Lim is very efficient, term haven't finish we know all the CO₂, H₂O and (NH₄)₂MoOBr₅ already.) Cannot lah. Like that I tonight the midnight oil also not enough oil to burn, you know.."

"Okie lah, okie lah. Tomorrow must hand up also ah."

"Huh. Monday, can?"

And it goes on.

Out of our fond memories of school, 词语手册 and Ammonium Oxopentabromomolybdates (V) and back to the blogosphere, I gave a copy of the digital Chinese dictionary to the Blogger server, complete with all my 8 editions of 词语手册's which all Singaporeans are supposed to know - together with their exact definitions - by heart, and now, it finally knows what I'm talking about.

Yeah, I mean, do you still keep all your 词语手册 not? Lols.

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The curtains of the Samsung World Cyber Games 2005 Grand Finals will be raised in Singapore tomorrow evening, at the Suntec Convention Centre. The Games will end this Sunday.

And as part of its awareness programme, two special double-deck buses with special destination plates will ply along the Orchard route, back-to-back, during the duration of the competition. turning back at the Queensway Road Interchange.

More info about the Games here.

Other pictures (clickable):

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Move aside, the A380. We now have got the real 'whale' that swims its way in the sea of... nitrogen? Lols.

Here, we present to you, the Airbus A300B4-608ST Super Transporter.

"The A300-600ST Super Transporter (nicknamed Beluga) based on the A300-600 airliner was designed to replace Airbus Industrie's Super Guppy (what?) transports, used by the consortium to ferry oversize components such as wings and fuselage sections between Airbus' partners' plants throughout western Europe.

The Airbus Super Transporter features the widest fuselage cross-section of any aircraft, civil or military, and his main deck cargo volume is greater than the Lockheed C-5B Galaxy, Antonov 124 and Boeing C-17.

Airbus A300B4-608ST Super Transporters are also available for charter flights for third parties. Air Transports Internationals home base is in Toulouse, France adjacent to Airbus."

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Taiwan has detected the presence of H7N3 avian flu strain in droppings left by migratory birds there. Like the notorious H5N1 strain, the H7N3 strain also has the ability to infect humans, as noted by at least 2 such cases in Canada last year.

Oh no. So many funny numbers denoting the strains. So what do the H and the N mean?

"Influenza viruses are further categorised into subtypes according to the antigens of the haemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N) projections on their surfaces. There are 14 H subtypes and 9 N subtypes of influenza A viruses.."

H2N2, H3N2, H7N2 and H9N2 are known to have infected humans before. H2N2 is known as the one causing the Asian Flu pandemic in 1957, killing a million people. Deaths were also recorded for H3N2 and H7N7.

Good. Now, a discovery question. Who first discovered viruses, and how was the term coined? We know the word "virus" was not popular till recent times, unlike similar terms like germs and bacteria.

"Although the viruses were discovered by the Russian biologist Dmitry Ivanovsky in 1892, the name for them was coined later. The original word comes from the Latin virus referring to poison and other noxious things.

"Today it is used to describe the biological viruses discussed above and also as a metaphor for other parasitically-reproducing things, such as memes or computer viruses.

"The word virion or viron is used to refer to a single infective viral particle. The English plural form of virus is viruses. No reputable dictionary gives any other form, including such "reconstructed" Latin plural forms as viri (which actually means men). (No plural form appears in any extant Latin manuscript). (See plural of virus). The word does not have a traditional Latin plural because its original sense, poison is a mass noun like the English word furniture."

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Dinner last night was black pepper chicken chop (with the indispensable rice) at Yishun. For those who know, I don't take spicy food so you could see me gobbling the food down like how the seal swallow without chewing, 'cos it certainly is not possible to let the chilli-hot food stay at my tongue! Darn.

Before that, they were slacking away in McDonald's, also known as "卖到老". But then that seems to suit KFC leh, 'cos the guy selling KFC is an old man so hor, he at least got "卖到老". At McDonald's, you always see this clown with his two hands in a 'wayang' position, and always happy 24 hours. But he not happy. Last time, McDonald's not 24 hours so he say, he can sit down and rest at night. Now cannot, he have to 'wayang' 24 hours a day! He say, he cannot tahan so if you see any McDonald's guy sitting at the hospital, the bench there, waiting with his legs crossed, don't be shocked ah. Lols.

