2013

I actually forgot I had this blog.

The last post was in 2010. A lot happened since then.

iPhone 3GS

i AM NOW CERTIFIED Cool

RESOLUTIONS FOR 2010

I struggle to make resolutions. I struggle because of all the resolutions I have made, there are but a handful which I was determined enough to see it through. With each failed attempt, the whole exercise of making resolutions get tougher. I struggle - I struggle to ask myself, in all honesty, if making all these resolutions are but a yearly ritual, which stinks of futility. If it is scheduled to fail, why bother?

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I want to make 3 resolutions this year. One takes care of my body, One takes care of my mind and One takes care of my Soul. I am making them because to not make them is dangerous, to not attempt guarantees another year of monotony, to not do them would place me in a path which is dim, dark and dank.

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Resolution 1 - Leading a Healthy Lifestyle.

Notice that my resolution is not to lose weight, but a far grander scheme of things. I am 30 years old. I am obese. I have unhealthy eating habits. I have high blood pressure. I have asthma. I am labeled as high risk. This is just not right. It scares me.

I will be taking active steps to modify my lifestyle. I will not go into detail but the following would lay the groundwork.

1. Exercise 4 times a week.
2. Control food intake.
3. Eat right.
   

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Resolution 2 - Reading.

I have resolved to read more books than comics. I will not limit myself to genres or topics, but I would like to break away from my habit of immersing myself in a pseudo world of fantasy, kung fu and fictional characters. I am living, these fictional characters are the product of another person's imagination and it is wrong that I am living vicariously through their comic books lives. I will not go to the extreme of cutting off comics altogether, because I do like them, but I must reduce the amount of time I spend on them. My life has got to be more than just comics. I do not know what to fill it with just yet, but I just know that comics should not take up so much of my time.

I have set a reading goal. I will complete these 6 books in the year 2010. If I do read more, then good, but this is a moderate goal that I have set.

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Resolution 3 - Committing to a Church. Committing to a Cell Group.

This has been a long time coming. I have not been enjoying Church and attendance was more habit than something I look forward to. Fellowship in my current Church is close to none. I do not want to point towards external factors, I should take responsibility and say that I have not put enough effort in establishing relationships.

I will visit another Church, and if it feels alright, I will make it a point to join a cell. It is so easy to slip into a comfort zone. To have a hard look at things, I have been in Church "Valley" for more than 2 years now, and the last cell I have attended was in Perth.

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I can say, in a nut shell, in 2010, I endeavor to take better care of myself - Body Mind and Soul. I feel that 2010 is a year which will be difficult, a year with struggles, a year with a multitude of conflicts, a year of confrontation, a year where I cannot fail. I have to step up. I have to break out. I have to transform. That is the only option I can give myself.

Truth be told. I am a little afraid, God knows I hate changes, I do not wish to be in a state of fear, I must step out onto the unknown. In times like this, I have this urge to try to find a verse in the Bible to calm me down, to help me make sense of things, but as I pray and look and search, I got nothing. I settle down. I gave that still small voice a chance to speak. All I heard was 'hello' but I'll take it, hello is a start. It's like God is introducing himself to me one more time.

okay. onward.

ROAST PORK

I successfully roasted some pork today. This picture above isn't mine. My family pretty much devoured all the pork before I got a chance to take a decent pic, but the pic I found on the net was close enough.
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The skin (or crackling) was so crispy. The meat was fragrant and moist. But most of all, it was not oily at all. I had to use the Pig's underbelly for this dish, and it looked disgustingly fat as a raw piece of meat. As I went through the motion of roasting the meat, I feel so satisfied when I see the oil from the pork dripping away on the roasting pan placed below it. As the meat was skewered and placed above the rack, it does not touch the oil that was collected. So what you get finally is a crispy lean moist piece of meat.
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I am one happy camper.

Micah 6:8

I've been thinking of one verse lately.

Many times I shout " God, what do you want, can't you just leave me alone, what exactly do you want from me. Tell me what do you want from me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. "

"He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly; to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:8

Not easy to constantly do what is required.

Konnyaku

I have always known Konnyaku as a dessert. Sweet. Filled with fruit. I've never figured it to be a health food. But as it turns out, it is. I have been adding it to soups, and stir-frys. There is hardly any notable taste from Konnyaku, it is more prized for its texture. Very smooth. A little chewy, sort of like a jelly which takes more effort to eat. It is usually a rule of thumb that anything healthy tastes awful - look at weetbix for crying out loud.
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But I am glad to have found another food that is both healthy and good for the whole endeavor of weight loss. To top it off, its not all that expensive either. SGD$2.30 for about 200gm. If you would like to know a little bit more, you can go here. Here is a quick glance at its nutritional facts. (I chopped the page off, for the full table, go to the link and dig about)

NEW LONG SLEEVED BUSINESS SHIRTS

Finally found a shop that stocks business shirts that fit me. Most of the time the sleeves are too short and I find myself being 'trapped' in the shirt. I'll be a little like frankenstein, bcos i'll only be able to move my arms at a certain angle. Most of my shirts are large and most of these large shirts have way too much cloth around the waist, so in general, I will be able to fit into the shirt, but the extra cloth would make me look sloppy.
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I have no difficulty getting short sleeved business shirts, it is the long sleeved ones that I have trouble with. I would go to the tailors if I do want a long sleeved business shirt to fit.

