the lastsplash

Resolutions 2012.

2012-01-02T23:03:00.000+08:00

While my one-year-old is going for his first steps, I am also learning to walk (again). 2011 was full of ups and downs.

I was promoted for the 2nd time in my first job. Not fantastic but not bad either after six years. The challenging issues justifies for the few more dollars increment to the stipend. Murphy is my good friend. With only the final milestone left, I hope to overcome all odds and pull the rabbit outta the hat in 2012! If I am lucky, I may run another project.

For the consecutive year, I expended all my medical leave. After hearing my story, some may say 父爱是伟大的. Some may think I was pure clumsy. As my son likes to watch basketball playing, I decided to show him how to do it myself. At first I felt good, I got it plenty of shots. Unfortunately, I broke my ACL while chasing after the ball. It has been two months and my knee is still weak and hurts occasionally. I plan to go for surgery in 2012, while performing the balancing act of pulling the rabbit and recuperation. Pray for me!

My darling son has taken over our lives. We have little time for other things. But this is not bad. He IS part of our lives! It is so true when they say parents want to come home and hug their children. I feel so everyday. On one hand, you miss having time to do the things you like, on the other, you miss moments spent with him. As he starts to walk more, talk more, learn more, 2012 will be really exciting. Hoping to bring him on his first trip to the zoo. He loves the lion and giraffe! Also hoping to go on vacation without him at the end of the year.

2011 was also a visual year. I wrote less, photographed more. Maybe I will invest in a prime lens in 2012. But what's important isn't the gear, it is to take more photos. I plan to continue recording the growth of my son in photos. See them on my dear wife's Facebook album. If I can manage my time better, I will write more. Writing trains the mind. A respectable person writes well. I am gonna write more and well.

In 2012 I will also need to pay more attention to people. People like my wife, my parents, my friends. I would want to create more sparks for my wife, be more filial to my parents, and catch up with my friends. My best friend is getting married! I will also pay more attention to my team mates at work.

Tennis! I hope my vacation will be to Flushing Meadows for the US Open.

And here are my predictions for men tennis in 2012:
1. Roger Federer will end the year back as No.1 with wins in Australian Open and US Open.
2. Andy Murray will finally win his first grand slam, Wimbledon.
3. A new star will be born, and he'll win the Roland Garros.
4. Rafael Nadal will slowly fade away as he is sidelined by injuries for most part of the season.
5. Djokovic will have a less successful year, with less wins and more injuries. He will probably be at the No. 2 spot at the end of the season.

As they say, every cloud has a silver lining. 2011 wasn't too good. 2012 will be terrific! HUAT AH!

The Last 24 Hours, Twenty-Eleven.

2012-01-01T13:10:00.000+08:00

In between taking care of my dear son, I sneaked out a few hours of the last 24 hours in 2011. It was the third year for me. Here is 2008 and 2010.

With a creaky left knee, I wondered aimlessly from Promenade MRT to Somerset MRT, with a 550D and my Dad's old Olympus mju film compact camera. While I snapped 139 shots on the 550D, I cautiously took only two shots on film. So it will be a while before I can see how the film turn out. :p

Nevertheless, here are the thirty crappy shots with no theme or whatsoever...

Which quadrant do you belong to?

Stop and adjust yourself.

He fumbles with the map. She wonders where to go. Or is she?

Another of the 鸟 problem in 2011. Pigeons. Call AVA. Crows. Call NEA. Mynah? Easy, M for McDonalds.

Setting up the metal barricades for the New Year countdown road closures.

What are the enchanting moments in 2011?

Giant Mentos on the river or another bureaucratic publicity?

Rising to the future.

A reminder of our past, on my way down to the subterranean new world.

Spick and span. Squeaky clean. The task of keeping Singapore clean does not end, even when the year is ending.

An old wood in the City, which caught my eye.

Christmas wasn't that long ago.

Loneliness.

Behind these windows, boys in green shorts used to roam the corridors. Catholic High School at Queen's Street.

Just to be very very sure... we need the extra guiding poles.

SMU School of Information Systems. In 2011, we had a new colleague from there.

Energising the greenery.

Just chilling. Third time I visited the National Museum of Singapore within one week.

Old pillar. Young Soul. Latest fab of 2011 - Angry Birds.

"Feed and I'M expansion tank".

Bombs, Banks, the McDonald House has seen it all. Will it bask in glory forever or make way for some intergalactic highway soon?

Ponding in Orchard? The good old Stanford canal has more to offer than solving our bi-century water problem.

They ran out of spoons.

Taking a break.

He loves his books. Just look at the book spine.

What are they looking at?

Elephants left their mark in 2011.

It doesn't matter who they are. It's SALE! Now!

So What Do You Want in 2012?

Till we walk again.

Happy 2012!

What Can Siri Do for Me?

2011-10-13T13:21:00.000+08:00

It is no secret, deep down inside, we all want a Siri to do our bidding. I don't own a iPhone 4S, but there are some things I wish Siri will do for me. Below is my top 10 list:

Siri, order some roses and deliver to my wife for our wedding anniversary. Include some sweet words in the card.
Siri, edit the photos and upload them to Facebook.
Siri, blog about my incredible date last night.
Siri, download my favourite drama, sitcom and animes.
Siri, give me the gist of today's news (as what the President may receive).
Siri, upgrade my competency status.
Siri, sharpen my monthly progress report.
Siri, cook me dinner.
Siri, take out the trash.
Siri, feed my baby, change his baby diapers and coax him to sleep. (Woah, Siri doubles as the latest domestic helper in the market?! Okay I cheated abit on this one, there are three tasks.)

Just In Time, For Bertrand's Big Day!

2011-10-03T18:30:00.000+08:00

Twelve months ago, our baby boy came into this world. It was the beginning of our new journey.

The delivery suite was cold. I held the camera tightly, waiting for the moment. The gynecologist came in and told me to put it away. "No time for this." My job was to urge my wife to push hard. "One and two and three..." And then, came his first cry. "Where's my camera? Where's my camera?" I scrambled for it. First was the cutting of umbilical cord, then the body check, the weighing scale, and Bertrand was in Mummy's arms for the first time. Before I knew, it had begun - my journey as a father and Bertrand's dedicated photographer.

From the start, Bertrand is a natural when it comes to posing for the camera. He would look at the camera. The boy is cheerful. It was easy to capture him smiling. Not wanting to miss out any of it, I had the camera by my side, day and night. The first time he smiled, mumbled, laughed out loud, flipped over, crawled, sat up, stood, threw things, cruised around his cot, clapped his hands, waved his hands, blew bubble, grew a tooth, ate solid food, spat out his dinner, pulled out his socks, said "organ", shook his head to reject something, read a book, poo-ed in the potty, pointed at things, moved to the rhythm, exclaimed at the sight of little birds and guinea pigs, combed his hair... we were there! The moments were captured in our memories and through the lens of our camera.

Over seven thousand photographs later, our boy is almost one-year old. I have learned many lessons about my son and photography through this journey. It had been an extremely satisfying experience. And the journey will continue. This book is a collection of our favourite photographs. These images may not be extraordinary or brilliantly taken, but they are beautiful and filled with love. We hope that Bertrand will grow up to be a wonderful gentleman, and flip through these pages.

This photography collection is Mummy and Daddy's gift to Bertrand, the moments of intimacy, laughter, and kinship which belong to him.

Still in the wrappers!

The hardcover book in the sleek Apple box. The only problem was, it was sticky as well. I had trouble getting the book out.

The cover...

The sleeve...

The centerfold...

And the back cover...

Imitation is the Best Form of Flattery.

2011-09-26T23:09:00.000+08:00

Why does the Chrome Web Store look so much like the Apple App Store? I am not just referring about the overall look. The placements and naming of the various categories are really similar as well.

For example the Ad on the top, the "New & Noteworthly" below it, the "What's Hot" aka "Popular" at the bottom, the "Top Charts Paid Apps" aka "Favourite Paid Apps" at the right panel.

This is a fantastic layout! Blackberry should really learn a thing or two from this...

Treasures of Vacheron Constantin.

2011-07-16T21:51:00.001+08:00

In between the final installment of Harry Potter and dinner, we found time to visit the Treasure of Vacheron Constantin exhibition at the NHM.

This Swiss watch owners include Napoleon Bonaparte, Pope Pius XI, the Duke of Windsor and Harry Truman.

The exhibition explores the heritage of the oldest watch manufacturer. 180 timepieces were on display. The photos in this post were taken using my Samsung Galaxy S2, so the quality isn't top-notched. But at least it gives those who missed the exhibition, glimpses of the exquisite timepieces from Vacheron Constantin. The descriptions are mostly lifted from the exhibition itself.

To start off, some background information about enamelling:

The art of enamelling was already much appreciated by the ancient Egyptians ca. 1500 BCE. Following a long history of this beautifying technique, watchmakers introduced enamelling to watches during the 17th century in Geneva, Switzerland.

The art of enamelling comprises several techniques: Champlevé (protruding enamel) cloisonné (enclosed enamel) and miniature painting. In champlevé, the pattern is engraved on a sheet of gold with the hollows filled with enamel. With the cloisonné technique, the enameller creates his own design by applying a thin gold wire to primary layer of enamelling and the cloisons (partitions) formed are then filled with enamel. Regardless of the technique used, the piece is fired several times - depending how many colours used - at about 800 degree Celsius. The colour is obtained by mixing glass and metal oxide according to traditional alchemist' formulas.

Extremely refined and difficult, the miniature-painting technique enables the artist to reproduce a great masterpiece with a depth and vividness of colour rivalling that of the original. The fine powders and pigments used in miniature paintings are combined with natural essential oils. Depending on the complexity of the design and the number of colours used, the enamel can require firing more than 20 times at about 800 degree Celsius.

If the enameller uses the Genevan technique, he will protect the painting once ready. In the final delicate stage he applies successive layers of translucent enamel (the fondant), firing the object between each layer. The translucent layers enhance the intensity and brightness of the colours and emphasise the subtlety and depth of work.

Vacheron Constantin's collection of antique enamelled watches is an illustration of wide variety of technique available and the sources of inspiration for past generations of enamellers, such as travel, nature and floral patterns, scenes, landscapes and miniature reporductions of the great masters.

This is a scene from the workshop of Jean-Marc Vacheron.

One of the extraordinary feat was the creation of the world's thinnest watch back then.

This is a 8 days desk clock made in 1905. Glit silver, agate, lacquer, 8/8-cut diamonds, Caliber RA 19" - 8 days, "Breguet" balance-spring, 17 jewels. This clock's champlevé lacquer case with line engraving and bead-set diamonds, was made by Verger Frères.

Another 8 days desk clock, made in 1926. Brass, white gold, lacquer, agate, lapis lazuli, turquoises, nephrite, opals, rose-cut diamonds, Caliber RA 19" - 8 days, lever escapement, "Breguet" balance-spring, 17 jewels. This clock's case was made by Verger Frères and embellished with bead-set diamonds.

Lady's pendant watch, made in 1919. Platinum, brilliant-cut diamonds, rose-cut diamonds, leather rope, slivered dial, Caliber RA 5", lateral lever escapement, flat balance-spring, 15 jewels. This watch was special order for Wilhelm A. Bolin, a jeweller at the Russian and Swedish courts. It is embellished with bead-set diamonds and millegrain decoration.

One of the highlights of this exhibition. This pocket-watch was made in 1923. Yellow gold, enamel, enamel dial, engraved movement, Caliber 17" medium, lever escapement, 18 jewels, hand-decorated. The back of the case is enameled with a miniature of the painting "Les Bergers D'Arcadie" by Nicolas Poussin; painted by Marie Goll, a leading 20th-century Genevan enamel miniaturist. The double back cover is engraved using the pounced ornament technique depicting a pastoral scene. The movement features line engraving of two angels.

"Arms up" pocket-watch made in 1960. 18K yellow gold, white gold, pink gold, Caliber RA 17" 15/12 "arms up" display, lever escapement, flat balance-spring, 18 jewels. The silver dial of this watch represents shuttlecock players whose arms indicate the hours and minutes.

More information can be found on Facebook and the official site.

Terracotta Warriors in Town.

2011-07-15T22:50:00.004+08:00

For the first time, the Terracotta Army of the First Emperor are here in our urban jungle, together with the smaller terracotta warriors of the Han dynasty. The 120 objects from the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, and 20 terracotta warriors, had made their way around the world, from China to UK, America, Canada, Sweden, etc. I remember seeing hordes of people, queuing, paying top dollars, to get the glimpse of these legendary warriors in the British Museum, London, back in 2008.

And some attempted to make some terracotta warriors as well...

Now in Singapore, we only have to pay a reasonable entrance fee (discount with PAssion Card or IKEA card!) to see them!

The artifacts on display is a very small part of the 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses in the pits of the mausoleum, in Xi'an, China. It featured the important bronzes and jades from the Qin state before the time of the First Emperor. The terracotta figures from the Han dynasty was also on display. The highlights were the actual terracotta warriors, the new interpretations and questions of the army.

One thing that truly amazed me is the scale of construction of these figures. An army of various ranks and duties, each constructed with unique details, so as to accompany the Emperor in his afterlife. At the hallway to the exhibition was model of the construction process.

The bronze bell dedicated to Duke Wu, from the Spring and Autumn period (770-476 BCE), greeted everyone at the start of the exhibition.

An owl-shaped jade pendant from the same period, Shang Guo Dian village, in Feng Xiang. The owl has always been connected with bravery and wisdom.

Iron sword with gold and turquoise handle, from the same period as well.

This is probably some sort of incense burner... aroma therapy of the ancient China.

A replica of the bronze chariot for the Emperor.

Wife not included, each sold separately. :p

Some of the smaller pieces on display...

View of an official's seal through the magnifying glass...

A headless strongman, his task was to entertain the Emperor in his afterlife.

The General and his merry men.

From the position of his legs, we can tell that this is an archer.

Closer look at the General (221-206 BCE) who commanded the soldiers in the tomb. His identity is revealed by his headdress and body armour.

It was my honour to take a photograph with him.

Some fine details in the sole of the warrior's shoe.

A pair of shallow shoes help the soldiers to maneuver easily at the front-lines.

A cavalryman and his mount. Care was taken to ensure the four legs of the horse landed at the same time during transportation, due to its weight.

The squatting archer reloads his arrows, as his comrades fire a few rounds over his head. Noticed the red paint on him?

More painted terracotta figures from the Han dynasty.

Jade farm animals were popular items that were buried during the Han dynasty - don't want to get hungry in the afterlife?

An installation by Justin Lee, accompanies the Terracotta Warriors exhibition. His work blends Western pop art with traditional Eastern imagery, and gives rise to a new reading of work that is a mix of many cultures, and thus decidedly Singaporean. With playful use of colour and light, Justin's works suggest that life after death might not be so bad.

Terracotta Army flanked by graceful fairy-like maidens armed with modern technologies, and motifs which marries the East and West. What are your thoughts?

Btw, the exhibition is still on, till 16 Oct 2011. Catch the warriors before they move on to the rest of the world!

Head Rolled.

2011-06-10T23:35:00.003+08:00

It literally rolled underneath the bed. Lucky it isn't mine, but that of the My Precious Moment music box. Nevertheless, it was kinda sad for me. The music box was a gift for my wife, then girlfriend.

Good thing the fragments were mostly large pieces. I was able to stick them together using the super glue. Let's hope that it will last.

Btw, I didn't really believe it is am omen of what was to happen at work. But I was quite caution all day long. I guess this small episode did spur me to be more meticulous. :-)

Nine Eleven GT3.