While Boey was there and Jolene was on her way, I was doing overtime alone in the office for this handbook, all thanks to you-know-who who locked the computer to his account, then left late instructions and demanded that he sees it on his table the next morning. *shrugs*

I was driving people crazy since this morning, going around speaking in my 'sassy' tone. Lols. The computer network was down this morning, so since no one could do any work, we gathered together in a room, made jokes and talked about life. And we came to this conclusion, that here in my company, the management keeps getting worse, like no improvement after one year alrd. One of the outgoing regulars said that this is the only place in his whole army career where 'people factors' like welfare and work environment actually regresses. Everyone was very negative on the ground and few take pride in their work, but at least we still look out for each other. :)

At least I was trying to bring in some fun and laughter to camp life and show them some light, like talking to them like the podcast show like that, just to ease the tense working atmosphere. I even prepared my Pocket PC to do the recording of the podcast if anyone wants to, but I see like no one is light-hearted enough to 'joke back', leh. Sigh.

Well, I think it's time to digest all this dissent in my sleep. At least I'll be a free man for tomorrow. :D

This 'green pessimism' is infectious. *shakes it away*

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Monday, November 14

Once In a while, I'll make use of Technorati's Search feature to get an idea of who my readers are and what kind of stuff they read and write, so I can improve. Why? 'Cos you matters, too.

So, I was surprised and delighted to find myself being quoted by Singapore Database for my short article on The Air-Conditioned Nation on Thursday.

Anyway, I've been linked up by another blogger. I didn't have much time to look through, but reading a few articles, I'll say this blog is not bad, you know.

When you are free, go search for your blog on the net. It's never harmful, anyway. :)

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Sunday, November 13

Jalan Besar Stadium has opened once again, after closing in June for a turf upgrade to an artificial one under the FIFA Goal Project. It looks so new, I think maybe that's why the two teams, S-League Selection and Thai All Stars, dare not play a rough game with sliding tackles and stuff. It's like some guests playing in a rich man's expensive backyard turf... you won't want to damage all that stuff, right? Anyway, the S-League team scored 6 easy goals against their opponents, and hence did not have to end up using their prize money of $3,000 to pay for the turf damages. (Yeah, you know I'm just making that up.)

So here I am, giving live commentary to the fellas on IRC from my notebook. It began with a 2004 match at the Queenstown Stadium, home of non-league Tanjong Pagar FC. I had just gotten my 6610 that comes with GPRS and I installed an IRC application on the phone some time ago, so I thought that, hey, I could contribute something here. So live commentary on #sleague was born. Throughout the years, several devices took turns to do the task, from Pocket PC to Nokia 7260 to N-Gage QD to the iBook.

But I only did the live commentary if I thought the match was worth watching, and it can get quite boring and meaningless at times, especially since I had stopped betting not very long after watching that Queenstown match. Doing live commentary for 1 match will take up the whole night after camp, but then time will pass very fast, especially when you thought living is painful. (It still is, sadly, though that's not for you to see. *smiles*) After a while, I do get people, moderators or visitors, who are interested in helping out as well, but as we know, to get volunteers who would do this for free on a regular basis is not easy. Maybe FAS can provide some funding and season tickets, yeah?

But still, once in a while, people still come to me and ask, "Eh, tamago, when you giving live commentary?" and I'd try to make time to do a few matches, and hope that people will follow. Really, such things are about passion, money and time, a combination which is not easy to come by. Satisfaction is one thing you get from the being useful, getting recognised for what you are doing and being cheered on for that, being part of a community that looks after one another, and making full use of your spare resources and expertise to do something good for the society, though if you'd done something simply out of the satisfaction it derives, then it is not likely to last. You need more than that.

I'm glad that I had the expertise, and the time tonight, to bring about something nice to those chaps at #sleague. And, anyway, watching soccer with all the ah peks on the 24th floor can be very interesting also, as you hear them give their analysis of the situation and stuff. It's a bonus, 'cos for Jln Besar, you can hardly find anyone watching soccer from the HDB block next door, unlike stadiums at Bedok, Yishun and Choa Chu Kang. Lols.

I can now take my long break since the next season of S-League is still months away. But then, if I am busy in a relationship, have to work the night shift or have night classes, then I might have to give it a miss. :)

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Nowadays, works contractors don't do their work properly. Look at the uneven ground and shoddy grass re-culturing after they have laid a pipe across the field. Even the cement work is not anywhere near perfect.

The same thing happens to our roads. Rides have become more bumpy than ever, but no one in charge seems to be doing anything about it. After they finish digging and laying their pipes, they just fill it up to the brim and leave it, not mindful of the level of the road surface around it. I thought we were having potholes on our roads, with bumpy rides a common thing on our roads nowadays... these bumps are like a third-world problem happening in a supposedly first-world city-state.

Last time, PWD officers would make through checks and be sure that the contractors are doing their refilling works properly. If they are not satisfied, the contractors cannot leave the work site. That has kept our roads in top-notch conditions for the past few decades, with neat and spruce rows of trees lining a boulevard. That was something we were proud about, just as we are about being a Garden City.

Level roads are akin to a basic necessity for road users, while proper landscaping shows that we take pride in our surroundings and care for the environment. It also reflects an underlying discipline and zeal. So, shouldn't something be done about this?