I was quite pleased to walk into this store - T M LEWIN - to find shirts that fit very well. I did not even know this brand existed. I believe up until a few months back, this brand of shirts is only sold in London.

I bought the 3 you see above (sans the ties). Very nice. The cloth feels soft and rich. the cut is fitting, and it is rather affordable. I got it at SGD$249 for 3 shirts with an additional 5 percent off because I used a certain credit card. I always imagined that these clothing shops frown on fat men, because they need more cloth to make a shirt for us and that would certainly bring their profit margin down.

I have to be more disciplined in the month of September, seeing how I have splurged quite a bit this month. But no regrets, all my purchases are quality ones, products that will last.

PINKEYE - Problem Identified

I do believe that I have identified the cause of my recurring pinkeye. It is neither an allergic reaction to a certain food, nor is it because of prolonged usage of the computer (although I think that contributes to the illness in one form or another). It turned out to be the environment that I have placed myself in for prolonged periods of time.
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Air-Conditioning. I was in an air-conditioned environment during work (for the most parts) and when I reach home, I immediately turned the air-conditioning in my room on as well. I did not consult a doctor about this but my theory is that my eyes were very very dry. My eye ducts did not manage to lubricate my eyes fast enough nor was it ample enough. I guess the dry air-conditioned environment made it so. Also, the dryness of it all caused my eyes to itch. I would then proceed to rub it. That is one of the causes of bacterial infection too I'm sure.
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In a spur of the moment, I made a bee-line to the electronic store and got myself an electric fan. I made a commitment to use the fan instead of the aircon for at least one week. Previously, I resisted the idea because I always thought the night was very hot and the fan would not be sufficient. Also, my previous fan rattled so much, it just disturbs my rest. I was pleasantly surprised that the night turned out to be much cooler than expected. At certain periods, I actually had to lower the speed of my fan because it was getting too chilly. Also, the fan that I bought was much quieter. That was one point of consideration when I was testing various brands of electric fans.
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I have reduced the amount of time I spend in an air-conditioned environment drastically. My pinkeye recovered and I have not had it since.
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I am one happy camper.... me and chocolates are best friends once again.

WESTONE UM3X - Part 2

It has been a week since I bought those earphones.
I have been listening to it everyday.
My opinion of it only gets better.
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I was telling this colleague of mine that the more I listen to them (the earphones), the more it seemed to sound better. I told him it might be a psychological thing.

He begged to differ and started to educate me on the topic of earphones and sound reproduction.

He told me it was a matter of both the ear as well as the earphone.

He likened it to an amateur drinking a $1,000 bottle of wine. During a blind test, he could very well think that the wine taste normal or even terrible for that matter. But as he continues to drink wine, his taste buds and senses get acclimatized. Once that happens, that same $1,000 wine will impress him. In a nutshell, he told me our ears had the potential to 'mature' to differentiate a 'good' and 'bad' sound production.

He told me my earphones had gold plated plugs, sliver cables and triple balanced armature drivers. Because of this, there was a lot of potential for these earphone to 'mature' too. In audiophile terms, it is called 'burn in'. As time goes on, and as I prolong the use of these earphones, the sound will be better. Just like a bottle of wine that is placed in a cellar for years to allow it to 'mature'.
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I proceeded to ask this colleague of mine if there were something wrong with my earphones, because I heard a sound that does not seem to match the song's melody. He gave it a listen and smiled. He said this 'anomaly' was not a fault caused by the earphones, it was a case of the music production. Turns out that the production company that made this CD did not do a very good job. The thing is, I never noticed this when I listened to it on my Bose earphones. He concurred. He said with my earphones, there is no way to 'hide' poor quality music productions, every beat and every tone is reproduced with such clarity, that even the slightest fault is amplified.

He proceeded to find a song of his for me to listen. He told me to listen carefully to the first 30seconds of the song.

Guess what, at the far far background, I can actually hear a 'cough'. YES, someone made a cough during that CD's production and it was captured. I was amazed.
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Now I begin to understand why in places like HMV and Tower Records, there are dedicated sections for AUDIOPHILE quality CDs. All the CDs within those sections are labeled as such because they meet the audiophile standard. There isn't a single blemish in the CD's production. I guess that's why it is costlier than 'normal' CDs.
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Interesting huh.

OMEGA GENEVE DYNAMIC - 1968

This week is such a happy week.
I got so much gratification from material things (possessions)
First I got my top of the line earphones, and now, after waiting for 18 long months, YES 18 LONG MONTHS, my Omega watch is finally fully refurbished.
It looks FANTASTIC. Even my dad was amazed by the quality of workmanship that has gone into restoring this watch to its former glory. I really do take my hat off the guys at Omega, I wonder how they managed (or even bothered to attempt for that matter) to restore a 41 year old watch.

