Deadpoet's Defunct Cave

I've moved to deadpoetscave.com

2006-03-11T18:32:00.000+08:00

I no longer inhabit this cave in cyberspace.

Please visit me here: deadpoetscave.com

Please change your bookmarks and links from your website to http://deadpoetscave.com/

If you subscribe to my FeedBurner feed, you'll continue to get updates from my new location.

Backup Cave

2006-03-02T23:42:00.000+08:00

In a recent post, I mentioned I was squatting on a WordPress blog - with my preferred username - just in case I decide to give up on Blogger.

Tinkering around with WordPress, I decided to reinstate a backup blog. I used to backup on LiveJournal but stopped for some reason or other. Perhaps I trust Google too much. Blogger will never die, right?

I began copying entries manually in reverse chronological order. After copying a month's worth of entries, I stopped, thinking that I would backup in batches, eventually reaching the most recent post.

Then I clicked on Import.

Using it is simple.

Backup your Blogger template first. Ctrl-A anywhere in your template. Copy and paste into Notepad; save the file. Take note of your blog settings too.

Log out of Blogger.

Log in to Blogger via the Import login page in WordPress.

Let WordPress work its magic. All your posts and comments will be copied automatically.

Peace of mind, eh?

Update Silly me. I forgot to mention you have to register for a blog at WordPress first.

Categories

tech

Memories at Old Ford Factory

2006-02-28T22:22:00.000+08:00

Memories at
Old Ford Factory

Last Saturday, I went to the newly opened Memories at Old Ford Factory. Run by National Archives of Singapore, the factory - a gazetted national monument - houses an exhibition about life during the Japanese Occupation. It is rich with accounts and photos of life in Syonan-to.

Why house an exhibition gallery in Bukit Timah? Well, the Old Ford Factory was the place where the British surrendered to the Japanese on 15 February, the first day of Chinese New Year in 1942.

I'm not sure what it was but the exhibition moved me deeply. Over the years, I've read accounts of the war years; I always read them with an air of detachment. Somehow, the exhibits at Old Ford Factory brought the Occupation to life.

The driveway leading to Memories at the Old Ford Factory. There are information boards along the driveway which describes the Fall of Singapore. It sets the scene for what's to come in the gallery.

This comic is among the first things visitors see. It's interesting because we usually speak of the Occupation from the Singapore perspective. The drawings speak volumes about what the Japanese thought of the British. Nevertheless, I wish I knew what was written.

Percival and Yamashita. If they could speak, what would they say?

A young Singaporean finds out about life as a Prisoner of War in Singapore.

Lim Bo Seng's diary: "We then took leave of each other. The children were too stupefied to realise what was happening. Each of them kissed me goodbye. I shall never forget their tear-stained faces as long as I live."

Life went on during the war. People got married and had children. This wedding dress bears testament to that.

The wartime garden (behind the building) shows the types of plants that were important to the people during the war. Not many people seem to be aware of the existence of the garden.

Visitor information
More photos
Video of the surrender from Singapore Paranormal Investigators. I don't subscribe to their views, but their page has interesting historical photos and information.

Categories

Another anniversary: 1 year of Fr Roderick Vonhögen's podcasts

2006-02-23T18:38:00.000+08:00

Every weekday morning, I listen to a particular priest.

No, I don't attend daily mass. But I do listen to a Podcasting Priest on The Daily Breakfast.

This podcast is the work of Fr. Roderick Vonhögen from the Archdiocese of Utrecht in Holland. Visit the StarQuest Podcast Network (SQPN) and you'll see that he has great flair for graphics and design. Listen to his podcasts and you'll hear audio shows with very high production values. He is a very talented, creative and engaging guy.

And somehow, he finds the time and energy to do this every weekday.

The Daily Breakfast is about 20 minutes to half an hour long. He usually starts by playing a song from the PodSafe Music Network or GarageBand.com. The rest of his show consists of interesting news, a fair bit of geekiness, occasional health advice, listener feedback and a segment about Catholicism called "The Peculiar Bunch".

Some listeners think he's too light on Catholic content and too heavy on 24, Lost, Star Trek, Star Wars, Macs and other geekazoid, popular culture topics. Me? I think his shows are quite well-balanced. But then, I am a geek. =P

A year ago, he started SoundSeeing tours of Rome, where he was studying. He happened to be there when Pope John Paul II passed away. He was there when Benedict XVI was announced as the new Pope. He has podcasted while running. He has podcasted from a boat. (Links in this paragraph are to mp3 files.)

Congratulations PodFather Roderick, on your first anniversary of podcasting. Keep up the terrific work, and God Bless!

----------
You can download The Daily Breakfast directly from SQPN. The easier way, of course (you can see this one coming), is to subscribe to the podcast feed. If you're really keen, I can walk you through the process. If you're not Catholic, don't shy away from listening to his podcasts. This Breakfast is for everyone!

Categories

review
tech

Happy Birthday, Blog

2006-02-22T00:27:00.000+08:00

My blog is three! Actually, I've blogged for three years. My blog has previously existed as an EasyJournal and a LiveJournal.

Naturally, I wanted to continue the User ID on blogspot, but someone took it. That someone hasn't blogged since... August 2003!! Well, that's why:

a) This site is 'acroamatical'; and
b) I am squatting on WordPress. Just in case.

I know, I know, I can hear people like Sam saying, "Get your own domain!" Well, it's hard to beat free.

Anyway, I meant to say that it's been quite a journey. I never kept a journal prior to blogging. I never thought I would. So it's always interesting to read my past entries. Sometimes, it's almost like reading someone else's blog: Did I really say/write/do that?

Besides documenting the good times and the bad, as well as being a repository of interesting resources, some of my posts remind me of what I failed to mention, either on purpose or otherwise. There's context around each post that only I am privy to.

That's ironic, yet comforting. Blogs are supposedly where some people bare their soul. Yet it's a refuge all the same. I think my previous sub-title says it best: A place to hide | A place to reveal.

Photo by Aaron Logan, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license.

Categories

Brain death by dull cubicle

2006-02-21T21:50:00.000+08:00

Even if it's not true a "dull, lifeless work environment [can] cause brain damage", I like my cubicle the way I've done it.

The individual photos are annotated, so click to find out more. (You'll have to mouseover the photo once on the individual photo page.)

Categories

personal

Churning

2006-02-20T00:39:00.000+08:00

12 noon. Denise's birthday lunch at Paulaner Brauhaus. Buffet. Meat galore. Free flow of beer. Eat to heart's content. Stomach protests.

2 pm. Follow my parents to Harvey Norman to get a new cordless phone. Needed the walk.

3 pm. Meet Sister Theresa with Adrian, Dennis, Felicia, Gerry and Terence at TCC next to Plaza Singapura. Have a Latte Mocha. (Or is it a Mocha Latte?)

5 pm. Terence and Felicia go on their way. Accompany Sister Theresa to JL, where she meets fellow nuns. Follow Dennis on his quest for new jeans. Adrian offers his. (And we were just talking about Brokeback Mountain prior to that. You make your own conclusions.)

6 pm. Follow Gerry for dinner at S-11 Cuppage. Have lime juice and Cheng Tng.

7 pm. Gerry leaves Adrian, Dennis and I. Adrian decides he is hungry. We eat at Sakae Sushi, Heeren. I have two pieces of Genkan Sushi. Still full from lunch.

8.50 pm to 9 pm. International phone call.

9 pm. Meet Theresa and Cheryl at Starbucks. Have a Raspberry Frap. Feel stomach churning.

11.15 pm. Home. Toilet. Frap turns to crap.

11.45 pm. Crap again. Watery stuff again.

12.15 am. The third time. Hopefully the last for tonight.

Categories

personal

Test - embedding a flickr slideshow: Clipper Round The World Yacht Race Exhibition

2006-02-11T17:57:00.000+08:00

Photos from the Singapore Festival Village - Clipper Round The World Yacht Race Exhibition.

The embedded slideshow works! The only problem is that the slideshow is 500 pixels wide. My post template is 15 pixels short. Don't really want to muck around with the template at this moment, so I'll leave it be.

Categories

tech

No, dear, not tonight

2006-02-11T17:40:00.000+08:00

As one of the lowest level bureaucrats - the "want to say no, also must ask permission" level - in the RSS* G. K. Enterprise, I found this student's post quite funny.

If I have to become a full-fledged bureaucrat, may I never become a 'NO' bureaucrat.

*Republic of Singapore Ship, lah.

Categories

personal

Sound

2006-02-10T09:35:00.000+08:00

Wow.

What's the sound of car in motion?

A 60-strong choir apparently.

I'm sure many have seen and remember Honda's amazing Cog TVC.

It looks like their advertising agency - assuming it's the same agency - has outdone themselves with their latest effort. I've downloaded it and watched it over and over and over.

Engine revving. Sun roof opening. Wind against your hair. Bumps. Window closing. Rain and wipers. Demister. Different road surfaces. CD in and music. Flooring the acceleratorrrrrrr. 2 minutes of motoring bliss like you've never heard before.

As I've said about motor racing: it's all about the sound. Watch Formula 1 without the sound, and you've lost 95% of the thrill.

This Honda ad goes to show that the thrill of driving is a very organic, aural experience.

P.S. Dear Honda, the video download is just that: a download. Don't confuse people by calling it a video podcast.

Update: Cog and Choir were conceived by the same advertising agency: Wieden & Kennedy. Both ads were directed by Antoine Bardou-Jacquet and produced by Partizan.

Memories of advertising and copywriting class are flooding back...

Categories

review

Bugging me lately

2006-02-08T02:07:00.000+08:00

For some reason, I'm feeling extremely dismayed over a few things that I've read the past couple of days.

PHOTOVIDEOi
I pay subscription for this magazine. The previous issue had about three variations of spelling GretagMacbeth. Granted, it's a bitch to spell. But it's almost criminal to review a product (as well as feature a paid advertorial for the said product) and get the name wrong. I let it go.

Then came the current issue. Nearly every page featured a grammar or spelling mistake. Now, bloggers have been accused of this. Come to think of it, we've been accused of a lot worse.

Anyway, what about PHOTOVIDEOi? I paid good money for the magazine. I EXPECT decent sentences and spelling. One mistake? Fine. Two? Still acceptable. One on almost every page? Tell you what... I'll be editor for an issue.

Sample from PHOTOVIDEOi. Avert your eyes if you're a stickler for grammar.

Nikons offer a one size fits all lens for entry level DSLRs
Today, you can buy dCompacts with huge lens movements from wide angle up to super telephoto but for new and existing DSLR users, especially those who just want one or two lenses to cover all occasions, we have always had to buy two different zoom lenses; an 18-55 and an 80-200. Now Nikon have launched the AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED, that is a compact, lightweight (560g) 11.1x zoom lens ideal for everyday photography and yet it incorporates advanced features such as Nikon ED glass, SWM (Silent Wave Motor) and enhanced VR (Vibration Reduction). This lens offers users the remarkable 18-200mm focal length range, which conveniently covers everything you need to shoot wide angle landscapes and family photos up to tight portrait and sports shots. (The picture angle is equivalent to a 27-300mm lens in 35mm format.)