2011-06-08T23:31:00.001+08:00

It is rare that I win anything in lucky draws. See what dropping a couple of namecards landed me in our recent openhouse?

Watch out on this blog to see if I will ever complete assembling this!

The Missing Grand Slam.

2011-05-08T23:01:00.009+08:00

Roger won his two years ago. Me? I completed my collection this year - jumbo ball, that is. It started with Wimbledon three years ago, Roland Garros last year, and I got Australian Open from Melbourne Park. The last but not the least, US Open for BBOF day this year.

Now they sit nicely on my shelf.

Of course, no celebration is complete without food. A memorable lunch at Cream Bristo (Pacific Plaza) - the Tofu salad was bigger than we had expected!

My penne...

Little drumlets missing their other half...

Our smoothies...

The jumbo ball is a befitting present from one tennis fan to another - RF's fans (to be more precise). Unfortunately, it is unlikely that I will visit the US Open this year. Otherwise, the final jumbo ball will be more significant. Let's just keep my fingers crossed and hope for miracle. :-p

My Thirty-First.

2011-05-03T11:43:00.001+08:00

On my thirty-first, I woke up in the heart of the city with my wife and son beside me. The feeling was fantastic! Zero, zilch, nothing about work at all - just me and my family! We had plenty of fun taking this photo. :-D

We had checked into Naumi the previous day for our mini getaway cum birthday celebrations. My wife had won the free stay at this wonderful boutique hotel in her company's lucky draw - interestingly she was on maternal leave during the draw. :-p I must thank her colleagues for the stay. It was refreshing.

Thanks to my Mum for taking care of our boy, we had some time shopping in Orchard earlier that morning. Guess where is this place?

A delectable lunch before checking into the hotel.

Back in the hotel, we were delighted by the interior design. This is the metal feature at the bed head.

A closer look...

The wallpaper is really classy as well.

With music from Lush FM on the background, the ambiance was perfect for our mini getaway.

The TV rotates between the living room and bedroom.

The red hot seat for the "man of the day". Wahahaha.

I am referring to my dear boy lah.

The view of the entrance and pantry area. Dear wife relaxing on the couch.

We were treated to complementary tea and coffee. I had fun trying out the Nespreso - abit suaku lah. Had some "interesting" experience trying it - those who know will know lah. Anyway, almost had an OD of caffeine!

These nice cups gave me great pleasure in enjoying my beverages!

This is the comfortable bed.

Even my boy thinks so too! Posing for the camera - he has been doing so since Day 1. :-)

He had a good sleep. It was the first time we co-sleep with him. :-p

Probably, we will not be going for holiday anytime soon. Another mini-getaway in some exotic boutique hotel will be a good alternative! Anyway, 三十一，老骨头了！

Angry Engineer.

2011-04-30T10:34:00.002+08:00

I had not been blogging lately. I try to use the little bit if energy, left from work, for my little darling. And still, I often neglect my duties as his personal photographer - I failed to upload his photos to FB on time. :p

Anyway, I have been enjoying quality times with my big and small darlings. There were plenty of wonderful events in the past two months - my sister got married, my friend had his house warming, etc. And my boy has reached a few milestones as well - he started eating solid food (brown rice and broccoli) , he took the MRT for the first time, he went shopping with us at Orchard Road, he sat on the stroller for half an hour, etc. All these can take up several entries. :-)

But of course, right now everyone is geared up for the GE fever. I prefer to keep my sanity in check and focus on my "little" issues. That doesn't mean I don't care. I am still listening, reading, keeping my thoughts to myself, waiting to make my choice next weekend. I am sure my choice is a more informed one, compared to the last two GE I voted.

Btw, I drew this while waiting for "complaint session", oops I mean staff conference, to start. The Angry Engineer - inspired by RIO's smugglers' den and jungle escape.

Parental Thought No. 1.

2011-03-07T22:10:00.003+08:00

Being a parent is putting those nursery songs you had learnt when were young to good use.

Besides the number one hits such as "Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars", "Old McDonald", "Blah Blah Black Sheep", I find myself making up new songs with the old tunes most of the time. And the theme of those new songs? "Drink your milk!". Songs are perfect to calm the little one to drink his milk. :-)

Moo-moo here, quack-quack there, meh-meh everywhere, meow-meow and woof-woof somewhere... cluck-cluck anywhere... and even ribbit-ribbit nowhere... So what other animals can you find in the farm? :-p

Bertrand's Garden.

2011-02-21T21:24:00.002+08:00

Ever dream of having a garden in your own room? Blue skies, plane flying through the clouds... little ladybirds, dragonflies zipping between the flowers... chirping birds, balls of petals and grass floating through the air... That is the room I wanted to create for my little boy. And I did so last Saturday - with the help of some fantastically designed decals.

At each step, I explained to him the next piece I was going to put up. He watched on intently. Then he smiled and melted my heart.

I hope this garden will create a carefree and happy environment for him to grow. At least for now, the garden brings much joy to child and parents alike. Every time I step into his room, it is like walking into a room of a childcare centre, filled with fun and cheers!

The coolest thing is Mummy had recently bought him a pair of ladybird and bee wristlets. Perfect compliments for the garden. I can imagine him coming to me one day, to tell me that he had spotted them in his garden!

Some may ask if the removing the decals will leave stains on the wall. My answer? These "re-stik" decals are removable. But why would I want to remove them anyway? They are very much part of the furnishing, like the bed, the cupboard, the sofa, etc. And they fill our house with life!

Welcome to our prince's secret garden - Bertrand's Garden.

The Prawns Ain't Popular Anymore.

2011-02-02T23:12:00.003+08:00

This year's reunion dinner was extra special. It was the first time we had it in my flat, two families coming together for steamboat. Our mothers took much time to prepare the ingredients.

Our darling Bertrand can only watch us eat. He had his "reunion milk-milk" earlier on!

This is from his view in the rocker.

The prawns weren't the most popular dish in this year's reunion dinner. So my wife and myself embarked on a massive de-shelling exercise.

Tada! The product!

But guess what happened?

Yep... the spoon I used to de-shell the prawns bent! It reminded me of another incident... when I broke some on the first day of the Chinese New Year, due to my "bull-strength"...

Softies Among Us?

2011-02-01T10:31:00.001+08:00

There was a variety show on TV last night where foreigners working in Singapore were invited to discuss about topics in Mandarin. While it is facinating to hear them speak in a language other than English or their mother tongue, I find it extremely interesting to hear them revealing their cultural differences.

One of the topics discussed was the nationality of colleagues whom they dislike to work with. For example, there was one who disliked Thai because of their laid back attitude. The speaker politely explained that the stressful office environment may detrimental to their mental health. Another commented that he did not like Chinese as he thought they are often boastful and less capable than what they claimed. A Chinese defended that they are just being more competitive. A job in Singapore may have 5 applicants, but that in China may have 500. This is their way of making themselves outstanding. One American commented that he disliked working with Germans as they are too serious at work. It's one task after another, with no time for socializing. And the reason for being so? The German explained that they wanted to focus on work, so as to enjoy family and leisure time (perhaps over beer!) after work.

While in some way, it may be stereotyping the work attitude of different nationalities based on their working experience, there are probably some real differences. And that is cultural difference.

Cultural difference applies across borders, people of different nationalities or race. But what about within a country, across generations?

A senior manager once commented that his staffs are no longer "hard" like they used to be. Younger generations are "softies". They get upset when reprimanded. They quit when job progression is not smooth. They blame others when there are mistakes.

Perhaps we should adapt and recognise that people change, so should our expectations. And this change is actually a shift in our culture.

These days folks place higher value in individualism and self recognition.

They are the fast food generation. Everything is fast tracked. Twitter, Facebook, SMS, WhatsApp. Wikileaks, Wikipedia. Communication is instananeous and centered around self. Information is always at the finger tips. They need to know why they are assessed in certain ways at work. Transparacy is important. They must be rewarded for their effort.

Verbal abuses are taboos even in schools. Imagine these children taking hard knocks from their bosses when they become working adults?

Yes, within Singapore, across generations, people think differently, live their lives differently, hold different work attitudes. That is culture difference in situ. Some may call it "generation gap"?

Things like morality, the practical wisdoms, the right's and wrong's of life, should largely remain the same. On the other hand, work attitudes are part of culture which evolve, regrdless of borders. We need manage this evolution at work as how we would with conventional cultural differences.

Even at the companies level, there are different office cultures. Some have "bang table" culture, some enjoy good rounds of beer after work. Perhaps it stems from the culture of their country of origin.

I agree that being humble and taking criticisms are important traits for survival in the society. However, before we brand our young generations as "softies", let us examine the possibilities of adapting to changes, learning new ways to manage them, and understand how the people of tomorrow (not just yesterday's) work.

WSC AA Launch.

2011-01-28T22:34:00.001+08:00

We were fortunate that this time, my mother-in-law was willing to babysit for us, so that we could attend the launch of WSC Alumni Association launch. Yes, our dear son is blessed with grandmothers who dote him!

It had been more than five years since we graduated from NTU. That is more than five years since I did any meaningful volunteering work. I guess family and work take precedence.

The turnout was relatively small, considering WSC is the largest student organisation in NTU, other than the Student Union. The number of volunteers over the years should be in thousands. However, it was good to rekindle the bonds with a few friends.

The video which showcased the various regular volunteering programmes and subcommittees brought back many memories. It was like Welcome Tea all over again. For those who ain't familiar, Welcome Tea is an annual event where WSC volunteers introduce the club activities to the freshies. This is to let the prospective volunteers understand more before going for the respective interviews.

Back then, I was a passionate volunteer. I spent most of my non-academic time in the club's activity. Watching the video was like running through the activities I participated.

From my beginnings as a volunteer in RSP Elders to the Videography Head in the Media and Info subcommittee, from special projects like Glowing in the Dark and Camp Outreach to Media Head in Project Ignite, from group leader of the Freshman Orientation camp to founding of a regular volunteering programme for the underprivileged children.

I think the gem of the event for me was to link up with the current volunteers of RSP Friends of Children. It is heartening to know that they are doing well. They have grown from one centre, to four centres, spread across the island. They had put in hard work to keep it alive! Well done guys!

One of the aim of WSC AA is to network former volunteers, so that they may contribute back to the club again one day, with their vast experience in the society and networks of companies. Hopefully, I can do something for RSP FoC and the other projects too. The AA is just the first step. As we are so busy with our lives and work, I wonder when will be the next step?

Birthday and Pompeii.

2011-01-06T09:44:00.002+08:00

In the midst of fulfilling our parenting duties, we managed to celebrate dear wife's birthday. Thanks to Mum who agreed to babysit for us.

We wanted to have KTV lunch, but that will take too much time. In the end, we had a simple buffet lunch at Straits Cafe, Hotel Rendezvous.

Dear wife showing the birthday card. This year, for present, I made a calendar with photos of our little one.

Last year, we visited the Quest for Immortality exhibition at the National Museum. This year we visited another exhibition! I think its me, rather than her, who is fond of visiting the museum. :p

Pompeii, Life In A Roman Town 79CE exhibition, was held at the galleries from 16 Oct 2010 till 23 Jan 2011. It showcased the lives of people (temples, baths, public buildings, entertainments, houses, etc.) in Pompeii, before the city was destroyed during the Mount Vesuvius eruption in 79CE.

The exhibition began with the resin casts of the victims found at Pompeii.

The ash from the eruption covered the victims and hardened. Voids were created when the victims decomposed. In 1863, museum director, Giuseppe Fiorelli, filled the voids with liquid plaster to form the cast of the victims.

The casts showed the victims in states of horror and anguish. Nobody, in the path of the pyroclastic flows of ash, was spared.

Some exhibits showcased the commerce in Pompeii. For example, this bronze tool was used as a measuring scale.

With access to the river Sarno, and the sea, Pompeii was an important trading town in the Roman Empire.

Ceramic plates were used.

Entertainment for the public included the gladiatorial games, much like the rest of the Roman Empire. Here as some artifacts:

Intricate carvings on the gladiator's helmet, found at Quadriporticus of the Theatres.

A bronze shin guard.

Me, wearing a mock-up helmet. Ha ha...

A game of dices...

Plaster copy of relief panel...

Frescoes and sculptures found at some of the houses of the rich.

The exhibition touched on a very small part of the history of Pompeii. I went home, and watched a couple of documentaries which reviewed much more: Cities of the Underworld - Beneath Vesuvius, and BBC's Pompeii: Life and Death in a Roman Town. I had thought that Ephesus is the world's most well preserved Roman city, Pompeii proved otherwise. I would be keen to visit it someday too! In the meantime, our short break had ended, and it is back to our dearest darling at home!

The Last 24 Hours, Twenty-Ten.

2011-01-01T00:17:00.002+08:00

On the eve of the new year couple of years ago, my wife and I went around the town to capture images from the last hours of the year - à la Eye é City. With the arrival of our baby, my wife was unable to join me this year. And perhaps my invitation was too late, most people had plans, only one friend joined me. What's worse? The day ended early due to the downpour. Nevertheless, we had a good time.

We walked a similar route. It all started with lunch at Vivocity, then to Little India, and stopped at Bugis where it started to rain. I continued on my own with indoor photography at Suntec.

Please enjoy a few hours of the last 24 hours in 2010 with me...

8.30am, Ya Kun, SAFRA Mount Faber.

Nothing like downing two half boiled eggs in light soy sauce for breakfast. Is this a Singapore thingy?

1.25pm, Vivocity.
Serenity? Hardly any. Singapore is filled with people, and the population is still growing!

1.30pm, Food Republic.

Our friend Stephen set the record for number of times eating 五香 rojak with bee hoon within a week this year. We just had to find out what made him do so.

2.15pm, Habourfront MRT Station.
Did I mention why you can hardly find serenity in Singapore...?

Overcrowded train station. Time for public transport providers to plough their profit back into improving their services next year.

2.30pm, Little Indian, Serangoon Road.
Our photography journey officially starts here.

Brightly coloured vegetables greeted us at the roadside. Tomatoes...

Baby bitter gourds, these are great for improving complexion of babies.

Bananas,

Traditional Indian flowers garlands,

Wild flowers by the roadside,

Facade of old shophouses,

Having an afternoon chat on the mobile...

Singapore is one of the top countries in terms of mobile phone market saturation.

Now we are very sure we are at Little India...

Tourists or other folks keened in capturing moments of the last day as well?

Oh oh wait, one of them is my companion for this event! :p

3.15pm, Veerasamy Road.
In Singapore, our feline friends are never far away...

Looks like this furball has spotted me as well.

3.20pm, Kelantan Road.
Hopes dashed. Better luck next year.

Clearly the path for a blazing new year.

3.25pm, Arab Street.
Traffic jams everywhere. No ERP gantry gonna do any good here...

Catching the long distance bus to reach home before the year ends. Lotsa folks come from across the causeway to work in Singapore.

One ponders when the next bus will leave the bus station...

Shades of grey across the sky.

Looks like it gonna rain soon...

3.30pm, it started to rain.
But rain or shine, these uncles do their part for Singapore tourism.

3.45pm, I marched on to the Esplanade Mall.
Social network, innovation. These are the buzz words of the decade.

Are we disclosing too much? Can creativity really be synthesised? These are the questions we should ask.

The convenient store. Another sprung up. We are never too far from one of these... Click on the image for the larger version.

3.50pm, Suntec City Mall.
The tropical's version of white Christmas... well sorta...

Glad that I am indoors.

Still full. Not many taking these home anymore...

The band of colours that drive the excitement in kids.

Trolleys galore.

4.45pm, Centennial Towers.
Art at the workplace. Click for larger image.