I took a picture of the components which they replaced. Get a load that strap ! My dad really used this watch to the max. I understand from the Omega representative that it was Omega's practice to use original parts for all it replacements. They have a warehouse full of spare parts even for their very early watches. I guess that is the difference between buying a watch of an established brand and say... Kenneth Cole.

The lady told my dad that the reason why the watch took so long was because of the DAY/DATE dial. They (Omega) were trying so hard to refurbish the original dial. They failed their quality control department twice and the watch was sent back to the start of the line twice. After several attempts, they decided it was easier to search for a brand new original dial than to attempt to refurbish the old dial any longer.

I am glad about the way things worked out. Initially, 19 months ago, I wanted to purchase a brand new Omega Seamaster. After much thought, I decided I was better off having money in the bank that an expensive watch on my wrist. My dad felt it was a wise decision too. It was then that he remembered he had 2 old Omegas which he kept. I almost fainted when I saw the 2. Old, worn out, a little rusty, a little dull, those are the many thoughts that went through my head when I first saw them. My dad suggested I send the watch to Omega for refurbishment, he told me it'll cost only a few hundred dollars. It was within my budget so I decided to go for it. I also like the idea of wearing an antique watch.

You would not believe my dismay when the Omega rep kept informing us (me and my dad) of the delay time and time again. In fact, the both of us were quite amazed by the amount of patience we had showcased. But in the end, I share my father's thoughts when he said to the rep, "After looking at it, I feel it is worth the wait, thank you."

The entire cost of the refurbishment + the cost of 2 new straps (one steel and one leather) is SGD$1500. But because of the huge delay (and I believe also because of the patience we showcased), Omega simply charged us SGD$60. That is the administrative fee. That is way too cool. In fact my dad was quite curious so he went to assess the value of this watch at a watch shop. The person leaped forward and immediately placed a quote of SGD$6,000 to buy the watch from my dad. He even said he has the cash ready in hand. My dad just smiled and calmly walked out of the shop.

I am going to take very special care of this watch. Not just because of it's monetary worth, but because this is one thing that I can pass on to a later generation. If I am fortunate enough to have a son, I will pass it to him and tell him this story. A watch for generations to come.

WESTONE UM3X

WESTONE - UM3X

I bought myself a new pair of earphones, for this case, they are called in-ear-monitors (IEMs).
I never figured myself to be 'sound' guy, much less an audiophile.
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I remember the earphones that used to astonish me way back when my dad bought himself a Sony Walkman. The earphones came with the walkman and boy did it impress the heck out of us. I recalled being upset with my dad because he kept shouting at me. He cranked up the volume of his earphones and spoke, he too did not know he was shouting for in his audio bliss, he was merely whispering.
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I take this purchase as sort of a graduation of sorts. I have tried the ordinary no frills earphones which cost 15 bucks. Just 16 months ago, I bought myself a BOSE. I was not being wise then. I did no research whatsoever, I wanted a better pair of earphones and believed in what BOSE had to offer. I was not disappointed, but that again, ignorance is bliss. In the past month, I did think to myself, 'Why does my earphones sound so dull and the voice projection of the singers a little muffled and why does the instruments all seem to be all jumbled up?' Again, I was no audiophile, but I had begun to notice these things, and quite frankly, I was rather irritated.
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I was speaking of this to my colleague in a casual conversation, and lo and behold, he just burst forth into a deep conversation about this topic. He was ever so passionate about the topic of sound reproduction and by the end of the conversation, I knew he was a bonafide audiophile. He brought his pride and joy the following day to the office for me to try out (he seems to believe that I was not convinced and felt compelled to provide a demo). It was a set of Headphones. He even brought a portable amplifier. When I questioned the need, he looked at me as if I had said something sacrilegious.
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I was totally blown away by the sheer quality of what I heard. The clarity of the singer's voice. The clear disticntion between the sounds of the drums and guitar and other instruments. Although these were played as a single ensemble, one could clearly differentiate one from the other. Amazing. (By the way, the term for this is sound-staging, I learned this last weekend)
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I went on to ask if these qualities was available in the form of an earphone as opposed to the huge headphones. I figure it was not convenient to bring such 'equipment' onto buses and trains.
He said such earphones were available but warned that I had to be prepared to pay a premium for such a high-end product.
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He suggested that I invest in triple-driver earphones. To put things in perspective, most 15 dollar earphones have typical magnets and wound coils to produce a basic sound reproduction. One step up is the single armature driver earphone. This goes on until it reaches triple drivers. (this is the best that is available with the technology of today)
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I spent almost the entire weekend bench testing a few of these earphones. There were only a handful of reputable brands that produce earphones of this calibre - SHURE 530, ULTIMATE EARS TripleFi 10 Pro and WESTONE UM3 (and UM3X). After much testing and re-testing. After reading tons of reviews by professionals. After listening to all 3 with a set of songs from across all genres. After looking about for the best prices. I finally picked the WESTONE - UM3X.
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Most editor's choice goes something like this (1st>2nd>3rd>4th)
530>UM3>TripleFi 10 Pro>UM3X
But I guess these things is considered a very personnel choice. I rate them this way:
UM3x>TripleFi 10 Pro>530>UM3
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In terms of cost from most expensive to least
530>TripleFi 10 Pro>UM3>UM3X
I had to make a conscious effort not to lean to the stereotype of "The best product must be the one that cost the most" I know that is not true although I must admit it took some convincing to really believe that.
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When I listened to the UM3X, I was convinced, this is the earphone for me. It satisfied all of my harsh requirements. It even considered the ergonomics of the ear. Impressive. After listening to Josh Groban - February Song, I was so moved (yes I was moved!) , I made a beeline to the cashier. I must, MUST, have these.
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I guess if I had stuck to regular 15 dollar earphones, I may have been contented. Afterall, I did not know what was 'out there'. But now that I do, I have no regrets. I am not going to go crazy and start purchasing all the very expensive sound equipment. I still do not consider myself an audiophile. But some might contest this statement, for I most certainly did pay a WHOLE LOT MORE than a pretty penny for the UM3X. But you know what, I seem to sport a very wide grin everytime I listen to a song with these babies. It is hard to explain, I'm just very pleased.