Update: I visited the Nikon website, just before publishing this post, to check if PHOTOVIDEOi at least got their facts right. Instead, I found part of the reason for the horrible writing: Nikon's website isn't the paragon of English language either. The PHOTOVIDEOi contributor copied and pasted certain bits, adding other equally unpalatable bits of his/her own. Two negatives don't make a positive.

This just reminded me of Nikon's equally horrific Focus newsletter. How the respective editors of PHOTOVIDEOi and Focus dare call themselves Editor, I haven't the faintest.

Bastardizing English?
Then came a post about bastardizing English. Yes, we Asian. We cannot speak-ee English. We influence by Amelican culture. "Your England velly the powderful," a certain Ah Beng would say. But...

Asian "ESL" Girl 1 Canadian English Expert 0

Side note: This 's' and 'z' thing. I use 'z' in words like bastardize, and I keep it consistent unless a particular publication requires me to do otherwise. Hey, this is my blog, I set the rules!

I've read lots in the course of my studies, and it seems that no one can definitively point to which spelling I should use. I've always thought using 's' in cases like this was a British English thing but I've read British/Australian sources which use 'z'. I may be mistaken. At least, I am aware of the issue.

Disheartened Part One
Eisen Ho then attempted to make my day. Make my day very bad, that is.

There's ignorance. There's nonchalance. And there's Eisen. If there was such a being as an anti-environmentalist, Eisen is ~~number~~ one. But hey, he has a sense of humour:

We are also mostly 'immune' to reports of environmental destruction now, because we are taught to take everything with a (large) pinch of salt...

Emphasis added. Hahahahah! C'mon, Eisen. You don't want to save the earth, fine. You want the Gahmen to prod you to do so, also fine. You accuse the education system of teaching you to take things with a pinch of salt? Here I am, thinking that our education system deals with absolute truths. Thanks for enlightening me.

I should stop reading the newspapers in the morning.

Disheartened Part Two

On tomorrow.sg, I read about this sad development.

I've passed by the Esplanade concourse many times. I've seen the teenagers there, doing their thing. It was 'their' place. Not any more. In all probability, someone saw fit to comprain. So, no more wheeled activities in the concourse.

This is probably a mere warning shot. Wheeled activities or not, I think someone just frowns on the groups' presence there.

Damn bloody ironic, I tell you, especially if the Esplanade owns the space. I'm not sure. It could be a public walkway, public property.

Nevertheless, the kids enjoyed being themselves, pursuing their interests, arguably adding to a vibrant cultural landscape. To think that the Durian Suits may have been the ones who saw it fit to stink them out of the place.

I'm no skateboarder. I'm no inline skater. I'm no hip-hop dancer. But I never begrudged these kids of their pastimes, their passions, their use of the public(?) space (read the bit about the breakdance competition).

Perhaps, I should stop reading blogs too.

-----------

Apologies to all my faithful readers for this black hole of pessimism. I was so distressed about PHOTOVIDEOi, Bastardizing English and Disheartened Part One the other day that it showed on my face. My manager actually noticed there was something wrong and she emailed me to ask what was bothering me.

So, I end on a positive note. Thank God I have a terrific supervisor.

Categories

Looky what we have here!

2006-02-04T21:41:00.000+08:00

Great Scot! I found this in Popular at Bishan. The only one left.

Back to the Future is one of my favourite films of all time. It's not, by far, the most cerebal film. The special effects are now dated. But there's a certain charm about the series, particularly the original. It's just plain fun!

And of course, there's the DeLorean. In reality, a hopelessly underperforming sports car from a company that went bankrupt even before Back to the Future screened. But I think every boy wanted to be Marty McFly in the time travelling car.

Well, owning the die-cast model is as close as it gets for me. =)

Update: Back to the futuristic | BBC News article about DeLorean - the man and the car.

Categories

personal

Resolutions Review (Jan)

2006-02-01T08:57:00.000+08:00

Hmmm... I've not been doing very well with my resolutions, particularly:

2. Lose weight

and

5. Save money

Categories

personal

SIN(WSSS)-MEL(YMML) by numbers

2006-01-30T22:31:00.000+08:00

You're on BA17, flying from 1°21'23"N, 103°59'28"E to 37°40′24″S, 144°50′36″E. Right now, you're probably reaching Australian airspace.

About 6069 km...
or about 3771 miles...
or about two (or three) time zones...
or about an eight-hour flight...

Distance and time are subjective.

I'll see you soon...

Categories

personal

Words straight from my mouth (almost)

2006-01-27T16:59:00.000+08:00

Have to preface this post: I am writing all this in a personal capacity. In no way does this post (or anything on this blog for that matter) reflect the position of my employers.

I usually steer clear of mentioning work on my blog. Things are great, but they have the potential to be much, much greater. Today, I found two blog posts which reflected my position on certain work-related issues almost perfectly.

Mr Justin Lee, you've got a friend in me.

Categories

edtech

Brave New Experiment in 1984

2006-01-25T11:59:00.000+08:00

I read Catherine Lim's article, Managing Political Dissent, last Friday while having breakfast.

Sheer brilliance, I tell you. Catherine's analysis was spot on. Like the Legal Janitor, I felt she brought to light what I've been thinking for a long time.

Then, I read her short story - The Experiment - which concluded the article. Her earlier words sent shivers down my spine but this... This made me go pale, as far as I can imagine.

"Not just plausible, but all too real," comments the Legal Janitor. I nod.

Today, it suddenly hit me. Two words: Speakers' Corner.

----------

Anyway, someone named Loke Kong wrote in to ST's forum page.

Accountability vital in dissent or assent

I read Dr Catherine Lim's article, 'Managing political dissent' (ST, Jan 20), with respect and admiration. Her views are sharp, insightful, well-researched and objective. Of course, they could be seen as controversial too, depending on one's position.

The Straits Times should also be applauded for publishing it without fear or favour.

Dr Lim is a fair and committed Singaporean. She praised the Government when praise was due and criticised it when it deserved to be criticised.

She praised the Government for the three pillars of sound governance, but firmly believed that a model of governance in which political dissent had little or no role was deeply flawed on two counts:

# First, the need for expression should never be suppressed.

# Second, if it is, then it is all the worse for society.

However, she forgot to mention that be it dissent or assent, it must be backed by accountability, without which society would become chaotic.

I particularly enjoyed reading 'The Experiment'. It made me smile with empathy. I believe the episode could be enacted in real life some time down the road.

Dr Lim is a catch for any political party, but I believe she prefers to be non-partisan. This is because, in this way, what she writes will be more acceptable and credible to most, if not all, Singaporeans.

Also, I believe that both Dr Lim and the Government have the interest of Singapore at heart. The only difference is that, whereas Dr Lim speaks for the intellectuals, the Government acts in the interest of most Singaporeans.

At the end of the day, let's live and let live. Onward Singapore!

Loke Kong

I'm not sure which scares me more, The Experiment or The Response. Majulah Singapura indeed.

-----------

Side note: Does anyone care that Took will be hanged?

Categories

musings

Army Memories

2006-01-22T21:00:00.000+08:00

I meant to write more about my army experiences in my earlier post about enlistment. Suffice to say, it could probably go on and on and on. So, I will stick to talking about BMT.

Yes, Basic Military Training. This is the most familiar part of National Service as it is the lowest common denominator. Whether you become an officer or a specialist, whether you become a signaller or a driver, whether you end up building bridges or demolishing things, you will have gone through BMT*.

I had the fortune of doing BMT for 5 months because I was obese. All in all, BMT was a wonderful experience. First of all, we were a very heterogeneous company with only one thing in common: a wide girth. A-level holders, diploma holders, ITE graduates tended to be - I qualify that this is my perception - put together as a cohort.

Not us. Hawk Company (and our 'sister' company, Gryphon) represented the socio-economic diversity of Singaporeans. We had a university graduate. We had primary school leavers. We had Chinese, Malays, Indians and one Eurasian. You name it, we probably had it. We even had someone who lived on Pulau Bukom. It said so on his ID card.

The programme was designed for us to lose weight. That meant a few modifications to the training programme. Every Monday morning, we'd be weighed in at the Medical Centre. Those whose weight had not decreased from the previous week were prime candidates to burn their long weekend.

(Long before the implementation of the five-day week, Pulau Tekong was a five-day week camp. If you were in camp on Saturday morning, you were being punished.)

We had extra weight training sessions and... aerobics. Those were fun and effective. There was once, Dr Tony Tan came to visit Pulau Tekong. He was supposed to inspect Hawk company as we were put through out aerobics paces.

Unfortunately, he was delayed. The Physical Training Instructor (PTI) decided to keep us warmed up, so we continued doing what we were doing. And continued. And continued. And continued.

Dr Tan arrived to watch us. I was in the front row as I had already lost quite a bit of weight then. That weekend, I was told by relatives that I was on the news. Doing aerobics. Anyway, the PTI complimented us after the session. We had been going on for much longer than usual. He admitted that he was knackered and that he was amazed that we kept on going.

You see, the obese guys are actually very strong. Some enlisted being fit, or nearly fit enough, to pass IPPT. Who's stronger? A 85kg guy who can do 12 pull-ups or a 70kg guy who can do the same? Who's got more stamina? The overweight guy finishing the 2.4km run ins 12m20s or the much lighter guy who finished it in the same time?

And we proved it to some extent. The 2nd Brigade - BMT was conducted by the Brigades back then - decided to send their strongest and bulkiest soldiers for an intra-Army tug-of-war competition. We'd won the Tekong tug-of-war competition between the BMT companies, so they sent Hawk Company to represent the brigade.

We maxed out the weight limit, putting in the heaviest and strongest guys on the team. So, the profile of the team was: about 80kg on average and could pull 10 or more chin-ups. The guys pulled against the heaviest guys in the company for training. Our Company Seargent Major (CSM) even made them pull a Land Rover that was in gear.

Hawk Company beat them all. Commandoes included.

I have more stories, of course. But I leave it here for now.

* There are exceptions, since there is modified BMT for non-combat fit personnel.

Categories

personal

Enlistment

2006-01-18T23:24:00.000+08:00

Ten years ago today, I enlisted in the Army. Can't believe it's been that long.

Posing for a photo after dawn on the 2nd anniversary of enlistment. It was the final day of an overseas exercise in Thailand.

On medical cover in Brunei. They put thunderflashes in the river to scare away the crocs so that the men could do the river crossing in relative safety.

Categories

personal

Galbiati Gourmet Deli

2006-01-15T23:48:00.000+08:00

This afternoon, I had lunch with Adrian, Dennis, Edmund and Gerard.

The food was excellent!

The place?

Galbiati Gourmet Deli.

I searched the web, and there was only one reference to it.

Travesty! A place this good can't have so little publicity.

If the beef goulash were ribs, they'd slide off the bone effortlessly. The beef is delicate and juicy. The tenderness and the flavour is just amazing.

The potato gratin. So deceptively simple. But the perfect sidekick to the beef goulash. A textural counterpoint to the succulent meat.

The tiramisu. Ohh. The tiramisu. When I go all quiet when eating, you know I'm in heaven.

Go. ASAP.