5.30pm, Bishan Street 13.
My first KOI and the last for the year.

As the drink quenched my thirst, my photography journey ended... Back to my two darlings, for the remaining hours of the year. :)

Till we walk again, next time. Perhaps, the last 24-hour of the lunar new year? ;-)

Resolutions 2011.

2010-12-24T23:59:00.003+08:00

As the year draws to an end next week, it is a good time to do the customary stocktake of the significant events in the past year, and set my aspirations for the next.

1. Record number of sick days. - The sicky bugs were sticky this year. It is either coincidental or a self-fulfilling prophecy, that the geomancer had predicted a sicky year for people with my zodiac sign. I expended all, and had to utilize the extended medical leaves. At thirty, I had my first case of chicken pox infection, and food poisoning.

For the coming year: I would like to stay healthy! Hope that the "first" cases were also the "last".

2. Obtaining the VCP. - After attending the official course conducted by VMWare, I decided not to let it go to waste and took the certification exam. With that, I am on track with my personal development. So far, obtaining masters and SCJP were purely for self satisfaction - not really recognised in my current job. Hopefully, they will be put to good use soon.

For the coming year: I would like to continuously improve myself technically, obtain professional certifications and get recognised.

3. Arrival of Bertrand. - For most part of the year, my wife and I adjusted our lifestyle and adapted to her pregnancy. Paying more attention to our food, taking care of her every steps, going for check-ups at the gynae, attending pre-natal courses, buying baby products, reading about pregnacy and education of children, are all part of the buildup to the arrival of our baby dearest. But nothing can fully prepare us for the big moment. With the blink of the eyes, we had moved on to adapting life with a baby in the family on the last couple of months. He is such a dearie and joy to the family! I must have talked so much of it previously and shall not go on and on. This is the happiest event for us this year!

For the coming year: I would like to focus more energy in nurturing him into a healthy and intelligent boy!

4. Watched my first live grand slam. - I really ought to blog down the experiences from my trips before the memories are lost. Calculating the poosible match-ups based on the seeds, I realised I bought the wrong semi-final match tickets minutes after the online transaction. The excitement overwhelmed the regret on matchday. The Murray-vs-Cilic match wasn't that bad afterall. And we watched RF won the tournament on live telecast in Melbourne itself! I also added an Aussie Open jumbo ball to my collection - my other two jumbos were special gifts from my dear friend.

In the coming year: I would like to watch a live grand slam match where RF plays. It will be most wonderful if I can complete my jumbo ball collection as well. I better start saving more!

5. Being assigned to manage my first major project. - I had managed small projects or involved in lead roles in the past, but this year I was officially assigned to takeover as the P of a major project. While prior hardwork may play a part in landing this job, I guess it is mainly due to help from a friend and opportunity from superiors. It had been a journey which can be described as "being throw into the inferno, without any firefighting equipment". But isn't that the one of the best way to learn? With more than a year to go till the project completes, I am not sure if I have picked up the ropes or am like a frog in a pot of boiling water... Nevertheless, thanks to my team, my first milestone in this project was successfully closed.

For the coming year: Besides becoming a better manager, I would also like to be a better leader. To give the right advice and guidance, to move everyone in the correct direction, and to earn the respect. I would like to pay more attention to the details and do a better job.

So what about the last year's resolutions? Which to roll forward? Let's review:

1. To be a good family man. - Add one more role to the list. I will need to be a good son, hubby, and father. Resolution to roll forward.

2. To stick to 'Budget 2010'. - Well... sorta... It's not easy. It'll be good if I can continue to stay on track in 2011. Resolution to roll forward.

3. To stay healthy. - Same as Resolution #1 for 2011. Hopefully when my wife gets back to work, bento will be back on the menu as well. :p

4. To earn the respect from everyone around me. - Same as Resolution #5 for 2011. I couldn't have done enough in this aspect.

5. To achieve a positive breakthrough at work. - If you consider Resolution #5 for 2011, that some sorta "breakthrough" this year. May the next year the solid foundation be laid.

6. To create more happy memories for my special friend. - Everyone's busy this year - with work and family. I am glad we get to catch up more towards the end of 2010. Hopefully next year we can make it for the grand slam together? ;-p And then... shopping at the outlets!!!

That's it! My resolutions for 2011. Minus the similar ones, there are eight goals in sight. It is not like I will review them religiously daily, weekly or even monthly, to get all items in the list checked -I never review my resolutions even once before the year ends! But I think it is good that I have thought through and find the right direction to focus my time and energy.

Hope you have accomplished great things this year and will be setting meaningful goals for the coming year. A Merry Christmas and advanced Happy New Year to one and all!

Stupendous Annual Fee.

2010-12-22T22:15:00.005+08:00

My jaws almost dropped when I saw this month's statement: $480 charged for annual fee (before GST). Who the h***, in the right frame of mind, will pay that amount for a f****** common platinum card which every bank offers? Siao ah? Especially when I only spend $9.50 on movie tickets with that card this month, it's fascinating to find my bill hit $523.10. Someone needs to enlighten those guys in *******d ********d bank.

The service officer promptly offered to waive my annual fee when I first questioned if there was an error in that amount. To be fair, she was really polite and even mentioned that they have now lowered it to $100++. But why is my bill still reflecting $480? I don't think charging an obnoxious amount for the annual fee makes the card any more prestigious than changing it into a black card. Oh yeah... what's with banks issuing black credit cards these days? Mmm...

Christmas Retreat 2010.

2010-12-17T22:21:00.001+08:00

The annual Christmas Celebration cum Retreat was held at Tampines SAFRA again this year. The real fun began in the afternoon with the game of “食字路口”. As the name suggests, it involved food, words and moving around.

I was the only old folk in the group of youths. Naturally, I was a little slower, had less stamina, and panted real often. :p But the "try our best, play to win" spirit of my team moved me along.

There were ten dishes to be eaten, four places to go, and four challenges to be overcome. Th first dish was "巧克力" (chocolate) and the fifth was "糖果" (candy). While the rest were still enjoying their lunch, my enthusiastic team gathered to plan! This is our draft plan...

Our first location, Tampines Mart. We quickly found our first two dishes. The first was "荔枝水" (lychee drink).

The next dish was "水果" (fruit).

Then came the challenge. We were supposed to find out which pages of the newspaper these sentences were extracted from...

Everyone scrambled through the papers..

Some seemed to enjoy a good read. ;-)

And me? I was busy taking photos and giving misleading ideas. Hah...

It was one of the toughest challenge. We even used Google to narrow the possible headlines! Yeah, progress!

Waiting for train to the next stop, Simei.

As usual, I was lagging behind the pack. Running just don't go well with older folks like me.

The two dishes were "果条汤" (kuay tiao soup) and "糖果" (candy).

Our 地头蛇 who navigated for us around Tampines.

The challenge at this station was easy. We completed the puzzle in no time. The final dish was revealed: "树桶蛋糕" (log cake).

Next stop, back to Tampines. This time we grabbed "果冻" (fruit jelly) and "冬瓜汁" (winter melon juice).

Our challenge to the next clue was to find the actual locations of the series of monochrome photos. They were scattered in Tampines Mall and Century Square.

The seemingly difficult task was a walk in the park, thanks to the ladies in our team. The hours spent shopping in malls had paid off in a special way.

Last station, before heading back to SAFRA Tampines, was Blk 201. Where is that? I had absolutely no idea. But once again our 地头蛇, navigated the way for us.

Waiting for the bus at Tampines Interchange.

We had 芝麻 (sesame from the McChicken Bun)...

And 马铃薯 (potato in the form of fries)...

With that we headed back.

Our bubbly youths were still full of energy as they ran up and down the overhead bridge to catch the bus. One more station to go!

In the end, the spirit of youth prevailed and we came in first. Our last dish was the log cake...

Group picture of the winning team...

Thanks to my teammates, I had extra fun playing the game and won something. ;-) But that wasn't the end.

We had the traditional gift exchange. And this is what I got...

I think gifts usually depict how others perceive us. Eg. book vouchers for the reader, keyboard for the programming guru... And this is a sure sign that my status of "Father" is recognised! =) Till the next Christmas Retreat, Merry Christmas, Hurray to the Youth Spirit!

Wedding Bells Galore!

2010-12-11T22:51:00.003+08:00

December, it is the month of weddings again. I attended three, in the span of two weeks. One of those was that of my friend from first-three-month class in JC. It is interesting how this bunch managed to keep in touch all these years and meeting only couple of times yearly.

We have all led separate paths, and entrenched in our work and lives. The memories of our goofy times in school, and my most embarrassing moments in life (which never fail to tickle a few funny bones during our gatherings) are still fresh in my mind. But we have grown, old perhaps?

Amongst us, I'm the most 'advanced', with the birth of my baby Bertrand dearest. While some of them are already married. So it is about time for our dear friend, Miki, to find her happiness as well.

I attended her wedding ceremony at the Church of the Nativity of the B.V.M. in the morning. I had brought along my camera to snap a few shots (the pros had the big day all covered)...

Here is one of the pros sharing with us the list of events he need to cover! Wow, long list!

The lovely church...

And the beautiful bride!

The guests awaiting the march-in of the bride...

And here she comes!

The newly weds!

A touching moment... awwwww...

The lunch banquet was held at Peony Jade Restaurant at Keppel Club. The ambiance was really nice and warm.

Unique bird cage to keep all the ang baos.

It was sweet to know that Miki's friend played the organ at the background, throughout the lunch, to entertain the guests. Commendable effort!

I was eating most of the time, and didn't take many photos. But of the few I took, perhaps here is the next couple to tie the knot? ;p

Tho' I do not know the groom, John, personally... From his words and descriptions of their journey of love, I think they have finally found each other. Congratulations to Miki and John! May both of you have an eternal blissful marriage! A little one for you too, soon?

Milestone One.

2010-12-09T21:36:00.002+08:00

Completed the first project milestone as a PM today. No time to rest on my laurels yet. Let's march on!

Parenthood 101.

2010-11-22T21:25:00.005+08:00

It had been a while since I last blogged. It isn't that parenthood is boring. On the contrary, there are so many interesting developments everyday, and so many facets of parenthood that are new to me. I would love to write it all down, only to be afraid that I will be perceived as complaining most of the time. :p Luckily, Mummy diligently writes it all here (email me for the username and password). ;-)

The truth is parenting is a tough but endearing experience. Our baby boy is so cute. It melts my heart to see him response to my "nags" (I talk to him a lot!), coaxing, and sleep comfortably on me. It is a joy even when he pees all over me because he would smile at me after I clean him up and rub his tummy. The nitty gritty details thrill me. For example, he grabbed my shirt tightly for his dear life, the first time I bathed him! The learning experiences enrich my life - the different aspects of looking after him, require me to be patient, meticulous and selfless (yes it's all about him and Mummy now). ;-p The art of managing everyone's actions and opinions, which stemmed from their love and concern for boy boy, demand more tact and emotional mastery from me.

I'm a Dad now. I need to be competent. I need to give everyone confidence that I can do it and can give him my best. Yes... there is an added dimension of stress in fatherhood.

As the weeks are slowly turning into months, fatigue is starting to set in. Sometimes, I wished that my friends would ask me out to chill. They probably think that I am busy at home and so we seldom hang out anymore. But I am fully aware of what being a Dad entails and had expected the weariness coming. It completes the ultimate experience of parenthood. Just that... for now I will not be blogging as often, and will be doing more mindless, relaxing activities. Sorry to disappoint one of my faithful reader. ;-p

New Member to the Family.

2010-10-12T23:26:00.001+08:00

Our baby boy is finally here...

More photos here. Updated almost daily.

No Moon in the Batcave.

2010-09-22T23:59:00.000+08:00

Earlier in the day...

Wedding Anniversary - Part Three.

2010-09-07T21:41:00.000+08:00

Guess what was waiting for me when I came home today?

Besides my beautiful wife with the bouquet which was delivered to her office earlier...

There was a Zara package on the bed. A new shirt for me! Nice! I was looking forward to updating my wardrobe. :-)

Today is the actual day of our Wedding Anniversary. Dinner prepared by dear wife was extra delicious.

The "Father-and-Son" Dish. How appropriate. ;-p

Another surprise after dinner - dessert from Marriott Hotel.

A terrific homey way to celebrate our special day. Thank you dear.

Wedding Anniversary - Part Two.

2010-09-06T21:49:00.000+08:00

The packages arrived! But without my gift note, so here it is: "Eternal Love since 7 September 2008. A little gadget to keep my dear wife company in the next four exciting months!"

Dear wife showing the presents. She can't wait to open them.

All eyes (erm... well, just mine) on the unveiling of the new gadget.

Woooooah.....

Tada!

Our latest model to endorse the iPad. :-)

Power-up. The first time it came to life!

This is probably the geekiest present for my wife, ever!

Wedding Anniversary - Part One.

2010-09-05T21:34:00.000+08:00

I have not been writing for quite a while. Either my lazy bones had grown bigger or I had been very busy. I think it should be the latter. ;-p

Although the frustrations at work and little episode of food poisoning were not documented, there are some events I will definitely want to record down.

It has been two years since we exchanged our Wedding vows. 7th of September 2008 was the day we solemnised at Zhou's Kitchen, in Far East Square. This year, we celebrated with dim sum brunch at Meritus Mandarin Pine Court Restaurant. Not the usual candlelight dinner which couples may choose. :-p Nevertheless, it was wonderful.

We had century egg porridge to kick off our brunch.

The porridge must had been one of the most delicious that I have tried, besides the Tiong Bahru market porridge. Not too salty or bland, not too watery or gooey. It tasted perfect. Other pipping hot dishes followed...

We spent a while outside the 35th floor restaurant, enjoying the city view and capturing the unique lightings at that level in our brand new camera.

Thank you dear wife, I am truly touched by your dedication. And I look forward to our exciting new hope next month. :-) Happy Anniversary!

P.S. Our first 自拍 using the SLR. Surprisingly easy despite the weight. :p

Parcel from Fremont.

2010-07-16T23:22:00.005+08:00

But I am sure the contents had been to Palo Alto before that... :p After more than one month of waiting, it is finally here - my first VCP certificate. =)

It came in a nice folder which is in the new VMWare colour scheme of green.

For those who want to try their luck, my VCP ID is 71136. Buy the first four or last four numbers? Or add the two "1"s and buy "7236"? :p Anyway if the ID is assigned incrementally and represents the number of VCP accredited, that are really many VCP around the world!

Celebrating Half A Decade of Slogging.

2010-06-01T11:22:00.004+08:00

Today marks the 5th year since I enrolled in the university of society. Fortunately or not, I am also in the 5th year of my current job. Yes, the same old job for five years. Time to reflect? Still remember my first day of work...

First Trip to The Sands.

2010-05-28T15:34:00.002+08:00

Microsoft launched the new productivity tools recently. Basically it refers to Office 2010, Visio and SharePoint... My colleagues and I were privileged to attend the launch at Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort (IR).

Singapore's 2nd IR was still very much work in progress. This is the panoramic view with the rest of Marina South and the floating platform. Click for image for the bigger picture.

On the way to the Sands...

It was really early. The Flyer was starting to move lethargically...

Workers having the morning brief... aka the first parade.

An improvised safety helmet that keeps the scorching sun away as well...

Looking out from inside the mall...

A close up at the hull of the sky garden...

From far the IR looks like a flight deck/hangar with its doors opening. Imagine space crafts from Star Wars landing and taking off.

The helix bridge was more like a wind tunnel of sort. Can you imagine Gundam propelling out through it? :p

This is Steve Ballmer giving the keynote speech.

