understand your soulz

new HDB for first timers...

2010-04-05T22:37:00.003+08:00

the discussion that i had with my bro... for several weeks...

he is, liked a whole bunch of first timers and less than 35years old, not eligible for new HDB flats... just because his 'packaged' salary exceeded slightly over 8k... no 'packaged' less than 8k...

getting a resale flat proved to be a difficulty...

if your income is over 8k per month and below 9k:

- no subsidized HDB flat...

- no housing grant...

- no HDB loan...

Pay a 3rm resale flat with COV $30k... supposing valued at $300K

you will need:

- 30K cash + 5% cash of valuation (15K cos getting bank loan) = 45K

- CPF needs to have 45K + stamp duty est 5K + 1K legal = 51k CPF = 5years of work and CPF contribution of $900 per month in OA...

Govt asked you to get EC (income ceiling is$ 10k per month)... do your maths:

new EC shd be around 650psf (a 3 bedrm EC around 1000sqf) = $650k

- 5% cash @ $32500

- remaining 15% CPF @ $97500....

- bank loan installment (3%interest for 30years) est. $2334...

-----------------------------------

from an article:

The government will not be raising the $8,000 household income limit for the purchase of new HDB flats." ?5 f9 ]# T; P9 u
- K- g# x3 E2 T6 f0 s9 h
National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan told parliament this in response to a question by Sembawang GRC MP Dr Lim Wee Kiak.
/ S4 [, c+ C3 k( l- w# y. w
He said under current guidelines, 8 in 10 Singaporean families are eligible to buy subsidized public housing.

Higher-income households exceeding the income ceiling have many other options including the resale of HDB flats, or new Executive Condominiums./ \+ O1 |6 Z0 F) }( H# |

"As the vast majority of Singaporeans qualify for subsidized public housing under the current rules, HDB has no plans to raise the income ceiling. However, HDB recognizes there may be cases deserving special recognition and will exercise flexibility accordingly. HDB will continue to monitor its policies on income ceiling to ensure that the majority of citizen families can continue to enjoy subsidized public housing".

-----------------------------------------------------

what a joke? when your income is between 8k to 9k (and that's basic with overseas allowance), the govt is talking afford-ability?!!! yes, if you slog your life paying for a house...

no wonder, my bro is still staying overseas with the wife and kid.

can't HDB pass a ruling for first-time married couple the opportunity to own a new HDB flat with no restriction? maybe get them to commit 10years occupancy period before sale... without a proper roof, how can we talk about birth rate increase?

the capped of 8k is not logical... it can be easily reached when both married couple are working, especially undergrads... i think my SIL who is still studying, will not be eligible for HDB if she is working as a prof (first job) next time... how ironic.

when was these 8k capped implemented? 10 years ago? a plate of char kway teow was $2 then, it is at least $3 now... 50% increment but not the income ceiling...

the relevant govt authorities.... help the 'sandwiched' group - the first time young married couple...

My first balloting and my last...

2009-08-12T23:04:00.003+08:00

nope... not the ballot for new MP for my district...

11 Aug 2009 2pm... place: Tao Nan School... P1 balloting... 'fighting' for a place (for ziyi) into the school.

98 applicants, 82 vacancies... 83.67346938% of securing a place... how unlucky i can be! i cannot be so suay...

i reached there (alone) 1min before 2pm... the lecture theatre of Tao Nan was already filled with packs and packs of people... from uncles and aunties (obviously grandparents of 'participants') to people of my age (parents and siblings of parents) to kids (most of them were the 'participants' still in school uniform straight from Kindergarten)...this ballot was not compulsory for parents or anyone to attend but the turnout was fantastic (how come we don't get this support when we ask people to go green)... i managed to 'secure' a seating place, beside grandparents...

the event started promptly, conducted by 3 teachers... one of them started to read the names of the participants (children eligible for balloting) after giving a short opening on today's event, another teacher displayed the slips (with the child's name and birthcert) on the OHP and the last person folded the slips and drop into a big fish bowl...

there are various names from Jayvier, Lee Jing, Xavier, Lim Xinyi, Kaevin, Anastasia, Anne and of course, Sze Ee, etc. Her number was 88 out of 98.

when all the 98 names were read, the equivalent number of slips were already in the bowl... Parents were asked to participate in helping to pick the slips from the bowl.. slips (with the kid's name) picked would entitled the kid to a place in the school.

using a 3x3 box template (one piece of A4 paper would have 9 names), the slips were drawn one at a time by parent and the name/slip was taped to a box... the parents/relatives/grandparents of the first selected kid should not be around as there was no response from the crowd... drawings of the names became faster as parents formed up the line to 'pick' the slips (of course, hoping to get the slip belonging to their child)...

"are those on the screen selected or not?", asked the uncle beside me... i replied with a yes... he seeked a second opinion with the couple behind and they reaffirmed... then he said, "really huh, like that confirm liao at No.4." and he quickly called his daughter (parent of kid) to report the good news... Duh... that's his grandchild name "Lee Jing" and i remembered clearly... while we were talking, the first 9 children securing a place in Tao Nan were picked... no signs of my girl...

9/82.. no worries... 18/92 still cool on it... 27/82, no problem but start messaging my wife of the progress... at 40/82, the slip of a twin was drawn, thereby taking 2 seats... 40 and 41... "Yes!", "yeah!", "yahoo!" were heard every now and then...

in less than 10 minutes, number 56/82 was drawn, still no "Sze Ee" in sight... i started to worry... i really so suay... (went to 2 temples to pray and still no luck)...

73/82 (the second last piece of template), suay, that's all i was thinking then... really suay...

78/82 Xavier... Ziyi's MMI classmate was selected and i could see the joy on his mum's face... she later described the experience as nerve-wrecking! and how true... heart-thumping too.

81/82... the last person on the 9th template and no signs of "Sze Ee".... i took my bag and was prepared to leave the place... thinking how to break the 'bad news' to my wife...

82/82 picked by a lady, "Lim Sze Ee." she read... i was too shocked to react... for a minute, i was sitting there... just to confirm on the spelling of her name on the projector... confirming that it was really her name... YES!!! YES!!! YES!!!

"you never kanna huh?", asked the uncle sitting beside me... i told him it's the last one... the last name... he reverted and kept saying "sibei heng hor, you very lucky, very lucky."...

balloting is not fun at all... it's torturing... like an ordeal..

the feeling was liked having my final year exam... come to think of it, it was worse... at least i read a bit for exam and came prepared with a level of confidence... i can understand how the 16 parents feel... at 81/82 seats...

that minute (after the final draw) seems damn long, all the prayers at temples paid off... the time taken to register and attend this P1 event was worth the effort... but this balloting will be my last... and i hope not to come again... *P1 balloting is not for the faint-hearted."

*heart still pumping at exceptional rate while writing this piece of blog*

PS: must return prayers...

real slow in completing book

2009-07-05T22:13:00.002+08:00

completed my second book of the year (and it's already july)...

a recommended book for people into sales or looking for more frens....

"How To Make People Like You In 90 Seconds Or Less" by Nicholas Boothman.

it teaches the techniques of leaving first impression, mimicking a person's actions and behaviour, and understanding the various signs / signals of a visual, audio and kinestic person...

a rather lengthy book (for me)...

comics and mag are still my best buddies...

sad... not a good feeling

2009-07-03T23:52:00.003+08:00

soulz meter: sad...

today: my usual groundhog day... fetching my wife and my girls after work... on the way to my in-laws place, turning into the small lane leading to carpark...

as i was turning left, i stopped abruptly as i saw this girl lying on the middle of the lane!... how irresponsible is that family? whom walked past the girl and did not bother to 'teach' her...

a second thought flew past... the girl did not move for a couple of seconds... the family that walked past her, turned back and was calling... time (less than a second) seems to freeze... that girl was MOTIONLESS... i knew for once that she was gone.

i slowly drove past the 'small gap' between the two-way lanes and her... saw the pool of blood on right side of the lane and her right arm in red... i suddenly felt for her... the same feeling when my mum passed away... odd but really sad.

a young life wasted... due to stress, pressure? from school, relationship, family or $$?

that feeling still lingers as i am writing this chapter...

PS: the way to quality life: learn to handle stress.

'must-see' movies in cinema...

2009-07-02T22:48:00.003+08:00

it's been a while since my wife and i last visited a cinema (without my girls)... this year is exception.

we went thru a number of movies... X-Men Origins-Wolverine, Star Trek and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.. to name a few...

watching a movie is always enjoyable with someone you loved... of course, the movies must be of certain acceptable standard for us to catch...

Star Trek the movie: i had never been a fan... never caught any seasons ... the 2 things i know of Star Trek before watching... "beam me up" and Captain Spock (the guy with that pair of pointed ears)... Whether you are a fan or not, this is a must-see this year... if you miss it, own the DVD or Bluray... whatever... good effects, good plot, good mixture of race?!

X-Men on Wolverine... ok or so-so... watch it only if you really want to know how Wolverine came about... not really required to know though... plot a bit lame.

Transformers 2... my personal fav... nothing much abt plot... if you like the cartoon series (since my generation)... the first few seasons, you will love this show (forget about part 1 of Transform... it is basically a 30-minute cartoon extended to 2.5hrs of autobots and decepticons... and allspark... all the 'transform and roll out', action packed thru'out, the special effects... totally awesome for me... (to appreciate)... Michael Bay has done justice to the cartoon series, only if more colors can be added to the transformers... but Megan Fox is .... woooooo... (ticket already worth).

most of us would not spend the time and $$ to watch movies in cinema (especially applyin' leave)... where all the sound effects and movie quality can be experienced at home... (i think my system can produce the same effect)...

the true experience lies with the person sitting beside you during the whole show... that's why movies in theatres become a MUST-SEE...

1976 miles of road trip with 2 weeks... it's damn...

2009-05-10T22:23:00.006+08:00

GREAT... GOOD FEELING.

that's my driving mileage in USA (13 Apr to 27 Apr 2009).. from touching down in San Francisco and off to Hertz... driving straight from the airport to next town, Watsonville... *knocked out* very soon (thanks to that JET-LAG).

left-handed driving and speedometer in miles did not improve my understanding of US road conditions for 2 to 3 days.. especially turning right almost on the next road (can be on red light)... keeping to right side of the lane for slow coach (road hogger) like me during the first week...

driving is a definite must to travel and enjoy the trip covering San Francisco (cooling weather but 'freezing winds' along coastal drive), LA (cooling weather) and Las Vegas (hot but dry) and back to SF (passing Yosemite with their snow)... 2 weeks was not enuff.

Places visited (in chronological order):
- Gilroy Premium Outlet
- Coastal Drive along Highway 1 (from Monterey Bay to Hearst Castle)
- Carmel by the Sea
- Pismo Beach Premium Outlet (not recommended)
- Andersen's Pea Soup at Buellton Town (depending on your taste, too salty for me)
- Solvang: Little Denmark
- Downtown Disney, Anahiem
- Disneyland Resorts
- California Adventure
- Hollywood Boulevard (Walk of Fame)
- Beverly Hills (don't go unless you like bungalows)
- Getty Arts Museum
- Desert Hill Premium Outlet (allocate at least 4 to 6 hours of shopping)
- Miracle Mile Shopping Centre, Las Vegas
- Mandalay Bay, Shark's Reef
- MGM Grand, see the lions
- Flamingo, see their flamingoes and mandarin ducks
- Fashion Mall, Las Vegas
- Bellagio, water fountain display
- Mirage, Volcano eruption!
- Grand Canyon (recommended to stay one night if you want to have good photographs)
- Las Vegas Premium Outlet (another 4 to 6 hours of shopping)
- FRYs.com, electronic store (Blu-ray and electronic stuff)
- Forum Shops @ Caesars (must stay at Caesars Palace next trip)
- Ethel's Chocolate Factory & Cactus Garden
- Sunmaid Factory (no tour to public *sigh*)
- Best Buy, Target (the big stores at Fresno)
- Yosemite National Park (allocate a full day including driving there, it was snowing at some parts of the park! 6000ft elevation!)
- Jelly Belly Factory Tour (recommended if you like Jelly Beans!)
- Napa Valley, St Vattui's Vineyard (for wine tasting)
- Old Faithful Geyser
- Driving on Golden Gate Bridge
- Union Sq @ San Francisco
- Lombart St (crookedest st, at least 50deg downward slope and in S-shaped crank course), must drive there to see the night scene!
- Cruise ride on Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island
- Pier 39 to watch seals and sea lions!
- Cable car @ San Francisco MUNI
- Chinatown @ SF
- Crab House @ Pier 39 (famous for their killer crabs!)

my itinerary will be better on my next visit (pray, pray), going to Las Vegas (for a killing), drive to LA and back at SF... while visiting Grand Canyon and Yosemite National Park again... not forgetting the coastal drive along Highway 1... preferably thru business class SQ.