BOWLING

I went bowling with illy today.
We played 3 sets.
My inner-thighs hurt like hell now.
It feels like I have been doing lunges for an hour.
In the end, I was beaten in all 3 sets.
Yes fd was beaten by a girl in a yellow dress using a shocking pink bowling ball.
This is not my finest hour.
but it was fun.

Lest I Forget #7 - I too was a young lad once...

I feel a sudden urge to reminisce. Which kinda explains why I am writing this post.
Shoot. This is one of the hallmarks of middle age syndrome - looking back. I hate looking back sometimes, because I will remember the countless mistakes I have done and all the stupid senseless irresponsible things that I committed. But this post is about all the other things. Things worth remembering. Things worth reminiscing.
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I loved short shorts. While all my peers longed for the day when they would "graduate" into long shorts, thus visibly showing their seniority, I preferred shorts one... how shall I put it.... it was more airy. If it was socially acceptable, I would prefer to have been a pure Scottish, that way I could wear an airy kilt without fear of mockery.
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At the back of my school was a huge drain. There were many times when I would play hookey and waste the day away along the drain. It was like a gettaway, a secret fortress if you will. And My friends and I would be the gatekeepers. We would go about with bottles catching drain fish, using empty cassette tapes to catch spiders (blue fighting spiders were the rarest, according to a panel of 13 yr old experts anyway), traumatize the neighbourhood cat, fun times.
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Along the drain was a street by the name of fido lane. I always thought the people living on that street were a priviledged bunch, not because the house were huge, but because I had this insane idea that they were all related to fido dido. The mascot for 7-up. Those days, power rangers and pokemon hadn't come along. Fido Dido was cool, fido dido was king.
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I remember buying ice popsicles from a neighbouhood auntie. She was selling them illegaly. She had heaps of unconventonal flavours - like milo and ovaltine and Sarsi and sprite and coke. I love the milo one, cost me 30 cents, a pretty penny in those days. She sold them off her back yard, and we had to use a rock to hit her metal grill to make loud clanging noises the catch her attention. She would always be annoyed when we did that. She would be all grumpy and we could sense it from the way she asked ".... yah... what flavour?" We as kid endured this harsh treatment because we knew that a icy cold milo stick was only moments away. Mmmmm...
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I remember falling down in the drain once. My pants were all slimy but I still had to go to class. I got a thorough beating by my dad for playing hookey so I could not miss this class. I endured slimy pants for a good day. This time it was my mum who gave me a thorough beating for making a mess out of my newly laundered pants.
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In my time, we were not allowed to wear sports shoes to school. I remembered the reason being somewhere along the lines of... not everyone can afford it, so if only one or two in school wore it, it would give the school a very elitist image, it was something the principal could not afford. So for the most of us, we had to wear typical white canvas shoes which we had to white wash everyday. I still remember the brand BATA - BM2000 Turbo. Almost the entire school population wore it because it was ubiquitous and affordable.
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I remember having a very hearty appetite in school as well. I only got about $2 per day as allowance. I would plan my meals to make to most out of the 2 bucks I had. And no, I never even thought about savings then. I made it my life's mission to spend my 2 bucks wisely on food at recess. This boy wasn't about to go hungry. No Sireeee.
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I remember having to change the size of my school pants repreatedly because I was putting on so much weight. My mum had to buy >>> then alter >>> then buy a bigger size >>> then alter >>> the cycle went on like that. I was a big boy. I was a very fat boy. I think if not for my very large girth, I would have been very miserable at school. I was rather shy but I was fortunate too. The many people who made fun of this fat boy, a few of them remained and became my best friends in school. They later became my buddies who would beat anyone who gave me crap because of my weight. I was happy.
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I remember my first friend in school. His name was wei qiang. I treated him as a friend but he treated me as an acquantance. Nevertheless, I would be around him because I think he was the person (size and personality) that I saw myself desiring to be. Once, in a very rude awakening, I stumbled upon my mum's large vanity mirror. I saw the person in the mirror and actually asked my mum "who is he?" I refused to believe that I looked like that. I should have looked exactly like wei qiang, not like the short stumpy guy in the mirror. True, at such a tender age, my weight became the tool i used to determine my self-worth. Even now, I still battle with those monsters, I still - from time to time - loathe the man in the mirror, I still feel that my self worth is inversely proprotional to my weight. I actually still do think that no one will ever love me because I'm fat.
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Oops. This post was supposed to be about things worth remembering. I let the last point - a negative last point slip through. Nevermind. I think that bambi is the only person reading my posts anyway, and I do not mind revealing some of my insecurities to that said individual.
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The night is bright this evening. I think that paints a pretty picture of who I am thus far. I feel like a creature of the night, comsumed by the desires of the day. I cannot exist in the context of the blinding day so all I can do is look far ahead, into the horizon of my world, for in this very still dark night, there lies a sliver of shimmering light. A light which I am still drawn towards.