Galbiati Gourmet Deli
The Rail Mall
400 Upper Bukit Timah Road
Singapore 678050
T 6462 0926
F 6462 0927
galbiatigourmet@gmail.com

Getting there
Buses 67, 75, 170, 171, 178, 184, 961

Map of Rail Mall

Categories

review

Alison's Wedding

2006-01-08T20:27:00.000+08:00

Yesterday seemed like an auspicious day for getting married. Mr Brown went to Cowboy's wedding. Other friends of friends were getting married. I was invited for a Mass Comm classmate's wedding, which I had to turn down as I went for Alison's wedding.

Alison got married in a beautiful ceremony at St. Joseph's Church (Bukit Timah), celebrated by a former fellow altar boy - yes, I was one - Fr Brian D'Souza. This was followed by dinner at the Shangri-La at Sentosa, where Alison and Andrew first met.

It was also a mini-COSDU (Catholic Overseas Students Down Under, nothing to do with SDU) reunion of sorts, as friends from overseas came to celebrate the wedding. I've got a few photos. Doesn't really reflect the fun we had! It was the first friend's wedding some of the COSDUan have ever attended. It was my first COSDU wedding.

Congratulations, Alison and Andrew. Live long and prosper! ;)

Categories

personal

Blogging underrated! Heritage lives!

2006-01-05T00:49:00.000+08:00

As a counterpoint to my previous post, I want to highlight a couple of inspirational blog entries I came across today. I was excited and delighted to come across these because it gave me a sense that are are like-minded people out there. The blogs also gave me a chance to interact with these bloggers. Hopefully, we can carry on the conversation online and offline.

Heritage SG, I've known about for quite a while. I subscribed to their feed but they've only become active recently. Actually, I'm not sure who 'they' are. Or is. I recall someone telling me that it's an semi-official NHB effort.

Whatever the case, they've been highlighting other blogs which have mentioned heritage places and attractions. They've blogged about the excellent Good Morning Yesterday, quoting a similar sentiment from his blog which I mentioned previously. They've also pointed out things you might not know are happening in our museums.

The cynic would call this a marketing ploy. I call it education and outreach.

Anyway, I was alerted to Places through Heritage SG. Pei Yun has excellent photos and thoughtful writeups. Her posts are simple. But they make you pause and ponder.

Back to Heritage SG. Another post highlights a podcast concerning one of my critiques of life in Singapore. Things change too fast. Unfortunately, I can't seem to access it. I've emailed the authors though. Let's hope something's done.

Update: The authors have replied. They are a couple of NTU Communications Studies students, and the site is an online journalism project. So, the podcasts are just placeholder 'dummies'. I've replied to them, asking them to move their content to a blog and to continue posting.

Categories

Blogging overrated?

2006-01-03T21:45:00.000+08:00

In the 2nd Jan 2006 issue of The New Paper, reporter Ian Tan gives his "brutally honest" opinion about overrated technology stories. The article, Don't believe the hype, includes a brief but predictably misguided diatribe about blogs, which I have reproduced below.

Blogs

Blogging is old news.

Individuals have been creating homepages for over a decade now. Blogs are no different, just prettier and easier to use.

But some people keep on harping on about blogs, and worse, treat prominent bloggers like wise gurus, hanging on to their every word or antic.

Blogs are a great way to share ideas, digital content and complaints, but they could fade away like all Internet fads.

Technically speaking, the oldest blogs in the world would be newspaper columnists who have been dishing out opinions for centuries.

The difference is that we actually get paid for our trouble.

First Grace, now Ian.

Where shall I begin? Let's go in reverse chronological.

The difference is that we actually get paid for our trouble.

In a few short months, reporters have gone from arguing the moral, ethical and intellectual high ground to 'we get paid, you don't'? So that must mean that we bloggers must be as intelligent and eloquent as reporters.

Technically speaking, the oldest blogs in the world would be newspaper columnists who have been dishing out opinions for centuries.

Technically speaking, the oldest bloggers in the world would be newspaper columnists who have been dishing out opinions for centuries. Spot the difference.

Blogs are a great way to share ideas, digital content and complaints, but they could fade away like all Internet fads.

As with all articles downplaying blogs and their owners, there must be some concession to the usefulness of blogs. And of course, there's a but.

But you see, blogs could very well stay. Signs are that they will be here to stay in one form or another. To understand the full potential of blogs and all their Web 2.0 buddies, you have to understand syndication. Reporters evidently don't.

Blogs must be some great fad though. They've been around... oh... four years or more? Definitely not your average pet rock.

But some people keep on harping on about blogs, and worse, treat prominent bloggers like wise gurus, hanging on to their every word or antic.

Who are these unmentionable some people? Perhaps they are reporters who keep on harping on about why blogs are old news? Maybe they are newspapers that splash bloggers' names and faces on their front pages in the hope of selling more copies? Or newspaper companies who hire bloggers to write for their paper?

Individuals have been creating homepages for over a decade now. Blogs are no different, just prettier and easier to use.

That's stating the obvious. That's why so many people start blogging! Not only is it easy, it's another e: Empowering.

Blogging is old news.

And newspapers are even older news. In more ways than one.

Categories

tech

Monkeys in Yishun

2006-01-03T00:28:00.000+08:00

The Rambling Librarian spotted monkeys in Yishun Park.

I'm not sure if this is a rare occurence, but it's definitely interesting. Perhaps not newsworthy enough to make the pages of ST or even The New Paper. Still, it's proof that wildlife still thrives in our ever pervading concrete jungle.

Ivan also adds that his post "demonstrate[s] how blogs (and related online tools) can be used as a means for information sharing and exchange".

Indeed! Keep up the great work, Ivan.

Categories

heritage

Resolutions

2005-12-31T15:46:00.000+08:00

I'm not one to make resolutions. But I'll make an exception this year. I'll look at it as having a plan. 'Cos you know what they say about failing to plan.

So, here's the roadmap for 2006:

1. Take more photos
I've not been taking lots of photos over the past two years. As such, my photography has gone to the pits. Practice makes perfect (or at least, it helps improve skills).

On a related note, I'm stopping the on-the-side work, not that there was much in the first place. I need to rediscover the joy.

2. Lose weight
Yes, I have had enough of my brother poking - and poking fun at - my stomach. Ten years after enlisting in the army in an Obese Company i.e. 5-month BMT instead of 3 months, it's time to invoke the spirit of Hawk Company and shed those kilos.

My dad can do it. My mum can do it. My brother can do it. Time for me to get cracking.

3. Blog more
I advocate blogging for various reasons. But I don't seem to follow my advice. So, more personal posts. More edtech posts. More heritage posts. =)

4. Do a Jerry Maguire
I think a lot. About work. About science. About religion. About technology. About everything under the sun. Unfortunately, most of it never sees the light of day. (Refer to previous resolution.) Anyway, I figured that I should write everything I have observed - particularly at work, complete with suggestions for improvements - in a paper of sorts. Who knows, I might inspire some paradigm shift.

Another related note: I had visions of getting a Master in Educational Technology...

5. Save $$$$
I'm not particularly good at this. Money in the pocket is money to spend. Have to start thinking longer term. House. Family. Retirement.

Okay, maybe just a house - a.k.a. pigeon-hole-in-the-sky - to begin with.

6. Keep in touch with friends
Something else I've not been good at lately. Okay, more quality time. Fewer meaningless big gatherings. Okay?

7. Have another wonderful year with Stationery Girl™
Her turn in Melbourne. Nothing we can't surmount, yah?

From lifehack.org: How to make resolutions you'll keep

Categories

personal

Nothing short of a miracle

2005-12-20T17:53:00.000+08:00

...with the exception of the communication-oriented tools (discussion forum and on-line chat), [it] is principally a tool for disseminating course information (including course notes and lecture slides) and managing teaching. Unfortunately, providing convenient access to course information does not readily translate into student learning.

And for my next trick, I will attempt to spin this criticism into an award-winning effort.

Difficult because my views are more in line with those of Stephen Downes:

What happens when online learning ceases to be like a medium, and becomes more like a platform? What happens when online learning software ceases to be a type of content-consumption tool, where learning is "delivered," and becomes more like a content-authoring tool, where learning is created? The model of e-learning as being a type of content, produced by publishers, organized and structured into courses, and consumed by students, is turned on its head. Insofar as there is content, it is used rather than read— and is, in any case, more likely to be produced by students than courseware authors. And insofar as there is structure, it is more likely to resemble a language or a conversation rather than a book or a manual.

The e-learning application, therefore, begins to look very much like a blogging tool.

from E-learning 2.0

Categories

edtech

Adding categories to blogger

2005-12-11T16:49:00.000+08:00

Blogger doesn't have categories. There are a few ways to get around this. I am trying out the greasemonkey method for adding categories to blogger using Firefox.

Users of the 'Blue E', it's time to change your browser. ;)

It seems to work. I hope the formatting doesn't go all awry if I use more than one category.

Now, I have to decide what categories I want!

Categories

tech

del.icio.us gets y.ah.oo-ed

2005-12-10T07:39:00.000+08:00

Found out that the social bookmarking site del.icio.us has been purchased by Yahoo.

This is a great move by Yahoo. It's got synergy with Flickr, which is a photo hosting service that is highly extensible. Both del.icio.us and Flickr use tags, or what Web 2.0-ers would refer to as folksonomy. Both make terrific use of Ress (RSS) feeds.

Which is, I suspect, how Yahoo wants to take on Google in the search arena. I believe there is a place for Yahoo's method and Google's exceptional search algorithms. Hopefully, Yahoo can push del.icio.us, social bookmarking and tagging into the mainstream.

Read/write web, baby. Yeh! Just the way Sir Tim Berners-Lee envisioned.

P.S. Sir Tim has a blog!

del.icio.us tools

Categories

tech

Stationery for utensils

2005-12-09T20:28:00.000+08:00

Drumroll, please.

Introducing the latest cooking blog in town....

kwokwok

Yes, Stationery Girl™ trades in her stationery for cooking utensils. Even though she claims she cannot cook, her seafood marinara begs to differ.

Yummmm! =)

NYPL v NLB

2005-12-08T22:09:00.000+08:00

I found out about the New York Public Library's RSS feeds from the RSS Compendium Blog.

Now, this is a library which gets Ress (or RSS, if you haven't been clued in). There are feeds for librarians' recommendations, events, exhibitions and the latest additions to their databases and indexes.

Unfortunately, this is all lost on our National Library Board. Yes, the NLB is either ignorant or dismissive about RSS. Or a concoction of both.

Which is strange 'cos there are bloggers like Rambling Librarian around.

What truly astounds me is how... Well. I'll not call the NLB names. I'll let you judge for yourself. I sent them this email:

Hi there,

I'm just wondering if you have an email update for events or a regular newsletter covering the latest happenings at the libraries around Singapore. If there is, I'd like to subscribe.

Thanks!

This was the reply:

Dear Sir,

At present we do not have email services for library events/activities. You may refer to the library programme brochure or website for events update.

Regards
XXX XXX
NLB Helpdesk

The NLB does a terrific job with their activities, events and exhibitions. Fullstop.

Test post for Elaine

2005-12-06T21:31:00.000+08:00

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
RSS is badly named,
Not many people ~~Everyone doesn't~~ have a clue!

=)

(This is a test post to demonstrate RSS for a friend.)