I will not bore you with the details of the launch. Overall, it was a nice experience to participate in the convention at MBS. If you are thinking of visiting MBS to look around, perhaps you would want to wait till more shops in the mall are opened.

P.S. I was disappointed that Steve did not do "the dance" or the "developers developers" chant on the stage. Perhaps, the few developers there (including my colleagues and myself) were too insignificant to be treated to such a show.

Jewelled Arts of India.

2010-05-14T23:18:00.006+08:00

While there were plenty of things happening in life, I had been less than diligent in documenting them down. During my absence from this blog, I had met up some of my very good friends, enjoyed my family life, celebrated my birthday and my very best friend's. Yes today is his birthday, Happy Birthday 发发! Welcome to the club! That is, the club of Thirties. And hopefully soon, I will welcome you to the club of married men and... :p That's a story for another day for now.

During the Good Friday weekend, I visited the "Treasury of the World" exhibition at Asian Civilisation Museum with my dear wife. The exhibition featured over 400 pieces of Mughal jewellery from the al-Sabah collection, Kuwait. It was assembled over the last four decades by Sheikh Nasser Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah and Sheikha Hussahh Sabah al-Salim al-Sabah of Kuwait. It is one of the world's greatest collections of Islamic art.

But who are the Mughals? They are the descendants of Timur and Chigis Khan. Having defeated the army of Ibrahim Lodi of Delhi Sulttanate at Panipat, Zahiruddin Muhammad Badur established the Mughal empire, which lasted from 1526 until 1857.

The history aside, now that the exhibition is coming to an end soon, here are some of the highlights! The mystic of the Mughal revealed... with descriptions and texts from the exhibition itself. :p

Turban ornaments were especially magnificent as they wewre prominently displayed on the heads of nobles and royalty. They were bestowed by the emperor as a mark of favour, and Mughal rulers are commonly depicted admiring magnificent turban ornaments in their portraits.

Description: India, probably Deccan, Hyderabad, probably 17th century. Fabricated from old; with champleve and overpainted enamels; worked in kundan technique and set with emeralds and diamonds.

Food was traditionally served in vessels of gold, silver, earthenware, porcelain and jade. Jade was believed to act as an antidote, or to react to the presence of poison.

Description: India, Mughaal or Deccan, late 16th-early 17th century. Carved from nephrite jade (dull light greyish green); inlaid with gold in kundan technique and set with rubies, emeralds, turquoise, sapphire and transparent dark sapphire blue and transparent emerald green glass.

This dagger is believed to have been commissioned and designed by emperor Jahangir around 1619 in his imperial workshops. It is elegantly set with rubies to form patterns of birds and flowers.

Description: India Mughal, c. 1615-20. Blade of jawhar steel (later re-polished), hatched and overlaid with fold; iron hilt, as well as locket, chape and front of scabbard overlaid with gold, worked in kundan technique, set with preciious stones, engraved and chiselled; scabbard wood covered on the back with gold sheet hammered in relief; hilt and scabbard set with a total of 1685 rubies, 271 natural unpolished diamonds, 62 emeralds, 321 pieces of transparent emerald green glass, 39 pierces of transparent dark middle blue glass, 9 pieces of ivory and 6 layered agates (grand total of 2393 'stones' to which another 26, now missing, must be added, for an original total of 2419).

Board games such as Pachisi were played using cowrie shells as gamme pieces. These pieces were probably used as dice, with the value of the throw determined by whether they land face up or down. This set is exquisitely enamelled with variations of birds on each shell.

Smoking a huqqa (water-pipe) was traditionally offered to guests as a mark of hospitality. The mouthpieces were removable and were not shared by smokers. Artisans created luxurious gem-set and enaamelled pieces like these for wealthy patrons.

Description: India, Deccan, probably Hyderabad, late 17th-18th century. Fabricated from gold, champleve-enamelled, set in kundan technqiue with diamonds and rubies.

Beautifying the holy book was considered an act of devotion. Qur'ans were often given as gifts to and from the Mughal emperor. Some of them would be luxuriously decorated with gems and enamels.

Description: India, Deccan or Mughal dated 1674-1675 CE. Manuscript inscribed in black ink on paper, illumination in ink, gold and colours; binding slabs of nephrite jade (white, with slight greyish cast), inlaid with gold and set in kundan technique with rubies and emeralds, the leather spine painted in gold.

The emperors used a variety of weapons for hunting, including bows, swoords aand rifles. Archery rings were used to protect the thumb when plucking the bowstring. The emperors often wore several archery rings on a sash as accessories.

Description: India, probably Deccan, perhaps Bidar, 16th-early 17th century. Fabricated from gold; champleve-enamelled (encrusted), set in kundan technique with rubies and turquoises.

The Hindu influence on Mughal jewelled art can be seen on this gemset armband depicting a gopi (cow herdess) and Krishna playing a flute on the back of a cow.

Description: India, probably Mughal, c. 1620-40. Fabricated from gold; worked in kundan technique and set with rubies, emeralds, diamonds and yellow sapphires; engraved and chiselled; interior of plain gold sheet.

Finger ring with rotating and bobbing bird.

Description: India, Mughal or Deccan, probably c. 1st quarter 17th century. Fabricated from gold, set in kundan technique with rubbies, emeralds, chrysoberyl cat's eyes, diamonds and a single sapphire.

A golden pot of some sort...

Dear wife trying on the turban!

And finally, the royal spinel (Balas ruby)...

Description: The majestic stone can fairly be stated to be the most important inscribed gem known. Its earliest inscription, with the name of the Timurid sultan Ulugh Beg, predates the next oldest such inscription by 114 years. The only example with an inscription of a Timurid ruler, it is also the sole example with an inscription of a Safavid monarch. The stone and the necklace-centerpiece spinel of Her Majesty the Queen of England share the distinctionn among inscribed gemstones for the second-largest number of such inscriptions, totalling six in each case; the National Jewels Treasury of Iran alone preserves on with seven inscriptions. Additionally, the stone was famous in comtemporary society and literature before, during and after its dispatch as a gift from the Safavid Shah 'Abbase the Great of Iran to the Maghal emperor Jahangir in 1621.

So there you go, the treasures of the Mughals... The exhibition will be on till the 27th June 2010. So remember to catch it! =)

Chicken, Back on the Menu.

2010-05-02T13:27:00.004+08:00

It was an ordinary breakfast, roast chicken noodle and soya milk. Nevertheless, it never tasted so good.

With the exception of egg, seafood and food with yeast, I can resume a normal diet. What a relief! =)

Taking A Well-Deserving Rest.

2010-04-16T21:29:00.000+08:00

Unbelievable! (Yeah, unbelievable incidents are happening quite often.) The driver fell asleep at the traffic junction!

Several seconds after the light turned green, the car in front of us remained stationary. Even after many car horns sounded, there was no movement. Then a helpful worker, working along the road divider, took a look into the car and tapped the window. It drove off. The driver must had fallen asleep while waiting!

When we overtook that car, we saw two passengers in it. Both asleep? We concluded that the soundproofing of the SBE3000E Mercedes-Benz must be excellent! And we counted ourselves lucky that the driver slept only when his car was stationary. :p

The Arab Journey.

2010-04-14T20:53:00.002+08:00

During the Social Studies class in primary school, we learn that most of the famous Arab families such as the Aljunied, Alsagoff, Alkaff, etc., had migrated to Singapore from Java, Indonesia. I had always been puzzled about their origin. Ain't Arabs supposed to be people from the Middle East or something?

Today, the puzzle was unraveled. I visited the exhibition "Rihlah" at the National Libray Building level 10. "Rihlah" is the Arabic word for journey.

The Arabs had originated from Hadhramuat, in modern-day Yemen. Between the 7th and 9th centuries, the Hadhramis travelled overseas, to East Africa, India, and Southeast Asia, as traders and religious leaders. Many settled in Java, Madura, Batavia (modern day Jakarta), and spread Islam to the region. With the opening of Singapore as a trading port, many migrated to Singapore from there.

The exhibition tells the stories of their journeys to this region, and the exchange of their culture. It will be on till 10 October, with guided tours beginning on 8 May. If you are around the area you may want to pop in for a short visit.

Same, Same.

2010-04-07T22:45:00.003+08:00

Unbelievable, the man standing beside me in the train wore exactly the same Tee as me - the "Fred Puppy"!

Almost the End of Pox Ordeal.

2010-03-23T12:13:00.003+08:00

What's happening to the world out there?

It has been more than a week since I was down with pox. I had been confined at home. The only people I have met are my family and a very nice friend who was so kind to bring me my office laptop.

It had been horrible experience. Mainly, it is because I have lost one of the pleasure in life - eating whatever I want.

Yes, this has been my typical lunch and dinner every day, minced pork and green vegetables. I am on a strict diet. No chicken, eggs, nuts, potatoes, seafood, fish... Well just about everything other than pork and vegetables. Some said I will slim down. Let's just wait and see, when I get back.

The ordeal will soon come to an end. Thanks for all your encouragement. The worst was long over. Day 3 was the fateful day when I suffered the unbearable itch and fever, with neighbours playing overnight mahjong. I had been feeling better since. I was able to resume my chores like mopping the floor and washing the toilet. I was also able to keep up with work too via the phone and office laptop.

Interesting girls kept me occupied. There was a girl who took a shortcut to Paris, world of parties and theaters, only to discover there wasn't a shortcut. Oxford was the way to lead her there. There was a girl who stumbled into her dreams. She cut off the head of a fiery creature and fulfiled her father's dream of trading in China. There was a girl who pressed the button for a million dollars. It finally took away her life. There was a girl who solved the murder of herself, from the land between heaven and Earth. She made it to heaven with the other victims.

Interesting girls aside, my upcoming challenges are packing my lazy bones to tackle the piling work and sustaining the lesser-than-strict diet. No chicken wings, nuggets, roti prata, char kuey, and all that for the next four months??? Urghs!

Well... there's no problem keeping up with the world out there, as I read the news from my bed using my iPod every night. But I can't wait, can't wait to face the world again, pox-free.

Next-ed.

2010-03-17T09:45:00.001+08:00

chat roulette from Casey Neistat on Vimeo.

The Chicken Pox Ordeal.

2010-03-12T14:56:00.003+08:00

Some people say that it is an ordeal for adults to suffer from chicken pox. Well, I'm experiencing it first hand. So it will be two weeks of relaxing holiday to enjoy myself? Not! It is only Day 2 and I dread the days to come.

It started out with just a few tiny red spots. The medication every three hours kept the number of blisters to the minimum. I didn't dare to scratch as I am not sure if I will accidentally burst any blisters. Crazy fevers and headaches came and went. One moment I was okay, the next I was dizzy and weak.

During the hours which I broke the medication cycle, my fever shot up to 38.9 degree Celsius. I couldn't sleep at all, especially with inconsiderate neighbours blasting "Hotel California" and "Eye of the Tiger" repeatedly at 2am. Great taste of music... but WTH... 2am?!

This morning, there was a major outbreak. I have since lost count of my blisters. Red patches known as "rose petals" had appeared on my face. What a "wonderful" name but it is depressing...

I guess my body had tried it's best to battle the virus thru' the night. And all is not that bad as my wife had been working from home to take of me. She's sweet! She cried after seeing my terrible state...

So when's the next hour for medication again?

Wooden Butterflies and Egyptian Afterlife.

2010-03-06T09:15:00.000+08:00

If you are an old reader of my blog, you may find this photo familiar. Once again, we visited the Singapore Art Museum during the New Year (week). :p

That was back in January. There were several good exhibitions on works of Filipino artists. I was particularly fond of some paintings,Carlos Francisco's "Sinigang", Félix Resurrección Hidalgo's "La Banca", and Melvin Culaba's "Hanapbuhay". At the second floor of the museum, there was an interesting static display, titled "MANG EMO + MAG-HIMO GRAND PIANO PROJECT". There were these wooden butterflies scattered over the area. Couldn't resist but to take a couple of photos. One of them blended nicely with the floor...

And this, sat at the corner of the wall, in shade and in light.

We also visited another museum in January, the National Museum of Singapore. Yeeaah... Visit-the-Museum-Month (?). ;-p The reason for the visit is none other than the "Quest for Immortality - The Ancient World of Egypt" exhibition.

The exhibition end will end on 4 April. So as not to spoil it for those who have not visited it yet, I decided to delay this entry till now. With only one month to go, those who are interested would have visited, and those who ain't, maybe these photos will prompt you to go take a look!

While nothing can really beat my experience of the impressive ancient Egypt collection at the British Museum, I think there were still many things to learn from this exhibition. This time, I was impressed too - the amazing work was put into the lighting which brought out the best of each artifact.

Foodie for Thought Again!

2010-03-02T23:38:00.004+08:00

It was nice having dinner with my wife outside again. A break from the routine dinner at home or at parents' place... Don't get me wrong, it is wonderful to enjoy family time, but variety makes life more interesting. =) Oh yah, no need to wash the dishes tonight!

We were at Food For Thought, along North Bridge Road, this evening. It was my wife's first (tho' her office is just opposite it!) and the second time for me. They are revamping their website (said to re-open on 29 Jan 10 but yet to happen...). The restaurant itself has changed little - still a little too cramp. There are now proper menu sheets on the tables. Previously, you can only find the name of dishes scribbled on the black boards (refer to the photos in my old post). Other than that, now there are also these nice little cards with drawings of baa-baa...

So here I am back to try the other dishes with my wife! Good things must share mah... She was really excited when the food arrived!

As promised the food was prepared "individually and respectfully". :-p

My wife had Basil Pesto Chicken ($13.90). Its slices of marinated chicken breast with grilled eggplants and tomatoes, drizzled with pesto sauce. I tried of few pieces of the chicken. It wasn't exactly "WOW WOW Super YUM YUM", but it was tasty and looked appetizing! Reminded me of sour cream potato chips! The chicken breast was tender and easy to chew (hmmm... what kinda comment is that...??? hee hee). :-p

I had the Garlic Prawn Pasta ($16.90). This is one of the recommended dishes. The prawns are butter-fried with garlic and red capsicums. This is the first time I tried prawns prepared this way. I must say they tasted fantastic! Maybe it is hard for prawns to go wrong with spaghetti. This is one-grade up from my old favourite Coffee Club's Garlic Prawn Pasta (tho' my favourite is still Ambush Pasta Bar at Taka Food Court). The pasta was cooked to the right texture. But its a pity I find it a little too salty for me. Perhaps I am used to a more "low salt" diet these days. And I would also prefer a larger serving for the pasta.

For dessert, I couldn't find the Sticky Date Pudding, so we ordered the equally yummy Really Rich Chocolate Brownie ($5.50)! Made to the right texture with strong chocolaty taste. It was just nice to fill the gap in my tummy to complete a fulfilling dinner!

Btw, it is still no GST and service charge at FFT. Value for money. But beware, you may end up with a smell on your clothes (sorta like what you get from air-con food court) if you go in the evening when there are more cooking done. Afternoon should be fine and there are some seats outside as well. Overall, we enjoyed our dinner! Food For Thought, still recommended. ;-p

Happy Birthday, BBOF!

2010-02-23T00:01:00.000+08:00

祝琪琪：健康，美丽，快乐！

Remake of my Old Dish.

2010-02-15T22:09:00.002+08:00

Restaurant City is celebrating the Year of the Tiger with the Food Quiz of the day: What is the name of the barbecue meat ate commonly during Lunar New Year?

Ans: Bak Kua!

*ting!* New ingredient is now available, learn a new dish in the menu?

Tada! Penne Carbonara with bak kua, carrot, and omu cheese.

Resolutions 2010.