Poject - LOSE WEIGHT....again

Alrighty. Once again, I embark on yet another project to lose weight.
My lofty goal is a loss of 10Kg in 10 weeks.
A loss of one kilo a week seems rather extreme, still...
I set a goal that'll take more than a little effort to reach, set certain rules in place and see where it takes me.

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RULES:

1. Only drink water, coffee and tea. No can drinks of any sort.

2. No fast food of any sort.

3. No sweets, no chocolates, no cakes, no fried food, no snacks of any sort.

4. Only be half full for dinner. No bread.

5. Gym 4 times a week minimum (one hour per session minimum)

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okey dokey. I'll hope for the best. Discipline is key. The first month will be the hardest. But the fruits of this labour will be well worth it.

My Theory on My Pinkeye

I have this recurring bout of conjunctivitis (pinkeye).
Every other month, I'm running to the doctor to get medicated eye drops to get rid of the irritation.

THEORY 1
Initially, I thought it was prolong usage of the computer, which led to the strain in the eyes which led to me rubbing, which lead to the pink eye.

I try to cut back on my use on computers daily. I take better care of hygiene. Wash my hands thoroughly, etc. Still, my pinkeye came back.

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THEORY 2
I think I may be allergic to certain foods.
I know for sure that I am allergic to durians. Whenever I eat durians, my ears will turn red and itchy. I would have to rub and scratch and soak them in hot water. I stopped eating durians.

Just before I got the recent pink eye, I ate strawberries, chocolate and peanuts.
I think perhaps maybe certain foods would cause my eyes to itch. When that happens, I would inevitably rub them and then the infection sets in.

So I will cut these 3 foods off for at least a period of 2 months to eliminate theory 2.

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Aw man... if I turn out to be allergic to strawberries, so what right..?

BUT if I turn out to be allergic to chocolates or peanuts.... I would be so SOOoooo sad.

Sad SAAaaaaaaaaad Fd

The Loud Clock

the clock in my room went tick tick tick.
could not stand it anymore. THREW IT AWAY.
some clocks are just loud.
not 100 decibels loud but loud enough to irritate a light sleeper.
i'm going digital.
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Edit: 14 June 09 (Sun)

I need to clarify. I'm not a light sleeper.
I think the issue is the part where I wind down before I sleep.
I would off the lights. Slip under my blanket.
But then the stupid clock would just go tick TICK tick TICK....

I checked out some digital wall clocks. They're not exactly cheap.

Also I have an issue with alarm clocks. I hate most alarm tones.
I hate them so much, I usually wake up just in time to turn off the alarm before it actually turns on. No kidding.

I like the idea of waking up to music. Radio perhaps.
Maybe I will kill 2 birds with one stone. Get a Big Radio Clock.

But then the snooze/ alarm off button must be big. I hate alarm clocks with tiny snooze buttons. It takes so much effort to off the annoying alarm that the urge to throw it against the wall is oh so great. Maybe that's how these clock companies make money.

Annoy customers with annoying alarm tones + make snooze buttons really small>> Customers throw clocks against the wall>> Customers buy another alarm clock to replace the one that was smashed. Clever marketing.
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Edit: 21st June 09

Got my Alarm Clock Radio. No longer will I jump out of bed because of some high pitched buzzer noise. I will be awakened by the music or DJs having converstions. FD 1 : Alarm Clock 0
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Edit: 23rd June 09

I wake up at 0600 hrs every working day. I set my alarm clock at that time. I was rudely awakened and was shocked out of my sleep at 6am. Because at 6 am, the radio station I tuned in to played the national anthem.

So now, I am getting up at 0555hrs, just so I can wake up to music, not the loud blasts of stupid trumpets.

BOINK FLIP

Had an msn conversation with bambi not too long ago.
She was scholastic and collegiate in the way she phrased her sentences.