Photos link (not ending):
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=76027&id=770503070&l=8c31e635d6

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=76094&id=770503070&l=138871f26d

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=76116&id=770503070&l=03ee18241c

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=76431&id=770503070&l=658f23885a

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=76714&id=770503070&l=25d77e659e

Autobiography: My National Service - Awards

2009-03-29T22:01:00.006+08:00

for serving 10 years in the army, you get Hamilton watch with your name engraved. unique and true exclusivity to me (prior to this, i wanted to sell it if there is no engraving *sigh*).

i have 2 of these medals for being the best NS Unit. (Should we have 6 medals? see these reasons.)

of course, the most important award is the MR letter to inform me that i am no longer under Mindef Notification Centre, no more IPPT and mobilisation.

596 SIR ex-120mm Mortar Platoon Commander

2009-03-29T21:40:00.000+08:00

our reservist PC (in civilian) for eight years of in camp before he is posted out.... saluting you, Sir!

Autobiography: My National Service - Mindef Reserve

2009-03-22T22:57:00.006+08:00

21 Mar 2009 really marked the end of my Army career... or it is not?

1) the day of my reservist unit, 596 SIR stand down;
2) the day that we received Hamilton watch for our 10 years of service;
3) the day (although 31 March 2009 is the official MR) that i belonged to Mindef Reserve (MR);
4) the day that i can really 'hung' up all the camouflage uniform, SBO, helmet, full pack, black duffel bag, boots, all the mobilisation packs;

i will miss the reservist days of crazy jokes between commanders and men, the special English language that we converse in, the Big 2 game (including climbing the stairs to buy drinks), hadoken thru PSP, brotherhood of men and among us (commanders namely Seah K P, Tong W M, Seow L B, Ang W S... of course, our ex-PC Chua T W)... and Lao Da (Tan W B), ex-6SIR.

Photos of this event.

596 SIR stand down parade was held at Army Museum (beside Singapore Discovery Centre) at 7pm 21 Mar 2009... we had our last march in (in front of the spectators of family members, frens, comrades and ex-army mates, etc)... for a moment, standing in front of the crowd, i felt proud and happy to be part of this unit (though i should be with 595 SIR since i am a ex-6SIR commander) [596SIR belongs to ex-3SIR 7th Mono Intake]... they are really the best... mortar platoon was great... i salute to this platoon who dares to be different, who is agressive when needed, who captured the 3rd Guards Battalion 2IC during exercise, etc.

the achievements of 596SIR were history in making and i doubt any other NS Infantry Unit can achieved what we have achieved...

SAF awards to 596SIR (out of 10 years of service)
2001/02 Best NS Infantry Unit
2003/04 Best NS Infantry Unit
2004/05 Best NS Infantry Unit
2005/06 Best NS Infantry Unit
2006/07 Best NS Infantry Unit
2007/08 Best NS Infantry Unit
Best ATEC Score by an NS Infantry Unit

how far can another NS infantry unit go? this record will forever be in our Army Museum... see my signature in the booklet too under 1SG (NS) Lim Meng Chong.

it will take another few more blogs to capture my National Service... right from BMT (in Pulau Tekong).

fulfillin' resolution... mark this day 21 Feb 2009

2009-02-25T22:47:00.005+08:00

after years of resolution making for New Year... i am finally making realistic resolution... ... easy this year as to last year...

1) read and completed my first book (from NLB): National Geographic Photography Field Guide: Secrets to Making Great Pictures (picture of book from Amazon.com)... a great book for a noob like me into SLR, though the book is a bit old (some topics on films and B/W, dark room)... the overall techniques in using SLR for different environment are easy to understand and practical... have been trying the various recommendations with my Canon 450D and it works :P

2) this same day, i went for a 30-min cycling (my 'exercise-at-least-once-a-week' resolution): quite tiring on the first few pedals... but as i warmed up, i can reminscent the 'feeling' when i was having night cycling 15 years ago!... great feeling... East Coast Park is great, especially at night with no crowd.

still reading a few books at one go:
a) Wiley Canon EOS Rebel XSi 450D Digital Field Guide
b) How To Make People Like You In 90 Seconds Or Less
c) Beginning Ubuntu Linux - From Novice To Professional (2006)
d) 中华上下五千年

let's see.

albert st prawn mee stall that i will give it a miss... forever!

2009-02-04T23:10:00.003+08:00

the famous Albert St prawn mee stall at old airport road... will have at least 10 less patrons forever starting today...

my family was eating at old airport road hawker centre this evening... we were seating 2 tables away from albert st prawn mee stall... they really had a number of patrons, famous for their prawn and bak kut mee, i tried twice before.

two ah bengs even ordered their prawn mee and were seating on the table outside their stall... when i just finished my fook chow fishball noodle, i heard this 'sssssssss', 'sssssssss' sound... guided by this sound, it was actually coming from albert st prawn mee... the cook was spraying something on the lightings... to my horror, it is the usual can (green and red) that we used to kill cockroaches and other pests! BAYGON!!!!!

these white fluorescent tubes (with the flies flying around) were on top of the utensils and serving table, the soup base was near it... and the cook was busy spraying that can of BAYGON for a good 15 seconds, i could almost see the 'mist' settling on the whole stall.

imagine the look of the ah bengs and the patrons from the other 2 tables... including my wife and i... let's hope that the patrons don't get food poisoning from this stall...

BAN THIS STALL FOREVER... first blacklisted food stall in my 'food glorious food' list.

CNY really flies

2009-02-03T00:03:00.002+08:00

first day of Chinese New Year (CNY) started on 26 Jan 2009... Monday.

the usual visit to my dad's pl... a slight change of plan this year... visited my in-laws (photos) after dad's pl and then last stop at my grandma's, meeting up with my dad's side of extended family, cousins and aunties (about 30 odd)... the last stop always ended with setting up mini 'gambling' den... the big/small dice set that was given free with every new moon abalone purchased... i actually bought the abalone becos of this dice set... hahaha... day 1 ended around 2100hr for me... losing less than 10.

day 2 CNY... visited my elder brother's place... all the kids were really busy playing at the double-decker bus bed... adults were busy with blackjack, KFC and prata... haha... made my best and fastest earning... 40 bucks in 15 mins :P... thereafter rushed to visit my wife's uncle, have another meal (nice and delicious home cooked food)... closed to 3.30pm, we adjourned to my mum's side of extended family... imagine almost 50 people (adults and kids) cramming into a 4-room flat... i was mingling and chatting non-stop with cousins, uncles and aunties... the fastest record was also set here... almost 20+ ang paos given out within 15 min... haha... but joyous occasion... ended last stop at my 2nd uncle's pl... steamboat and another round of chit-chat...

after the 2 days of hectic CNY... 3rd day was 'rest' day for us (wife, my girls and i)... a brief shopping at Vivo (post CNY sale), got my jeans here... and then to Marina Sq for River Hongbao... photos to be posted in facebook and linked soon... pathetic this year...

let's hope that this tradition of giving and visiting continues and ... HUAT AH.

Official 1st day of Office Opening since CNY

2009-02-02T23:44:00.002+08:00

the first day of our office opening since CNY started this day (day 8 of CNY)... not really for any reason as i started work 'technically' on the 4th day of CNY (supposed to be lucky for office opening)...

really unlucky... i strained my left back and 'hit' by my 'fren' ASTHMA again the previous night... it must be the yuan yang (coffee-tea combo) from The Central...

how crazy i am as caffeine is and has always been my assassin... almost killing me last night... literally. thanks buddha that i still have my ventolin... but the back strain stills ponders till this time and date.

'first day' in office... gong xi my boss, did a few quotes and that's it... and of course, mj with kakis.

just 2 hours, i am supposed to be in bed... but ziyi came by with TODAY newspaper asking, "Papa, what is this?", pointing to Sudoku! whoa!

for the last 1 hour, i was explaining and coaching her on the gameplay of sudoku... i think she will enjoy it... she likes numbers and surprisingly can think quite logically (simple straight forward thinking) after many rounds of searching, thinking and filling in rows, columns and boxes with numbers. let's see how she liked it in tomorrow's TODAY.

photos of Christmas 2008 and Two Reunion Dinners cum Two B'Days

2009-01-26T00:16:00.004+08:00

Photos of 2008 Christmas...

Photos of early reunion dinner 2009 at my in-laws and ping's b'day...

Photos of reunion dinner 2009 at my dad's place and junhong's b'day...

Just cakes and flowers plus makan at The Jewel Box

2009-01-14T13:29:00.000+08:00

For our 10 years wedding anniversary, nothing much.. just cakes and flowers.

makan at The Jewel Box (ex- Altivo Bar)... nice ambience...

10 years and counting...

2009-01-13T01:06:00.002+08:00

took leave today (together with wife)... just to pass time and mark the special day on 13 Jan... our 10th year from ROM...

another 10 years and we will have our vows taken or re-taken.?!

Happy New Year... 2009 another year

2009-01-01T23:01:00.004+08:00

2-0-0-9, this was a lousy start for me...
'battered' with sickness starting with sore throat, getting cough, then cold (fever) and runny nose now... *just toook medicine*.

a new year, a new resolution. last year 2008's resolution was simply to complete games, dont leave it hanging half-way which i always do (especially near ending)... year 2008, i kept to my words and cleared most of the games i started... ha ha... nothing great but at least i fulfilled the resolution.

this year 2009, it will be tougher... 2 resolutions in total:
- to complete books that i have purchased in 2008.
- to exercise at least once a week.

pretty easy huh... heck it, as long as it is achievable and i stick to them.

Happy New Year and have a great year ahead... may all your wishes come true.

Gang of Marina Barrage

2008-12-30T10:15:00.001+08:00

members of Big Five "Gang of Marina Barrage".. i wonder what they will look like in 10 years, taking the same style of photos.

Marina Barrage, situated near one end of marina south... good education spot for kids... it has a gallery on Singapore water resources... a demo on how the dam and reservoir worked when there is a flood or high tide.

the view on the topmost floor (aka roof) was scenic. the skyscrapers from shenton way, Singapore flyer, esplanade (aka durian building) and the vast ocean... not to mention the soon-to-be-ready IR at marina bay (aka Sands).

prepare a set of clothings for the kids next time... there are water fountains (like those at bugis junction).

best prawn mee in Singapore...

2008-12-25T13:08:00.003+08:00

for once, i thought whitley prawn noodles at old airport road was the best.

i now give this vote to hwa kee big prawn noodles at cambridge food centre... i was complaining to my wife before i reached this place (really not easy to find)... "so ulu, you sure it's really so nice?!"... H-W-A K-E-E proves me wrong...

i tried soup mee $5... soup was tasty and not too strong... prawn damn good and fresh... you dont feel the MSG after drinking the whole bowl... i think no MSG...

just bear with the disorganise couple preparing the food... heard that their dry one also damn good... and most people go for $10 and $15 bucks... catch them early 7.30am to 2pm... queuing was liked 30 mins for me on weekdays and less crowded timing...

psst, a lot of exec went for the $15 bucks bowl...

sleepwalking or memory fading?

2008-12-16T22:36:00.002+08:00

i still remember this incident vivialy.
it was saturday midnight (or sunday morning?!)... i was sleepin' around 2am after ironing clothes and watching movie 'japan sinking'.

my little girl got up around 3am... kicking and grumbling as usual... she wanted to sleep on our bed...

the next moment... i woke up and found myself at our sofa in the living room!! around 6.30am... my usual working day wake-up timing...

sleepwalk?! i told my wife but she said that she saw me going out when our girl slept on our bed... i had absolutely no impression...

geezzz... memory lapse or really sleepwalk?