Ress

2005-12-05T14:22:00.000+08:00

What is Ress?

Ress is a simple solution to an unpronouncable problem.

That problem is RSS' less-than-friendly name.

It already has an identity crisis: Really Simple Syndication, RDF Site Summary (the person who came up with this one must be a Singaporean), Rich Site Summary...

The least we can do it to give it a proper name. Something that can roll off peoples' tongues.

Ress.

Say it together now: Ress.

No more Are Ess Ess. Just Ress will do, thank you very much.

I'm not the first to propose a name change. Amy Gahran ran a 'Rename RSS' contest on her Contentious blog.

The winner was 'webfeed'.

I didn't take part then, as I hadn't thought of a new name at that point.

Webfeed doesn't roll off my tongue.

Ress does.

You can say Ress in different languages. (Is webfeed webmakan in Malay?)

And.

The name maintains a link to its convoluted and confused identity: Really Simple Syndication.

Spread the Ress, everyone! Spread your Ress too!

Now, if only I can rename this other unpronouncable thing at work.

Oh, forgot to mention. This post is in response to Yahoo's RSS White Paper, part of my little push to "help move RSS into the mainstream".

Backlinks

2005-12-03T20:40:00.000+08:00

I've enabled Blogger's Backlinks for a while now. It's not the best implementation of this function. Most people wouldn't bother to paste the permalink URL of their post in my blog, assuming they have referred to a post here.

Then, I came across Jasper de Vries' custom blogger backlinks. After tweaking with the code, I got it to fit the look and feel of my blog.

But...

I need someone to test it! Someone please link to this post. It should be picked up by Google's blog search, and it'll automatically appear under Links to this post e.g. here.

It is like a pseudo-technorati "who links to me" or an Icerocket feed monitoring a certain search term. In the case of Backlinks, the 'search' is on a post level and the results are displayed in the referenced post itself.

Besides Jasper's Browservulsel, I've only seen successful implementation of backlink automation on Richard Chappell's Philosophy, et cetera.

Backlinks or trackbacks take comments to a step further. It enables a discussion to be thrown open to a wider audience. It is also encouragement for bloggers as they can see that others value what they write enough to comment or critique it.

Update Siva has linked to this post from Otterman speaks... and his Blogger sandbox.

He linked to this post in both blogs as Google's Blog Search might not index non-blogger blogs. As it turns out, Otterman speaks... (and Raffles Museum News) are indexed by the GBS. It will be interesting to find out how often GBS indexes blogs and whether it prioritizes Blogger blogs.

I'm not sure if GBS uses pings to detect blog updates. Regardless, there are a few incongruent results.

Raffles Museum News is referenced in GBS by its Feedburner feed. It indicates that the blog was last updated 12 hours ago. But the posts marked as updated 12 hours ago are from more than a month ago. Each Raffles Museum post is referenced by the feed.

On the other hand, Otterman speaks..., which also has a Feedburner feed, was apparently last updated on 26 Nov. Interestingly, the search results for this blog reference the blog itself!

Why does GBS index a Feedburner Feed in one case but not the other? Does this account for the time lag? Or are the spiders that index the two sites on different schedules?

This is all quite puzzling and intriguing.

Further update As if these weren't a big enough mystery, this post has already been backlinked in Browservulsel's custom blogger backlinks post.

Perhaps because I used KingPing? Or is it because I use Blogger?

And more Looks like I have inadvertently backlinked myself. At least now I know it works. Pinging probably helps.

Ode to the learning capacity of three-year olds

2005-12-02T22:08:00.000+08:00

I stumbled upon this blog entry of a student from the place where I work. Never underestimate kids' ability to put things together.

I was watching the biology animations that were posted in the [LMS] jus now... then came Bernise. She sat on my lap and watched with me. For your info, she is only 3 years old.. Anyway, she was watching and listening to the description of a bacteriophage (virus that infects bacteria).. While watching, she pointed to a string-like material and asked me whats that?? I was lazy to describe the scientific word to her. So i said "worm".. She wouldnt know the difference anyway. Haha... and den guess what!! she looked at me and said... "Its VIRUS" . I was amazed! She actually listened to the animation. I thot she only look at the pictures and diagrams! I guess at this age, they are learning fast!! haha...
from with a little love...

Lost and Found

2005-11-29T00:11:00.000+08:00

Met up with Deanna, who's in Singapore for a short stopover, with the COSDU bunch. Ate at Makansutra. Dessert at Ben & Jerry's.

I lightened up a bit after the ice cream. The Ben & Jerry's staff are very friendly. Hopefully they maintain this standard of service unlike the Carl's Jr staff. They started off friendly but now are run-of-the-mill fast food crew. But Carl's Jr food still rocks.

Now, I'm home. And my mind has wandered back to an expensive piece of polycarbonate plastic and its associated piece of paper that've (seemingly) gone astray.

On a more positive note, I discovered goodmorningyesterday through tomorrow.sg. This blog, maintained by Lam Chun See, is, in his words:

... for Singaporeans of my generation to share stories of Singapore back in the kampong days when we were kids. I started this blog because I realised how much our country has changed in our life time, and it would be good if our kids can visit this site and learn a bit about our past.

He's got photos of a bygone Singapore. A Singapore which my generation can scarcely imagine - urban squalor in technicolour. But more than that, he describes a simpler time. When wordly goods weren't the sole preoccupation of this country's occupants.

Singapore's official history tends to skip from WW II to merger and separation to NS to economic powerhouse. Well, that's not entirely accurate but I think you get what I mean. In Mr Lam's blog, you can read about life as it was in the late 50s and in the 60s. His and his friends' accounts may seem trivial and humdrum. But they are personal.

And the personal is powerful. The personal is as valid a history as any textbook, perhaps even more so.

It's very heartening that a Singaporean of my parents' generation understands blogging. And that he understands the educational value of blogs.

Thank you, Mr Lam for your contribution to the blogosphere. All Singaporeans are richer through your efforts.

Gremlins

2005-11-21T11:35:00.000+08:00

Experiencing lots of technical difficulties lately.

I've had problems with upgrading my RAM. Solved this last night. My home PC is now purring along with 2GB of RAM. =)

The problems with installing the RAM somehow knocked out my wireless PCI card. But, I have a new one, thanks to Stationery Girl - Saving the World one Plastic Folder at a time!™. =) It works great!

I got around to replacing my Lexar CF card. It's my third card. It also 'failed' on my, like the previous two - the "CHA" message on my D70. Switched to my SanDisk, which worked fine.

Or so I thought.

Uploaded the photos to my PC. There were no EXIF entries for any of my photos. This includes the date the photos were taken. *sigh* So, looks like my CFs cards are not the only problem. =(

Got to hunt down these gremlins and exterminate them.

Update 1: Looks like the EXIF problem is due to the fact that I do not have the Nikon software installed. Wanted to buy it but John 3:16 Photo Supplies in Funan is still waiting for stock. Can get it elsewhere but J3:16 quoted a cheaper price.

Update 2: ~~My SB-800 flashgun has given up the ghost.~~ 'Tis the season of mechanical and electrical failure. I'm having a M c L a r e n season.

Update 3: Consulted the manual. Decided to take my own advice to many people - RTFM. After a complicated combination of button presses, akin to some Playstation game key sequence, my flash returned to normality. Wonder how it got to be like that in the first place.

Sail Away, Baby

2005-11-17T00:20:00.000+08:00

If she can't believe that she's going to be sailing the ocean deep in a few days time, she's not alone.

Lena is going to be spending the next few months on the Uniquely Singapore Clipper. I can't remember exactly when she first told me about this idea. At the time, I think I told her to just go for the interview and take things from there.

Well, she went. And now, she's going.

On Saturday, she leaves for Durban, South Africa, to join up with the clipper and her crew, as the Uniquely Singapore team starts the 3rd crew leg and the fourth race. Yes, the yacht is part of the Clipper '05-'06 Round the World Yacht Race.

At the time of this post, Singapore is 5th out of 10 yachts. (Update: We just lost out to Liverpool before arriving at Durban - 6th of 10.) [Update of the update: Singapore and Liverpool have been ruled by the race stewards to have finished joint 5th. After a 4000 mile race. Almost as amazing as the three cars with the exact same qualifying time - to the thousandth of a second - in a F1 qualifying many years back.]

----------
Lena, I'm excited for you; I'm nervous for you too.

Take care. Do your best. Enjoy the experience - I know you will.

Not many people get to make their dreams come true. Savour it. Blog if you can. =)

A very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in advance.

See you back home in 2006.

Cheers!

P.S. Just discovered their photo album has an rss feed! Cool. =) The image in this post is from the gallery.

Qumana

2005-11-15T18:51:00.000+08:00

Yesterday evening proved to be an interesting chit-chat session covering blogging, nature, photography, Macs and I can't remember what else! Siva and Ashwin Kumar - no, not the one from the Kumars at No. 42 - mentioned Ecto, a remote blog publishing tool.

Well, the Ecto site didn't seem to be working very well, so I dug up an old email - thanks to Gmail's search, of course - pointing to Qumana. I'm trying it out. Wonder what my post will look like.

Hmmm... can't get into the HTML though...

Just posted, and it seems to work fine. Now to try technorati tags

Disappointed. The stupid button in Q inserts a Technorati tag for "Q" and nothing else. Jeez.

Anyone suggestions for a good remote blog publishing tool?

Another thought. Can't seem to change the timestamp from Q.

Come to think of it, posting straight from Blogger is not so ancient. Not when you have nifty Extensions and Greasemonkey scripts. =) Okay, I know javascript isn't the safest thing in the world...

Another thought - can't add a link to my title. Bye bye Q.

My goodness... just took a look at the coding in this post. Soooo many useless DIV tags.

New Look

2005-11-12T00:07:00.000+08:00

I got tired of the previous template. (If you're reading this post from a feed, please take a moment to visit my site.)

I chose this from Blogger Templates. Powell Street has clean lines, pleasing colours, and it is paradoxical to the visual projection of a cave.

That, I think, is an accurate reflection of moi.

I'm still tweaking the look of the site. Apologies to those who subscribe to my feed, I know my constant republishing has meant that my posts keep on appearing in your feed readers. Anyway, most of the sidebar and footer content from the old template still exists. Added a few things, took a few out. I'm wondering where the chiclets I had should go. Or whether they should just go.

Gerard

2005-11-11T23:24:00.000+08:00

Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Dutch
Pronounced: je-RAHRD [key]
Derived from the Germanic element ger "spear" combined with hard "brave, hardy". The Normans introduced this name to Britain.

from behindthename.com

NOT Gerald (which, btw, means 'rule of the spear').

And most definitely NOT - thanks for nothing, OCBC - Gernard.

It matters not that I write it in CAPS.

Or even that it's printed out.

Or that it's read straight from my IC.

This has been happening as far back as I can remember.

Why, oh why, does everyone insist on mangling my middle name?

Do they want me to bear testament to its meaning?

Right now, I'm feeling quite obliging in that respect.

make the difference

2005-10-30T17:28:00.000+08:00

An article from Today (28 Oct) through Habitatnews. It's true it takes a little to change a lot. We don't need to be a Captain Planet to save ourselves. I personally don't use the phrase 'Save the Earth' 'cos the Earth will take care of herself even if we decide to annilihate ourselves.