Anyway, just today, I was watching a comedy "The Big Bang Theory", and in it one of the characters said the following after being taunted by a female colleague. It reminded me of my conversation with Bams.
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"I'm polymerized tree sap and you're an inorganic adhesive, so whatever verbal projectile you launch in my direction is reflected off of me, returns on its original trajectory and adheres to you."
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That sounded just like Bambi right there.

If it were me, all I would say is "BOINK FLIP, What's on me is now on you."

The Cubicle Man - Lesson Five

Most recently, I find myself being scheduled for many meetings. I find that many of them are lengthy and many of them do not yield any conclusive outcomes. Nevertheless, my boss(es) find comfort in having "one of them" (a person from their division) attend meetings after meetings to ensure that they are kept abreast of things. I was chosen for this task for once... then twice... then I realized there was a pattern. It was always me.
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True enough. I feel obliged to keep my boss(es) in the loop if I feel that they have to know certain things. But that's just it. I'm experienced enough to know that in reality, the boss(es) do not need and want to know everything. They want to know things that they have to know. Problem is, now that I unofficially attend meetings on their behalf, I will now have to decide what I think they would want to know. Tricky Business. But I have learned how to um.... handle them.
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In many many of those lengthy mundane meetings, I would choose to have selective hearing. The first few rounds, I would give my 100% attention, but always felt that somehow the meeting had cheated me of my precious time afterward. With the aim of keeping myself awake and sane, I started to hum songs in my head during those meetings. Songs which either distract me or - more often than not - summarize the atmosphere of the meeting.

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Here are partial lyrics of a few songs that I have hummed in those meetings.

1. STORMY
You were the sunshine, baby, whenever you smiled
But I call you Stormy today
All of a sudden that ole rain's fallin' down
And my world is cloudy and gray
You've gone away
Oh Stormy, oh Stormy
Bring back that sunny day

2. SAD MOVIE
Sad Movies always make me cryyy.. Cryyy(Deep Voice)
Said he had to work so I went to the show alone
They turned down the lights and turned the projector on
And just as the news of the world started to begin
I saw my darling and my best friend walk in

So I was sitting where they didn't see
And so they sat right down infront of me
And when he kissed her lips I almost died
and in the middle of the color cartoon I started to cry

OOO.......
Sad movies always make my cry
OOO.......
Sad movies always make me cry

3. DON'T CHA
Dont cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me
Dont cha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me
Dont cha, dont cha
Dont cha wish your girlfriend was raw like me
Dont cha wish your girlfriend was fun like me
Dont cha, dont cha

4. MANIAC
Just a still town girl on a saturday night, lookin' for the fight of her life
In the real-time world no one sees her at all, they all say she's crazy
Locking rhythms to the beat of her heart, changing woman into life
She has danced into the danger zone, when a dancer becomes a dance

It can cut you like a knife, if the gift becomes the fire
On a wire between will and what will be

She's a maniac, maniac on the floor
And she's dancing like she's never danced before
She's a maniac, maniac on the floor
And she's dancing like she's never danced before

5. BEAT IT
They Told Him Don't You Ever Come Around Here
Don't Wanna See Your Face, You Better Disappear
The Fire's In Their Eyes And Their Words Are Really Clear
So Beat It, Just Beat It

Just Beat It, Beat It, Beat It, Beat It
No One Wants To Be Defeated
Showin' How Funky Strong Is Your Fight
It Doesn't Matter Who's Wrong Or Right
Just Beat It, Beat It
Just Beat It, Beat It
Just Beat It, Beat It
Just Beat It, Beat It

===============
And yes. For some of those songs, I was dancing in my head too.

That Makes it Four Times

Well. That makes it four times.
------
Once again, some kid came up to me and called me daddy.
The tiny tod latched onto my pants and just refused to let go.
I told him nicely that I wasn't his dad....
And he started crying... BAH.... CRYING.
ok..he was not a screamer, he was more quietly sobbing than crying. Also mid stream, he did a forward slash with a clenched fist and said "daddy, i want to be wolverine"

// Enter into Fantasy //

I would have been so proud if he was indeed my son. That right! Wanting to be a superhero is a rite of passage! Slash away son.... slash away, just don't slash mommy's curtains. She'll get all mad and she'll take away our superpowers. That's mommy-language for 'you (kid) go to bed and you (adult) go do the dishes.

// Back to Reality //

It was only in a moment of distraction did he let go just long enough for me to make a lickety split.
------
But i did not leave him per se. I waited at the corner until his real dad found him.
Crazy kids...

slash slash slash

HONG KONG TRIP 2009 - DAY 4

This is day 4. My flight back to Singapore was at 1600 hrs. My arranged transport from my hotel to the airport was 1310 hrs.

I spent all morning looking for a Dim Sum place. One cannot call a HKG trip complete before having dim sum or as the locals call it - yam cha (drink tea). Finding the place proved to be a greater challenge than I had thought. I assumed it was easy to locate one, as easy as it would be to locate a Mc Donalds in the USA. I was wrong. I spent more than an hour looking for one. and finally found one.