PS: our new sofa was a good 'bed'... :P

only 1 correct pair

2008-12-04T23:38:00.002+08:00

these are dated photos... taken during Jinhan's (my nephew) birthday... not pictures of the birthday but rather some odd combinations. which is correct?

close-up shots of my nieces and nephews (wife's side)

2008-12-01T23:04:00.005+08:00

Above (left): Wentong and Huanjin

Second row (left): Ziyi and Xinyi

Last row: Zhirui

close-up shots...

these photos are taken during my father-in-law birthday celebration... only one is not.. can you spot it?

Bond, James Bond

2008-11-15T23:54:00.004+08:00

it has been years since my wife and i (only the 2 of us) watched a movie together due to our girls. the last time we went to the theatre watching "Kungfu Panda" were with Ziyi...

i cannot remember the last movie we watched together before last Friday...

the most recent movie happened last Friday "Quantum of Solace: 007". my all-time fav movie series... i think i caught all the James Bond movie series from Sean Connery to Roger Moore to the person who starred in one and only Jame Bond movie "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" " to Timolty Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and now Daniel Craig... i happened to work in a video recording company while waiting for entry to Poly and managed to 'catch' all Bond series...

seeing M from young to old... all the beauties and villians (Jaws)... fanciful cars, fantastic gadgets... Sean Connery was most charismatic... Tim was the worst Bond other than Lazenby...

Daniel Craig, rugged Bond... with killer secret service agent look... not suave enuff... but action-packed and tough guy...

recent Bond movies "Casino Royale" and "Quantum of Solace" by Craig.., i believe they should be the first 2 Bond movies to watch if you don't know the series... they explained how Bond learns to keep his cool and never fall in love... Daniel is the guy... he will last a few more Bond series... watch Casino Royale before Quantum of Solace, somehow connected... QoS (4.5 stars out of 5 stars)... 0.5 star less for gadget-less Bond and steamy scenes... :P

... and watching with wife is a different enjoyment.

change...

2008-11-15T22:48:00.002+08:00

not the small change in coins... but a change in habit / lifestyle.

i am feeling rather direction-less since Oct... not sure of why and how or what happen...

i felt lazy or lethargic in work, becoming absent-minded, didn't feel like working or staying at home... just wanted to wonder freely and doing nothing...

is it a symptom? is it the age barrier of 35 coming? i really have no idea on how to cope with it... i wanted something or some change but have no idea what the hell they are or it is... crazy notion...

i started to explore my inner self more... making same changes to my habit... brushing teeth using another hand... sleeping position change... not using my PSP after bathe... while at the same time, thinking of giving to society.

Yah, contributing to society... that's something that i always wanted to do... ironic, i am not as helpful or sensitive... how to give? and what to contribute? other than cash...

becoming volunteer? or giving free bazi analysis?

we live to -C-H-A-N-G-E- or -H-A-N-G- (when you make no head or tail)...

Sze Ee MMI Concert 2008

2008-11-05T22:46:00.007+08:00

without fail, there will be a graduation concert for K2 at Ziyi's MMI (Montessori)... K1 and K2 will present their performance, same place NTUC Auditorium... expensive carpark charges.

her event this year, "clatter and rattle".

Autobiography: My School - Primary Part 2

2008-10-30T20:33:00.003+08:00

My primary school days was from 1981 to 1986... easy to remember.

Second part of this segment is to really seek old frens... before my memory fails.
Boys: Wei Huanbo, Fuyu, Xu Shunxing, Chen Jinshun, Chen Kexun and many many more etc.
Girls: Pan Xiuqing, Chen Qingping, Bai Liyun, Chen Jingjing, Chen Sumei, Ke Caixia, Shufang, etc.

Got to see the Pri 6 farewell book...

i vaguely remember my classes but i think they were 1A, 2A, 3A, 4N1, 5N1 and 6N1...

Mr Lim, our form teacher during P6... super strict but really good in English studies... how strict?! he did not allow any students to cross legs during lessons or your table would be 'your standing ground'...

not because of vengence... there was this Chinese teacher during my P3 who gave me a tight slap on my face... becos i was mischievious...

all my siblings went thru Bukit Ho Swee Primary... i could still see my younger bro being bullied by his peers (mostly girls) during his P1 from underneath the classroom partition.. :P

hair trivia

2008-10-12T23:02:00.002+08:00

after almost 30 years of washing hair... i am still so 'shallow'...

(though mine is still in healthy condition)... i am not thinning... mine is inheritance.. my dad also has less hair and my girls too.

gotten this piece of information from 1003fm... on how to take good care of your hair...
1) never wash in very warm water as it will produce more 'oil' to your hair scalp.
2) try not to comb hair when it is wet... cos the hair is most brittle at this time... if need to, use a comb with 'bigger teeth'.
3) don't massage the conditioner into your scalp... conditioner is needed for the hair and not our scalp...

and lastly... from me, read the direction to use on conditioner and shampoo to get optimal results... i just read the usage of my conditioner after few years... it read "after applying, let the conditioner stays for 1 to 2 mins before rinsing"... duh!

F1, pardon me...

2008-10-05T23:25:00.002+08:00

26th to 28th sept 2008... marked the whole first for Singapore... our little red dot was hosting the first F1 night race in the world...

F1... it has never been in my books... i like rally more than this... what's so great about a bunch of cars zooming in the same tracks for over 40 laps without terrain issues to tackle?

pardon me for my ignorance... i did not watch the event at Marina for this event... catching the 3 days over channel 5 and starhub channel... how wrong am i...

first 2 days were quite bored... F1 cars are zooming at almost 300kmph and placements for finals are in milliseconds and seconds...

then the final... i (with my 2 girls) was at my dad's place, catching it live over starhub sports... with Meng and family... my wife was 'sponsored' by her company to watch live... same as my elder bro... how lucky... cos they got the expensive VIP suite... costing over SGD6K+ per pax... free flow of food, wine, champagne... sheltered... near the start / finish and pit areas...

final F1 race in Singapore... Massa, Hamilton, Kimi... the top 3 drivers lined up and off they go... a series of twists and turns landed Alonso the champion... but it is really a game of strategy, good comm and precision by the manager & team, the speed and accuracy of the pit stop, the stamina and endurance (including skill) of the driver coupled with a minor stroke of luck that sums up a good and bad team... the engine and technology of F1 car makes a difference too.

Ferrari team was a joke... they must have hated Singapore circuit... sometimes 'lollipop' is better than technology advancement...

Singapore F1 race was truly a success... my first time that i watched a F1 race and i truly enjoyed them... F1 Singapore 2009, here i come.

a few more achievements...

2008-09-24T23:58:00.002+08:00

these are not the "to-be-proud-of" achievements...
my resolution this year is to complete more games... :P

just completed "puzzle quest" for PSP... a mixed of RPG with Bejeweled... it really sets you thinking of pitting your skills with computer... it has a multi-player mode too... have not tried to pit my skills against others... good for all ages... my wife was quite relunctant at first but was stuck with this game now... i completed with Druid and will work on Knight now...

another great game of all time... i think the greatest game that i have played in my life after Super Mario series... Metal Gear Solid 4 for PS3!!!

fantastic graphics, great replay value... the only game that i have completed 3 times and going for at least another 2 completion... the range of weapons is huge... the controls are awesome... you can be aggressive or stealth mode for the whole game...the cut-scenes were flawless except that it could be better (i.e. better facial expression, better posture and lighting like Final Fantasy series)... MGS4 used up the blu-ray disc capacity of 50GB!... i just felt that they should use 100GB (2 discs)... let's hope Kojima's team will remember this on the next Metal Gear series.

another 'exciting' week!

2008-09-24T23:52:00.003+08:00

this week is getting tiring and exciting...
my wife is away again to Austria this time... leaving Sunday and coming back Saturday.

my girls and i are seeking lodging at my in-law's place again...

zhirui is still recovering from her runny nose and cough... she has been sick since the mooncake festival day...

the tough part is to send both kids to and fro school... carrying the barangs (their bags).. and most of the time, carrying zhirui... she will practically 'roll' on the floor if i made her walk... my back will definitely hurt when i am older...

i cannot imagine being a 'single' parent (for long)... kudos to single parent who brought up their kids!

Autobiography: My School - Primary

2008-09-09T00:50:00.000+08:00

'both' of my primary schools were within walking distance from my home in Bukit Ho Swee.

first was Bukit Ho Swee East Primary School.. white top and brown shorts... we shared the same school compound with 'rival' Bukit Ho Swee West Primary School... one of my old neighbours, Johnson Lim was from there.

what's the rivalry about? we used to challenge them in one of the oldest sports in school, one-leg... East meets West, boys vs boys, girls vs girls... before school starts... at least once or twice a week.

in those days, i was one of those 'top 10' one-legged players... playing and 'working' not just in the game but 'organising' which players to go first and who's next... fun fun and still fun.

irony 1: i was not allowed to take PE lessons (physical education) but i still played one-leg in school . shhh... and damn good... since i couldn't take physical training, i joined Chess Club and learnt both English and Chinese Chess, challenging Johnson almost daily.

though one of the smallest size in school (i think 1.3m or 1.4m, always in the first row during lessons), i got a lot of respect from peers... one of their 'leaders'... asking mates to do the 'dirty jobs' (buy drinks, get things, etc. nothing 'criminal')... while being the teachers' pet at the same time.

my results were good for Pri 1 and 2. i topped the class and among the school. for the next 3 years, i was still in top 10 though not ideal and kana caned by dad most of the time when results were out... i was (that time) getting lazy in studies and all play for me.

second primary school was still the same place... Bukit Ho Swee West Primary School MERGED with our school and became Bukit Ho Swee Primary School... that year was PSLE... almost half the class was new faces... i remembered our English and Form Teacher, Mr Lim... super strict but he was good in teaching and i respected him.

games and fun at school still carried on... we played rubber bands and erasers, and i would sold them for 10cents after winning those bands and erasers from schoolmates... we played four stones, police & thief (even in rainy days), marbles, hide & seek (whole compound! even hiding in drains!), catch guppies and toads... chasing green crested lizards.

these form of fun should be the reasons why my mum said that i was the most mischievious and 'accident-prone' among my siblings... but still a goodie boy among teachers.

... school tuckshop (n.k.a. canteen) with benches and tables lined up side by side... chilli noodles @ 30 cents, buying tidbits and sticker books (World Cup 1986 Mexico!), brushing teeth after meal..i can still smell the 油条 with chilli & sweet sauce that was sold outside our school and i would buy them for 20 cents on the way home.

soon PSLE came and primary school days were over... i decided on my secondary school on my own... got my 3As and 1A* (in Maths) at aggregate score of 242... i was 'enlisted' into Chung Cheng High School Branch at Guillemard Road... school days continue.

fun at Burger King!

2008-09-09T00:20:00.003+08:00

pics of my girls at Burger King East Coast... zhirui is trying to imitate the elder sister.

when is the right time...?

2008-09-09T00:01:00.003+08:00

ziyi just celebrated her 5th birthday.

she is sensible at times and likes to read books and puzzle-liked games... she can be quite independent at times but at times throwtantrums to get attention... when she did that, my first reaction was to scold her... she saw her sister threw tantrums and got what she (zhirui) wanted... she wonders why there are 2 different sets of treatment from us... we explains to her time and again, but...

she likes a hug from me... she likes me to sleep beside her... i felt that she should not be too reliant on me...

when is the right time to hug her? when is the right time to let her be independent? when is the right time to tell her off?

being a parent is tough... more challenging than managing my staff.

Sze Ee's 5th Birthday Party

2008-08-31T01:06:00.004+08:00

23rd Aug (a day after my trip)... another exciting event...

ziyi's 5th birthday party @ explorerkids downtown... (after going to at least 4 kids' playground locations)... 2 hours of using room for cake cutting and gathering... the kids really had fun... thanks to friends and close family members for coming to this party... oh, the 'barbie-like' birthday cake from polar was great in taste and looked beautiful.

after the 2 hours of 'closed' session, all day free play 'kicks in' for the kids... parents like me get to follow the kids and play the mega playground (the slides were great and exhilarating!)... haha... totally worth it since the normal days of gameplay will be SGD11 per hour per kid...

my girls had 5 hours of fun... and don't want to leave...