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Just got wind of some very unimaginable ideas that SBS Transit is coming up with. My goodness. Well, at least it seems that they are now listening to what its passengers want and really providing some good express services around Singapore.

Life goes on.

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I'm finally back, washed up and ready to yak. Yak, I will. I have 26 hours of stuff to tell, you know. Pictures clickable.

Getting There

Getting there was smooth, though I had to make an extra stop at Woodlands Centre Rd to get a money changer, and I decided that I might as well settle my dinner. Claypot noodles, so called in Chinese, has got nothing to do with claypot! It should be called Ee Mee plus egg, soup, prawns and vegetables. Nevertheless, it's nice.

Hop over to Larkin. I was there, idling since 11, but my bus will only come at 12.30am. Lols. So had to bunk in at McDonald's, while trying very hard not to fall asleep. It's difficult.

But when the bus came, whoa, no regrets. I noticed that since my last visit in July, intra-state bus services have improved in big leaps. The RM25 economy fare we paid last time would get us a "lao kok kok" (or propular known as "LKK", which means very old and run-down) bus with standard seats, which are not soft at all, and freezing air-con, all squeezed in a 40-seat configuration. Now, that same fare gives you a 24-seater, with carpet finishings right to the front, plane-style overhead cabins, big legroom, comfortable ride and get this, foot rests. Yes, it has become a standard feature.

I had the privilege of taking a single-seat on the left row, which were never seen on buses of the economy class. The suspension was very quiet and the ride was comfortable. No more leaf springs which give the irritating 'yak yak' sounds from the Nissan buses of yesteryears. In fact, it felt like a high-speed train ride - the engine was quiet, the suspension was quiet, yet the bus is blazingly fast - that we reached the KL Toll Plaza at 4am sharp, and it didn't take long for it to arrive at Puduraya. I think they must be reacting to the increasing competition from premier intra-state and cross-border coaches.

Anyway, upon reaching the road outside the bus station, we could see these taxi drivers hoping to grab some business from us, in the wee hours. It's a bit crazy to see these fellas running to us at 4.45am. They work really hard. I hopped across the road for breakfast at this Malay kopitiam. An interesting conversation ensued.

"Excuse me. One egg," I mentioned to the guy frying the roti prata.
"One 'yeg'?"
"Yes, one 'yeg'."
He pointed to the egg. "You want this?"
"No, egg prata, lah."
"Orh, okie okie," he smiled before turning back to his flip-flopping.

Culture shock, right?

In Singapore, we just need to mention "one egg" to the roti prata stall and they will get you the stuff you need. But there, you must mention the word "prata", even if it's the prata guy you are ordering from. Maybe roti prata not so popular over there, lah.

Another interesting stuff. You won't quite believe what paper the guy is reading. It is TODAY. Whoa. But he brought it over from Singapore one. No kick. Yeah, I mean, I'd very much appreciate a copy of Weekend Today while in KL.

After breakfast and a lonely walk down the dark alleys, I made my way to catch the first Monorail train to KL Sentral. See, the whole trip actually just evolves around a thrilling plane ride, so I need to find stuff to do. Good. I thought of going to Genting, but they weren't open at 7.

Daybreak

So while getting a bottle of water at 7-Eleven, I was awakening from my half-slumber by the tune of "Numa Numa Iei". Eh, Chicken Little is already showing in Malaysia? Hmmm. Oh yes, in case you didn't know, the 7-Eleven cashiers (the machine, not the man) in KL got TV screen with advertisements. More advanced than us, huh?

Anyway since I was still clamouring for more sleep, and the New Straits Times I bought was probably soporific and have a drowsiness effect, I got myself a cheap RM1 KTM Kommuter ticket to the next station at Midvalley, but I took all the way to Seremban (almost 90km away) and back, just to have some good air-conditioning for my sleep. Whoa. I don't really trust hostels when I'm alone, you know. So I took some nice pictures while I was there.

Midvalley Mall

Apparently the biggest mall in Kuala Lumpur City, I did not waste my time walking from one end to the other - I had done that before and it's like.... yeah. Bought my Sensodyne toothpaste here from the supermarket, which is about 1 Sing dollar cheaper.

Kuala Lumpur has changed a lot over the past 4 months. It's amazing how fast they are catching up in the race for tourism dollars and also for the image and experience it gives to the inhabitants and visitors.

The McDonald's outlets here are no longer the old KFC-style restaurants. No, they have also been given the makeover and indeed, the people there can now be proud. Even the McDonald's at Larkin Bus Terminal, they open till late and have the 'i'm lovin' it' taglines. No joke, man. Next time, Ronald McDonald's will speak Behasa Melayu on TV for their advertisements. Lols.