You don't need to live like a hermit to be green.

Granted that every flick of a switch or a spin in your car will contribute to pollution, greenhouse gases and global warming. But it's easy to be environmentally friendly to recycle this newspaper that you're reading, turn the tap off when you're soaping in the shower or switch off the light when you don't need it.

Small gestures like these can contribute to a better quality of life....

"Will my effort as an individual really matter?" you may ask. Yes, it does. It could be as effortless as taking shorter showers. But every minute less means 9 litres of water saved!

So, the environment is, in fact, everyone's business, and SGP2012 aims to reflect the voice and will of all Singaporeans.

ranking | hanging

2005-10-28T09:11:00.000+08:00

as much as i believe ranking is highly subjective and should be taken with a pinch of salt, i was amused by the almost congruent switch between the place where i work and the place where i studied:

where i work: 22 (down from 18)

where i studied: 19 (up from 22) (IIRC)

the given reason?

higher weightage given to employer reviews.

i must be doing a good job... ;)

taken my salt and had my personal chuckle. now, back to earning my pay.

----------
but before i get back to work...

in more serious australia-singapore news, Nguyen Tuong Van is set to hang.

australia should butt out of what is essentially a matter of local law.

singapore should seriously consider rescinding the death penalty forever. we've grown up. drug trafficking can be dealt with in other ways.

update: melbournians seek papal intervention. when it suits them, they ask for help. when it doesn't...

one year

2005-10-27T10:43:00.000+08:00

on this day last year, i started work.

worth?

2005-10-25T13:07:00.000+08:00

more than ST, i reckon. =P

deadpoet's cave is worth $6,774.48.
How much is your blog worth?

singapurathisweek | sunny island is worth a little more! =)
(hint, hint: bookmark it , subscribe to the feed, blogroll it and visit often!)

singapura this week is worth $7,339.02.
How much is your blog worth?

from business opportunities weblog, via technorati weblog.

conjunctivitis

2005-10-21T16:59:00.000+08:00

my brother got it on tuesday.

my dad and i got it the next day. we were both on mc yesterday.

mine's so bad that i'm at home once again. 2 1/2 days of MC. half the work week.

missed watching an omnimax show.

going to miss the university of melbourne alumni event later.

hope i recover in time for the unimelb open house tomorrow.

awake

2005-10-19T00:55:00.000+08:00

i am wide awake after my previous post.

was at borders earlier and spent a couple of hours deciding what to buy with a $30 voucher.

i oscillated between...

shadow of the giant by orson scott card. hardcover. 40-something dollars.
very big, hard to read, hard to store. not inclined to get science-fiction, or any kind of book for that matter, in hardcover.

the planets by dava sobel. just above $30.
remembering the big debate on what exactly constitutes a planet - a discussion that can go on for as long as the sun shines - i passed. oh, and it's in hardcover.

biology demystified by dale layman. (appropriate name somehow) just above $30.
i'm a nature guide with the toddycats, i should brush up on my bio. paying money for a textbook? there's wikipedia and the wikiversity... well, i might buy this... one day.

management lessons from the navy seals. or something like that. couldn't find it.

books on the fall of singapore. good for background for the pasir panjang heritage trail. but there was nary a mention of the battle of pasir panjang nor the malay regiment. bah.

neil armstrong's biography. hardcover. >$50.
too big. too heavy. too expensive. i'll wait for the paperback. a definite must-read though.

so, i bought (with a bit of cash top-up):

ousted!: an insider's story of the ties that failed to bind by patrick keith. paperback. under $30.
a book about the separation of singapore and malaysia. perhaps it can shed some light on whether singapore upped and left or whether we were asked to leave. without reading, i guess it will still come down to differing points of view, which have been drummed into the respective collective consciousness of each country's citizens.

and

the tipping point by malcolm gladwell. paperback. under $20.
i read blink - not the most scientifically rigorous book but it was highly entertaining. i figured this would be a similarly light read, and better than trying to spend the remainder of the voucher on a magazine.

i even deliberated which magazine to get, initially...

almost 1. do i just stay up all the way for the champions league?

opinions only

2005-10-18T23:19:00.000+08:00

Today's Straits Times Digital Life supplement continued the Mainstream Media's (MSM) ~~inqusition~~ damnation of blogs.

I am tempted to put the punchline right at the start of this post. But tarry.

Read what Grace Chng has to say about blogs in her article titled Blog standard citizen journalism (page 40).

Then have a good laugh what she writes - within one paragraph, mind - in another article within the same issue: Microsoft: 30 and fighting (pages 54 & 55). (all emphases are my additions)

Referring to the blogosphere buzz about the video iPod before its launch :

"So, yes, blogs are a good source of information. They act as the media's ears. They provide a glimpse into what people are thinking, reading and doing. But they are also subjective and are often filled with inaccuracies. At best, they are well-argued opinions."

She continues,

"On the other hand, mainstream media have actual links to newsmakers and can verify their information. They also have checks and balances in place to prevent unsubstantiated or incorrect information from being published."

Notwithstanding the fact that Joe Public may have better connections with certain newsmakers, let's see what these checks and balances bring us in the Microsoft article:

Referring to Google: "Its e-mail service, Gmail, offers about 2.56GB of space - yet unbeaten." | Not entirely true, if you consider smaller - but less stable - email providers. Google, and ye shall find.

"There's also Picassa, easily the best free PC photo-editing software around." | picasa.google.com But I will give credit where it's due. Picasa probably is the best basic and free PC photo-editing software. For now.

*sigh*

Am I making a mountain out of a molehill? Or is Grace and the MSM - in the sixties, this would have been a name of a band - doing that?

At best, blogs contain well-argued opinions, she says.

Sometimes, I can't say the same for our press.

P.S. (I am still referring to today's Digital Life.) Racy blogs? Yes, let's ban those. In fact, let's ban all blogs. Oh, and books and magazines too, 'cause they can be racy. And movies. And television. And radio. In fact, let's all just shut our eyes and close our ears. That ought to do it.

Updated: I bookmarked this post a while back: The Singaporean MSM still doesn't get it. It's an excellent read from Wannabe Lawyer. He waxes more eloquently about this topic than I have.

boost brain power at work

2005-10-17T08:34:00.000+08:00

article from cnn.com via careerbuilder.com

to summarize:
1. don't obssessively check your email, sms, rss feeds
2. eight hours of sleep
3. eat a high protein breakfast, boost energy with carbo and drink lots of water
4. exercise your body
5. exercise your brain too
6. think positive and loving thoughts

sounds like common sense, yet how many of us do these things as a matter of habit?

blue marble

2005-10-14T08:40:00.000+08:00

The NASA Blue Marble project: composite true-colour cloudless images of Earth. Photo downsized from Blue Marble. The original was 5400x2700 pixels, 2.2 MB. And there are higher resolution images available on the website.

Beautiful.

on the bright side

2005-10-02T13:39:00.000+08:00

1. the stars at night

2. chinook rides

3. one week to go

going in

2005-09-18T21:55:00.000+08:00

it doesn't get easier.

with each time.

will return on 7th october.

Kranji War Memorial Dedication Service

2005-09-13T23:50:00.000+08:00

The wailing bagpipes pierced the morning sky at Kranji on Monday morning. 60 years ago on this day, the Japanese surrendered and World War II came to an end in South East Asia.

Soldiers, past and present, had come from Britain, from Australia, from New Zealand and elsewhere to remember their fallen brothers and sisters. To pay tribute and to honour their memory. These veterans who were at Kranji on Monday know the true price of peace. They appreciate every sunrise they've had since surviving the war.

The solemn ceremony gave testament to the men and women who perished. It would have been perfect, save for sections of a speech that prefaced the ceremony. There is a time and place to remind our citizens of the fact that peace is fragile and of the importance of defending our nation.

The ceremony was neither the time nor the place nor the right audience. Most of the audience there know through experience what was said in the speech. And the rest are more than capable of implying those points.

P.S. Check out singaporeidler's post and photos!

[Update 23 Oct 2005] Found Wow the World's take on the Commemoration Service.

Kranji War Memorial

mortal | immobile

2005-09-08T10:15:00.000+08:00

"but there's always my mum", i said.

----------

i am at that point in life when i attend the weddings of friends, the baptisms of their children and the funerals of my friends' parents.

at my friend's father-in-law's wake on tuesday, i heard about the suddeness of his death. i can only imagine the shock and pain they are still going through, even as i type this. i've tried imagining it before but being at a wake helps turn the imagination's embers into a raging fire.

if only for a while.

'cos i said made that statement at the start of the post not long after reaching home from the wake.

of course, i caught myself shortly after i blurted it. no, my mum, my dad, the people i love, my friend, myself... one day, we will return to ashes.

that's so easy to say. it's so blatantly obvious. yet, i never seem to realise it until something happens.

----------

in trivial news, i accidentally left my mobile phone at home for the first time ever. so, today, i am immobile.

kapa o pango

2005-08-27T17:38:00.000+08:00

the all blacks new haka is awesome.

pasir panjang heritage trail

2005-08-27T10:25:00.000+08:00

dear friends,

september is memorial month.

it marks the 60th anniversary of the end of world war II in the pacific.

there will be several events to commemorate the anniversary.

one of these events, is the pasir panjang heritage trail. it is jointly organized by the volunteers of the raffles museum of biodiversity research (rmbr) and reflections at bukit chandu, national archives of singapore.

there will be two walks, at 9.00 a.m. and 11.30 a.m., on saturday, 3 september and sunday 4 september. the rmbr volunteers will point out the flora and fauna, the natural heritage of kent ridge - once known as pasir panjang ridge. at the reflections of bukit chandu, you will find out more about the fall of singapore, particularly the battle of pasir panjang.

as a volunteer with the rmbr, i hope that you can spend some time next weekend to discover the lesser known side of singapore.

Event details
This event is held on two days with two different timings.
03 Aug (Sat): 9am & 11.30am
04 Aug (Sun): 9am & 11.30am

Registration details
Registration and participation is free but spaces are limited.

Please email Stella Wee
or call Eileen Ng at 6332-7973.

(email) Subject: Pasir Panjang Heritage Trail
Please provide

Your full name.
Handphone number.
The number of friends accompanying you.
Date you are attending.
Time you are attending.