I deliberately picked non of those dim sum dishes which I would usually order in Singapore or in Perth. The choices I made turned out just fine. Delicious.

You might be wondering why - after all this talk about dim sum - there are no pictures. Well that is because I have decided not to behave like a tourist that morning. I just wanted to relax with my newspapers and my dim sum and my tea. For all of of 60 mins, I blended in perfectly as a Hong Konger.
~~~

~~~
The above picture is the one I took of the departure hall of Hong Kong Airport Terminal 1. It won the best airport award and I can see why. As much as I love Changi, this airport is every bit as impressive, maybe more.

Anyways, I got kicked off my 1600 hrs flight. The flight was full. I was told to try again at 1740hrs. In the mean while, I went to grab myself some lunch and a cup of tea. No point being upset. I thought it was a blessing in disguise. I got to eat one more meal in HKG!! Woohoooo. I wasted no time. I took the Roasted Pork and Duck combo.

It was lip-smackingly good.

Again. No Pics. My Tummy overwhelmed my desire to chronicle this trip.

I ended the meal with chinese tea. Very nice. It helps cleanse the oil. I noticed the words on the cup. It says "thank you" . I felt, in some sort of karma-ic way, HKG was thanking me for visiting its shores. But I felt I was the one that ought to say thank you.

It was an enjoyable trip. HKG is truly a place to eat and shop and eat and shop.... then rest..... then eat and shop and eat and shop some more.

I felt 4 days was good enough. Any more and it would be a drag. But People who visit HKG with family or Girlfriends may need more time. Afterall, for the most part I was zipping in and out of shopping centres. I cleared one mega mall from top to bottom in 20 mins flat, no kidding. I took a lift up to the top floor. made my loops and found myself at the bottom in 20mins.

Do not be mistaken, that was my pace. I did not rush at all this enitre trip. I did not buy much. Did not see many thing that I like. Most of my purchases are for other people. What I lacked in shopping I made up for in eating. WoooHOoooo HKG is a foodie wonderland.

Get that malaysian food out of my face... someone should school those crazy Lan Kwai Fong restauranteurs

Finally. This is the last picture I took for this trip. I was on a travelator heading towards my gate for boarding. (Yes I got on the next flight)

Oh and incidentally, The last retail shop that I saw was also a STARBUCKS in the transit lounge. Gee Whiz man. This is HKG! Throw away that mocha latte and start drinking ice milk tea you!!!!

HONG KONG TRIP 2009 - DAY 3

~~~
Started my day early. Went out and about in Kowloon. Walked all the way to Tsim Sha Tsui. I did not take any pictures. Really, they were all very much alike. That took me half a day. I went back to the hotel at 2pm and watched TV till 5pm.

After the short interlude, I caught the free bus transit service the hotel provided to the AVENUE OF THE STARS. Similar to that in Hollywood, only not as long. It was a just by the pier and it was an excellent location to take pictures of the HKG skyline. Too bad it was a little misty.

Made my way to the pier to catch the ferry ride to HKG island. (CBD). It was nice, I enjoy boat rides.
~~~

~~~
I decided to follow through with what I had though of yesterday. I wanted to visit Lan Kwai Fong at night and have a meal there. Just for boasting rights. I reached about 7.30pm that evening. It was crowded but not as crowded as it would be after 11pm. That is the norm for this watering hole.

I had my meal in one of the chinese restaurants. Again, shunning all non-HKG cuisine.
I ate a very basic HKG dish. Fried rice with chicken and salted fish + the ever staple milk tea. It was very good.
~~~

~~~
I made my way back to the pier. Took a picture of the VERY LAGE Louis Vutton boutique. The size of the boutique definately tells you how invested LVMH is in the HKG market. Those tai tais sure love their LVs. They spit at fakes and cast slightly intimidating sidelong glances at those who carry fakes. (just kidding...not!)

There is a very long direct path to the pier from the CBD. with clear signs along the way. The clock tower is the facade of the pier. There were many new developments along the pier. I guess given a few more years the HKG skyline will change again with yet another domineering sky scrapper.

At the Tsim Sha Tsui end. I took the free ride back to the hotel. From there I went to the Kowloon street markets again to experience it at night.
~~~

~~~
It was after all my last night in HKG. My fear of diarrhea was unfounded. The rule of thumb is to eat food that was pipping hot. I had prepared pills should there be any tummy upsets. But really, the truth of the matter was, it is my last night in HKG and I was going to pig out! CONSEQUENCES LATER! I had deep fried big intestines (pig) and a bowl of mixed innards (cow). I had more stuff but just could not be bothered to take any more pictures.
There was no aftermath. My stomach can take these bold cuisines. During my trip I often wondered if God made a few errors in his design of the human form

1. Why did we not have more than one stomachs.
2. Why could we not digest food faster.
   

But I did so very appreciate that HE gave us tastebuds and a sense of smell and adventure.
~~~

HONG KONG TRIP 2009 - DAY 2

~~~

2nd Day. Woke up early. Did not sleep well. Turned on the TV. The news was on. I did not understand half of what the guy was saying (in Cantonese). I finally dragged myself to the toilet to wash up and begin my day. Left the room at 10am and headed to THE PEAK.

The hotel actually had free transport to many tourist places but I decided to do it as the locals would, to get a feel of how they go about their daily lives. So I picked public transport to commute. Also the hotel gave some food discount vouchers. I did not use any because I wanted to eat what the regular Joe on the streets ate as well. I am pretty sure they did not have a western breakfast buffet everyday.
~~~

~~~
Along the way to the MTR (Hong Kong's train system), I saw a stark contrast between the rich and the poor. The poor who obviously had to take public transport pays a reasonable price for the service and the rich who can afford cars had to pay astronomical prices for parking. HKD$20 per hour for parking. That's about SGD$4 per hour.