My Kommuter train was late today. 'Fret not, it does not happen very often. Transferred to Putra LRT at KL Sentral, and made my way to KLCC.

Chicken Little!

The first thing to do when I reach KLCC is to get up to the Tanjong Golden Village there to get my Chicken Little ticket. Not so bad, they are having almost 20 screenings today so the cinema wasn't very packed. Watching movie alone can be quite quirky, but what can I do, right? I think if I buy a big stuffed toy to accompany me (I'd do that anytime - buy a big and cute stuffed toy, that is) then people will think I'm "siao" and "san-tiam-long". Lols. Anyway, the thin crowds could be due to another reason, because you shouldn't be shocked to see snaking queues outside this theartes with hundreds of movie goers eagering waiting for their turn.

Anyway, it is nice! I recommend everyone to watch it. Be warned that it has an extremely short (80mins) and straight-forward plot, but is easy on the brain and designed to make you relax and laugh at the silly jokes. It is something you'd expect of a Disney show, like Finding Nemo and Lilo & Stitch. On any day, I'd recommend that you head to City Square at JB and catch it, since they should be showing it as well. It's cheap too, at RM10. KLCC's tickets are RM8, though.

Actually, the Chicken Little is so un-cute with its spectacles and tiny body. If not for the advanced screenings and the 7-Eleven advertisement.... I think must be fate. Lols. What I find is most cute in the movie is Kirby! (Fish Out Of Water comes in a close second place.) Kirby is the three-eyed, three-legged, orange furry alien that is so adorable, I wished I had the real thing. Interestingly, there are practically no pictures of Kirby on the net, nor was it part of the prmotional posters. How can? Lols.

So hor, don't wait. Run to JB to watch.

Photos from KLCC



Taman KLCC



KLCC Convention Centre



To be continued. Only halfway through. :) Up next is about my lunch, joy rides on Express Rail Link, Putrajaya and KLIA.

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Friday, November 11

For those who didn't know, I have been Tomorrow-ed. I was like, huh?

For those who happen to not know, I had missed out on good rest for the past week, sleeping late and rushing through a project, so quite soon after I did my A380 reports, I lay down flat on my bed, my iBook faithfully working on some big downloads beside me. Then, the MSN and handphone kept disrupting my sleep (not that it is bad, I appreciate it):

"New parks 409 svc 2 mt faber. Op hours 6pm to 3am." What the. True, SBST website got a hidden page which is not shown on the main press page. Not bad, bus fans are so clever, they didn't get smoked. Can't find my 109 still. Never mind, that can wait until tonight.

"Buangkok MRT to open in January, Minister may announce tomorrow." Whoa. Why everytime when I'm sick and sleep, so many things happen wan. You can't believe it but I slept through 911, waking up in the wee hours then my cousins told me about it, then I see the news. "Whoa. Better go back and sleep first." I got no reaction wan.

"SBST confirms opening of Buangkok MRT." Those guys who were monitoring the SBST website found this. I thought, "Whoa, need to so fast or not. I wan to sleep wan, leh." It came just one hour after the previous post, which said tomorrow. Yeah, right. I think they kena sabotaged, no element of surprise, so they had no choice, lah.

So now I wake up just after 7pm, 'cos I can't sleep anymore (not because someone woke me up), then I just check out the usual stuff. Friend's blog feeds, forums, my stats, my counter... then, I jumped and the wooden bed moaned with a cracking sound. No good. I better step out.

After a quick cup of drink, I came back, still blur (and still am blur now *yawns*) and I saw that I kena Tomorrow-ed. Tomorrow is a blog syndication site (no ah, they don't trade blogs under-the-table, not like the drug syndicate, porn VCD syndicate, pirated movie syndicate that kind ah) similar to Slashdot.org.

I can't quite comprehend what to do, then I remember they got the logo. All the "P support Tomorrow", "I read Tomorrow", "I kena Tomorrow-ed" and "Tomorrow I'm not free" (lols) logos which I recall seeing once when I was browsing through it. But after 5 minutes, still cannot find the post. Sigh. Okay, at least it means it is not easy to be Tomorrow-ed. Cannot anyhow put one, okay? Hmmm. I carried on with the search and found it as the clock was racing to the 10-minute mark.

Not bad. I think I need more rest on the bus ride down to KL later. Yes, I'm heading there for a one-day getaway stint, because humans do get bored of their town or city once in a while. But don't do that for your wife ah, I tell you. That's why I need to sleep badly.

And it was a bad sleep. :(

PS: My iBook and camera will follow me up north for the trip, so I might be posting tomorrow. Okay, thank you, I'm sorry but I'll see you very soon.