2010-01-01T21:34:00.004+08:00

Oops! It's already 2010 and I have yet penned down my resolutions! No more basking in "achievements" like last year... Let me get right on to the serious things. First up, the critical review of Resolution 2009:

1. Doing better at work. - It had been far from smooth sailing. After more than two years working on tree variations of the same project, I am hoping for a change soon. But all is not that bad. I went for a developer's conference in Palm Spring, and somehow managed to balance the wedding preparations and the two horrible deployments. Had I done better in my job? I guess it is hard to tell as the bar is raised every year. Considering the economic turmoil of 2009, I oughta be grateful that I'm still holding a job.

2. Passing my Driving Test. - I did it! I did it! I achieved it on the first try, within my target of April. Unfortunately I have yet taken to the road since then. Anyone willing to lend his/her for a joyride? ;-p

3. Taking our friendship to the next level. - On the surface it looked like a setback. Inside, it felt like a setback. But perhaps it is another kind of progress. Change is inevitable. I am slow to adapt. But nothing and nobody can take the wonderful memories away. Nature will takes it's course and all will come back in full swing. Or will it?

4. Be a real good son. - Since moving out, I learned to be more appreciative of my parents. In 2010, I will try to give more to them in different ways.

5. Be a real good hubby. - With my new found responsibilities, there are plenty of ways I can proof myself as a real good hubby. Recently, I learned a valuable lesson about being a good spouse from a JP during my friend's solemnization. In his advice to the new married couple, he said that one should not expect the other to change in a marriage. The spouse's bad habits, which were once perceived as "adorable", will become increasingly irritating after marriage. Married couples should say the three magic words more often, even before an argument. Words said on impulse can be really hurtful at times. His advices, I will heed. So was I a real good hubby? May I have your verdict, dear wife?

6. Learning a new instrument. - Looks like it will be taking the back seat for another year. Maybe I should get it off my resolution in 2010? Hah hah...

7. Making serious effort in body maintenance. - Without my gym kaki, I was less motivated to exercise. But that is never an excuse, my health is my own responsibility. I will need to put in more time and effort in 2010. When it comes to diet, my dear wife is taking good care of me by preparing bento lunch for me.

8. Continue my Spanish lessons. - Plea to Bbof, when shall we continue our lessons?

9. The 'Say-Yes' attitude. - I can't remember radically saying 'YES' to doing anything. Neither was I really stubborn in any way. So consider that, DONE!

Five, outta nine... That's a pass!

And now my resolutions for this year, not in any order...

1. To be a good family man. - That is, a good son and hubby. A good father? Er... still havta wait lah. Ahahahaha...

2. To stick to 'Budget 2010'. - I am blessed with a wife who is really good at planning financially. I hope we will be able to stick to our budget, in which we have a good balance of savings and fun! Fun? I am thinking of... French Open! Anybody interested?

3. To stay healthy. - No amount of wealth can compensate good health, not that I have accumulated any. So hopefully, I will be able to stick to my bento-lunch diet, and 2x weekly exercise. Yum yum, I really love having the bento-lunch so much!

4. To earn the respect from everyone around me. - To some I may be a joker/clown, to others, I may be a boring person. May it be my peers, my superiors, my family, my friends, I would like to earn their respect in 2010. I will strive to be more committed in every role I play.

5. To achieve a positive breakthrough at work. - At thirty, I shouldn't be satisfied and resting on my laurels yet. The light at the end of the tunnel is near. No matter if it is continuing in this track or taking another route, I will need to make my move for the better this year.

6. To create more happy memories for my special friend. - Back to basics. I can't be sure where our paths may lead, but I need confidence in you. Hopefully, seeing less, means growing closer. May we only create happy memories in 2010. So, Spanish lessons again?

From nine down to six this year. I think that is fairly realistic and achievable. Elsewhere, a friend has also made his resolution, in a rather peculiar but interesting way...

Finally, a real peaceful year to one and all!

Twenty-Ten, Give Yourself A Hug!

2010-01-01T15:34:00.005+08:00

No countdown, or partying of that sort for me either. Had an early rest at 1030PM. hah... 老了！Apparently, it wasn't something new...

Happy New Year! Cheers!

The First Homecoming with Wedding Bells.

2009-12-31T13:45:00.001+08:00

It was six months ago when we had our pre-wedding shoot.

Now, a sneak peek at some behind-the-scene photos...

Dear wife putting on make-up...

The difficult part, sticking on the eyelashes!

Our fantastic make-up artist, Candy, from La belle Couture.

Our photographer, Kenny, giving dear wife some tips during the indoor shoot...

I had make-up too. ;-) Had failed many times to create this hairdo...

The mature look...

Princess look...

My sweetie pie!

And the groom all ready too... Hah.

One of the outdoor location we had chosen was our Alma Mater, NTU. With the help of our former lecturer, Prof Yeow, we obtained the kind permission of the university to shoot in the school grounds. Some of the places we went included the laboratory, lecture theatre, library and the green roof of the School of Art, Design and Media.

Dashing through the famous "fingers" of the university spines.

The staffs at the various facilities were informed and welcomed us. In fact, School of Computer Engineering (SCE) Alumni Office arranged an interview with us. It was great opportunity to share my experiences with the SCE undergraduates. But unable to dispense much sound advices, while perspiration was dripping. In gist, my advice was for undergraduates to really immerse themselves in their university life. Whereas academic always comes first, the remaining time should be dedicated to meaningful school activities (such as volunteering or various CCA) and to expanding their social circles.

The Electronics Laboratory was my FYP lab. Thus, the homecoming was extra special to me. I met my FYP supervisor, Prof Vun, in the lab.

The lab technicians made us feel like celebrities. We autographed the first edition of the SCE yearbook and drew some lucky numbers. I hope they were winning numbers!

Fooling around with the bread board... we couldn't quite remember how to wire the components up. Heh heh.

But we sure know all the stylo-poses. ;-p

The 'interview' was publish in the Dec '09 issue of the SCE newsletter, Pulse. Our glorious photo graced half the page.

Strangely, there was no mention of what we said. :-) I guess that saved us from some embarrassment. Hee,

It was a long tiring day of photo-shoot...

We congratulated ourselves for the job well done! 成功！

You can find the fruits of our hard work here!

If I am not wrong, 2010 will be the official NTU Homecoming year for the class of 1990, 1995, 2000 and 2005. How fast time flies? Blink of an eye, five years gone by. I am looking forward to going back again... not in wedding gowns, but in the company of old friends!

Meatless Christmas Eve.

2009-12-24T22:58:00.001+08:00

Christmas Greetings.

Glow.

I had an extra special Christmas Eve dinner this year with my dear wife and two very good friends. We had dined in a vegetarian restaurant at East Coast Road. Naïve serves meatless food like no others.

It didn't quite taste like normal vegetarian. Perhaps the secret was in the ingredient, Monkeyhead Mushroom.

The ambiance of the restaurant was really simple and pleasant, filled with interesting decals/wall prints. It was like dining in my own house. ;-)

At the start of the dinner, we had to do a ritual known as the Blessing of Sesame Seeds.

It was a way of giving thanks for our food. We took turns to grind the seseme seeds and later spread them on out food.

Someone hard at work... grinding away!

So what are the yummy dishes we had? First of all, the starter, True Tradition ($9.90). Braised mushroom in 5-spice sauce served with steamed buns aka Kong Bak Bao, but it tasted better and healthier!

For rice, we had the signature Oliver Twist ($3.90)! Its fragrant Thai rice mixed with olives and oriental spices. We also shared another bowl of steamed rice.

The side dishes, Cheeky Monkey ($12.90), monkeyhead mushroom in fragrant oats...

...and Mango Tofu Cake ($11.90).

For the main course, we had the Monkeyhead mushroom gently glazed with delicious caramelized sauce alongside fresh green ($19.90). Delicious!

Overall, the food was good and the service was prompt! The monkeyhead mushroom has this tender texture like juicy meat. I would highly recommend the Cheeky Monkey! Tho' I think the overall price was abit steep. Nevertheless, it was a brand new meatless experience.

You can tell from the looks of the satisfied diners. =)

Enjoy the Festive Season Everyone!

Technology, Entertainment, Design.

2009-12-23T21:43:00.002+08:00

One of my colleagues screened this video today during our Christmas Celebration.

It'll be great if one of the major technology firm develop this prototype into a consumer product.

The Eagle Has Landed.

2009-12-08T23:23:00.003+08:00

Not on the moon this time, but in my home! Tonight I assembled my first model aeroplane.

Snap snap snap, it was assembled. No painting was necessary. Not challenging at all. :p

It is the 1:200 model of the SIA A380. This model plane is extra memorable for us as we flew back from Paris CDG airport in the A380.

From tonight onwards, it will fly the friendly skies of my flat. :)

Nice and Warm-ed!

2009-12-07T21:26:00.008+08:00

After two consecutive weeks of housewarming parties, our humble abode is pretty much warmed up!

Tho' I can't invite everyone I know to our housewarming parties, I would like to do a little show-and-tell on the favourite spots at home...

Greeting everyone at the entrance is my shoe rack and "Like A Bird!"

I bought this Threadless wall decal from Blik. Perhaps green cushion can better portray the scene of animals roaming on the savanna... but wouldn't it be a lil' yucky? Heh... ;-p

An Edvard Munch's "Starry Night" poster, encased in acrylic frame, can be found in the living room. One of his famous painting is "The Scream". We bought this poster from Munch Museum in Oslo, during the TOML.

In our living room, we also have a green carpet. It looks like fresh green grass of the soccer pitch, breathing life into the house.

A tea set sits at the corner of our balcony. Nothing like a relaxing cup of tea under the shiny moonlight. :-) We have only tried doing that once so far. Hah.

My favourite room is the study room. Some people mistaken it as a meeting room as it is big enough to accommodate a conference table. I like the generous working surface. The study room is also where my fun decals are. These custom-made Pac-man and Space Invaders decals are from Modishop. They have a shop in Suntec, but never open during the past few times we visited it. But they do free house surveys, and they were kind enough to help me stick on the "Like A Bird!" decal from Blik.

A bookshelf separates the study room at the living room. The books can be seen through the frosted glass above the TV console, in the living room.

The bookshelf is far from filled yet. Hopefully, two of the shelves can soon be filled with giant tennis ball of the two other grand slams!

In the dining area, we have a nice wall clock from hOurStyle. The green bamboo brings a serene feel to the room, telling time and decorating the blank white walls.

Adjacent to it is my kitchen. My wife loves it! You gotta have a nice kitchen to encourage your wife to cook regularly. ;-)

Bathrooms are probably one of places in flat where we are most relaxed after a tired day. Thus, I put in place something which I enjoy alot - the rain shower! It's similar to the ones in gyms, but probably better - it comes with the hand shower as well!

In the common bathroom, I have the mosaic feature. Nice?

Finally, comes to my bedroom. Before that, a special mention of this Turkish Kilim! It is a gift from my buddies of the memorable trip to Turkey last year! It is finally put to good use! Thank you!

It is said that the wedding photo should not be hanged at the bed head. We heeded this advice and found some inspiration from Blik to decorate it. This time, we stick it on ourselves!

So far, it has been really wonderful staying in our new flat. The renovation had caused some holes in our pocket, the maintenance and chores (cleaning twice per week and ~3 hours each time) are such a hassle. But... it is all worthwhile! We are determined to keep the condition of the house as good as we can, for as long as we can. At the end of the day, the joy and satisfaction are tremendous. Welcome to my home! =)

Bento Lunch.

2009-12-06T15:27:00.006+08:00

For the past two weeks, we had embarked on the journey to healthy diet. My wife had been waking up at 6.30am every morning to prepare our bento lunch!

Usually, there will be rice, vegetables and fish/chicken in our bento. I must say, the bento suited my taste! The fish are usually my favourite, salmon and cod. Throw in some fruits, its a balanced diet. Delicious!

In some way, my wife has surprised me with her ability and enthusiasm to cook. She wasn't much of a cook before marriage. Now, she's getting the hang of it. It wouldn't be long before I start inviting people over for dinner. :p I guess she has a good shifu to transfer the culinary skills to her! ;-)

My friend joked that the bento lunch probably will not last for more than a year! I laughed over it, "That long?". Hah...

There are many benefits in bringing bento lunch to work. Besides being a healthier choice, we can also save a few bucks. But it certainly takes the effort to wake up early and cook. To expedite the work, my wife prepares the ingredients at night. She will only steam or boil, occasionally stir-fried. Thus, ensuring its healthy food, and keeping the washing simple.

I think if time permits, I hope my readers will consider bringing bento lunch to work as well. But keep these thoughts from the canteen uncles and aunties! :p Sleep early, wake up early, appreciate the love that is fueling the persistence of your spouse.

This is no gimmick, no tricks of courtship. This is day to day effort to do the best for someone you love. Thanks dear!

Lucky Seven.

2009-11-08T21:51:00.002+08:00

With the addition of the customary marriage, we now have three dates to celebrate our union. But in my opinion, the most important of all is our dating anniversary, when it all started...

This year, we celebrated with a feast - 1-for-1 buffet lunch at the Olive Tree Mediterranean Restaurant, Intercontinental Hotel. As usual, I was truly bloated and skipped dinner for the day.

A glimpse of our feast... Btw these were eaten by ME Only... ;-)

The cold dishes...

All sorts of chicken... from Nyonya to Thai Curry to Indian Curry...

Mee Rebus...

Asian delights...

Bak Kut Teh...

Fruits and cakes...

Ice cream and traditional desserts...

Truly satisfying... :)

Itadakimasu!

2009-10-27T22:42:00.005+08:00

Tada!

My dear wife cooked the first official dinner for us in our new flat and as my wife after our customary marriage!

And the verdict is.... SUGOI! Oishii! It was delicious lorh! Two dishes is sufficient for the both of us. Of course maybe next time, dear wife will also prepare soup. But for now I am totally satisfied and appreciate her effort. Gambatte dear!

You may be curious and ask, "Who did the washing?" Well... I did the dishes, mopped the floor and cleaned the oil stains on the cupboards. It was tiring as well, but I ain't complaining. Especially, after filling my tummy with so much 爱心 food. =)

I couldn't help but smile before digging into the food. One adjective best describe my feeling when eating my wife's homecooked food: 幸福!

By the Silvery Moon.

2009-10-11T21:04:00.003+08:00

Honey moon, keep a-shinin' in June.
Your silv'ry beams will bring love's dreams...

Cruising at 10972-metre, enroute to Rome, we were given a pleasant surprise by the flight crew, a honeymoon cake for the newly wed!

And a postcard with a personal note from the crew...

How sweet... Thanks!

We'll be cuddlin' soon,
By the silvery moon!

Wedding Photos.

2009-10-08T21:57:00.001+08:00

For the benefit of my readers who don't Facebook, here are the photos of my Pre-Wedding Shoot, Chinese Customary Wedding and Evening Banquet.

If you are preparing for your wedding and like what you see, feel free to drop me a mail with your questions. I am more than happy to share my joy assist you! :-)

A Big Thank You!

2009-10-07T10:40:00.009+08:00

My deepest heartfelt gratitude to everyone who attended our wedding banquet! It was my pleasure to have you celebrating this special moment with us! :-)

Apologies to those who have missed the photo montage and wedding day highlights due to odd angles or obstructions from your seats. No choice, the restaurant has only one screen. But I hope the food made up for it, FOOD... was the reason why we had chosen a restaurant over hotel ballroom.

Below is the photo montage which I did:

And here is the link to the wedding day highlights. It is password protected, so drop me a mail so that I can send you the password. ;-)

Finally, a very very very big Thank You to everyone who helped us in our wedding, especially the brothers and sisters - you know who you are!