Registered participants will be informed of transport arrangements.

justin r

2005-08-25T12:17:00.000+08:00

conversations with justin, never a dull moment. (conversation edited for flow)

[12:00] *-) Justin: Google just released an IM. http://www.google.com/talk/
[12:00] kenneth pinto: hahaha
[12:00] kenneth pinto: i already know about that
[12:00] *-) Justin: Why do you know things before I do? Google Talk was released yesterday.
[12:01] kenneth pinto: because of the nature of my work
[12:01] kenneth pinto: and the fact that i subscribe to many RSS feeds
[12:01] *-) Justin: Damn your feeds! DAMN THEM !!
[12:01] *-) Justin: It's no fun telling you things.
[12:01] *-) Justin: Next you'll tell me you already know that oil is now $67 a barrel.
[12:02] kenneth pinto: nope, i don't track oil prices...
but i can, if i am so inclined :)
[12:02] *-) Justin: But I know 1 thing you don't know.
[12:02] *-) Justin: Guess.
[12:02] *-) Justin: Guess!
[12:02] *-) Justin: GUESS!
[12:02] kenneth pinto: you got a job?
[12:02] *-) Justin: F@#$!
[12:02] kenneth pinto: :)
[12:02] *-) Justin: You get that on RSS feeds too?
[12:02] kenneth pinto: no, that was a reasoned guess
[12:03] *-) Justin: I'd smack your bald head if I could.
[12:03] kenneth pinto: hahaha... i'm not bald at the moment

google talk

2005-08-25T08:56:00.000+08:00

ladies and gentlemen... presenting google talk.

according to their about page, you can use google to talk or instant message them for free. if you already have a gmail account, you can use google talk. you'll also need a headset with a microphone, of course.

a challenger to msn messenger, skype and gizmo all-in-one.

No Need to Click Here - I'm just claiming my feed at Feedster

12.4 million baht anyone? | gmail messenger?

2005-08-24T10:49:00.000+08:00

zoe blogged about this absolutely hunger-inducing beef stroganoff rosti, which is available, unfortunately, along patong beach, phuket, thailand.

fortunately, the restaurant and house is for sale at 12.4 million baht (installment plan available). at that price, as zoe hopes, they had better throw in the cook as well.

click on the beef stroganoff rosti link and drool. you might even decide to scrounge up 12.4 million baht from somewhere.

----------

elsewhere on the internet, there are rumours that google is going into instant messaging... stay tuned!

family tree

2005-08-23T12:52:00.000+08:00

i've signed up for an account with the singapore family tree. it's always been something i've wanted to do. the website, of course, is a tool. to really make this work, i'll have to devote time to research my family. who knows, i might even make a trip to melaka. or beyond.

the sft account is free for a year, after which, it's $30/year to maintain the account. if i've found a wealth of history over the coming year that can be put into the family tree, i'll maintain the account. for now, i've put in the little that i know as a starting point. you know, that saying about the journey of a thousand miles.

interestingly, i've already come across a relationship that the sft might have a problem reflecting accurately. you see, my dad's sister married my mum's brother. also, i don't see any provision in the service for 2nd spouses, be it after divorce or death or other reasons. perhaps, i have to input the divorce/death dates before i'm given the option. that's another possible pothole, 'cos my maternal grandmother was married twice. her first husband, alledgedly, died in a train accident. but rumour has it that he ran away...

singapore past [updated]

2005-08-20T13:32:00.000+08:00

found two galleries with 'old' photos of singapore. 'old' is relative, of course. things change here so fast that even photos from five years ago seem very different. so it's pretty amazing to look back at photos before digital cameras.

if you've got your camera while your out, take a photo of your surroundings 'cos you'll never know when it's going to change.

Singapore (1988-1990) by Rudi Knust and
Singapore - 1978 by Nikola Gruev.

via sg_snapshots.

anyone else have old shots of singapore?

p.s. just got some nice prints of old singapore... thank you! =)

more links to old photos:
Disappearing Singapore by Stuart Clyne - nice abstracts
City_Singapore by Lennert Carlsen - check out the skyline before the durians
Singapore 2001 & 1991 by Gary Eckert
Singapore 1992 by Vlado Marinkovic - another skyline of the harbour
Singapore (undated) by Robert Kitay - the merlion in it's original position, bussorah street when it was still a street...

SkyscraperCity Forums: Old photos of the City!

last but certainly not least, the granddaddy of singapore photo archives: Picture Archives Singapore (PICAS) from the National Heritage Board

technorati tags singapore | photography | photos | pictures | history | archive | memories

time

2005-08-18T22:19:00.000+08:00

i am truly amazed at the quality and quantity of blog posts that i read daily.

the msm (mainstream press) makes bloggers out to be lifeless (worthless?) souls with nary an interest in being part of the human race. or perhaps, bloggers don't sleep.

while i'm not entirely sure about the latter, the former is untrue. plenty of bloggers live life to the fullest, think critically about what they have observed and experienced. and, the best part, they share it with the world.

i am truly amazed that they make the time for blogging.

it's discipline to write. to write well. and to write consistently.

and yet, they do. there are plenty of examples.

one is ringisei's response to the non-elected president. the post is lucid, to say the least. our reporters (there are no journalists in singapore) can't come up with anything as coherent. yet their job supposedly involved writing. (what's that i hear? oh. reporters don't deal with theory, only real life. right.) where did ringisei find the time to whip this up? i have no idea. i'm sure that he has plenty of things to do besides coming up with brilliant musings.

or mr wang's detailed analysis of the four-person protest, which he contends was entirely legal. stuff you won't find in the papers.

but a certain janice wong, begs to differ. "I have not come across any commentary by bloggers that could give a perspective on the issue (referring to kidneygate) not already in the newspapers," she opines.

by extrapolation, that would apply to any other issue. which leads to the conclusion that a) she doesn't read that many blogs or b) the newspapers are the be all and end all of opinions. she obviously has not come across rockson (parental advisory, explicit ~~lyrics~~ language, incendiary content). who knows what his reaction might be if he read her article (I blog for Numero Uno. 31 July 2005, New Paper, p. 30).

but i digress. you see, in comparison to ringisei and mr wang, i had two potential posts by the time i reached my office in the morning. potential, being the operative word.

one was a possibile response to zuraidah ibrahim's article in the straitjacket times about the debate surrounding the (non) elected president being misguided. another was my perennial peeve about passengers not moving to the back of the bus.

by the end of today, both remained potential. even janice's article was a potential response that never came to fruition. trust me, i was really riled up by what she said.

anyway, it's an hour and 20 minutes since i first started writing this post. i end here, abruptly, as i have always done in my essays. conclusions have never been my forte. not exactly the post i envisioned when i started writing it.

but at least, i let my thoughts out for a run.

p.s. apologies to my professional writing lecturer, carolyne lee. i know you that parentheses are a no-no, but i was being lazy.

p.p.s. there's plenty of good stuff out there, better than the straitjacket times. all discoverable via rss. sign up and/or install a feed reader. subscribe to some rss feeds and enjoy!

old times | photography

2005-08-10T01:57:00.000+08:00

we sat around the table. eating. chatting.

it seemed like old times, when we were neighbours. or at least within walking distance.

and 'walking distance' being relative, everyone seemed close by.

we talked past midnight. anything and everything under the sun. except ourselves.

still, it was good. because sleep would have been the much easier option.

-----

two blog entries. two friends. both to do with photography. both mentioned me.

i'm sorry i caused you pain. i'm glad that you've found a closure. one of many since i believe there's no one big closure, just little steps along the way.

i'm not worthy of such praise. i merely helped to open a window. you looked out and saw, where others might have just seen an open window.

p.s. i'm being quite presumptuous 'cos i was never mentioned by name in one of the entries. even if i'm not the person mentioned, what i wrote still holds true.

2.18am as i complete this post. goodnite...

franciscan call to action

2005-08-06T15:57:00.000+08:00

found out about this through zoe. and as she rightly pointed out, "you need not be a Catholic/Christian to follow". i'm far from these ideals but at least, i know a couple of people who are living examples of this call - people i can try to emulate.

Call to Action

Focus on people’s good points.
Tell all with whom you come into contact the good things you see in them.

Develop a positive approach toward life.
Compliment more than you criticize.

Build a climate of trust and support in all your relationships.
Cooperate with others instead of competing with them.

Use gentle, loving, respectful language dealing with others.
They won’t hear your words if they’re too busy dodging your sharp tongue.

Take a genuine interest in the work and activities of others.
Make a point to ask about new projects.

Listen patiently, with your heart, when others are talking.
It’s Christlike to put aside one’s own interests for the love of another.

Learn how to refuse with a smile.
If you have to say "no" to something, do it respectfully.

Put the devil of jealousy far behind you.
Deal with your personal insecurities in some other ways, but don’t put others down to make yourself look better.

Be loyal.
Never allow yourself to tear down the kingdom of God by destructive, behind-the-back criticism of others.

Do extra little things that are nobody’s job.
Be generous by volunteering—especially for the jobs for which there is no great reward.

Putting these all together is another way of being an instrument of peace in the manner of St. Francis of Assisi. Let us learn to tame too what is wild and violent within ourselves and the world around us.

from Francisan Friars T.O.R.

quick post

2005-08-01T23:16:00.000+08:00

a few quick words before i head to bed.

~~august~~ july is finally over. it's been a long and tiring month professionally and personally. (p.s. see lah, so tired i've lost sense of time.)

my pet project at work is complete. it's been a pain, it's been unbearable, but it was a good learning experience.

two weddings ~~this~~ last month. very interesting to compare and contrast. most importantly, both were, in their own way, wonderful celebrations of love.

last thing. i bumped into e-gene today at funan.

interesting for a few reasons:
1. i didn't know he was back in singapore. he's supposed to be in australia. he's back 'cos his visa expired. he'll be going back on a visitor's visa. sarah must be missing him loads.
2. this is not the first time nor even the second time i've bumped into him and/or sarah at funan. and the other times i bumped into either of them, they were also back in singapore for a short while too.
3. i would not have bumped into him had i not been on leave today.
4. i also bumped into sarah while i was on holiday in melbourne in 2001. both sarah and e-gene had just arrived in melbourne for studies a few weeks before my holiday there.

call it what you will, these coincidences seem more like providence to me.

the "real" general knowledge test

2005-07-30T09:17:00.000+08:00

seen on noel's blog.

fact freak
there you go! you scored 98%

yep, you're one of the best. you paid attention in school, watched some good TV shows, read the paper, and you know what you're talking about. if you put your mind to it, you just might score high in other knowledge tests as well! it's amazing how much one can accomplish when paying attention. congratulations!

my test tracked one variable - how you compared to other people your age and gender:

you scored higher than 83% on knowledge

the real general knowledge test

the beer prayer

2005-07-21T23:54:00.000+08:00

a good laugh from mitokondrion. i've added one line.

Our lager,
Which art in barrels,
Hollowed be thy drink.
By pot or pint,
I will be drunk,
At home as in the tavern.
Give us this day our foamy head,
And forgive us our spillages,
As we forgive those who spill against us.
And lead us not into incarceration,
But deliver us from hangovers.

For thine is the beer, the bitter and the lager
Forever and ever,
Barmen

i need a pint. it's been a long week.

long weekend

2005-07-19T23:43:00.000+08:00

i spent three days on my feet. well, not the whole of three days but at least six hours on each of the days.

sat and sun, i did my maiden guiding of the pasir panjang heritage trail. i've received positive feedback, but i feel i can do a lot better. there's so much more i can do and learn to make the walk more interesting.

i shall have to research (and remember) more thoroughly before the september walks.

it was good seeing singaporeans braving the rain to learn about our natural and historical heritage.

met a few people. someone who knows damian. an OC from my reservist unit. another from risen christ who knows my seniors from cjc.

i also had to say "i don't know" more times in two hours than i ever have in my life. it's amazing how much some people know.