PPS: For those who are first time visitors, you can go to the backyard there, squat at the drain there and drink coffee. Coffee bring yourself, lah. Lols. Joking. In case you don't know, most of the pictures are clickable, which will display a larger version of it. :)

PPPS: Good. I can't stop my nagging. I think I need to do up a list of popular entries soon. Like, very soon, you know.... when I come back.

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It's official. Buangkok MRT Station will open next January.

SBST said in a press release that "a steady rise in NEL ridership coupled with significant cost control efforts, have made it possible for SBS Transit to open the station for public service."

The exact date of the opening will be announced at a later date after equipment checks and changes to the system maps are completed.

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Transport News: Buangkok MRT to open in January

SINGAPORE: Two years of lobbying by grassroots leaders in Punggol South may finally have paid off, with plans underway to open Buangkok MRT station in January.

The Straits Times understands that Transport Minister Yeo Cheow Tong could reveal the details officially tomorrow (Saturday, Nov 12th).

The station would have opened only in 2008, based on the Land Transport Authority's previous guideline that there must be 2,000 to 3,000 housing units within 400m of a station to justify opening it.

But Mr Yeo indicated in August that the guideline was not set in stone.

He said the 400m radius could be extended to 500m and the station could open as long as there were close to 2,000 units within that larger area.

Based on figures from Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council, there are already about 2,300 units within 500m of the station.

Asked to comment on the plans to open the station, the authorities, plus transport operator SBS Transit and even the usually vocal Pasir-Punggol GRC MP Charles Chong were keeping quiet.

But sources told The Straits Times the go-ahead has been given.

Before the station can open, operational trials have to be conducted, including ensuring that the trains stop properly at the station. When The Straits Times visited the station earlier this week, maintenance staff were working inside and the ticketing machines were switched on.

The opening of the station should bring an end to a two-year saga that started in June 2003, when SBS announced, four days before opening the $4.6 billion North-east Line, that Buangkok station would stay closed.

Many residents in the area felt cheated, particularly those who had bought a home in the belief that the station would open. Instead they have to walk, cycle or take a feeder bus to Hougang or Sengkang stations if they want to use the MRT.

Mr Chong and his grassroots leaders lobbied SBS to change its mind, producing polls which showed people were willing to walk more than 400m to the station, but SBS rejected the findings.

Several ministers spoke publicly on the issue and held out the promise that the station would open once more people moved in.

Unconvinced, someone placed eight cut-outs of white elephants on a road divider outside the station before a minister's visit in August, sparking a public debate about protesting and political expression, and ending with the culprit receiving a stern warning from the police.

So is the planned opening of the station a sweetener for the upcoming general election?

Chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport, Mr Ong Kian Min, did not think so.

'It's coincidental,' he said. 'There's been a lot of pressure for them to open Buangkok station. The pressure has been piling up. It's good for them to review and make a decision.'

Copyright ? 2005 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved

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SBS Transit is launching a new Parks service to Mount Faber this Sunday. That is one service that should have come out long ago.

And that is not the only surprise we are getting from SBST. It will be the first service to end service at 3am, 7 days a week. It will be a night service on weekdays, and a full day service on weekends.

More details here. The press release came pretty late, 3 days before the launch. Now where's my Service 109? Lols.

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Many aviation fans and the usual kaypoh and sua-ku Singaporeans, who jump at anything new 'cos they haven't been out there too long, gathered at the Changi Airport this morning for a chance to see what is probably the largest bird you can see in the sky. Probably, 'cos it looks like a toy, really. I think that could explain the fast-diminishing crowds at the Viewing Gallery directing facing the aircraft.

Anyway, I'm glad to have survived the morning hangover (forgot to dunk a cup of Starbucks mocha. right.) and made the hour-long trip there. Many experts gathered at the Terminal 1 Viewing Gallery hoping for a landing that could be captured in its full glory with its wide angled view of the runway 02L/20R, but it chose to land at 02C/20C, which is alongside the gates at Terminal 2 and also the Gate F31 which the A380 will dock during its 14-hour stay here in Singapore. (This runway used to be called 02R/20L, but now it refers to the third Changi East Runway, being used exclusively by F-16's belonging to RSAF 145 Sqn.)

Many of us stayed at T1 even after taking a landing shot, since we were hoping that it would make a parade round the whole airport. It was not without reason, since the A380 went to Southern Cross, the huge overhead bridge across the vehicular road Airport Boulevard, for testing. Logically, it should then head over to T1's taxiways, which were observed to be closed. But sadly, the A380 made a U-turn at the foot of the bridge back to F31, while runway 02L/20R and its neighbouring taxiways were opened again.

So we had no choice but to pop over to the T2 Viewing Gallery, which directly faces Gate F31. Not a satisfactory trip, as the windows were tinted and its sills make for a far-from-perfect shot of the big bird. And we were unimpressed; it did not look magnificent or special. It sure is very compact for a double-decked aircraft, which probably added to its effect that it wasn't long, an attribute people are used to when refering to the size of a plane. But its wingspan is disappointingly short. It looked like any other plane, leh.