It couldn't have been so smooth without your coordination and help!

Big Day Jitters?

2009-10-03T09:28:00.003+08:00

At the moment, it feels similar to that of the day before an exam paper. The preparation is almost completed. I don't feel like doing anything else other than sleeping...

The Bridal Bed Installation.

2009-09-30T12:10:00.001+08:00

One of the last traditional custom before the actual day customary wedding is the Bridal Bed Installation Ceremony (按床). A good fortune woman will install the bridal bed in the bridal room before the wedding day.

There is a specific definition for "good fortune woman" - spouses are well and living, sons married and daughter-in-laws bore them grand children. In our case, we got 大姑 to help us. She's really good fortune indeed! :-)

I can now countdown to my wedding day using a single hand! The feeling of being drained is slowly replaced by "butterflies"... Woah.

Please please please come early for our wedding banquet so that we can start on-time! I hope everyone will enjoy the food (which we decided to prioritise when choosing the venue for the banquet) and have a jolly good time! See You! ;-)

The Bridal Dowry.

2009-09-28T11:47:00.001+08:00

The delivery of dowry (送嫁妆) is another important custom. It represents parent's effort for her daughter to have a good life after marriage and prepare her with the necessities for being a good wife.

I am amazed by some of the things included in the dowry. Of course, in our modern living, we will not be using some of those things...

Nevertheless, I think it is all good to have them, as each item carries a good meaning for our blissful marriage. :-)

The Betrothal.

2009-09-24T23:01:00.002+08:00

Most people are surprised that we took the trouble to pick the auspicious dates and went through all the traditional ceremonies. We thought that these Chinese customs are part of our culture. If we do not practice it, they will soon be lost with our generation. Therefore, we tried to understand the significance of each procedure and stick closely to them. At the same time, we were flexible to replace the items or simplify some procedures whenever it was impossible to do so. ;-p

One of the most important event was the Betrothal Ceremony (过大礼/纳彩), where the groom presents gifts to the bride's family.

Our parents had helped us to prepare the various items for the ceremony. I won't be explaining the steps, you can read them here. But I will show you some interesting photos of the gifts!

All kinds of traditional candies...

Oranges with the double-happiness stickers...

Different types of tea (green tea, black tea, wu long, etc.)...

The dragon and phoenix candles...

Pig trotters...

Traditional Teochew wedding cakes...

Different red packets presented in auspicious red plate...

Traditional Invitation Cards...

Old Feeling, Old Bonds.

2009-09-23T15:37:00.002+08:00

It is just not the same anymore. I miss it all...

Job Done, Er... Not Quite.

2009-09-22T22:18:00.001+08:00

Previously, I had said I will post some photos of the new place. But I had been too busy, and all you saw till now were photos of empty rooms. ;-p Fortunately, a whole buncha you had already visited my place. Like all projects, it is still at the 99.9% completion state. It is just so tough to get the 0.1% done. For those who know what I mean, I am not referring to "QMS documentation". The 0.1% are the enhancements that "prevent you from knocking onto your head"! Wahahaha. So sorry for those who got a taste of it. BBOF, that was really loud! ;-p

So here are the photos I promised. The colour theme of my house is white so that it will be bright and spacious. And we used some vivid colours in the furnishing, such as the red and white dining chairs, the colourful ornaments and paintings on the wall, the green carpet, to inject life into the house!

The view of neighboring flats from my balcony.

My living room. I like it small and cosy. Some said I can play golf on my small patch of grass, but I prefer dribbling along its perimeters. ;-p

TV console with the bookshelves at the back. Brilliant idea from our interior designer (she's our personal friend) to have the glass panels to show the books on the shelves.

Our study room. Some joked about using it when office run out of rooms for meeting. I think it'll be fantastic to hold a tuition class in there. Ha ha. But really, I like big table so that I can put whatever books, newspapers, laptop on it, without the feeling of "running out of space".

My wife's favourite room in the house, our kitchen! Not that she is really looking forward to spending lotsa time in it, but she had designed many detailed features into it. :-)

This is all that I will be showing. Hopefully, you will be motivated to visit when I invite you for my house-warming. ;-)

Starts at One!

2009-09-07T21:39:00.002+08:00

In the midst of hectic work schedule, house renovation and wedding preparation, we found time to celebrate our first year solemnization anniversary. It wasn't the grandest or most romantic of all. In fact, it was quite far off from other celebrations we had. But nevertheless, it was a very significant event. We had a simple buffet lunch and exchanged gifts. :-)

Thoughtful as ever, my wife bought me new collared tee and two pairs of socks. She knew that I am wearing more "smart casual" attire to work recently, and my old ankle socks were worn out. The new tee will also be appropriate for the new house, everything needs to be new!

I got her a watch because the straps of her old pink swatch broke. Although this isn't an expensive branded watch like a Cartier or Rolex, it is one of the best upgrade from the "Swatch" category which I can afford. Why? Take a look at the calendar, there are more important events coming: Actual Wedding, Dating Anniversary, Christmas, Birthday, Valentine's! The original four-month combo has been extended to six months! Ha ha. Celebration all year round! And there is always room for improvement mah. Hee Hee.

This watch has mother-of-pearl watch face, sapphire crystal surface, little tiny man-made diamonds, Swiss made, and Andy Lau appeared in its advertisements before. ;-p I think the most important part is that it is cute and classy, perfect working-class watch for my petite wife. But my silly wife will not wear it till after our wedding.

I guess we will have a more relaxed celebration in a month's time, once its all done with, and our minds are at ease. Shall we reset our anniversary clock to start at One again? Which "One"?

MacRitchie Treetop Walk.

2009-08-16T22:57:00.001+08:00

We finished the walk in slightly more than an hour, ahead of the anticipated four hours. Taking the Orange route (shortest route of all the MacRitchie Reservoir Trails), we were off to a flying start at 10 am! "Team Nepal" led the way, as "Team Singapore" struggled to keep up. Ha ha...

You may be wondering, well "Team Nepal" consisted of four folks who will be going for hiking in Nepal at the end of the year. And "Team Singapore" consisted of two less than fit dude, who ain't going for any strenuous exercise any time soon. You guessed it, one of them was me lorh... hee hee. We overtook many people at arrived at the start of the Treetop Walk in less than half an hour.

On the way up the hill, we saw this dad carrying her daughter on his back. Fatherly Love. Sweet!

A short introduction of the Treetop Walk: It is a 250-metre free-standing suspension bridge which connects Bukit Kallang and Bukit Pierce, the mature forest region of the MacRitchie nature reserve.

At the highest point, the bridge is 25-metre above the forest floor. It also rocks slightly with strong winds and "heavy hippos" on the walking on the bridge. :p

Group photo at the mid-point of the bridge...

This is the panorama view from the mid-point, click for the enlarged image.

Taking a peep through the holes of the bridge...

We were done with the highlight of the walk in less than ten minutes. The view wasn't "breathtaking". Nevertheless, I think it was still beautiful!

Delightful surprises of the forest awaited us, as we took our time with the remaining of the trails... Here are some of nature's "treasures" I picked up along the way with my camera...

Before we being, here's one of the many famous quotations which littered the trails. An advice from Van Gogh.

We joked about coming back one day to nail metal plates with our own quotations!

Look at the size of this ant! It was quite shy of the camera. Hee.

Close encounter with the squirrel...

Bee in flight!

Jax reminded me not to forget about the flora, after taking photos of the fauna. :p

This reminded me of an egg. Yellow in the middle, white on the outside.

Beautiful leaves!

These leaves crawl up the tree trunk.

What's the Story, Morning Glory?

Not too sure what happened to this leaf. Jax said it got chicken pox!

Remains of the Singapore Durian. Apparently, it isn't as fleshy (or flashy?) as its relative at the mouth of the Singapore River.

Dad walking with son, hand in hand! Fatherly Love. Sweet x 2! =)

As we made our way out, we met the MacRitchie resident primates... This one scratching her head. Curious how I know her gender? LoL.

They weren't a little bit shy at all. Perhaps we will be back soon to visit them, and to take the long routes. I am sure there are much more to see!

Work In Progress!

2009-08-15T22:13:00.000+08:00

Before...

And after...

Shiny floor! Still kinda empty, but it wouldn't be looking like this for long. The workers brought in the built-in cabinets just before we left. The fridge, washer, dryer were all delivered. More things will be arriving in the coming week!

Btw, the Goo-Gone recommended by Stephen is really amazing! No more pesky masking tape stain! It also works on after nasty stains too. =) Luckily I managed to buy the last bottle at the DIY shop lorh.

Oh To Be Gracious at the Food Court.

2009-08-14T23:13:00.003+08:00

Have you ever experienced difficulties finding seats at food court? Well I have, especially at the "Dining Codes" in Plaza Singapura. Today was the first time we managed to find a pair of seats. Besides the fact that there are really lotsa people, I think the other reason for the difficulty is that some people just occupy too much space. I'm not referring to individual size. I'm referring to a person occupying more one seat - their precious bags or prized shopping need a seat as well!

And people wonder why Singapore is full of campaigns... including one which encourages people to be gracious? Well here's your answer!

After we painstakingly found a couple of seats, I had plenty of time at the table to look around while my wife went to buy her food. I saw this couple sitting side by side, while their bags each occupy a chair opposite them. Oh so lovey dovey! Their minds devoid of any other beings in this world, including an uncle with a bowl of buloh hitam in hand, looking for a seat.

When I came back with my food, there were some shopping bags on the chairs beside mine, their owners no where to be seen. I chuckled and told my wife that Singaporeans are so innocent and trust the general public not to take their things. Then I asked her a question, "Do you think they are going to sit opposite on the empty seats or remove their bags?" Without hesitation she gave me the answer!

Sure enough, the couple came back with their nice tasty Korean food and sat on the empty seats - two people occupying four seats. Well, that was nothing new lah, they were just behaving like the lovey dovey couple mah. Then, came this child who revealed more about this 'innocent' couple.

This child crawled near the chair with shopping bags to retrieve his toy as his dad looked on. Immediately, the man stool up and walked towards the chair. The apologetic dad offered thanks for the man's concern and said that it was okay and his child can handle. Strangely, the man mumbled about camera in his bag.

When the man sat down, he told his female companion in a very arrogant tone, "My camera is in the bag, if he dropped my bag and break the camera, he is going to get it!"

My jaws dropped, not that I was still hungry... I just couldn't believe that the dad had mistaken this man's arrogance as concern for his child. That was no where near 'innocent'. My judgment was completely wrong. :-p

My motive of sharing this small incident isn't because I enjoy pointing fingers or criticising others. But more importantly, I hope that readers of my entry will occupy only one seat per person next time when they visit the food court. Never mind that the rest are keeping seats for their precious belongings, this is the right thing to do. Someday, others may follow suit as it becomes a social norm. At least for now, you will not feel guilty for being inconsiderate.

And please don't leave your belongings unattended. Some of us may have heard of people using their laptops to reserve seats at hawker centre. This is much costly than using tissue paper to do so, but of course that is a norm in the Singapore financial district only. If you can't trust others to be nice and considerate, how can you trust them with your belongings?

Finally, I think it is more gracious to show concern for fellow human being than concern for your own non-animated things. Keep your things near you especially if they are fragile. After all, we should be responsible for our own things. It is useless to complain or whine when things are broken or lost, due to own negligence.

Besides being ungracious, are there more people who are becoming economists' typical consumers, who are less caring of others and put self interest as utmost importance? Well, I am not sure whether the campaigns are working, but I will just start with myself and hope that you can join me to be gracious too. :-)

Sweating It Out!

2009-08-13T00:19:00.004+08:00

For the past few weeks, things had been moving fast and furious...

At the work front, it is the most dreadful part of my work - deployment. After the initial hiccup, deployment work had been smooth so far. I can afford to pace myself to divide the work into a few days and go home on time. Previous years, I had to work till late nights to rush things out. Perhaps, the experience from hacking everything out alone and all that late nights (sometimes early morning...) overtime had helped. My record last year was working from 7.30am till 5am, and coming back again at 9am and working till... never mind... Ha ha...

I was once again, "courageous" enough to sort out the server-end of things at site, while my team mates tried their best to finish a swee-swee front-end back in office. This is important as the lesser the bugs from the front-end, the easier the user-support. Afterall, users usually only notice the problems in the front-end. I appreciate their effort and doing a wonderful job back in the office, it beats having to debug later at site!

There seemed to be a "list of tasks" in my mind that I had unknowingly finished. Come to think of it, developing a complex system suddenly seemed easier than trying to deploy it at the actual production environment. There are plenty of unknown problems that may crop up, which need to be resolved in a short time. But with experience and help from my friendly colleagues, I can make less mistakes and minimise the problems. Time to document down "that list"?

Hope that things will continue to be smooth for the next few weeks... -fingers crossed-

Meanwhile, I still managed to find time to sweat it out for my flat and it feels good!

Last Saturday, after receiving the delivery of the lighting, we painstakingly cleaned and covered the door way in more than an hour. This was to prevent the sand from scratching the floor tiles. Using masking tape and cardboard, we made sure that every inch of the door way was covered. We were very satisfied with ourselves! However, in less than a minute of the job "well-done", some workers arrived at our door. They were there to clear the debris and clean the floor. The first thing they did was to tear away the cardboard at the door way! Can you imagine how our jaws dropped when we saw that? The foreman even joked that it was good exercise for us... :p

This afternoon, we took half a day's leave to receive the delivery of toilet accessories (toilet bowls, basins, taps, glass shelves, pop-up wastes, etc.). After which, we swept and cleaned the floor again. This time, it was for the whole house. The floor was covered with sawdust from the polishing of the parquet floor in the morning. I was on all fours, wiping every inch of the floor tiles (with water and perspiration...), while dear wife mopped with MagicClean. Those pesky stains from the masking tape were so difficult to remove. Once again, we had to sweat it out...

Perhaps, a few more times of cleaning will make up for the gym sessions which I had missed these couple of weeks. ;-p

There are really many nitty-gritty details to take care of when renovating the house. Constant inspection is required to ensure that everything is done according to requirement and in good quality. I guess there are many similarity to software project management. :-p Just that now, I am the project sponsor ($$$), the project manager, the user, and even the "sub-contractor" in some sense... I am thankful that dear wife and my in-laws are taking good care of these tasks, while I only need to do some planning, make some decisions, and sweat it out occasionally. Thank you very much!

Our home is slowly taking shape... Photos of the place on my blog, this weekend!

My Favourite NDP Moments.

2009-08-09T23:16:00.010+08:00

I was in the car at 8.22pm when they recited the national pledge. It must had been an awesome sight if everyone stopped at whatever they were doing, to recite the pledge. I took a peep at the neighbouring vehicles on the highway, nobody had their fist on their chest. Well, mine were on my chest. Hah...

No National Day Parade for me this year. In fact, I had not been following the parade since they moved to the floating platform. Nothing against the platform, I am really proud of our achievement in its construction and delivery in such a short time. There were other reasons... that I missed it.

As the radio continued to play the familiar national songs, they brought back memories of my favourite NDP moments.

Besides participating as spectator for a couple of times, I was also part of the combined school choir twice (1994 and 1996). Both times, the parades were held at the Kallang National Stadium. During those times, the parades were held at the Padang or Kallang Stadium in alternate years. At Kallang, we had the privilege of sitting on proper wooden benches and taking shelter in the stadium when it rained during the rehearsals. Tho' we did continue with rehearsals if it was just slight drizzling.

Just to set the record straight, the choir did actually sing. Many microphones around the stage captured our youthful voices. Tho' the pre-recorded singing of some selected choir members were also played during the parade.