2 days later, ziyi had another celebration at her school... a hello kitty cake... goodie bags for her friends... cake finished within 15 mins after it was cut... her frens were really good (in eating)... kids... kids and kids... so fun and loving!

bintan trip

2008-08-31T00:57:00.003+08:00

i had a hectic trip to bintan island, indonesia on 21st Aug and back on 22nd Aug... a motorola-symbol partner training...

we stayed in bintan lagoon resort... nice sea view and beach frontage... but 'thanks' to the iterinary of the event and the dark storm and rain... we had no time to enjoy any sea sports!

the resort room was great though, newly furnished, LCD TV, nice resting area... the only concern was the many bugs that flew to your room if you did not keep your door or windows shut...especially at night...

good relax place but don't expect to find any shopping.

Days to remember... 1st Aug and 9th Aug 2008

2008-08-11T00:25:00.002+08:00

1st of August 2008 (friday)... an exciting day for Zhirui... her first day in school or rather playgroup... seems ok with mummy around... Mum left at half day and she was okay...

4th Aug to 7th Aug... i sent her to school... she screamed when i left... no choice... she had to get used to school life... she was so happy to see me when i fetch her around 5 plus everyday... Mum in UK.

8th Aug... my girls were celebrating National Day in MMI! they were having fun and so happy... cos it was half day in school!

9th Aug... National Day!... not that i want to remember this day (though important)... Zhirui was having fever and vomitting all day... or whenever she ate or drank... this 'lucky' day... almost all clinics were closed... we had to send her to KK Children's Emergency at 10pm+ and only went back at 2am+... how eventful... i foresee many sleepness nights.

younger generation...

2008-07-16T22:28:00.002+08:00

is it really that the younger generation (those born on late 80's onwards) brought up differently?

they are into the computer era, live life facing the computer... what's their childhood life like?

or issit because their life is too 'good'... too protected..?!

i just felt that this late 80's 90's generations are without initiative, without the drive to learn, lazy and don't think with their brain... they may be very versed in their studies, but EQ.... hmmm...

am i the only one feeling like this... i doubt so.

learning to communicate (verbal and written) is a skill, eating etiquette is a skill, handling same situations differently is a skill, handling people is a skill...

you can mimic a good speaker or good sales... the idea is no to be liked them but rather, exceed them, modify and become a better speaker, sales...

we are all unique.

end of 'holiday camp'

2008-06-29T22:50:00.004+08:00

today, marks the official end of my 'holiday camp' lasting almost 14 months...

holiday camp = stay at in-law's place.

my family was backed at Bayshore... except for my youngest daughter cos she still needs to be taken care of until Aug 1st... where off she goes... to MMI together with jie jie Ziyi.

i am going to miss:
- the daily veg, fruits and nuts' juice that my mother-in-law concocted;
- not doing housework;
- and of course, her cooking (will try to go back at least twice a week now).

but back at home is really good, you have all the freedom to do things.
i can play my PS3 till late, leave things a little messy, buy our fav food and binge, not having to 'fight' for the toilet early morning, don't have to pay for season parking, utilise the facilities (pool and gym)... and i think i will reach office early everyday!

one month to go and my youngest will be backed with us... i wonder how things will change?!

Kungfu Panda! the movie to remember...

2008-06-14T00:06:00.003+08:00

that's not for me to remember but Ziyi (my eldest girl)... her first movie in the cinema... thanks to Nokia for bringing this event to Nokia staff and their family.

funny panda... all the animals are so 'cutely' drawn... theme of the movie: nothing is accidental.

a good de-stress movie... adults should watch too. Ziyi enjoyed it, laughing her way except for the fighting scenes.

"yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift. that's why they call it the present", by Master Woo Kway... well said welllll saiddd.

nature's way to good health

2008-06-10T22:35:00.004+08:00

often (or as we grow older), we tried to find more and better ways to eat healthy, sleep early, exercise regularly... using moisturizer to protect out skin, anti-ageing cream to clear the wrinkes, hair growth products to aid in darker and healthier hair...

are they effective?

the recent ad with Jackie Chan as spokeperson for 霸王hair growth products brings credibility to the product... he said he tested the product and it worked!

i had been using this Loreal Men's anti-ageing cream and the 'lines' starts to disappear or minimise... been trying to eat less oil, less snacks, more fruits and drink more water... but have not been able to exercise regularly...

lately, i came across this book from Dr Tom Wu (吴永志医生), "不一样的自然养生法"... saw this doc at a Taiwan TV program... he has a unique way of living.

he was struck with 3rd stage of cancer at age of 30+... diagnosed with few months to live... undetered with the chemo and treatment to stay alive... he decided to change his way of living, his diet and lifestyle... within 9 months, he FULLY RECOVERED!

he is no GOD... 30 years after the cancer recovery, he decided on this book (after years of research and patient cases)...

his method requires some determination...

some tips from the book (still reading):
1) drink his method of juices (comprising mostly of vegetables, fruits, nuts, etc)... depending on whether you need to strengthen immune system, reduce high blood or high sugar, etc... at least 4 to 6 glasses per day... try to drink half hour before actual meal... try for 4 to 6 months.
2) drink a lot of 'clean / distilled' water.
3) clear bowels at least 3 times daily... if cannot be done, try to take high fibre powder to achieve that.
4) exercise at least 30 minutes (brisk walking) daily.
5) sun tan for 30 minutes daily.
6) half hour nap.
7) have hot and cold shower.
8) best time for body to recover ('building' body immune and repair system) is 10pm to 2am.

it's really a 'tall' list of tasks but i believe achievable. trying out point 1 to 4...
it will be easier if family members join in the 'fun'... at least my mother-inlaw and sister-inlaw are drinking the same juice ('strengthening and building immune system' juice).

start chewing organic linseed or flax seed...

a planned trip to Hong Kong - part 3

2008-06-02T22:41:00.003+08:00

my 3rd time to HK and i am still yanking on that country (after 3 weeks)...

1st time to HK was with my sister, jeremy, raymond and my wife (then my girlfriend) plus some frens, i think... 2nd time was after our Korea honeymoon (stopover at HK for 3D2N).

shopping in women's street was the same 10 years ago except for the many other shops at the adjacent street and the predominant used of Mandarin compared to Cantonese when we first came... the place was crowded even at 9pm and it seemed to go on forever... eating, drinking and shopping all the way...

most of the shops were opened early and closed late... we went into a Bossini shop at 10pm and it was still packed... apparently it opened from 9am and closed at 11.30pm... hardworking bunch...

shopping culture was really different from Singapore where we visit shopping centres... most of their outlets/shops were by the roadsides, stretches and stretches of shops down all directions of the roads at kowloon island... really shop till you drop...start with the ferry terminal of kowloon and all the way to women street...

local HK cafe was typical like Singapore HK cafe, except that the portion was for American... full of rice (like 饭桶)... giant size (no need to upsize)... order 3 dishes for 4 persons and you can never go wrong... tried wanton noodles (dry and soup), best wanton ever (succulent meat and prawns!)... tried their roasted goose and other meat, thumbs up! i missed the food actually... looked out for 许留山for their ever famous mango desserts and you can never go wrong...

we were at Macau and visited Venetia and Ruins of St Paul... free food tasting at Ruins and you can forget about dinner after reaching the end of street, buy all local delicacies here... we tried the pork chop burger... bagus!

Lantau island changed the most compared to our 2nd visit, i still remembered taking the bus to visit the Big Buddha... now?! cable car all the way!... Disneyland, Ngong Ping 360 cable car, a shopping centre full of factory outlets, our famous "Food Republic" serving good food like Singapore... Lantau is enuff to keep us occupied for a full day... cable car is a must try for families, air is so fresh and cooling, scenic view.

Kowloon island was much the same, streets and buildings still as old... no greens (you hardly see trees or flowers), air polluted (not like Lantau island)... MTR stations was like Tokyo style, slightly better than last visit as they were renovated... still dimly lit, not like those in Lantau.

taxi was cheap, no surcharge (except for luggages abt HKD5 and toll), no midnight charge, no extra charge for MPV taxis... more than 4 persons for long distance, take cab... else MTR dominated...

we didn't have time for Shenzhen, Zhuhai... must plan on 4th trip...

a planned trip to Hong Kong - part 2

2008-05-29T17:11:00.003+08:00

some of the photos to Hong Kong can be found at here.

videos taken by my in-laws are too large to be posted...

12 May this year...

2008-05-25T23:55:00.002+08:00

this day... i would be taking leave like any other year as it's my birthday... but i did not for this year... as i needed leave for my HK trip.

closed to 2 weeks had past... and i realised that 12 May 2008 was a sad date this year...

Sze Chuan Earthquake started on this day... at first reported few hundreds dead and students trapped in rubbles... 2 weeks past and it has escalated to 50k dead! and still counting!

12 May (as i noticed News at 10 today) happened to the day that Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's wife fell into a coma and still in that state...

it's not a dark date/day for me but to the thousands and many more ... i wish all beings happy, healthy and wishes come true.

should i be the volunteer?

a planned trip to Hong Kong

2008-05-22T01:25:00.002+08:00

just back from a long vacation (15 May to 19 May 2008) to HK... the last one was liked Aug 2005 to Japan...

the challenge to Hong Kong was not bringing my 2 girls along (although Zhirui proved to be a problem on the plane back), but to take a stroller and 2 big luggages (one for us and the other, my in-laws).. plus many smaller bags when we came back...

family outing to HK was quite fun though... my girls loved DisneyLand! Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, all Disney Princesses, etc... Ziyi loved the rides (Flying Dumbo, Magical Tea Cups, Space Ships), the shootout at Buzz LightYear car ride, 3D theatre of Mickey's Fantasy (must see!) and Stitch Space Adventures... best of all, Disney Parade! **check out AdventureLand Boat Ride!

Disney shops in DisneyLand were a killer to our pockets, so many things to buy... picking one shirt after another, taking one toy after another, shop hopping to check on different items...

Stayed in Disney's Hollywood Hotel (for first night)... relatively cheap for family, about SGD200+ but it can accomodate 4 adults... i felt like i was in my childhood days, having fun with my girls... we did not manage to visit all the adventures as the girls and my inlaws were too tired after a 7-hours-or-so walk in DisneyLand... HK DisneyLand was not big, one full day walk should be enuff... size is good for smaller kids (5 and above).

1st day was actually a cable car ride at Ngong Ping 360... 30 minutes ride to the big Buddha at Lantau Island... only SGD15+, good scenic and definitely more worth it than Singapore Flyer @ SGD29.50! my back almost broke that night, carrying a big bag and stroller up the stairs of big Buddha, at least 150 to 200 steps.

2nd day, we shifted to Prudential Hotel at Kowloon (Jordan MTR) after DisneyLand, its more centralised to go to most places of interest...

3rd day, Macau's Venetia Resort... must go... for shopping, eating and gambling... i really would like to try my hands at the jackpot but having 2 kids around... *sigh*

4th day was really a shop-until-you-drop day, went to Causeway Bay... walk, shop, eat... my father-inlaw felt that his legs were giving way... haha! went back hotel around 8plus, put down our things and off we went to Temple St, more shopping (Ziyi and my father-inlaw waved the white flag and stayed in the hotel)... i almost gave up as well and wished for a good foot massage...

5th day morning, we were back at HK airport, ready for our journey back...

how much have we shopped? 2 big luggages, 1 backpack and 1 empty Samsonite cabin bag before 'adventure'... we came back with 2 full big luggages, 1 backpack and 1 full Samsonite cabin bag plus 2 duffel bags, one plastic bag of biscuits...

watch out for videos and pictures!

Begin with an End in Mind...

