Very interesting text I just read by Michael Parkin that says that "The free market produces too little education." And it goes on to say that education produces benefits that go beyond what the market would see. I infer that means the market does not gain much by teaching or imparting skills. And since there is no exchange of equals perhaps government incentives or something need to be given in order for education to take place.
Well, there are 2 interesting things I have been thinking about that kinda ties in to this concept. 2 very controversial thoughts that most people might just disagree with me about.
Firstly, we talk about management of corporations. There are 2 schools of thought here. Peter Drucker's school of thought is that the economy thrives with many large corporations, with well trained managers who rise through the ranks with good training (MBA's and the like). The other school of thought is that the economy will thrive only with entrepreneurs, many small business and start ups. Obviously, from Parkin's point of view the first school of thought is preferable. Once a start up grows beyond a certain size, an "entrepreneur" would need much more skills to run it, and he needs much more technical knowledge such as financial accounting etc. And he will not learn this in the free market which he so embodies, cos the free market does not have any incentive to teach him. Entrepreneurs are selfish face it. They will not organize a course in accounting to "share the knowledge", although investment banks like Goldman Sachs would. And they even welcome "alumni" who have gone through the training and left the company. Well, my entrepreneur friends say that you can always hire somebody to do the math for you, accounting, forex arbitrage etc. But then again, if u look carefully, for a start up investment house to reach the level of Goldman Sachs today would be quite impossible. The people you hire do not have the loyalty or the "system" in place, and if they come and go, you're in trouble.
Now the second thought. All this learning on the job rather than learning from courses is bullshit! Learning on the job presupposes that if you are dumped into doing the work, and trying to survive out there in the "market", you will learn how to survive. Unfortunately, without proper training more often that not I see that most new staff just learn the wrong things and "think" they have got it right. Nobody out there is gonna teach u the right thing unless there is something in it for them (or they are old grandfathers who are dying to impart knowledge). Chances are they'll teach u a bit and that's it. After all, what's in it for middle management to teach you all their skills? Hell, if you're brilliant you might actually be able to take over them after one year of training! Yes, I've seen people who have been around for 20 odd years who I can replace easily. And highly paid people too. Of course you need work experience that could only be gained from OTJ training. But thats probably half the solution.
Take for example designing a building and making it stand up. Really you could actually learn how to do it just by shadowing some PE and reading the building code top to bottom. After all, all the rules you need to follow are in there. As long as you follow the rules and some PE agrees to stamp it for you, you pass the building permit check am I right? Well, that's "assuming" you already have a degree, but lets say you don't but you pretend you do, you could probably get by and the building will stand up. Now, if you really didn't take any classes in building design or never went to college and never had a professor lecture to you and you did just that. I don't know what jack shit your building will look like. It'll probably stand up but nobody would wanna hire you or trust your judgement. And if something special had to be altered in the design I wouldn't even seek this guys opinion. Learning solely on the job is like desiging a skyscraper by hanging around with a PE for a month and memorizing the building code with no knowledge of what goes into structural analysis and design. No offence to Poly kids, but I hear people with diploma and no degree but 20 yrs on the job claim that they can design building just as well as any PE, after all they already memorize the code head to toe. No guesses why nobody would dare offer them a PE to design.....
Booksmarts vs streetsmarts? Hell there's no clear cut to the answer to this question. But if you watched Apprentice 3 (i think), its quite clear that the streetsmarts start to breakdown after reaching the highest level of corporate management. Hell that lady finalist, she wouldnt even want to thank her team after the last task, she just walked off! See at least with some degree of manners, culture, and not just BS "be yourself, do your own thing" perhaps she could have scored much better. I'd have preferred to work with the streetsmart lady than the other one. But at the highest level, she clearly felt out of place and didn't make the cut.....
So there.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Cloverfield
I just watched 2 movies. First one was cloverfield. That movie was absolutely crazy man! Made me so dizzy. Yeah the whole Blair witch thing but seriously, not worth the dizziness. So everybody dies, spoiler alert, and no head no tail! haha. I really hate these no head no tail things. if nobody's gonna tell me bout the monster, I'm gonna forget bout the movie very soon. so i'm not gonna watch part 2.....
Then there was Rambo. Yah everybody says its good, but seriously, quite a lot of been there done that. he's a hero, but really its just many different ways to kill baddies. And a hell lot of killing! with many different weapons too haha! Claymore mine on a Mk 83 bomb (that's what it looks like). The blast radius is way too big, you'd thing that's a nuclear weapon haha! So much for the myanmese bad guys. But they were so gruesome man! So many rape scenese. disgusting.