While the main job of the choir was to sing, the other important job was to execute the choreography of colourful paper fans or ribbons in precision. Besides looking at the conductor, we would be following intently the moves of student leaders on the stage. Oh, I even had a little crush on one of them from MGS. Wahahaha... And I still remember her name. ;-p Hush hush!

Of course, all the Kallang Roar and Kallang Wave started with the choir! :-) You gotta be a spectator in the stadium to enjoy the incredible atmosphere! It was part of the pre-parade segment. That had to be one of the fondest moment.

I remember sitting a few rows behind the celebrity Masters of Ceremony, Gurmit Singh, Diana Ser and Samuel Chong. We got their autographs on our fan props. They were very professional and enthusiastic indeed and gave the choir lotsa attention.

What about food? We always had KFC, Colonel Burger with just the patty and no sauce. Not fantastic, but nobody was complaining lah, what more can fourteen year-olds and sixteen year-olds ask for? Fast food was always welcomed.

I had always enjoyed the parade segment more than the mass display. Although it was similar every year, the parade music from the SAF Military Band and the Guard of Honour march-pass never failed to get my attention. I felt really proud for them. Occasionally, some folks in the parade contingent would faint. But deep down I admired their tenacity to stand still for such long duration, even under the hot sun.

Then, there was the part when we sang the National Anthem and recited the pledge. Those must had been the most patriotic moments in my life. I remember feeling my hairs standing and thinking "I am proud to be a Singaporean". Whatever the reason... it was overwhelming for me.

Since I was in the choir, the national songs have a special place in my heart. Unlike the contemporaries, songs like 'We Are Singapore', 'Count on Me Singapore', 'One People, One Nation, One Singapore', and my favourite 'Stand Up Singapore', had catchy tunes and meaningful lyrics. The theme back then was 'nation building' and remembering the hard work of our forefathers. Till now, I still prefer those songs and can sing for you anytime you want. :p I'm sure friends of my generation will feel the same. :-)

My last favourite moment of NDP was the finale. One of the years, the choir had to sing and walk down from the stands to the running track during the grand finale. At the final moments of the parade, the fireworks filled the sky! I was standing there, staring at the sky, as the fireworks seemed to be eternally raining just above my head! The spectacular light show! The loud explosion! It had got to be the best fireworks experience in my life!

And these... were some of my favourite NDP moments...

Worms One, Alien Zero!

2009-08-09T02:26:00.004+08:00

Had been keeping myself occupied with worms lately during my commute. No... not earthworms, tapeworms lah... hah... but WORMS on iPod!

After getting used to the controls, I think this is one of the best version of WORMS I played so far. The controls and gameplay are similar to the Windows Mobile version of WORMS World Party. But with iPod Touch multi-touch, I can interact and zoom in/out with ease.

The fun part is personalising your own team and playing the challenge. In each round of challenge, you get to play against different number of teams and worms. The Warlords, Marines, Team iPwn...

And as you clear the challenges, new stages, speech (Area51, Jarhead, etc.) and gravestones will be unlocked. The teams also have different personalities such as strategic, vengeful, reckless and cocky. So far, I have cleared 28 challenges!

There is also a multi-player mode which I have yet to explore. But I think various human players still play on the same iPod. It'll be great if each human player can play on their own iPod via WIFI. You can also continue to listen to your music while playing with the SFX of the game. Today I played with Stan Getz at the background. That was kinda cool. Hah hah.

Below is the line up of my elite team, KCW1234! Each of my worms highly courageous and accurate!

What does the team name mean? Who are my group of worms? Well, I guess the answer is obvious. ;-p

There are a number of iPod Touch games I like, such as the classic game Bejeweled 2, the puzzle game Cooking Quest, Airport Mania, Candy Crusher, Penguin and Spore, I think WORMS is one of the best. It is so good that I would like to recommend it to everyone. :-)

Happy Birthday RF and...

2009-08-08T01:00:00.000+08:00

Win more Grand Slams. Play in Singapore.

... and happy fifteen... but no-so happy at the moment.

Being the "Mother " to Somebody.

2009-08-07T08:59:00.005+08:00

I think now, I know a little bit of how mothers feel... I lose patience at my mum because I think she states the obvious aka nagging... I blurt out for her for saying things that imply I ain't capable of taking care of myself. The bottomline for all these seemingly ungrateful behaviour is that I hate to see her worrying for me unnecessarily. Tho' I rarely make effort to communicate that. But mothers being mothers do it unconditionally, and never give up. I am so dear to her.

Well... I ain't quite "motherly-material". Sometimes I unknowingly play the role of "mother" in someone else's life. You may ask, "Why do you want to be somebody's mother?" It is really just an analogy and a natural thing to do when they are kind of precious (or dear) to me... When that happens, every day is a challenge and it isn't easy not to give up.

Perhaps some fathers do all that as well?

Why Do Good Times Last Less Than A Day?

2009-07-31T22:03:00.006+08:00

Because... I talked too much. Some things are better not said, especially when I ain't quite sure what kind of reaction to expect. And the worst of all, would be no reaction at all. (Yes, I expected something, good, bad, anything!) Regardless how dear the thoughts or feelings may mean to me, they often mean otherwise in the eyes of someone else. Neither is is very right to draw my own conclusions for the no-show... it is often as negative as it can get. Nothing good gets outta it. Next time I'll just keep that big fat mouth of mine shut. Maybe that will earn me a lil' bit of respect and self-worth in a couple of years time... :X

Oh boy, it must be almost the end of the road... maybe I should simply give up.

Fifteen Minutes.

2009-07-22T23:23:00.003+08:00

Before I continue with this post, I have an announcement to make: With this entry, I have made past the half millenium mark for the total number of blog entries! And this will be a happy entry befitting of such a mirthful milestone! :D

After the delay at work, we finally made it to the 15 Minutes at around 8pm. Well, it was not too late as 15 Minutes closes at 11pm. Before I get anyone confused, we took more than 15 minutes to get to 15 Minutes. Around 30 minutes? :-p And... 15 Minutes is a cafe in LASALLE campus at McNally Street (behind Sim Lim Square).

As expected of a cafe in the famous local art college, it was artfully furnished. The atmosphere was relaxing. There was a small stage, but no band was playing when we were there. Instead, the speakers were playing slow rock. The wooden tables were arranged in neat rows like what you'll find in a school tuckshop. BBOF had suggested this place after reading about it on the magazine.

We had a difficult but fun time figuring out several "stimulating" words. When else will the iPod dictionary comes in more handy? Words such as "couscous", "puttanesca", "pomodoro", "bruschetta", etc. littered the menu.

We stuck to the safer choices. I ordered the Linguini Chicken Avocado.

BBOF had Pomodoro Mushroom Penne.

We also ordered Otah Bruschetta. Basically, that is toasted bread with Otah topping, similar to garlic bread.

The serving was really generous. But nothing much can be said about the taste of the Linguini and Penne. They are quite normal. The Otah bread thingy was surprisingly tasty.

Although the food was a little disappointing, the comfortable ambiance and prompt service made up for it. Not to mention having the fantastic company of my good friend. She had made it an enjoyable Wednesday evening for me. I'll recommend and probably be going back for some drinks (beer or wine), and simply to hang out with friends!

Hacked.

2009-07-21T23:12:00.006+08:00

I am the proud owner of this truck-load of debris! :D

Renovation works for our new home had started on Monday. The workers had finished hacking the floors and walls, and cleared the debris. We barely recognised the place just now, when we went to check on the tiles that were delivered. The walls and floor were naked without the tiles.

Coincidentally, we met the workers who were start work on laying the floor tiles tomorrow. It felt kinda good getting to know the friendly people who will be working on your house. Hopefully their workmanship will be good as well!

Perhaps I will put up some photos of the progress from our next visit. This is exciting!

On Today's Horoscope...

2009-07-10T13:19:00.003+08:00

This question had actually crossed my mind lately... "好好深思你目前的生活，是否以前的兴趣，嗜好，朋友渐渐退场，从你的生活中消失？"

RF Once More!

2009-07-06T01:43:00.004+08:00

I thought they said Pistol Pete will be presenting the trophy if RF won? Ha. No leh! But as how the history book was meant to be written, one living legend witnessed another setting some new records. I guess to RF, it wasn't about setting new records. It was about regaining his World No.1 title and Wimbledon trophy. In some way, it was less emotional than winning Roland Garros - he didn't shed a tear!

Nevertheless, records defined the greatness of RF, he is the first man to...
... win 15 Grand Slams.
... appear in 20 Grand Slam Finals.
... contest in seven Wimbledon Finals in a row.

Truly consistent. Congratulations RF! When are you coming down to our little island to play? ;-)

As RF basked in the glory of regaining his crown, Andy sat there and held on to his emotions. Three cheers for Roddick! Don't feel sorry for the American No. 1, he is a true champion as well. He had put up a superb fight and made RF worked really hard. RF dropped two sets to Andy, compared to dropping only one set en route to the final. Only a total of ten points separated both men in this final. But RF is RF, and the magic stayed with RF once again this year. Perhaps, next year it will be Andy's turn if the duo meet for the fourth time in the Wimbledon final.

Random City Photos.

2009-07-01T00:51:00.004+08:00

A tropical garden in the heart of the concrete jungle, an orchestrated display of lights and symmetry in one of the latest mall... These are some shots from my short walk in town last weekend. Natural vs Man-made beauties.

Charming white gates adorn the Tanglin Road entrance.

Beautiful flowers basking in the sun.

Buying ice-cream on the "Street of Tokyo".

The street view from above.

The light show.

More lines and reflections.

Plunge to the bottom, or is it? The lift shaft.

The line of light divides.

Fallen for Good.

2009-06-27T01:02:00.003+08:00

It had been quite a while since I wrote a movie review. So either this is a really good movie or it is a disastrous one. Unfortunately, this time I have to agree with some of the movie critics for giving it one out of five stars rating. In fact, maybe it should deserve half a star, but we must give some credits for the guys behind the special effects.

Transformer: The Revenge of the Fallen, is a new low for Mr Michael Bay. I suspect he may be the next fallen one. Personally, I think what makes the movie so bad is that there are way too much of the following elements:

1. Rotating camera angle around the subject - The technique, where by the camera rotates around the subject in the centre, was used for at least for three scenes. And it often rotated too fast. Right from the beginning of the show, I started to feel dizzy.

2. Complicated Transformation - It felt like eternity whenever Optimus Prime transforms. Does it have to be that complicated?

3. Helicopters - They flew the friendly skies throughout the show. From Shanghai, to Egypt, they hoovered over the fallen, as the camera looked down from the bird's eye view. It made the scenes really cheesy. Someone's not putting in enough creative juice!

4. Use of Pyrotechnics - Every other minute, there was some explosion going on somewhere. Kaboom here, kaboom there. There were blazing buildings everywhere too. While it is okay that the good guys were loaded with ammunition, the problem comes with you put too much explosive with the next point...

5. "The Hero Never Dies" - As the protagonist of the movie ran across the battle field, every step was met by some explosion. Imagine doing a five hundred metres dash with bombs dropping all over the place. While the guy get thrown around by the impacts a few times, he was able to survive. And when the hero finally did meet his end, they brilliantly mixed robots and supernatural near death encounters. That is too dramatic for a sci-fi movie.

6. "One Good Guy Defeats Many Bad Guys" - You will be forgiven if you had imagined Prime is the incarnation of Bruce Lee, or the protagonist of a Bollywood movie, for the matter of fact. Prime was able to single handedly turn the villains into tin trash. And of course, he did so in kungfu style - using blades instead of bullets.

Btw, the movie seemed to portray that the States have the ability to mount an assault any where on Earth, any time. Some how the Airforce and Armour were always in the neighbourhood, providing endless air strikes and fire cover whenever needed.

On a side note, the upcoming GI Joe and Harry Potter movie looks promising!

Verdict: One outta five stars (great special effects!)

Live High, Live Mighty, Live Righteously.

2009-06-22T13:29:00.006+08:00

Simple words, simple idea, nicely put together in an inspirational song. Music does bring out the best in everything. :-)

Well it isn't a new song, but there is certainly a right moment for it. A reminder to myself, a simple mantra to live by. More importantly, I want to share this with everyone who isn't feeling too well, especially for a friend who had been going through some rough patches lately. I am not good with words. I probably made you feel worse sometimes. We will have to put them all behind and move on every day. Live for what it is really worth living for. Just take things easy okay?

Queen's Big Day!

2009-06-19T23:23:00.000+08:00

Our Cherry Tea Queen, aka Stitchy-Sop, got married today! It was my honour to be part of her big day in a very small way! Thanks my dear Queen! -toast with a cuppa Earl Grey!-

My first time as a wedding photographer was relatively stress-free as the couple had many very professional photographers to do the job. In fact, I was able to enjoy myself and immerse in the festivity of the Queen's bliss! It was fun! At the same time, I had the chance to "understudy" in preparation for my own big day. ;-)

I will not be able to show you the photos unless the bride gives me the green light to release them to public. In any case, I think it will be better to wait for the official release of the professionals' works lah. Mine are only good enough for my personal appreciation. Hee Hee.

However in the meantime, you can enjoy this photo of my gorgeous dear friend, who shared quite a bit of the limelight for the evening as well, as many people wanted to have individual photos taken with her! I wouldn't wanna miss it too. ;-)

Maybe she'll make herself even more pretty pretty on my big day if "my face is big enough" lorh. :-p

Post-It Stop-Motion.

2009-06-12T09:32:00.005+08:00

Post-It: brand name for a slip of notepaper that has an adhesive that allows it to stick to a surface and be removed without damaging the surface. (wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn)

Stop-Motion: Animation technique whereby the impression of movement is created by filming a sequence of one or two still frames at a time. (australianscreen.com.au/glossary/)

Post-It + Stop-Motion = Deadline (A senior project by Liu Bang-yao, a student at Savannah College of Art and Design)

Nice. Check out the "Making of Deadline" too. So smart! Hee hee. Good Job! ;-)

The Chemistry of Human Relationship.

2009-06-11T06:56:00.002+08:00

There's a saying that goes '男人不坏，女人不爱' (women will only like nasty men. Perhaps the essence of this statement applies to other aspects of human relationship (friendship, family, etc.) as well. Does the nice guys have to finish last?

The longer you hold on to something, the dearer it gets. The longer you are held, the more numb it gets.

Maybe it is relatively more difficult to appreciate the goodness of others. Unless one is able to read the intentions of others' action, one will not be able to understand the magnitude of effort or the deliberate actions to be nice. In that sense, it is nobody's fault if one start taking things for granted. If one has never experienced poverty or hunger, how could one truly treasure their wealth or the food on the table?

Of course through education, we can learn to appreciate these tangible things. But it is another matter when it got to do with human relationship. You have to feel it, be treated poorly, before the chemistry takes place in your heart, and you realise what is good for you.

On the other hand, there are those who tirelessly do good for those who can't appreciate, eg. what mums will do for their children.

May it be blood or fate that ties the lives of people together, this is a special bond.

Thus, I think you should not give up on being nice to people you care for but doesn't appreciate you. If you give unconditionally, you will enjoy happiness. Unfortunately, this is easier to be said than done.

And for those receiving, think beyond what you receive. Think of the impact to you when those who tirelessly give, disappear from your life tomorrow. That is the value of them to you. In my opinion, understanding that is much more important. The appreciation will follow.

Why am I saying all these? Crap, I had always been emo (yes, long before kids nowadays start using this term, along with other words like 'lame'), saying what I 'feel'. So please don't take it to heart.