"What? This is the A380?"
"Why so small? I see the pictures on the Internet, very big leh. Now I see, where got 'fierce'?"
"I think they send the wrong plane by mistake, lah."
"Lols."

It will leave Gate F31 at 6pm for the hangar for some repainting works (for Qantas 85th Birthday Bash) before departing at midnight for Brisbane. It will arrive at 8am (Brisbane time).

Other shots:

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Dinner last night was roti prata at "Joe's Coroner" at Hougang Plaza. Superb food brought other foodies like Win, Boey and Xianfu, before we headed upstairs for another round of pool. I couldn't concentrate and hit straight on simple set pieces; you could tell how off-form and clumsy I was.

I left early to head for the doctor but I forgot that I had left my IC with the cashier at the pool centre. So I had to head back all the way to Hougang to get it back from Boey, before heading on a detour ride since most bus services had stopped operations. So that explains why I reached home around 3-4am.

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Workers busy working to get ready the Christmas decorations here at Plaza Singapura.

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Once I was at this interview some years ago, the lady-in-charge glanced through my form and asked,

"You was from Hwa Chong JC?"
"Yeah."
"Very smart ah," she commented before look saying, "I was from CJC."
"Okay," before starting a little chat on her school life.
"So, does I suppose you can handle stress pretty well, 'cos we are rushing through a big project here?"
"Yeah."

I mean, why say "No?". Lols. Then, I also agreed with the implied thought that a stint at a top college probably made me more stress-tolerant. I mean, those times were really hell. Anyway, I was taken in, and I became part of the Singapore Swimming Club.

But boy, I was so wrong. Being smart and doing a stint at a top institution are two different things, be it military, educational or a company. It does not mean that being subjected to stress all the time will necessarily make you more tolerant, or handle stress better. There is no correlation between these two.

Well, I suppose the ability to handle stress has a significant intrinsic value to it. I had to deal with a battered body deprived of rest the whole of last week. The mind could only do thus far, beyond which the body will not bulge. Lols. Now I'm back home, waiting for my big break before heading up north, I think, I better enjoy myself. This could well be the last overseas trip for the year, and the last to Malaysia. Last for the year, since next month is reserved for Christmas celebrations. Next year because I'd have earned enough to go somewhere further. :)

I reached home past three yesterday, spending the early hours of the day waiting in the hospital. Well, not too bad, not only did I get the rest I needed badly (read: MC), I got more than what I bargained for - a new bottle of Difflam. Good stuff.

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Thursday, November 10

Zhng My Car Episode 2 is out. Good. My review later. Meanwhile, we're having another dinner session out at Joe's Corner at Hougang Plaza, and another round of pool. Yes, we are boring people who do repetitive things but as long as it's fun, anything goes.

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There was a big commotion in the S1 (Manpower) Branch office last evening. The printer decided to act up and stopped working after 4pm. A small panic ensued, as the staff there were trying very hard to revive the stubborn piece of stone as it sat with indifference at the buzz forming up around it.

Quite naturally, I had to volunteer my services, since I had got their network printer installed previously and had a hand in making the computers sit up, straighten and be serious, after the staff had complained that their brand new computers were "acting funny".

But for a dying soul, this was definitely not welcomed. Indeed, it's funny how fatigue, or the lack of it, can make a difference.

While working feverishly to make the stubborn child from misbehaving and blinking its light mischievously (like how a baby would spit his food when fed and refuse to swallow it), I set up the computers to print from another printer belonging to another office downstairs as a back-up. It worked.

Then, the oldest lady in the room suggested, with a whiff of wisdom in her breath, that we should switch off the printer, then turn it on again. Fair enough, it worked like magic, and the stone turned into a printer with a swish! *sarcastic tone* Lols. Why didn't I thought of that? As we watched the printer in such amazement, like country pumpkins who thought horses with push carts still run on the streets, it was truly a moment of awakening. I hope I don't have to deal with it anymore.

PS: This morning, the printer failed once again.

Anyway, I'm headed for a 1-night trip to KL on Friday night, and then flying back on Saturday night.

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While waiting for the computer to bake my pizza (read: burn my disc), I just want to let you know how tired I am. I stare at the computer screen and my eyes start to wobble. No good.

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Wednesday, November 9

My new Panasonic headphones have finally arrived. But no, you won't see a smiling face, for now. The moment I opened it, I didn't like it. One most important feature the headphone must have is symmetrical lengths for both ears, instead of having a longer wire running to the right earbud, then I'll have to contend with a wire hanging on my neck. And I can't feel the 10Hz low bass production. It sounded worse than my old Sony earphones, which continues to run very very well despite all the really hard knocks it has to put up with. Maybe I need to adapt to this earphone, which sounded really 'thin' in my opinion.