~~~

~~~
This was what I ate for breakfast on the 2nd day in Hong Kong. Glutinous Rice with ice milk tea. The rice had stuffing inside which made up of a braised chicken wing, Chinese sausage and chestnuts and mushrooms. I was only when I started eating did I realize how much was inside but I voted to fill my tummy first instead of taking another picture and by the time I was full there was nothing much to take a picture of. I do not think a wrinkled lotus leaf and half a cup of ice would be very appealing. So you'll just have to trust my word on what's within the glutinous rice.
~~~

~~~
Along the way to the peak, I saw 2 sky scrappers which were ever so present in Hong Kong TVB drama serials. Before that day, I had only seen them in those serials. Now that I am standing 30 feet from these 2 imposing structures, I feel a sense of awe. The single building is the BANK OF CHINA TOWER, and the twin buildings are called LIPPO TOWER and PEREGRINE TOWER.
~~~

~~~
I took a tram up to THE PEAK. It was not hard to find the place. Just follow the throngs of tourist that are headed to the same place. I paid a little bit more to go up to the observation tower.

The journey up to THE PEAK was a very steep one. At some stages, the level of incline was more than 45 degrees. The amazing thing was, there are about 3 stops along the way before the tram reaches THE PEAK, and people who live at residences surrounding THE PEAK were alighting and boarding at these stops as if they were a regular public transport.

The view of HongKong city from the observation deck was breathtaking. No wonder property around that area would cost more than a pretty penny.

I only bought a one way ticket up THE PEAK because I had wanted to try taking a bus through the long and winding path down THE PEAK. The ride - how shall I put it - left me gasping. I did not really know where to alight. I just decided to stop where I saw crowds gathering. And that place turned out to be the west side of the Hong Kong CBD.
~~~

~~~
There is a stark contrast in the HKG urban landscape. Imagine, the above pictures were taken just 30 mins (walk) away from the Lippo Tower. These old, untouched buildings add a depth of character to Hong Kong's Jungle of Urban skyscrappers.
~~~

~~~
As I carry on walking, I chanced upon yet another famous HKG landmark - LAN KWAI FONG. It is a popular watering hole for HKG's who and who. I did not linger too long there, I was just passing through. But if time permits I would come here again during the night, that's when one can soak up a totally different atmosphere. I just hope that amongst the many many neon signs, there would not be an extra one on my back which screams "tourist alert". I am trying to blend in you see. It works out fine until I speak. My cantonese isn't exactly comprehenable, much less colliqual.
~~~

~~~
From the far west of the CBD, I took an old school bus tram to the fas east of the CBD - Causeway Bay. It was one of my journey highlights because once again, I only see these trams on TV and in movies. Now that I am actually in one, I'm happy, it feels that I am part of HKG's rich history, even if it is for a fleeting moment.

I was famished by the time I reached Causeway Bay. I had the noodles above. Throughout my entire holiday, I decided NOT to have any fast food or NON HKG food. i.e. no Mac Dees, No KFC, No italian, No Mexican, No Malaysian (for crying out loud) ... You get the drift. I did not fly to HKG to eat Malaysian food you know what I mean. I am making my meals count. And the noodles above was DA BOMB.
~~~

~~~
I walked a few hours in Causeway Bay after Lunch. My legs was about to break. I decided it was time to head on back to the hotel.

I made my way to the MTR. It was quite a walk down to the train. Most of HKG's train system is underground. The trains are fast, clean and the frequency is good. Even though the population density is much higher than Singapore, not once did I feel like I was in a sardine can.

I headed back to the hotel. Collapsed on my extra bed. (I requested for a queen but they only had 2 singles available So I crashed my sweaty self on the unused bed and saved the clean bed for my nightly slumber.) I took a pic of the night scene outside my room window. It was deceptively calm. As soon as I took the shot, I heard horns blaring, vehicles moving... HKG never sleeps.

I decided to rest a while before taking a short walk around the block. I finished off my day with a dessert. Xiu Liu Shan seems to me like a Starbucks of HKG. It is almost on every corner and in every shopping center in Kowloon. It serves desserts. I had a mango something something.

By the way. I had a fever that night. I was so exhasted and I think a little dehydrated. I popped in 2 panadol extras. Downed heaps of water and headed to bed. I was alright by morning.
~~~