2008-05-13T22:50:00.002+08:00

one of the seven habits of highly effective people... the easiest habit to remember but hardest to fulfill.

this is my resolution this year... to complete all games (good games though) that i started... so far so good...

with the completion of games, i am becoming more and more focused on other aspects of life, be it job, status... etc.

mind over body... IPPT

2008-05-08T21:34:00.003+08:00

IPPT, NSmen annual physical test... lasting 10 years after we become NSmen...

every year without fail, i would fail this test during my in-camp... take 3 times in Maju Camp and passed before my birthdate...

this year (my last test)... this year was truly tough... first attempt 2 weeks ago 29 April was hell. i thought i was confident in passing but failed miserably in the 2.4km run @ 13min 52sec (passing time 13.00min)... the worse thing was the pain that continue for the next few days... ankle pain, stiff neck, calf pain, thigh pain, stomach pain... the fact was i run like hell, i did not stop or walk at all...

second attempt, 6 May 2008... usual stuff of 4 static stations (standing broad jump, pull-ups, sit-ups and shuttle run)... all chicken feet...

the killer 2.4km again!... knowing that i need to clock another minute less than last attempt... i started sprinting at the start... i think for about 600m... or so... 'tyre punctured', my knee 'pulled the brakes', i ended walking up the slope... 'mind over body' i told myself, forcing the pair of wobbly legs to run... run... run... passed the 800m at 3min 47sec (safe timing).

second round of 800m, i walked at the 200m mark! 'mind over body' 'mind over body'... the legs seemed slower to react... completed second round (including first) at 8min 19sec (definitely on either a borderline pass or fail).

third round, same thing, walked at 200m or so... this time round... the mind was telling me to go for RT... totally breathless and the 'stupid' pair of legs was giving way... dashed a bit, another 4oom at the upslope, the legs stopped, the body refused to go, mind was thinking of RT dates... the brain (my will to pass) 'kicked' in... it was liked the last turbo... WILL took over... passed the finishing mark... saw the timing at 12in 47sec!!!!!! YES!!!

it's not mind over body, WILL or DETERMINATION ... thank Buddha...

IRONY 1: 2 days passed and no major body ache...

IRONY 2: walk and jog passed the IPPT, but pure jogging failed!

identify the sex of your next child

2008-05-02T00:02:00.003+08:00

call it a myth... hearsay...

i was quite amazed when i heard from my sis-in-law...

how do you know whether your next child will be a boy or girl?

i dont know what you call it in English... look at the head of your first kid, the 'apex' of the hair (the part where your hair seems to spiral around, 'white patch')...

secret unleashed:
- if the 'apex' is in the centre of the head, your next child will be a boy...
- if it is at the left or right of the head, it must be a girl...

it's true for my sis, eldest girl has the 'apex' in the centre and the second child is boy!
it's true for my sis-in-law.
it's true for me, my eldest girl's has the 'apex' on the left and my second child is girl... the second on is having it in the cente, boy next? hmm, have to think really deep...

what's yours?!

a record breaking day - 20 Apr 2008

2008-04-22T21:37:00.003+08:00

i think our family has the heaviest baby born (20 April 2008), Meng's boy at 3.695kg, time at 1014hr... some 4D to invest... chubby boy with a loud cry, hope they can manage.

Ziyi, my girl held a record too that day, 40.1.... not your usual-to-be-celebrated-about thingy... at 5.30am, she asked me for a cup of water, saying she was thirsty, i was... in my dreams and quite frustrated as she don't usually wake me up during this time... one touch on her (actually wanted to drag her to the kitchen) and uh-oh... FEVER... quickly took her temprature and it was 40.1degrees!!!!!!! shocked and stun for second... gave her progesic (only medicine left), "iced" her... 1 hour fight and the temperature was down to 38.3+... went to sleep without thinking (though still quite high) but too damn tired.

lesson learnt: kids don't wake you up at night for no reasons, it must be an emergency...

Grandma's 90th Birthday

2008-04-10T22:31:00.000+08:00

A limited edition family photo at my grandma's 90th birthday.

Zhirui selection of item during her 1yr Birthday

2008-04-07T22:34:00.003+08:00

a debatable item by Zhirui.

'brush' with death

2008-04-07T22:01:00.003+08:00

last sunday, the chinese tradition of paying respect to the dead (our love ones who passed away) was adhere... preparations were made way in advance, buying all the joss papers, a "LCD" for my mum... vegetarian chicken, fish and other foods (chinese tradition cakes, kuehs, fruits)... its a massive affair, my uncle, aunties, grandma and our siblings with family including the children were there (at zi du an)...

as expected, the place was packed... people mountain people sea... sunny and hot weather... joss sticks, joss candles and joss papers were burning... creating the smoke that was comparable to the Indonesia Haze... PSI 80 at least... my eyes were teary after an hour and half hours...

we paid respects to my great-grandparents, grandfather and of course, my mum... she is 'located' at E block, 20 rows, 6 level... hope she is doing well in another dimension.

first brush with death ended around 12noon... tiring and thirsty...

our family had to quickly rush off to Ashlyn's 2-years old birthday bash... food was halal and very good, mee siam was fantastic as well... tired tired tired after that... ended back home, Ziyi persuaded to go cycling downstairs... haiz, no naps...

second brush with death came around 12 midnight that Sunday... not knowing why and how it happened... i slept and woke up around 2plus with breathing difficulty again!... asthmatic attack!... luckily i am still left with 3 pills of Zenmolin, my miracle savior... pop one and the problem subsided in an hour.

DEATH is always nearing me for these couple of months... i went to see doc this morning for more Zenmolin... to fight it... i am still too early for YOU.

magic of mickey and PSP

2008-04-01T00:44:00.002+08:00

with 'careful' consideration, mickey can really do magic with my PSP...for Sze Swee...hahaha

belated first birthday party for Sze Swee

2008-03-30T23:54:00.004+08:00

tiring for parents, fun and great for kids and babies... it was Sze Swee's 1 year-old (belated) birthday party held at Orchid Country Club O'Kids Spot... it is basically a giant playground for the kids (comprises of tunnels, a pool of plastic balls, webbings, 2 twist-and-turn super-fast 2-storey-high slides)...and babies have their share of fun at the rocking house, playhouse, kitchen set and slides with tunnel... 3 hours of fun for most (extended timing)

buffet for kids, party packs and play play play... buffet was simple but was good... laksa and fried rice were commented to be delicious... including the cheesecakes...soo kueh was a let-down, the skin was too soft... no chewy-ness.

price @ SGD23 per child was worth it...

parents or adults were either chasing their kids in the gigantic playground or busy chatting among peers on 'kidsology' or some playing PSP!

i tried climbing and tunnelling in the playground (adults can accompany their kids)... tiring... but this tiredness wore out after the exhilarating no-braking slide... haha ha... parents playing or the kids?!...

thanks to all parents, parents-to-be, big and small children, babies for the participation in making this event a successful one... kudos!!

how do you like the ice-cream cake...?

pictures at my facebook

Sze Swee's birthday!

2008-03-27T22:58:00.004+08:00

though we are having the bigger celebration this Sunday at Orchid Country Club.... (not really big, just my family and my wife's family plus a few close frens that have kids... cos the location is a gigantic kid's playground... i felt like playing too)...

-> 27 Mar 2008 is the actual birthday of Sze Swee's one year old... bought a small cake and a XL-sized Mickey! she kept smiling and having fake 'laughs' at Mickey...

(photos to be uploaded soon, i hope)

she tried the 'Ice Queen', strawberry with white cream cake and didn't really like it... the Chinese tradition of choosing a list of items for one-year old was practised... she was given wide choices: BOOK, ABACUS, RULER, SGD10 DOLLARS NOTE, CHICKEN WINGS and PENCIL...

she looked at the wings, touched the book, did not bother with the pencil and abacus... guess what she took?????????????

RULER?!!!!!!! then we realised that we did not know what it meant... does it mean ART or TEACHER or CONSTRUCTION LINE or........that ruler is used in fengshui... so Fengshui Master?? ARghhhhhhHHHHH... she played with it for quite sometime... then picked the next item, the dollar note... and imitated as a phone... hahahaha

confusing and frustrating... luckily we videotaped the process... decipher again when she is older...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AH MEI!

BIG DAY for Bro!

2008-03-23T22:59:00.004+08:00

Date: 20 March 2008
Place: StarDus Clubhouse
Time: 1pm
Solemnizer: Mr Chng
Man: Mr Lim M M
Wife: Ms Yuli

Big day! my bro is finally entering the important chapter in his life... close frens and our family were invited to witness this grand event... we had a good gathering session and lunch buffet was quite ok...

Getting married was not liked older days when we had our solemnization at the ROM... these days, you will need the solemnizer's name, license number and place to hold the event before you can register... and everything is online and only online registration!

... i can still remember that day where my bro and i were driving around ROM, ICA and Stardus trying to get the details, date and registration in place...

after the brief 2 hours, we decided to try out Singapore Flyer (Singapore's Gigantic Ferris Wheel), supposingly the largest in the world... price is hefty (adults-SGD30 and kids above 3-SGD20)... it took 30 minutes to finish a round... nothing much for adults but the kids were thrilled... perhaps the nightview is better...

we had a great time though or rather the kids!...

"I saw Mas Selamat in my school!"

2008-03-17T23:10:00.005+08:00

"Papa, whose that man in the picture?" asked my eldest, Ziyi pointing to the poster at the notice board near our lift lobby... "Mas Selamat... he is a bad man", i told her "if you see him, you must call papa or mummy or call the police, ok?"

"Orrr, I saw Mas Selamat in my school, leh", she continued... i was dumbfounded for a while... and realised that she meant that she saw the same poster at the lift lobby at her school... what a joke! kids...

Mas Selamat bin Kastari, i am not really too concerned about him though he must have made hell for the whole of Singapore including parts of JB people...

thanks to him, Singapore customs had been working on checking all vehicles going in/out of Singapore... 'catching' illegal immigrants that tried to come to Singapore... these immigrants must be cursing and swearing... illegal cigarettes sellers staying inside our canal were caught!...

probably, some makeshift makeout dens or gambling dens could be uncovered...

thanks to him, my boss dragged coming to Singapore... cos going back to JB took him 2 more hours...

thanks to him, all Mas Selamat's imposters suddenly became 'FAMOUS'... walking or limping invites stares and more attention from bystanders...

thanks to him, NSF and special forces (whatever groups) are finally able to put their drills to real test...

but one thing i am still puzzled, how the hell did he and can he escape? especially from Kiasu Singaporeans!

thanks to him, some heads had to roll...

another sis-in-law!

2008-03-09T23:12:00.003+08:00

finally, my younger bro is listening to cupid and settling down.
my family met up with my soon-to-be sis-in-law, Yuli 12-hour ago. first impression, passed... she's an indonesia sundanese but looks more like a Chinese... minimal understanding of english and knows more Teochew and Hokkien other than Bahasa Indonesian...

we had lunch at Chijmes Sun Japanese Dining today... 30% off for all items... really worth the food too... the steamed rice was filling and delicious... enough for 2 on the steamed rice set... 4/5 rating.

five senses... how to survive

2008-03-03T22:56:00.002+08:00

i was listening to fm100.3 this afternoon and they were discussing something relevant... our senses...
which is most important and which can you afford to lose?
1) sense of smell
2) sense of sight
3) sense of taste
4) sense of touch
5) sense of hearing

to see the colours of things, my wife and girls, family and games: this is definitely my first priority... i can lose my smell, goodbye to durians, smelly tofu (although my fav), and all good food.

job, family, education and country (CHOOSE)

2008-02-27T22:06:00.003+08:00

which is MOST important? getting a good job, setting up a family, giving your kids' good education or staying in a country that is safe and secured.

my order of importance:
1) family
2) country
3) education
4) job

that's easy, but what if you are only allowed to choose 3 AND FORGO THE LAST OPTION?!
i will have to forgo country's security...still a tough decision.

Lunar New Year...