Work has been pretty stressful. Our draconian Tiger has decided to start biting people, friend or foe, in his den and wherever he can roam. I think he wants to put some stress in those who are going to ORD soon, so they cannot enjoy their holiday mood. Our buddies over at the other platoon are truly having it so good, like never before, that those who are going to leave at the same time as me are already making plans, while I sit here everyday to be bitten, like how mosquitoes suck blood. *shrugs* Maybe I should start polishing my fangs. Lols.

I'm grateful for the cool weather this evening. And the jams it caused. (It wasn't serious, lah.) Much-needed replenishment from the heavens for the fatigued soul, it came at the time when most people headed home. I actually just started to head home half an hour later nowadays, courtesy of the Tiger who decided to give it as a punishment for some petty stuff. And he added extra and non-essential tasks for me to work on. We all could see that life in the office upstairs is not quite as good as it seems nowadays, but I suppose no one would really warn Mr. Kelvin Tng, our choice for my replacement, about what's the situation while he is happily nursing at home after his operation for the past two months. Everyone who I know and has been in the job either complain to me personally, or simply quit the post to do maintenance work downstairs. Get this, repairing vehicles and getting your hands soiled and blackened is better than administrative work in an air-conditioning office.

Luckily, for leaving later, my journey home is 10 minutes faster as the waiting time is greatly reduced. That hurts like a bite by an ant. Meanwhile, I have started to eat almost as fast as my lightning speed. Good, but my tongue has not recovered yet, while residues remain on the lips. Bad. I'm most worried about a relapse. No way man.

Now, Orchard Road is on its way to putting up a good show for this Christmas, as you can see from my dark picture. Talking about Christmas, I'm hoping to do what we did last year! We booked a hotel room at The M Hotel at Tanjong Pagar, went for dinner at Lau Pa Sat, then go to the clubs at Boat Quay, before heading back to the hotel room for a nice sleep. Good formula, though lots of hard work when it comes to organising, coordinating and managing a big group of people from different backgrounds. We shall improve on the formula this year.... if we have the extra cash to spare. Lols.

I think we need 2 nights of stay, firstly because everybody is too drunk or tired to wake up by book-out time the next day, and since we are having an extended holiday period with Boxing Day being a day off for us as well, I think we could all bond better since we have more time to interact after the fun on the first night. Also, we will be able to try out the facilities at the hotel, which we weren't able to the last time we went 'cos the only idiots who arrived at book-in time on the afternoon of X'mas eve are the organisers, who are either too busy or too lazy.

Anyway, for most of the NS people, it's time for bonus. We are not talking about some welfare policy from SAF, finally, 'cos they are not giving us the bonus which I'm talking about. (Only regulars, or those who are employed by the SAF, gets bonuses. As far as they are concerned, we are not working, just merely serving the nation and being underpaid.) Rather, those who have signed up insurance policies with Aviva with find that they have a substantial amount of rebates this year. Yes, in fact, it's 6-months equivalent for me. 6 months' worth of premiums, not 6 months' of pay, which can buy me another notebook, you know. Lols. I am hoping that they are paying it out by Christmas so we can have some neat celebrations, but the most realistic of all dates fall on Jan 10th, the pay day of January. Then, it'd be extra dough in the warchest as I head out to the working world. Good.

Can I get to work overseas, please? Lols.

Anyway, the search for a Mos Burger with wireless has turned quite fruitless. Tough luck. They just had to set up their outlets at the wrong places. The number of Singtel Outdoor Wireless Surf zones have quietly diminished as many outlets decided not to set up the wireless access points again after they have renovated. Many Delifrance outlets, which used to be Outdoor Wireless Surf zones, are no longer wireless-enabled after they were revamped under the new brand of Bistro Delifrance.


I envy those couples who have made it through NS. And I'm glad to see that, actually, there are a few examples around me, people who will soon leave their green uniforms behind, like me. Juggling between a relationship and National Service is never easy, and adapting to a toned-down lifestyle is something that is probably the hardest to swallow. At times like this, lots of support and encouragement from each other, and being tolerant and understanding, is invaluable. Maybe the fact that we are a staying out platoon made it easier to spend more time with each other... "more time" that you can spend compared to other NSF's, but definitely the same, or most likely, less time than before. I'm happy to see that they will finally see the rainbow, coming out stronger after the storm. You have my support, man!

I shall expand on this another time, maybe this weekend. :)

Have a good day tomorrow.

ADD: In case you're wondering who the guy is in the picture, he is one of my colleagues.

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I'm glad to have lasted this long for the day. Work is definitely not going smoothly, as I rely on the cup of coffee I'm sipping now to keep me going. It sure sounds like a bad habit, though I'm lucky that I don't have to do this very often.