------

apologies for the disjointed post. i still haven't recovered from the weekend. and today was not a good day at work. to compound things, the spare camera i'm renting for this weekend - from someone on clubsnap - has suffered the same fate as my camera. the blinking yellow light of death. so no spare camera this weekend. *sweats*

then bloglines went on the fritz. thankfully, everything's back to normal. now, i will backup my feeds regularly. i shouldn't have to had gone through something like this to make regular backups the norm.

back to work. yes. well. actually, i don't want to talk about it. thot the end of that major project was the end of the big headache. now i'm beginning to see every change in a different light.

bleh.

free beer

2005-07-14T12:48:00.000+08:00

Vores Øl (Our Beer) is an energetic beer and claims to be the world's first open source beer. Version 1.0 is a medium strong beer (6% vol) with a deep golden red color. It is created by the "Vores Øl Group", a group of students at the IT-University in Copenhagen.
from Quick Online Tips

it had to happen sooner or later. hooray for creative commons! =)

technorati tags beer | open source | creative commons | drinks

shameless plug

2005-07-12T22:04:00.000+08:00

my third, and hopefully final, post for today is a shameless plug for the sunny island blog.

the short of it: it's a things-to-do-in-singapore blog. mitokondrion - my new-found co-contributor - and i will attempt to preview and review interesting - to us, lah - ways to spend your leisure time. read it. subscribe to the blog's feed or the rsscalendar feed(s). link it on your blog. recommend it to your friends. (what is this feed? can eat, ah?)

the long of it: i have always maintained that there is plenty to do in singapore. working on sunny island has only served to cement my conviction. there's just so many things to do, that not all of it can be listed in sunny island.

right now, we will preview and review what we can. understandably, these will tend to coincide with our interests. in time, i'm hoping to have a small group of contributors with a wide range of interests who feel the same way about singapore.

the posts currently contain previews and reviews. i'm hoping to do a few posts on venue-specific leisure activities such as paintball and specific venues such as board-game cafes.

the sidebar will link to ongoing and upcoming events. a lot of events in singapore are major, with plenty of fringe activities, so it's best to check out the specific websites.

the rsscalendar. i will rectify that formatting problem. it's barely readable at the moment. anyway, the rsscalendar contains all the upcoming events that we have deemed worthy of attention. the best way to view the calendar is to subscribe to the feed. you can subscribe to the overall feed, the weekly feed, the activities feed, the events feed, the exhibitions feed and the performances feed. nifty, eh?

there are tons of activities and events buried in the dark corners of websites and in obscure mailing lists. let sunny island shed light on these. =)

technorati tags singapore | travel | leisure | pastime |

nkf

2005-07-12T16:38:00.000+08:00

i, too, was outraged when i read the article.

then, i realized.

he is getting paid that amount so that he does not turn to corruption or become susceptible to bribery.

technorati tags singapore

grandmother

2005-07-12T10:37:00.000+08:00

And Grandmother has pictures in her head, too, but her pictures are all confused, like someone has muddled the film up and she can't tell what happened in what order, so she thinks that dead people are still alive and she doesn't know whether something happened in real life or whether it happened on television.
Christopher John Francis Boone in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

technorati tags granny | family | alzheimer's

1-9, 0-9

2005-07-08T23:57:00.000+08:00

when you watch the best player in your team get downed 0-9, 0-9 you know you're in for a very short game. the one point i scored was the first point of the match. i somehow won serve from him and then won the point. i think it was mostly because he wasn't expecting such a hard serve. about the only 'weapon' i can count on.

from then on, he knew what to expect. i did feel i could have won more points in the first set. yet, i also felt that he - like my opponent on monday - was not playing at 100%. the second set proved it. i never managed to win serve and there wasn't even a single rally.

back to training then.

technorati tags singapore | squash | sports | ngee ann polytechnic

1-9, 3-9

2005-07-04T21:50:00.000+08:00

and i thought...

the guys i play against...

every friday were good...

in what was a very unusual circumstance to have a homecoming to my *ahem* alma mater - a term i apply very loosely to ngee ann - i was squashed by a singapore poly staff player. and he hardly broke a sweat.

neither did i actually. that's how much better he was. he hit hard. he hit accurate. he covered the court from corner to corner. and i think he was giving me face.

when i was doing my mass communication diploma in ngee ann poly, i used to play squash at those courts with cheryl, walter and whoever else we could rope in. i watched the ngee ann staff play after we were done with the courts each week. i saw they were good. on friday (i think - wednesday, i'm lamb to the NTU slaughter) i will experience how good they are. or at least how good one of them is.

by all evidence, the team i am in is the weakest. well, it's all just for fun anyway.

technorati tags singapore | squash | sports | ngee ann polytechnic

the nerve

2005-07-03T22:50:00.000+08:00

i am usually nonplussed by singaporeans' behaviour in general.

the "evil monster at the back of the bus" syndrome.

the "race to see if you can alight before i board the train" competition.

the "mobile DJ - play all your ringtones at full blast" phenomenon.

but today, i was beyond bewildered. agitated didn't quite capture my state of being either. i was... enraged... fuming at a lady in the cinema.

her child was wailing at the top of her voice that she wanted to go home. this started during the advertisements and did not abate when the film started.

i had already turned around during the ads to shoot a menacing glare of disapproval. the mother apparently did not read the meaning behind it: get your kid to keep quiet or leave the cinema.

i'm not the kind to take this sort of nonense. most singaporeans would just mutter under their breath, wishing the kid would keep quiet or that the parent would take the child out of the cinema or that someone would give her a piece of their mind.

the first two weren't happening, so i helped the mother to understand my earlier non-verbal message. i was not about to spend two hours watching a show with added surround sound effects.

this mother, singaporean that she is, did not heed my words. no, she of course, paid for the tickets just like anyone else and was entitled to watch the movie, come what may. wailing daugther or not. never mind that.

angry mother in response to my ultimatum: "something something EXPLETIVE something somethings something, F!@#$%"

whoa, lady. i'm not in the wrong here. your child is crying. you are not the only ones in the cinema. pacify your child outside and bring her back in once she's calmed down. if you can't, then don't spoil it for everyone else.

and you had the nerve to hurl vulgarities at me in front of your children and others' as well?

........

i somehow picture someone out there blogging about this bald 'indian' a**hole who told her off rudely in the cinema for something that was not her fault. and that she paid good money to watch the show too...

technorati tags singapore | behaviour | courtesy | ill-bred

you're welcome

2005-06-30T12:01:00.000+08:00

reefwalk

2005-06-26T22:56:00.000+08:00

DSC_0020,
originally uploaded by acroamatic.

help!

2005-06-25T11:20:00.000+08:00

something wrong with my blog =(

have been fiddling around with the template, but can't reduce the posts' font size. strangely enough, the archived items - previous posts including and before remix a penguin - are not affected.

p.s. [1309 hrs, 27 june 2005] thanks to thrbr on bloggerforum, for the solution to this issue. cheers!

technorati tags blogger | blogging

carl's jr

2005-06-23T22:59:00.001+08:00

today, i had a proper burger.

it was big. it had bacon. it was fatty.

the bright cheery star gazed as i chomped, devoured, wolfed the layered goodness.

i'm struggling for words. i've never been good at describing food.

but this... oh... this is... contentment, satisfaction, delight rolled into a bomb of beef, bacon, cheese, sauce and more.

the other fast food outlets - save jack in the box, which has long left singapore - should be ashamed of their 'burgers'.

marina square is my new favourite haunt. =P

technorati tags singapore | fast food

remix a penguin

2005-06-21T19:35:00.000+08:00

download a sample of audio text from a penguin novel. add electronic music of your creation. mix.

the submissions are fantastic. moby dick by GuruOne grabs my attention yet is a gentle caress. very ambient. dreamy. and the narrator brings to mind sunscreen. the same person, perhaps? i would have enjoyed the book if if was presented in this manner.

kudos to penguin for promoting creativity!

jibbie

2005-06-16T16:26:00.000+08:00

[15:44] me: where in the world did you come up with jibbie?
[15:44] lilone: why?
[15:44] lilone: GB = Jibbie
[15:44] lilone: GB = GeeBee = Jibbie
[15:45] lilone: :D
[15:45] me: jeeeeez
[15:46] lilone: tee hee
[15:46] me: so your old card has a name? emmbie?
[15:46] lilone: no just Jibbie has a name
[15:48] me: wah... not fair like that... wait your other card jealous and commit suicide
[15:48] lilone: lol
[15:48] lilone: maybe :)
[15:48] lilone: you had me spurting out my milk

p.s. she names other gadgets too...
her zen micro is LOKIE
her pc is BABY
her printer is BABY JR.
her digicam is EDNA

i admit i 'sayang' my things (which sometimes involves coaxing them verbally) but... naming them?

ok. i'm also weird. =P

phone calls

2005-06-14T23:50:00.000+08:00

it's been a while since i've had - nay, any (with one exception) - substantial conversations on the phone with friends. this is, apparently, one of the signs that you are getting old.

brings to mind what adrian tan wrote in the teenage textbook

for the uninitiated or the international audience, it's a story, not an actual textbook. or at least, the concept is something like the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy. come to think of it, it's not. but i digress.

where was i? the teenage textbook. yes... he wrote something like: before the telephone was invented, there were no teenagers. people just went from pre-pubscence to adulthood without much fuss, angst or pimples.

anyway, the two conversations centered around the adult topic of getting married (surprise, surprise). the first conversation i expected. the second... well...

another shotgun.

that's the fashion nowadays. i just wish phone calls would come back into fashion.

anagrams

2005-06-03T15:25:00.000+08:00

L I V E

V I L E

E V I L

user-friendly. not.

2005-06-03T12:45:00.000+08:00

the more i use it, the more frustrating it gets.

i'd tear my hair out, if i had any on my head.

y0ung-hae chang heavy industries

2005-05-25T23:56:00.000+08:00

political commentary?
satire?
art?

text as visual.
music as words.

juxtapostion
subversion
(subliminal messages?)

and i promise you
you will never look at samsung products the same

warning: parental advisory - explicit lyrics
warning: flashing lights may cause stroke

Y0UNG-HAE CHANG
HEAVY INDUSTRIES

stomp-ed

2005-05-23T21:15:00.000+08:00

i was looking at the STOMP websites - the US and UK casts have separate sites for some reason - to find out if they were swinging by singapore.

someone mentioned stomp a while ago, and i was reminded of them when i saw the stomp dolby digital trailer in the cinema recently before a movie. which is why i went to the websites.

just then, theresa messages me, telling me that stomp will be in singapore end september. am i interested? of course!

such a strange coincidence that she sms-ed me when i was on the stomp website. anyway... i logged on to sistic to find out more. then, my heart sinks.

stomp will be here from 27 sept to 2 oct. while i'm slogging it out in green.