2008-02-22T01:22:00.004+08:00

day 1 of new year...visiting relatives, zero gambling.
day 2, still visiting relatives, minimal gambling, watch fireworks at river hongbao.
day 3, visited by family and close frens, major gambling... won a bit, had my 1st Lunar New Year Yusheng!...better late than never.
day 4, visited wife's U frens, zero gambling, another Yusheng! yeah! went to kopi and relaxed since it was a Sunday.
day 5, lazing and on leave, recuperating from the late night CNY sleeps.
day 6 to 9, gettttting boring during Lunar New Year...saw ex-sec school mate, Weijin... day 7, 人日 (everyone's birthday), had another Yusheng!
day 10, attended Amelia's girl, Alexis 2nd year old birthday party... adjourned to nokia's frens house, 3rd Yusheng! some wine, tasty food.
day 11, lie low... some shopping at Suntec...
day 12 and 13, mood of CNY was almost gone.
day 14, met up with my bro for lunch since we never really eat together during this CNY *thanks to Wayne and Keith (my nephews - bro's kids having chicken pox!)... sec school frens meet up at Raymond's place... though a small group, we had a good chat since it was liked 20 years ago since we really sit down and talked *except with Raymond, yanking anything from frens, jobs, ladies, games, Edison, Dylan and Dylan and Dylan... please arrange another meet-up and this time with Dylan.... ooops, chat until we forgot about gambling but at least had a Yusheng!!!
day 15, i was planning to have a CNY lunch with my boss *just gotten back from Japan, but we were both busy with work... wanted to have a last Yusheng before the end of CNY, really wanted and gotten no dumpling too... *sigh* ... basically did nothing eventful on the last day of CNY... *another sigh*

next coming CNY, eat more Yusheng, gamble more, eat more goodies, meet up with more schoolmates.

HUAT ar! HUAT ar! many prosperous and bountiful days to all this year...

"stop it", say these words real fast

2008-02-17T22:30:00.002+08:00

ask your kids to say these words "stop it" real fast and continuously.

see what happens...

Ziyi was shouting "stop it" to her cousin, telling her to stop salivating... but for a moment, we thought she was scolding her something else...

make a guess... adults can use these words as excuses next time :P

almost dead... and twice!

2008-02-12T22:55:00.000+08:00

no joke... i am not sure when and how it happened at first.

the first incident (hard of breathing) started after the night of my fren's Dave wedding (2nd Feb)... i reached home around 12plus midnight... went for a bath and was fast asleep.. around 4am, i woke up feeling breathless... felt asthmatic (my long time evil)... i quickly got myself a cup of milo before taking zenmolin... at least i felt ok and alive and able to sleep without problem (though in living room sofa)...

what caused the relapse? i don't remember drinking alcohol or cold drinks.

the next incident happened on Sunday night (2 days ago)... same thing, hard of breathing around 4am, slept only around 7am... there was no haze or fog problems on both days, no alcohol and cold drinks...

it must be something i ate or drink...

CULPRIT: CAFFEINE!

i had tea throughout Dave's wedding... i had tea and coffee on Sunday dinner and kopi-time with frens... and it only happen if i took them at night... CAFFEINE-RELATED PRODUCTS.

i tried tea in the morning and i was fine... the effects of caffeine probably did not last that long till sleeptime.

from Dr Lim to all asthmatic frens... caffeine overdose kills...

how big can a party bash goes?!

2008-02-05T01:09:00.000+08:00

at least 40 people and they are all relatives (mostly direct and not distant relatives)... sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters, great-grandson and great-granddaughters..

the birthday bash for my 90-year old grandma!

more details here.

Autobiography: My School - Kindergarten

2008-01-28T23:26:00.000+08:00

school days took up a quarter of our life... some longer some shorter...

i can remember the early days in Kindergarten... it was a PAP Kindergarten at Beo Crescent Blk 36 (now Singapore Pools)... 2 years of my childhood were spent there...

the standard PAP uniform of red and blue... the cute little boy carrying a luggage-liked bag (red and black checkered) waiting diligently at 1.45pm outside the school... Kindergarten's timing was 2pm to 4pm...

that's me.

i was already independent at that age (i think 5 or 6)... going to and coming back from Kindergarten alone... though my house was near but it was at least 2 blocks away...

1.30pm, i would start to prepare for school... wearing school uniform... reading and learning last minute's spelling test... getting mum to test me on the spelling...mum hardly knew the English spelling and i had to tell her the pronounciation :)... everything was settled within the few minutes and off... to school...

though the long stairways from Bukit Ho Swee to Beo Crescent was long gone... those living around that area would know that it had a small smooth concrete slab where you could slid all the way from uphill (Bukit Ho Swee Blk 28)) to downhill (Beo Crescent Blk 36)...whizzed!

that's me.

'tikam' at the long-gone fifth shop (or the shop beside the centre lift lobby) was our fav pastime... we would win bells of all shapes and sizes... and i cheated a few times... still having those bells till date :P

that's me.

i cannot remember any of frens from Kindergarten... my results were good, i think i was first in school for first year and third in school on second year...

in school, i was always the teacher's pet... obedient in school but rebellious outside... like my eldest girl... like father like daughter.

that's me.

pure laziness

2008-01-28T23:20:00.000+08:00

i think i am really into the comfort zone... of laziness... no longer felt the passion of fire in work and things.

my mind is almost 'switched off' everytime at work or at home... doing little constructive things, except the usual scrabulous, vmware, PSP, playing with my girls... that's really a father in retirement mode... haha...

once i am stressed, migraine will set in... i have learnt to relax on matters and take things in their own stride... sounds logical?!

laziness or calming soul... choose one...

PSP review

2008-01-24T22:54:00.001+08:00

i've been having this white PSP for more than a week... only one game (WORMS)... still deciding to mod this set...

i got a 4GB memory stick and the moment i got it, all the 'rubbish' starts to appear inside PSP.

throw in a few comic articles and my girls' pictures, convert loads of cartoons/videos for my girl, listening to the internet radio (still listening now), dumping a few mp3 tracks... surfing the web (during toilet breaks)! PSP has become my official 'all-in-one rubbish dump'... anything that i wanted to see or use, i just upload... no limits for me, the only limitation? my 4GB!.

portable game console?! it is more like a handy machine to me...got this TV out cable for PSP... now i can play my mp4 videos on any TV with components input... but only kid's videos now :)

PSP is a thumbs-up for me, it really helps to 'kill' time, why iPOD?

'cheap bones'

2008-01-24T22:31:00.000+08:00

i think i am really a slogger for work... i was a night project implementation yesterday, so only managed to get 4 hours of sleep... but surprisingly i am not really sleepy and can still carry on the tasks today!

3 day's ago, i slept like 10pm ('cos my wife is away to Frankfurt and i am the official baby-sitter for my 2 girls)... 10pm was really early for me, got up 6.50am the next day with MIGRAINE! more than 8 hours of sleep and this is what i get... the migraine continue the next day with just pain on a portion of the head...gReAt~~~

'cheap bones' direct translation of 贱骨头! but one thing is for sure, migraine is not from not enuff sleep...

brushing before eating

2008-01-14T10:35:00.000+08:00

this is not your usual dentist saying... but from a father to his child.

Ziyi finally started to brush her teeth before drinking her milk every morning... it has been a week and she has gotten used to it...

hmm, i might want to train her to wake me up next :P

9 years in the running

2008-01-14T10:11:00.000+08:00

celebrated my 9th wedding anniversary yesterday... got a PSP from my wife ceramic white...

i got a simple bouquet for her...

tried Aji by Hanabi at Vivocity... ala-carte Jap buffet... sashimi was good... most of the items are of quality... too bad there is no dessert to go along... lunch time pricing is still acceptable at 36++, below 5 year-old kid eats free!

we ended with Gobi strawberry shortcake, nice packaging (good for Valentine's Day). cake was delicious and not 'heavy'. the cream tastes good (surprisely for me as i don't really like cream)... check them out here.

we had dinner with my family... and actually tried 2 restaurants at Central Mall! one ramen restaurant on 3rd floor (3 ramens to choose only?!) but it was delicious though slightly expensive... we adjourned to the restaurant beside this ramen house, a curry udon house... another good place to visit... both got 4/5 stars... a really 'bloated' day.

almost awake throughout the first day of New Year!

2008-01-01T22:31:00.000+08:00

New Year's Eve was already a tiring day... though only half day's work. i fetch my wife and girls and off we go, shopping in Orchard since 4pm... (lunch at Jack's place - West Coast)...

we were at Centrepoint until 7pm before we adjourned to Marina Square to 'book' a place... this is the must-go place if you intend to watch the New Year's fireworks... the best location is Marina Square food court.

reaching 8pm, we thought we were early and a seat is guaranteed. how wrong! all the seats (alfresco) that had the best views were taken up... these guys probably camped before dinnertime.

soon it was 12midnight, Happy New Year! the fireworks was great! screeeeaaams and SHOUTS!!! the mood was great.

reached home around 2am...slept at 3am... at 5am plus, i heard a cry from Ziyi (my eldest girl)... thought she wanted to pee... but realise that she was running a high fever (my thermometer was 39.8 degrees)... suddenly i felt awaken, bringing the wet towels and started placing on her to keep the fever down... persistent fever virus, it stayed for 2 hours before giving way to Bifen and wet towels...slept around 7am on New Year's day, woke up at 8am as she felt 'hot' again...slept another hour till 10am...

fever virus was nasty... keeps coming back (38 to 39 degrees) whenever the fever medicine subsided...got to see the doc tomorrow... 2 kids and 1 adults already gotten it, what luck!

Autobiography: My Cars

2007-12-28T23:40:00.000+08:00

i remembered the first car that i drove was a old Honda Civic, the squarish backlight type... i did not have a Class 3 driving license during this drive... not illegal, this was my instructor's car.

Failed once but quickly got 12 points for the second one... it was 1997, forgotten the date but i knew that it is one day before Chinese New Year's Eve... the tester should be in a CNY mood and passed me pretty fast...

my first possession of car... right after my customary wedding in Dec 2000... a red 9-years 9-months old Hyundai Elantra, some SBC plate that i don't remember. got the first mini-accident at AYE, kana the back portion of a taxi driver. no injury, no visible damage to his taxi but paid 50bucks to settle... the Hyundai died on me along Clementi towards Ngee Ann poly...anyway, this was a soon-to-be-scrapped car (3 to 4 months before expiry).

second car was a red Charade, old old 19-years old... NO POWER STEERING, really sweat when steering in stationary position or parking... this was a short rental that lasted 3 months... although a 1-litre, it is really raw power... i love manual cars... just revved and revved, used engine brake to swerved...

my first automatic white car was a Nissan badge (third car), the first generation of Preser, i took it around mid 2001... the body was long, the car was low (i felt liked i was sitting on the road)... the first car that i sent to workshop for repairs... or rather my fren (who drove it)... aircon conked out... the boot was big but it was not spacious at all... i sold it... this was a lucky car... COE was 50bucks at that time... even though this car was going to be scrapped, i got 2000+ cash back...

of course, all this while, i had gotten all these cheap cars from my bro, Jimmy... a car enthusiast by nature... he lives, talks and "breathes" car... now a Sales Manager for AutoFrance (Peugeot)...

with the cheap COE for renewed car (Oct 2001), my bro quickly gotten a good deal for me... a blue manual Nissan Sunny (1.4L) (the famous long-backlight model) SBT6030U... the first car that i took up car loan, since then, there is no turning back... i need a car to travel... *sigh*

COE certificate around 18k+, PARF around 15k+, paid 33k+ in total for 10 years of driving... quite a good car, the drive and feel... as this was a 10-years old vehicle... i "invested" a fair bit of $$, changing the suspension, aircon, power steering, etc... using reconditioned parts... it was the first time that i felt that i truly owned a car... this car lasted for 1 years 2 months (around end Dec 2002) and was sold to my fren without any loss... how lucky.

my first new car was a (obvious) silver Peugeot 206 1.4A SDW7626E, owned 28 Jan 2003...

during this period (Dec 2002 to Jan 2003), i was driving
- my bro's old Peugeot 405: went to KL and back, very stable and great handling.
- my sis-in-law's Hyundai Elantra (modded), a 1.6M but engine was 1.8M, crazy power and hungry for petrol.

Pugs (as many would called Peugeot 206) was a great car, it was the champion car for WRC (3 straight years)... great handling and cornering... oversteer or understeer? no such thing in this car... the only drawback was the road noise, but i like it... drove to KL and back upteem times, going at 110-155kmh (that's my car top speed), so stable...so safe at high speed... alas, it had to go as my power steering started to leak heavily.

21st Dec 2007: SJA7024L was "awarded" to my silver 1.8A Honda Stream. first time driving an i-VTEC engine (except for a brief drive on Civic VTEC that belongs to Raymond). so far so good...

the story shall continue... when 4D is strike!

finally STREAM arrived!

2007-12-23T22:49:00.000+08:00

21122007, this day marks the arrival of my STREAM... a bit sad to let go of 206 but no choice...