Indeed, Your Year!

2009-06-07T23:12:00.004+08:00

Did you see RF hold his face and cried? Remember the Australian Open? But this time, it is tears of joy! YESH! YESH! YESH! It was indeed a stroll in the park for the Champ!

-jumps up in joy!- Woohoo!~~!!!

Finally, all four Grand Slams. Presented to RF by the last man who won all four, Andre Agassi. RF was still in tears as he raised the trophy. For the moment, I nearly teared as well. Ha... And not a moment did he put the trophy down during his speech!

Good Job RF! It is INDEED YOUR YEAR! Next, get the Wimbledon trophy back!

Btw, I saw this really cool commercial during the break! It makes you wanna grab a racket to play tennis too! Hee hee! Enjoy!

Melaka Getaway.

2009-06-07T21:02:00.005+08:00

I think I forgot to mention that I went for a short trip over the weekend, last month, with my fellow batcavers. =p

We flew to KL LCC (lao-cok-cok... oops I mean low class carrier, errr.. I mean low cost carrier) Airport from the Changi Budget Terminal. It was faster, cheaper and more comfortable than traveling by coach. In fact, the bus journey from KL LCC Airport to KL central was longer than the flight!

The gang waiting for the free shuttle to the Budget Terminal. Another group had left the night before by train. Not for me. Ha ha...

It was my first time at the really "budget-looking" terminal. The most memorable thing was running to the plane on the tarmac!

Yup, with the blink of the eye, we were on Malaysian grounds.

In KL, we did some shopping at Mid-Valley Mall and stayed one night at the hostel.

We had the famous porridge for breakfast at Petaling Jaya (aka Chinatown), before traveling to Melaka by bus.

It was my third time to KL, so the highlight was the Melaka leg of the trip.

At the cross junction, we were looking for the famous chicken rice stall.

A touristy trishaw decorated with flowers and accompanied by techno music!

Look at the doors of this Chinese temple, nice hor?

At this Orang Utan House, we found an interesting poster...

Hmmmm... we all know Malaysia is famous for its rubber plantations... but not sure of the rubber products...

We managed to find the stall at the corner of Jonker Street, opposite San Shu Gong Shop.

Eagerly waiting for the chicken rice...

TADA! Presenting... chicken rice balls!

And the so-so chicken. Hee hee.

After lunch, we started our walk around the historical town... but it was disappointing.

The gang at Melaka River.

The famous red building... You must have seen it before too! Ha ha...

The local feline friend at the museum. =)

Like all trips, I didn't forget to enjoy the local flora... =)

And the most historical building I saw was the St Francis Church. Disappointing loh...

So it was back to Jonker Street where we spent most of our time in Melaka.

If you ain't aware, Jonker Street is a market street where you can find alot of food!

Nothing like a cup of cool drink on a hot day, ice white coffee...

And this, which I had been craving for since coming back (due to the equally warm Singapore weather), durian chendol!

In fact, it was so hot, I had chendol three times in two days at Melaka.

Chicken rice ball again for dinner! Yes, twice in a day. This is at a different stall lah...

Jonker Street at dusk...

And at night, the streets glowed in red lights...

We had plenty of booze at a local pub, The Geographer... no photos, was too busy enjoying myself. Ha ha... I think it was the most fun part of the trip!

The following day, I had Kuay Tiao Teng for breakfast...

After which we took at boat ride on the Malacca River and visited the Maritime Museum. In the afternoon we visited the Nyonya Museum and tasted some Peranakan snacks. Actually you can find them in Singapore as well.

The museum is the family house of a rich Peranakan businessman. Not sure if they used it to film the Little Nyonya drama serials...

Our craving for more Peranakan food brought us to the authentic Peranakan restaurant along Jonker Street.

As you can see, we cleaned up the plates! Yum yum!

That rounds up the short KL-Melaka trip. Nothing exciting lah, but it was my first trip with the batcavers (excluding TNBT). I am looking forward to the next one! Perhaps, we can go to Taman Negara which I had previously tried to organise, a couple of years ago.

This Is Your Year, RF!

2009-06-04T23:18:00.004+08:00

RF continues his awesome form in the Roland Garros. It is such a pleasure to watch him play - makes me wanna watch Prince of Tennis series again! Yesterday, he took on the hometown favourite, Gael Monfils (who did superbly well to defeat Andy Roddick earlier on), and promptly disposed him in three straight sets. RF showed his greatness as one of the best tennis player in history by focusing on his game and moving on from any judgmental error of the umpire. In my opinion, I think Pistol Pete is the only one better than him, but nobody plays the game as beautifully and coolly as RF.

With Nadal defeated early, the stage is set for RF to finally capture the Grand Slam which had long eluded him. The expectations are greater than ever for him to win the Grand Slam on clay. In an article on the Roland Garros website, it says,

"When I walk on the streets or drive in the transportation or go for dinner, everybody is (saying) 'This is your year, you've got to do it. They're screaming from their scooters and out of the car," said Federer of the weight of expectation on his shoulders since four-time champion Rafael Nadal was eliminated. "They even get out at the red lights and want me to sign an autograph or take a picture. It's quite incredible this last couple of weeks. It just shows me that everybody is watching the French Open here, and it's great to get the support. Once out in the stadium it's amazing. We don't have a grand Slam in Switzerland, but I definitely feel at home in the Grand Slams, and especially here."

It is so touching that so many people hope for RF to win. Even a player of his stature, can be so inspired by his fans to win the title. This is quite evident from the emotions RF showed in his recent wins - the fist pumps, the jump into the air, the shouts from the usually quiet gentleman. RF even conveyed his excitement to his fans via Facebook recently, after beating Tommy Haas. Technically, RF can read my comment if he managed to go thru' each of the ~60,000 feedbacks! RF even put up a video to show that it is indeed himself using the FB account.

I too, hope that he will be able to do it this time. And with his other nemesis, Andy Murray, out of the way too, perhaps it will be a stroll in the park for RF. :-)

Dust to Dust.

2009-06-03T22:57:00.000+08:00

I underestimated the mammoth task of refurbishing my room. The tiny 8 square metres space packs so many things! Before I dab a single drop of paint on the brush, there are so many things to be done - packing the barang barang, wiping the walls and skirting, and disposing the old furniture. And as I went thru' those dreadful steps, I mentally came up with a list for keeping my room clean:

1. Buy only what you need. Ensure that you have storage space for it. ie. You know exactly where you want to place it when you bring it home (not on your bed or on the floor).

2. Don't store your things on top of wardrobes or under the bed. Anything and everywhere collects dust! Anything that is up on the top of cupboard means it'll be there for a long time. By the time you bring it down, it will be totally covered with dust!

3. Don't place too much sentimental values on things. Eg. the pencil case that came with the tin of Milo, the free keychains, folders, and bags from some event, time to dump them when there's no need for them anymore.

4. Throw away the packaging immediately after unwrapping them - send them to recycling bin. The shiny colourful new boxes which once hold your gadgets have served their purpose. Don't bother to keep them as boxes for some future presents. Trust me, they will come with their packaging too!

5. Don't buy ornaments and soft toys. They look like the perfect gift, but they just ain't very useful and there isn't a place for them. One or two for your girlfriends to cuddle to sleep during dating is fine. Subsequently, practical things please. That goes the same for birthdays and Christmas!

6. Keep only what you use everyday in your storage. Don't end up keeping a wardrobe full of clothes you don't wear, while those you do hang permanently on the clothes rack in another room.

7. Keep plenty of empty spaces on the shelves and tables. It will be easier to clean them regularly. Placing ornaments all over the place or stacking things up means they are less likely to be cleaned and dust collects very fast!

8. If possible, have wardrobes that are the height of the ceiling. Any ceiling-facing surface area collects dust! It is unlikely that you will climb up to clean the top of wardrobes regularly.

So far, two walls have been painted. There are two more wardrobes and a bed to be removed before painting the remaining two walls. Next on my mind is what to do with the things that are lined up outside my bedroom. What to throw, what to keep, what to follow me to the new house? Maybe I should have a list for them as well. Hmmmm....

Superman vs Big Shot.

2009-05-23T10:01:00.003+08:00

The playoffs are really hot. This is Superman vs Mr Big Shot!

Dwight Howard pulls down the shot clock with his super strength.

And Chauncey Billups pulls a big shot again off Kobe Bryant.

The full reports on Hoop Doctors can be found here and here.

The Non-Urgent Conversation.

2009-05-12T22:48:00.006+08:00

Some things in life are never urgent. A morning greeting, a short conversation about the weather or dinner, a tender hug, a "how are you". Nevertheless, by attending to them, it makes a difference to somebody's life. It is more so if you know the returns are immediate - happiness for that someone. In fact, I would consider someone who is able to make others happy as lucky as someone who is being loved. Imagine madly pursuing an unrequited love and doing just about everything but still not able to bring happiness to somebody? You are in for a big headache!

My wife forwarded me this short article today. After doing a quick search on the Internet, I found that this article was written by Dr Lee Wei Ling for the Sunday Times on 04 Jan 2009. I remember Dr Lee as the neuro-paediatrician who attended to the ailment that changed my life. Tho' probably most people will know her as the MM-Lee's daughter. Many websites have posted her article. In fact you can find it here, here, here, and here, to name a few... But I am reproducing it on my blog again, for the benefit of those who have not read it before...

*My house is shabby, but it is comfortable*
There is no end to wanting - after the Ferrari and the Birkin bag,
what next?

By Lee Wei Ling
In 2007, in an end-of-year message to the staff of the National Neuroscience Institute, I wrote:

'Whilst boom time in the public sector is never as booming as in the private sector, let us not forget that boom time is eventually followed by slump time.

Slump time in the public sector is always less painful compared to the private sector.' Slump time has arrived with a bang.

While I worry about the poorer Singaporeans who will be hit hard, perhaps this recession has come at an opportune time for many of us. It will give us an incentive to reconsider our priorities in life.

Decades of the good life have made us soft. The wealthy especially, but also the middle class in Singapore, have had it so good for so long, what they once considered luxuries, they now think of as necessities. A mobile phone, for instance, is now a statement about who you are, not just a piece of equipment for communication. Hence many people buy the latest model though their existing mobile phones are still in perfect working order.

A Mercedes-Benz is no longer adequate as a status symbol. For millionaires who wish to show the world they have taste, a Ferrari or a Porsche is deemed more appropriate.

The same attitude influences the choice of attire and accessories. I still find it hard to believe that there are people carrying handbags that cost more than thrice the monthly income of a bus driver, and many more times that of the foreign worker labouring in the hot sun, risking his life to construct luxury condominiums he will never have a chance to live in.

The media encourages and amplifies this ostentatious consumption. Perhaps it is good to encourage people to spend more because this will prevent the recession from getting worse.

I am not an economist, but wasn't that the root cause of the current crisis - Americans spending more than they could afford to? I am not a particularly spiritual person. I don't believe in the supernatural and I don't think I have a soul that will survive my death. But as I view the crass materialism around me, I am reminded of what my mother once told me: 'Suffering and deprivation is good for the soul.'

My family is not poor, but we have been brought up to be frugal. My parents and I live in the same house that my paternal grandparents and their children moved into after World War II in 1945. It is a big house by today's standards, but it is simple - in fact, almost to the point of being shabby.

Those who see it for the first time are astonished that Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's home is so humble. But it is a comfortable house, a home we have got used to. Though it does look shabby compared to the new mansions on our street, we are not bothered by the comparison.

Most of the world and much of Singapore will lament the economic downturn. We have been told to tighten our belts. There will undoubtedly be suffering, which we must try our best to ameliorate. But I personally think the hard times will hold a timely lesson for many Singaporeans, especially those born after 1970 who have never
lived through difficult times. No matter how poor you are in Singapore, the authorities and social groups do try to ensure you have shelter and food. Nobody starves in Singapore. Many of those who are currently living in mansions and enjoying a luxurious lifestyle will probably still be able to do so, even if they might have to downgrade from wines costing $20,000 a bottle to $10,000 a bottle.
They would hardly notice the difference.

Being wealthy is not a sin. It cannot be in a capitalist market economy. Enjoying the fruits of one's own labour is one's prerogative and I have no right to chastise those who choose to live luxuriously. But if one is blinded by materialism, there would be no end to wanting and hankering.

After the Ferrari, what next? An Aston Martin? After the Hermes Birkin handbag, what can one upgrade to? Neither an Aston Martin nor an Hermes Birkin can make us truly happy or contented. They are like dust, a fog obscuring the true meaning of life, and can be blown away in the twinkling of an eye. When the end approaches and we look back on our lives, will we regret the latest mobile phone or luxury car that we did not acquire? Or would we prefer to die at peace with ourselves, knowing that we have lived lives filled with love, friendship and goodwill, that we have helped some of our fellow voyagers along the way and that we have tried our best to leave this world a slightly better place than how we found it?

We know which is the correct choice - and it is within our power to make that choice.

In this new year, burdened as it is with the problems of the year
that has just ended, let us again try to choose wisely. To a considerable degree, our happiness is within our own control, and we
should not follow the herd blindly.

I guess the moral of the story isn't really about how far we should go about acquiring our material needs. But, in plain words... it is about, "Hey, my family and friends are really the most important in my life, if I don't try to do some things for them, or if I hurt them, I will regret when I can no longer do so even if I wanted to."

I would say, start small, take time to have that non-urgent conversation with your mum, dad, or even friends - that person you care about... Do what you can which you know that will make them happy. At the end of the road, you'll find out that the one who is truly happy and at peace is none other than yourself!

Elated!

2009-05-08T23:54:00.001+08:00

World's biggest Wimbledon official tennis ball.

Thank you dear friend! ;-) BBOF-F!

Mind Boogling Emotions.

2009-05-04T21:24:00.004+08:00

Apparently being a year older doesn't increase one's maturity. On the other hand, my EQ seems to be over the hill, as well.

Once again, I wallowed in self-pity and failed to empathise with others. It is not so difficult to find someone worse off than you. There's no need to look far, no need to look to the extreme, just look at those around you.

I was gently reminded that, "At least you are home sweet home". There are those who are still working their asses off in the office, while I sit here comfortably blogging away at home. I guess I should consider myself lucky in this aspect.

Life, work, there are plenty of ups and downs. So are emotions. I also have my days when I am down in the trenches, tho' those days are significantly lesser than some. I guess with more time, the mind wonders more. Thus, more than often I find myself in the emotional trenches instead. And when you are down there, frankly it is also quite a bit of struggle. After all, emotions ain't logical (at least that's the common saying). So how can you even expect anyone to understand how you feel? What's worse is that emotions are often expressed in words which carry different meanings to different people. sAd, sad, SAD, saD, Sad and SAD means differently to everyone. Not to mention how careless and imprecise we can be with words. What are you sad about? Are you just a little bothered? Are you devastated? Or are you "sad"?

Sometimes, it is so much pain and shame, not to be able to share your problems and unhappiness, solutions and joy, with those you care so much for. And this sharing, may also be thought of as wallowing in self-pity? I am most willing to share more of your work if there are people who are willing to share my emotions.

I think I do agree, it is good to keep one busy, and join the ranks of the work trenches. Less time for mind to wonder, more time to accomplish meaningful tasks. Perhaps to some it may be the lesser of the two evils.

In the meantime, I can't help to wallow in my self-pity again, seeking the attention of the whole world in front of me. Shoot first, think later, and soon they will all fail to not ignore me. I never fail to spot the imperfection in this world to make myself upset. Perhaps that is my biggest weakness, my big mouth, the result of the inbuilt gene to strive for the better bah... but trust me, I always mean something well... trust me...