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

p.s. all of you who can, please watch. worth every cent.

low

2005-05-22T22:46:00.000+08:00

my day started off with united losing to arsenal in the fa cup final on penalties. it was the summary of united's season: dominated plenty of games without winning.

the big walk meant an early rise. thanks to extra time and penalties early in the morning, i was up again at 5am.

my parents and i - my dad does the big walk every year - took a cab to the national stadium. they went off to wait for the start. i went to register for the nikon shootout.

after registering, i took my camera out of the bag and switched it on.

no response.

i took the shuttle bus to town, intending to head home to get my film camera. on the bus, the camera somehow revived itself, as though i'd given it some sort of electronic CPR.

decided to wait for the frontrunners in the competitive walk. three shots in, my camera failed again. this time, for good.

took the shuttle back to the stadium. an agonising two hour wait to get a goodie bag and to participate in the lucky draw. was it worth it?

sort of. the goodie bag items were relatively useful. the lucky draw prizes were pretty good. and i missed an 8-megapixel Nikon Coolpix 8400 by one digit. to rub it in, that person, number 338, wasn't around.

that would have been nice. but i would have settled for my camera not going kaput. more money down the drain as i have to get it repaired.

office

2005-05-14T22:59:00.000+08:00

the renovation is finally over.

monday morning, i will move my stuff back to the office. it's bittersweet. i've come to know my colleagues a lot better during the past few months, thanks to the open concept temporary office we occupied.

i'll have to get used to the high-walled cubicles again. most of my colleagues are very happy to be moving back. i suppose there's comfort in familiar surroundings, in privacy. the fact that our old office has windows, some windows, unlike - as my boss' secretary referred to the temp office - batu caves.

still, i wonder if i'm the only one who will miss the 'direct access' the temporary office offered. well, i am looking forward to customizing and decorating my cubicle. =)

sold trafford*

2005-05-13T22:40:00.000+08:00

my beloved football club is going through a turbulent period.

i'm hoping against all hope that glazer, being the businessman that he is, hates to lose. if united loses on the field, glazer, your pocket will be hit. united is the most supported club in the world, thanks in part to the recent domination of england's top league.

i am very sure there are enough true-blue supporters who will stick through with the team no matter what. unfortunately for you, the glory-hunters are the ones who you can exploit to the fullest. it's a double edged sword: no glory, no revenue. as for the ones who bleed devils' red, you can count on them not to add to your coffers.

so glazer, you have only one choice if you persist with owning united. ensure the on-field flair and success continues - no point winning ugly.

united, to me, is about passion. feel that passion burning in the hearts of the millions of supporters worldwide - the same people you intend to make your profit from. attend a game for goodness sake. see why everyone reviles you and what you stand for.

see that - despite dropping the words "football club" from the united badge - manchester united exists because of football. take away the football and there is nothing left. not even a casino will save the day.

our history is rich with tragedy and triumph. our ground is the theatre of dreams. our colour is red.

not the green of the american dollar.

*this phrase was taken from the telegraph, uk.

pool

2005-05-04T09:01:00.000+08:00

i hate to admit this.

i'm glad that liverpool beat chelsea.

money can't buy everything.

don't worry, i still love united. =)

p.s. wed, 11 may: i STILL love united.

first

2005-05-03T19:30:00.000+08:00

today marks the first day i have worked overtime.

in part, it was due to my visit to the "classroom of the future" at nie.

it struck me that the classroom of the future will require students to be fairly well to do as every student will require a micro$oftie-powered tablet (not the medicinal kind). as well as wireless broadband at home.

anyway.

i spent the day editing. and i encountered a paradox. irony.

i was editing something regarding - one of my pet topics - intellectual property.

and among the text i was editing, a blatant, though probably unintended, example of plagiarism. piracy. illegal copying.

rip, mix and burn my friends.

working hard

2005-04-26T17:56:00.000+08:00

understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

everybody's free (to wear sunscreen) baz luhrmann; lyrics by mary schmich

beer-sterine

2005-04-25T14:46:00.000+08:00

do u think beer keeps the teeth clean? it must be alcohol.....i've always
noticed that after drinking beer, my teeth feels like i rinsed it with
listerine...only nicer!! - a certain adrian

p.s. the people who make viagra make listerine too...

photos

2005-04-22T09:17:00.000+08:00

standard chartered singapore sevens

sarah & e-gene's wedding

familiar faces

familiar places

wilson's promontory

cosdu easter camp 2005 - day one

other photos on flickr

hmmm... think this is the first time i've made a post every weekday in a week.

unlikely day

2005-04-21T19:01:00.000+08:00

today, my office was a construction site.

no, i'm not referring to the renovations taking place in my office building.

i was at the construction site of the nus high school (of math and science, as it says on the badge) documenting the flexible education team setting up a video conference.

the link was to the temporary premises of nus high for a top-out ceremony which coincides with their speech day.

hard to picture, i know. whatever it is, i was at the construction site most of the day, documenting the process on film.

i was also at the temporary premises for a couple of hours. lena, one of my closest friends, was there as the company she works for was hired to do this event.

now, i'm waiting for my melbourne photos to upload. (damn, it's taking soooo long.) had to do it from work as my laptop at home can't seem to take the strain. just as well... one of the air-conditioning units in my office went kaput and the repairman just came not too long ago.

any other day, there wouldn't be anyone in the office at this time.

an unlikely day.

unlikely break

2005-04-20T13:13:00.000+08:00

everyone's at lunch.

most people on msn are at lunch too.

boss took the afternoon off - emergency leave.

waiting for a delayed lunch appointment.

short term things cleared. medium term projects loom large.

photos lay un-uploaded at home. (wish i had them here to work on and to upload.)

my desk at home is in a mess. (yes, you read that right.)

*fingers twiddle*

animal farm

2005-04-20T10:31:00.000+08:00

can you say "four legs good, two legs bad"?

must be required reading for singapore journalists. i first read animal farm when i was in secondary one.

i should revisit the book since i increasingly feel that i am living in one.

sevens

2005-04-19T23:42:00.000+08:00

first of all, new zealand won and the team performed the haka topless. the video (apologies for the bad quality, 2MB+, 26 sec) can be downloaded somewhere in this post. =)

this year, i volunteered once again. but i chose a different job this time round. instead of being a runner for the stadium announcer, i was working as a traffic cop at the players' area.

the main part of my job was making sure that the teams were at the tunnel, ready to run out to the pitch, at the right time. and telling them that they could run on.

next to the tunnel, the new zealand sevens team rest area. =)

on saturday, there was a big issue with some volunteers - a group of starstruck teenage girls - who were there more to hobknob with players rather than to do work. it was a long drawn out series of incidents which lead the players' area manager to tell them not to bother coming to help on sunday.

sunday began with a bang. the short story is that i gave the tournament director a piece of my mind.

the long story... hahah... i don't think i'm going to tell. suffice to say, i'm glad i pointed out his mistake. i think part of what makes him a good tournament director is that people pee in their pants when he gets mad. still, if anyone makes a mistake, he/she should be told.

that's what i did. i told him.

anyway, i performed my role as it was supposed to be performed. hardly any hitches with timing throughout the whole tournament. the players' area manager has already booked me to do the same job at next year's sevens!

the rugby was magnificent. the final, a tad disappointing for an england fan. but new zealand winning wasn't too bad. i could think of other winners which would provoke a violent reaction from me.

i would write more but i'm really tired. have to sleep. will try and post photos. remember to find the haka video link...

silence is golden

2005-04-18T23:59:00.000+08:00

this is a sad day for singapore. remember monday 18 april 2005.

i'm livid. and that's putting things mildly.

lots of people think it's no big deal.

perhaps, it's not.

but the reasons, the justifications all ring hollow.

uniquely singapore, they say.

we are unique by offering what other cities offer.

small but vital part of the integrated resort, they say.

why not make it a big part, then? more profits, yes?

10,000 jobs, they say.

for who? the CEOs and management of these two "ventures" inevitably will be a non-Singaporean. so will the army of cleaners and other support staff for the casino, sorry, integrated resort.

good for the economy, they say.

yes, locals who gamble away their hard-earned (and inevitably for some, ill-gotten) cash - lining the pockets of the casinos and the government which taxes them. of course, we have to rely on cold hard facts that a casino is sure to improve the economy. they say statistics lie. please lie to me then. all i've seen is conjecture that a casino will help singapore.

it'll make singapore more vibrant, they say.

the way to make singapore more vibrant is to have a true five-day week, with a forty-hour work week. let the children play. let the adults have time to pursue their interests. let people be free to express themselves. then, you'll see some vibrancy.

i'm just scratching the surface. the fallacies above are the tip of the iceberg.

our voices have been silenced. maybe we should all gather at sentosa and marina bay one sunday afternoon and just stand there in silence since we've already been muted. our silence should ring out louder than our attempts at persuading this consultative, kinder, gentler government to see otherwise. they'll know why we're standing there. no need for words. no need for placards.

Talking is cheap people follow like sheep
Even though there is no where to go
How could she tell he deceived her so well
Pity she'll be the last one to know

Silence is golden, but my eyes still see
Silence is golden, golden, but my eyes still see

Silence is Golden by The Tremeloes

pop quiz hotshot

2005-04-12T22:48:00.000+08:00

one of those quiz thingys. i think it's quite easy. hmmm... really depends how much you've chatted with me lah. maybe you'll learn something you didn't know about me...

take my quiz! and then check out the scoreboard!

warning... plenty of pop-ups for ie users without windows xp service pack 2. switch to firefox!

sarah's wedding

2005-04-09T17:57:00.000+08:00

all weddings should be like this - an intimate gathering of the bride's and groom's close friends and relatives.

everything was beautiful: the weather, the ceremony, the reception, the speeches, everything.

you just had to be there.

sarah and e-gene, congratulations! i'm really happy for both of you. =)

p.s. sarah, i'm really touched you mentioned the mcm-ers in person during the thank-yous. truth be told, it's my deepest pleasure to have come to melbourne to witness this testimony of love.

p.p.s. photos (if i can post-process them quick enough) to follow...

bad (car)ma

2005-04-09T17:37:00.000+08:00

i've never had so much problems with a car. the bad feeling i had when they upgraded my booking for a nissan pulsar to a toyota camry was well founded. sitting in the car, i was very uncomfortable with the layout.

i drove to st. carthage's for cosdu's first friday mass. big mistake.

driving from church to dinner at lygon, i scratched, nay, dented the right rear door while trying to park. where i thought there was space to manoeuver was a big kangaroo bar - a huge metal 'bumper' preventing vehicles from taking damage if they hit kangaroos and other wildlife. the bars are also known to inflict damage on other vehicles.

the morning drive to sarah's wedding went by incident-free, amazingly.

coming back was a different story.

after dropping off my passengers, i was in dire need to take a leak. this is, naturally, the time when murphy rears his head.

every single traffic light i encountered from college square on lygon street to adrian's apartment on franklin street just had to be red.

then in the garage, for the first time, there were no available lots for guests. adrian's lot was empty, so i parked there hastily, and got to the loo before anything embarassing happened.

went back to the car to gather my things. noticed that the cigarette lighter thingy was missing (i'd removed it to power my ipod). it was nowhere to be found.

decided to top up the petrol instead of doing it the following day before returning the ill-fated car. was careless and didn't notice that i'd overfilled the tank.

after getting in the car to leave the petrol station, i realised that:
1. i didn't lock the car, and
2. the reading light was on thro' the journey from adrian's place to the petrol station (as i was trying to search for the missing thingy earlier).

when i got back to the garage, i was lucky enough - guess not everything goes against you even though it seems that way - to get a lot.

i'll be very glad to return the car tomorrow morning. good riddance.

hopefully the insurance covers the damage.