150050, the mileage of 206 after almost 5 years of drivin... a good car, good handling and good to swerve around the town easily.

proof!!

Stream (a longer wheelbase), driving around is not a problem, the only headache is parking... parallel parking was a challenge but i manage it quite well. the problematic part was reverse parking... it seems tougher than parallel.

got Vkool, luggage cover... waiting for my armrest and amp to be fixed and everything is ready, GET SET, GO! VROOM... waiting for first 1000km and run-in for this car before i can try out the raw power of STREAM...

food glorious food (Dec Edition)

2007-12-17T23:17:00.000+08:00

it has been a while since i last posted.... i must have been crazy... really crazy on Scrabble... thru' Scrabulous from Facebook. for once, i can be playing up to 12 opponents at one go... too preoccupied, leaving little time to work on, for other things.

last Sunday, my family (including dad and hwee) were at Suntec. While trying to decide on what to eat, i saw Pho House outside Toys 'R' Us. we decided to give this restaurant a try due to..."Healthy conscious food" and empty seats...

Pricing for this place was generally more expensive than normal Vietnamese Rest... However. the portion was huge... a couple can just share a main dish and order more side dishes...
the soup based noodle (i tried Central Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup) was tasty and really appetising...one of the few Viet Restaurant that i would recommend to visit again!

my bro, Hwee gotten the sweet and sour soup... sweet and sour, the taste still lingers in my taste buds...

Psst... they have set meals that apply for lunch and dinner at SGD13 plus... Vietnamese Drip Coffee is a must!

the second place to recommend will be Akashi at VivoCity. I was there with my girls and wife looking for good food.... My wife ordered Sukiyaki and i took Akashi rice set.... thumbs up, both of them were delicious... the sukiyaki soup was not that salty compared to other restaurants (not so much MSG i guess), beef was tender and portion just right...my set comes with saba, tuna sashimi and assorted tempura...4.5 out of 5, yummy, yummy... tuna sashimi tasted just like the onei have taken at tsukiji fish market, tokyo japan...

anyway, they gave a 30% voucher (of your current purchase) for your next visit (valid one month)... looks like i am going again...*grin*

nanny at home

2007-11-28T22:17:00.000+08:00

my wife was on another business trip... this time round, shorter and nearer... Bangkok... nice place to walk and see.. mainly shopping and bargains hunting... i like Thai massage and the tom yum soup...

without her around, i am the nanny for my girls again... quite tiring to say... so all mothers / grandmothers who take care of kids are having the most tedious job in the world... luckily my in-law is helping me...

3 cheers to all the mums and grandmas, hip hip hurray! hip hip hurray! HIPPI PI HURRAY!

80's rewind

2007-11-20T21:47:00.000+08:00

it's on now! every tuesday 8.30pm on channel 5... those who have been through the 80's will really like this sitcom...

80's rewind: who would have forgotten... first episode was Star Wars... the craze of "may the force be with you". i still remembered the first movie that my dad brought me to was Star Wars: A New Hope... the scenes were still vivid although i did not understand much of the plot / storyline during that time. since then, i have seen this episode again and again... still one of the best Star Wars epic...

80's rewind today was about polytechnic and university graduates... how they are compared as different classes of people... poly grads are liked blue collar workers, earning lesser and slogging thru their lives; whilst uni grads are white collars managers that 'climb' the corporate ladder faster... luckily my dad don't care how i completed my studies... i am a poly grad and very proud of it... it's not the studies that makes a person but his upbringing...

80's rewind (next episode)... King of Pop (Michael Jackson) and aerobics (Paula Abdul)?

olden days were fun...

9-and-a-half years

2007-11-19T21:39:00.000+08:00

that's what my colleague told me... the average years that a married couple stayed together... he was quoting from a Singapore newspapers.

is this a fair and justified figure? it is no longer the 7-years itch...

my ninth year of marriage is next Jan... July 2008 will be my 9-and-a-half years of anniversary... watch this...

it will take many 9-and-a-half years to make me go away... i am 'stuck' with this family.

Turtle Video Part 2

2007-11-15T11:47:00.000+08:00

NOTE: WATCH THE FIRST PART OF THIS VIDEO HERE:

http://soulz007.blogspot.com/2007/11/turtle-video-part-1.html

the second part is even better. relaxed!

Turtle Video Part 1

2007-11-15T11:42:00.000+08:00

an old clip to relax...watch out for Part 2.

all i ask is a minute of silence...

2007-11-04T22:33:00.000+08:00

this is for dopey.

still my favourite pastime...

2007-11-01T22:56:00.000+08:00

it has been a while since i am into this game...

started during secondary times... got a travel set as a present from my aunt... since she has been playing with me...

really serious playing during NSF (full-time army) especially with a buddy, Tong... we can played all-day and all-night, ignoring lunch and sometimes dinner... instant noodle was our staple food, really crazy... using a dictionary as a standard... SCRABBLE.

since leaving army, i tried online but cannot be satisfying and really tedious to finish one whole game at one go... finally, someone is creative enuff to come out with an online version to play on own pace.

i am really getting into this game now at Facebook... check out Scrabulous... add me soulz007@hotmail.com if you like a challenge...

finally back from business trip

2007-10-27T00:19:00.001+08:00

after 7 days with my two girls, my wife is going to be back from helsinki and copenhagen in another 15 hours...

i miss her actually.

Autobiography: My Mum

2007-10-25T22:19:00.000+08:00

may 11, 2003... a day that i remembered.. we were celebrating mothers' day with mum, dad and my siblings (usual like any others)... it is the last family celebration with my mum.
(not sure why i remembered this day, probably my birthday which was the following day).

mum told us that she was going to see specialist at Alexandra Hospital the following week...

i always felt closer to her than my siblings since young.
i could sense that she always took special care of me... maybe i was the one that was always sick (suffering asthma attacks), getting most sprains, most cuts and most playful... the weakest in health.

----

during primary 3, i recalled that i was hospitalised (almost dead) because of asthma attacks. she would stay with me through the few nights, taking intense care of me. she would piggy-back me around.

----

although she would nag, shout and scold, and at times, i find her annoying... i really miss her voice now.

Aug 12, 2003 around 3am, my wife and i woke up together... it was weird... no intruders, nothing.
7am, i received a call from meng (my younger bro), "二哥, mother走了!"... i really could not hold back my tears... unfillial, i reproached myself... i did not visit her for few days due to hectic work and my wife's pregnancy... this is my greatest regret.

the week following our mothers' day celebration, she visited the specialist with my sis, found lymph nodes in the neck, doc requested to operate and remove them... X-ray showed signs of cancer cells at lungs... she had the operations (not knowing of the cancer)... my sis consulted us, we seek second opinion with specialist at SGH (that was like one month later due to appointment schedule, ridiculous!)... she was in the fourth stage of cancer, nothing helped.. not even god or any of our beliefs...doc said that some patients could live for more than a year, he told us at least 6 months (how crap!).

respecting her decision to stay home and no chemotherapy (anywhere it's not going to help), we seek help with Hospice...

we were... we were planning to go for a tour before her condition worsen... the plan did not materialise... she got an 'nasty' attack during July (hard of breathing, lungs badly affected) and had to be put on oxygen (thanks to Hospice for supplying the equipment)... things happened so fast...

mum knew her days are numbered, she told dad her will... relatives and friends came... numerous chinese medicine and tonic were tried and used... she was given liquid morphine to alleviate her pain.

pain, pain, pain... she groaned to me... helpless, the feeling i had then.

days passed like it was years for her... not able to sleep well, not able to eat well, feeling thirsty, feeling agitated and impatient easily, and PAIN... seeing her in agony, we hurt.

Aug 12, 2003 7.30am, i reached dad's place, she was there peacefully in bed with the lotus sign of Buddhism (hand signs). it was 15 July 2003 (Lunar Calendar), a day of compassion during Hungry Ghost Festival.

we told ourselves that this was the best relief for her.

thanks to all relatives and friends that gave their support and help during this period.
thanks to the nurses and doctors of Hospice for the regular visits and help.

a year later, through a medium, we understand that she received the house and car we provided, she was still recuperating from her sickness in the other world.

Oct 2006, the only time i 'saw' her... it was my dream... she was busy giving sweets and gifts to relatives, friends and her grand children from her (what-looked-liked) provision shop... that's the month of her birthday.

i hope to dream of her again this month... make it today.

华文, 华语, 還是讲money

2007-10-23T22:29:00.000+08:00

华文, 英文, 华语, 英语... 不知何时...我爱上华文...

因该是漫画的影响...真的有点后悔...GCE 'O' B3 for Chinese Language...not A1, comics should come earlier...not after 'O' level.

现在都是抱着华文书...又睡着了...

当我老了

2007-10-23T21:41:00.000+08:00

i have been doing a lot of thinking lately... fm100.3 'hit' it this morning after reading this verse from one article.

当我老了，不再是原来的我.请理解我，对我有一点耐心。

当我把菜汤洒在自己衣服上时，当我忘记怎样系鞋带时，请想一想当初我是如何手把手地教你。

当我一遍又一遍地重复你早已听腻的话语时，请耐心地听我说，不要打断我。你小的时候，我不得不重复那个讲过千百遍的故事，直到你进入梦乡。

当我需要你帮我洗澡时，请不要责备我。还记得小时候我千方百计哄你洗澡的情形吗？

当我对新科技和新事物不知所措时，请不要嘲笑我。想一想当初我怎样耐心地回答你的每一个“为什么”。

当我由于双腿疲劳而无法行走时，请伸出你年轻有力的手搀扶我。就像你小时候学习走路时，我扶你那样。

当我忽然忘记我们谈话的主题，请给我一些时间让我回想。其实对我来说，谈论什么并不重要，只要你能在一旁听我说，我就很满足。

当你看着老去的我，请不要悲伤。理解我，支持我，就像你刚开始学习如何面对生活时我对你那样。当初我引导你走上人生路，如今请陪伴我走完最后的路。给我你的爱和耐心，我会报以感激的微笑，这微笑中凝结着我对你无限的爱。

摘自《参考消息》

哭吧...心情会好些...

help needed, this is serious!

2007-10-20T00:17:00.000+08:00

my wife was telling me about her fren's baby today... the pain struck my heart immediately... then she showed her fren's blog... i felt that i have to gather all the prayers and all the knowledge required to help this baby...

what will i do if i am in her position?

please please.... there must be someone that has the answers...

finally back (with a twist)

2007-10-16T22:57:00.000+08:00

the short 8 days high-key reservist really flies... nothing much except for a really slow and 'problematic' combat live firing... suppose to end 11pm, it ended at 2am... gotten my migraine twice in-camp...how great...failed IPPT as usual.

the twist is really a 'twist'... i mean a sprain on the neck since last friday... just saw a doc today...

next year will be my last in-camp... counting down to August 2008... 0808...

serving the nation for the 9th time

2007-10-08T16:27:00.000+08:00

tomorrow will mark my 9th year serving the nation since my ORD on 29 Jan 1997... how time flies...

i look forward to this once in a year (or maybe twice or thrice) gathering with our buddies... minus the IPPT, every other thing is great...

1) you get the feeling of brotherhood (once in a year fren is like long-lost fren);
2) your mind is 'switch off'. you are no longer the 'boss' of your company;
3) you learn and polish on BIG2 skills;
4) you sweat more than usual and swear more than usual;
5) you sleep much earlier than usual but get up much earlier too;
6) you change the army uniform only when you booked out;
7) you can take naps in afternoon;
8) you can sleep anywhere and sh*t anywhere in green;
9) you get meal (upgraded to set meal) free, comes with 3 dishes, soup, fruits (and maybe ice-cream) and;
10) you see all walks of life here... the same old keng king, sabo king, xiao-on king, etc.

soon this will be over (another year) and i hope we strengthen this brotherhood forever.

1003 and omy

2007-09-25T23:17:00.000+08:00

radio has become really great...are they going to be phased out by internet media?

cannot be... we humans are of so many 'make'... some like to see, some like to feel, some like to hear or taste or smell, others can 'sense'.

different forms of media cater to different types of 'sensory' people.

fm100.3 (Singapore special radio channel) and omy.sg... these are really 2 great things that i enjoyed.

watch out for fm100.3 morning talk show... totally no-holds-barred Radio DJs, followed by 10-12noon wacky hosts... how can i ever have peace... you can listen to them now http://www.radio1003.com/

check out http://www.omy.sg/ - complain king's blog... he can really complain, not until the cow comes home but rolls home... wonder if i can set up a 'complain writing' company with him... hahaha..

kudos for these 2 media... you really dare to be different!