Blogging from my phone is not very nice. I have to keep my posts short - I can only view a line at a time! And now I understand why not seeing "the whole picture" can be this difficult, distracting & uninspiring.

The ridicule continues.

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We have news that the A380 will land on Friday, 10th November 2005 at 10am. The same source also states that it will dock at Gate 31 at Terminal 2. :)

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There is one good way to identify an addicted blogger. He shoots what he eats. Lols.

Had a night out with Jolene and Hani. These fellas really make my day. I was the 'sassy' guy for the day, coming in loud shirt and shorts, and speaking even louder. Lols. It's like I follow The Mr. Brown Show style of talking, which made for a pool session so fun, we kept playing air ball towards the end of the hour-long session. I did the same trick of making the ball fly out of the center pocket, again, with 'sassy' poses of me bending and showing my (gasp!) you-know-what. No, we didn't take that down. Sorry, explicit contents are not allowed. Lols.

In case you wanna catch our many many hilarious conversations, there is one:
Jolene: Why you wearing shorts today? So short!
Alan: Haha. I go Toa Payoh mah. I everytime come Toa Payoh wear quite simple one, 'cos Toa Payoh is not far, not like town like that.
Jolene: .....
Alan: I know Sembawang and Toa Payoh is far, not like Ang Mo Kio and Toa Payoh.
Jolene: Huh? Don't understand leh.
Alan (acts funny): You don't understand ah? You know, like the Bedok and the Bedok Reservoir like that.... (gesturing)
Jolene: *ROFL*

Okie, maybe words don't speak a lot, but I have never been known to express myself very well with words. Lols.

The other photos will have to come tomorrow. I'm going to faint quite soon. I'm having less and less time for rest and play that I might have to sacrifice work in some ways. I ain't a robot, and I don't talk like one! Lols. I shall talk about how crazy and demanding our officer has gone recently.

Meanwhile, my regards to all those who are taking part in the national examinations. Good luck, best wishes and God bless.

Dinner. Chicken rice is mine, 'cos Fork and Spoon the stall sells good chicken rice.

You'll never know how much food you need, to fill our hungry souls.

The only guy tonight. Who else?

Where's the ball?

Our expert in pool have her shot at the pockets, while we try to distract. Lols.

Nice combination. Too bad you never see my flying white ball. It ended up rolling 2 tables away.

Even machines like computers and handphones need to talk. Here in action at Mos Burger, where they "Bluetooth" each other while our many "tooths" are busy munching fries.

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Tuesday, November 8

The past 2 days have passed so fast and the pace so fast, I have no time to sit down and really write something nice. I had to deal with this headache that came with the lack of sleep, and I think tomorrow is going to be another of those mornings when you wished for just one more minute of time on the bed.

I'm out with Jolene and Hani for dinner and maybe another round of pool-gone-wrong. Hees. De-stressing is on the cards, but definitely not rest. :(

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Mind games were the order of the day as a great battle took place without anyone noticing. The sword of words became useless in such encounters. Rather, it was like playing chess - placing yourself at the most unpredictable locations, or making totally false moves, just to confuse certain people.

Suddenly, intensive mind reading became the weapon of the day, as the sword of the mind slices through conventional thoughts of people who are, probably, overly self-centered, and does things without consideration of its effects on other people. Confusion is best meted out to such people when all else fails, to make them do totally silly and meaningless moves, making them go round and round, before causing shock in them as they scramble back into their humble and humane self, their minds work slower as they plough through their thoughts, while trying to explain what the random actions meant.

Playing the Unpredictable is a satisfying thing. Now I can do my work in peace. =P

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Monday, November 7

No, that guy is not me. Heh. I can't seem to find myself in the pictures, but as a clue, I spent most of my time playing volleyball, so go figure. =p

Now I present to you, the nice photo album from the GLS First Anniversary Celebrations at the Palawan Beach.

As you can see, we had volleyball, soccer and sandcastle building competitions. There are also other stuff that didn't pass the censors (gasp!), like the Miss GLS costume show and prize presentations. It was fun. I want to go back again man.

All photos are downsized to 640 by 480 px, but if you need the 1600 by 1200 px originals, email or msn me. Tomorrow I'll upload pictures from the one last (and smaller) event, at The Prata Place.

I had a neck-wreaking and exhausting day. I better get myself recharged in dreamland... who knows, maybe we'll meet in there? :)

Other notable photo moments:

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Finally, the 'before' pics from the makeover of the Rest Room, when the room was still in a sea of dull white colour.

Sorry for being slow tonight, I'm in the process of uploading all 76 pictures for the GLS First Anniversary Celebrations at Sentosa on Sept 30th. They're nice!

Back to the rest room..

BEFORE

AFTER

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