COE results...

2007-09-20T17:02:00.000+08:00

2 weeks ago, i gotten a call from my agent. "Kelvin, COE never got it." that was when the COE was SGD18,000+....they bidded SGD17,500 for me... both my wife and i were disappointed.

my eldest bro told me that it will go up for next one... i did not put much hope on getting it and totally forgotten about it.... yesterday, my agent called me and said "Kelvin, you got the COE." ... i was in shock for a while (still driving). i asked about the COE price and it was SGD19k+... wow!

finally :) heaven is not blind... I got COE at a higher price, much much better... but the car will still come in Dec 2007 only... i hope it can come in before Christmas.

1215 or 1512?

most expensive dinner in my life till date...or...

2007-09-05T00:46:00.000+08:00

yesterday was my wife's birthday.. dinner at Lawry's - paragon... price was expensive for me but food and service was good... excellent. rather. i tried the english cut, 3 slices of 'medium' beef...yummy, spinning salad bowl... the big sister (my eldest) loves the fish and chip... she hardly finished a kid's meal but managed to 'clear' 90% (10% left cos she is FULL)... it must be delicious... my wife had the tenderloin and she gave the dish 'thumbs up'.

it will be best if you enjoy wine and dine... they serve a good selection of wine to go with your steak... it's really a dining experience for us... i heard their sunday brunch has a good spread and reasonable pricing... will try again... "FIVE/FIVE STARS"...

not my most expensive dinner though... the most expensive dinner happened on 15 dec 2000... my wedding dinner. Ha Ha.

Sze Ee's birthday party @ Bayshore is up!

2007-08-27T00:01:00.000+08:00

after a short trip back from KL, Malaysia... (15 Aug to 17 Aug), times really flies... nothing much.. the only news was from my Malaysia colleague... he was robbed... literally on the highway back home at night (15 Aug) ... robbed of wallet, phone, cash, laptop, harddisk and his one-month old Toyota VIOS... imagine the shock, the trauma, the audacity, the security...

since the return, my wife and i were busying preparing for this BIG event... seems more like an exam... food ordering, cake ordering, goodie bags for school.

it's finally over... you can glimpse some of the acts @ http://soulz007.multiply.com/photos/album/2/Sze_Ees_4-year_old_Birthday_Party

the first phase of ordeal just passed...

2007-08-14T22:39:00.000+08:00

i visited my dentist today to remove the stitch...

the story goes as such...

it happened last Tuesday... first thing when my dentist, Mdm Koh at Corporate Dental (Redhill MRT) saw me... she remembered telling me to make an inlay crown for that tooth... i really regretted.

Mdm Koh did a quick check on the cracked tooth... i had an x-ray taken on that tooth, Mdm Koh explained that she would take out the cracked portion and analyse... injected some painkillers on the gum and she used a plier... twist and turn, twist and turn, a tiny bit of my tooth was out!

good gracious! but this was only the beginning of another process.

apparently, the 'crack' was too deep and a crown could not be performed... only one choice...TOOTH EXTRACTION... i swear that this will be my last time, never never try this act again! NEVER!

before the process, she injected some more painkillers... using the same plier (i mean plier, special type.. of course), she tried to extract it... part of the tooth broke, she said my tooth was brittle... she used a L-shaped tool and pried to loosen the tooth by the edge... tried the plier again... the root of my tooth was really tough... it just won't bulge... i felt that my whole jaw is dropping (literally) but that tooth still intact...for once, i thought that my heart cannot take it.

the dentist's '3rd weapon', a small drill to 'break up' the tooth for easier extraction... drill, twist, turn, pull, drill twist turn pull... some portions came off... i think she used a 'final weapon', a small surgery knife to cut a bit of the gum so that the plier had more grip... anyway, i did not feel the cut since my painkillers was 'in force'...

finally part of the root came off (i am extracting molar tooth - 2 roots)... the other portion was sucked out by the dentist assistant... thank buddha that 'this fight' was finally over... she stitched up the wound (i feel 'hollow' without that tooth)...with a lot of my blood oozing.

I have to admit that Mdm Koh was good, all these processes only took last than half an hour... my last dentist (in army) who did a root canal for me took all day (i became immune to pain after that...hahahaha).

3 months' time is my followup, then we will decide the next action... most likely a bridge... another ordeal! pray in the name of buddha for me.

human nature...

2007-08-06T23:25:00.000+08:00

human beings are really a bunch of waiting-for-things-to-happen-weirdos. how many times have we been reminded of things but we only react after it happened?

we know that speeding is wrong but we do that, we need to display carpark coupons but did not until a fine comes along... we know that eating overnight food are unhealthy but we still carry on till sickness kicks in...

the same goes for me...i had been informed by my dentist about 4 months ago to remove my amalgam and 'crown' one of my tooth... thinking it was casual remark and letting the days passed... the worst had happened... that tooth CRACKED (while eating) TODAY! great... my dentist finally has the 'last laugh' this time... good food! wait for me!

learnt another lesson... do it now when told, there is no point to regret later.

first drumstick...

2007-07-29T22:29:00.000+08:00

most of us would not have remembered our first taste of chicken drumstick... but almost all Chinese had them at the same time...

my girl had it 3 days ago... when she is four month old...

this is part of the Chinese custom... using a drumstick to symbolise that the child is ready to taste other kinds of food... not just MILK MILK and MILK anymore!

my mum-inlaw gave my little girl her 'prize'... my wife and i were not present to catch the scene... heard that she resisted it for sometime and when my girl 'sensed' that it is something tasty... she was sucking it all the way... quite different from her eldest sister (who resisted it all the way)... seems like those born in the year of Pig is really something... clever and greedy!

PS: we will still give her MILK (and nothing else) for now till six month old. as recommended by our PD.

radio spice up driving and taste changes

2007-07-24T00:06:00.000+08:00

it must have been age that is doing this trick...

in the early childhood days, Perfect 10 (98.7fm) used to be my fav radio channel... bernard lim and vernetta... music was great... the 'in' station... we used to record some songs using cassette tapes - the best recording media back then ... (the other invention that is great - video tapes).

during sec 3, somehow (i also don't know why)..933fm - mandarin station becomes my centre of focus... probably that was when Karaoke was popular but my 'potential' in singing was only realised at a later stage...hahahha...

loyalty to radio 933fm stayed ... for almost 10 years... until i met my wife... class 95fm becomes my choice...all the fav 90's and 80's songs...all retro... all the mambo... the discos tracks... flying dutchman in the morning hours with hubert tang... simply great team...

almost another 8 years has past and i am still with class95... but only in the morning hours weekdays (where flying dutchman is still hosting, now with glenn ong)... the show perks my day... brings laughter and takes away the morning mood...

noon time: hmm, i don't remember any good stations that offer good noon time programs.

evening time weekdays was great with 100.3fm...mandarin station on 'hot and spicy' news... the hosts (wenhong and limei) are fantastic, i bet you will laugh all the way back home while driving. sigh! another great show ending...

weekends? gold90fm (90.5fm) is the best...so relaxing...

taste and mood, they go with the radio stations you listened...what's yours?

how fast she has grown...

2007-07-23T23:49:00.000+08:00

it's really been a while since my last post.

i am making different decisions everyday... one moment i am staying at my house, the next moment i could be sleeping at my in-laws place... all thanks to my little girl...

my wife has past her 'honeymoon' phase... honeymoon with the baby and joining the workforce... almost 4 months... i am wondering how she can get used to the 'working' life.. today first day...

for the past weeks, i have been a 'marathon runner' with my car... shuffling between my house. my kid's school at PSA building and my inlaw place... really great... the feeling is like driving to JB in and out... super shack...

times really flies,

this picture was taken when my little girl was 1 week old.

this was about 3 months old...

look at her so 'un-friendly' and boyish and...looks so mature ...can sit up somemore.

but the picture that i really think is great is ->

looks like a one year old...hahha...look at her expression...scare, worried or what?

parking fees hike at Metro Paragon (GST 7%)?

2007-07-06T11:34:00.000+08:00

its been a long time since i last parked at Metro Paragon...

i remember (vaguely) that the price was SGD3.15 (with GST) for first 2 hours or something like that, before 1 July.

with the GST 7% increase from GST 5%, the parking went up to SGD3.37...what is this!

either i failed my maths or the car park management has a maths problem... CASE or FORUM or SPH should look at this.

playstation 2 for sale

2007-07-03T01:05:00.000+08:00

my family was at Best Denki, VivoCity last Thursday... we wanted to check out Nintendo Wii (intended for my inlaw)... just gave them my old PC (loaded with games) and they were enjoying it.

Wii is supposed to be my mum-inlaw's birthday gift... alas... not a single console was in sight (all sold out)... while wondering past the rest of the consoles.... XBOX360 and PSP... my wife came across this small notice: PS3 clearance set... without thinking, we ask for a view of the display set and ended getting one... talked about impluse buying...

with PS3 around, my PS2 had to go... any takers @ a price will be good... PS2 with 2 controllers and 2 guns...fully modified...

i had been testing the new console lately... weight is like a CPU (ventilation is greatly required)... 60GB HDD can be partitioned into 2 parts (one for PS3, the other for you to install your own OS)... it is really like a CPU.

If you are thinking of getting a CPU, might as well buy a PS3. imagine it comes with Blu-Ray player (can also play DVD and CD), got HDMI input for your ultra sleek HD-ready TV, can surf web. can play video, pictures and music... can install another OS (like Ubuntu Linux), 4USB ports...@ SGD799 (market price)... cheaper than PC... the best graphics is from PS3...graphics chip designed by IBM for Sony.

still... any buyers for my PS2?

food glorious food (June 2007)

2007-06-25T16:28:00.000+08:00

it's been a while since i last commented on the F&B industry...
i think i am crazy for noodle + soup this month... it could be because of the comic book on Jap ramen that i am reading.

1) MOF, Marina Sq - i had this spicy ramen. worth a try. their food is generally good but portion might be small for big eaters.

2) Tomton (or Tontom), Central - they are famous for pork...this is a Jap restaurant... but the soup with soba is good... the taste is appetizing... price is slightly more than ichiban or sakae but taste definitely worth it... there is this 'Katsu Curry Rice' which looks delicious... will definitely try this restaurant again... seems like it has a sister restaurant at Liang Court known as Tampopo, selling almost the same things.

3) Ichiban / Kuriya Fish Market, Great World - tried the Business Bento set... i thought the picture in the menu is attractive... but don't be deceived... i should have just taken the sushi belt.

4) Pastamania, Suntec City - all pastamania have different standards... the chicken and mushroom pizza here is worth a try... 10" is good for two... service is up to par.

ohhh... tried the soba restaurant at Paragon basement... this is another place for nice, clear soup-based soba... price on the high side, lunch set available... but be prepared to queue.

still having the crave for soba/ramen...any recommendations?

soar in property prices!

2007-06-21T23:45:00.000+08:00

if you have read recent Singapore newspapers, major headlines are all taken up by property...HDB 5-room selling SGD720K, some HDB plot going to be at SGD500psf, en-bloc unit at average 11mil per unit...

property prices are really crazy now... everywhere, HDB, private property, condo, they are like 'rockets', shooting so high up, so fast and don't seem to fall yet... at least the COE came down, went up, rest awhile and adjust a bit.... stocks and SGX have to do some self-correction and then go up... property prices have skyrocketed just after i purchased mine... and has not come down a bit... it will go on for a while since F1 is coming next year...

is this the property bubble now? is it bursting soon? if you have spare cash, it is good to invest in one unit (private apartment) and rent out...rental is like SGD2k and above for a small unit...

at some point i am also tempted to sell mine... it should fetch SGD850k now... hahaha...

the best unit... with sea front... city view... high floor... good condition...near East Coast... but... i will be stranded or rather my family will be if we sold this...

if it is SGD1mil ??? i will consider...hahaha... highest offer wins...