Ok, so i was a little unnerved by all this killing and blood. But thankfully after that i passed by this little band playing mexican music outside tampines mall. really fantastic and soothing music! and they were really into it! Made me feel much better cos I was gonna die of hypertension already haha.
When u approach 30 a lot of yr friends are getting married. A lot are also breaking up. and breakups tend to be much more unpleasant than before. lots of really unhappy things much unlike high school break ups. its kinda sad. Worst still cos for most of my guy friends its the girl thats the problem. So sad to see such nice guys lose faith entirely in relationships cos of some girl that was really not worth it... sigh
Myself? I think I've seen the light. Life is good. I know what I want. Maybe not always so clearly but at least I know how I can be happy and I can do something bout it. I can enjoy the fresh air and some good music again. Not to mention a cup of caramel macchiato from gloria jeans really makes my day! And a nice book. My failing eyesight means i shouldn't stare at a computer screen too long.
I've dropped the Economist in favour of the wall street journal online. Surprising huh? Well, they Economist wanted to triple my subscription for the print edition. And they said it was a special price already! Anyway, too much politics, too depressing. Though I must admit i really like the objectivity of the Economist. WSJ after purchase by Rupert Murdoch? I'm not so sure. But nonetheless USD80 a year for online edition is not too bad. i've spent worst money on other things. Not to mention WSJ's wkend edition has some really nice articles, which I have promptly reproduced here. Hope I don't get sued for copyright!
Ya its late and I've got work to do. But don't forget to pursue life, liberty and happyness for all y'all who are reading this! Don't waste your life over anything unhappy that's happening right now or in the past. Look forward to a happier future and do something bout it!
:P
Then there was Rambo. Yah everybody says its good, but seriously, quite a lot of been there done that. he's a hero, but really its just many different ways to kill baddies. And a hell lot of killing! with many different weapons too haha! Claymore mine on a Mk 83 bomb (that's what it looks like). The blast radius is way too big, you'd thing that's a nuclear weapon haha! So much for the myanmese bad guys. But they were so gruesome man! So many rape scenese. disgusting.
Ok, so i was a little unnerved by all this killing and blood. But thankfully after that i passed by this little band playing mexican music outside tampines mall. really fantastic and soothing music! and they were really into it! Made me feel much better cos I was gonna die of hypertension already haha.
When u approach 30 a lot of yr friends are getting married. A lot are also breaking up. and breakups tend to be much more unpleasant than before. lots of really unhappy things much unlike high school break ups. its kinda sad. Worst still cos for most of my guy friends its the girl thats the problem. So sad to see such nice guys lose faith entirely in relationships cos of some girl that was really not worth it... sigh
Myself? I think I've seen the light. Life is good. I know what I want. Maybe not always so clearly but at least I know how I can be happy and I can do something bout it. I can enjoy the fresh air and some good music again. Not to mention a cup of caramel macchiato from gloria jeans really makes my day! And a nice book. My failing eyesight means i shouldn't stare at a computer screen too long.
I've dropped the Economist in favour of the wall street journal online. Surprising huh? Well, they Economist wanted to triple my subscription for the print edition. And they said it was a special price already! Anyway, too much politics, too depressing. Though I must admit i really like the objectivity of the Economist. WSJ after purchase by Rupert Murdoch? I'm not so sure. But nonetheless USD80 a year for online edition is not too bad. i've spent worst money on other things. Not to mention WSJ's wkend edition has some really nice articles, which I have promptly reproduced here. Hope I don't get sued for copyright!
Ya its late and I've got work to do. But don't forget to pursue life, liberty and happyness for all y'all who are reading this! Don't waste your life over anything unhappy that's happening right now or in the past. Look forward to a happier future and do something bout it!
:P
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Move aside Harbenaro!
The World's Hottest Chili
It's 200 times hotter than the jalapeño. Workers handle it with goggles and face masks. And spicy-food lovers can't wait to get their hands on it.
By STAN SESSER
February 2, 2008
Guwahati, India
The bhut jolokia chili pepper fires up the imagination, as well as the taste buds. The thumb-sized chilies are so potent they could be used in pepper spray, says the director of India's Defense Research Lab, R.B. Srivastava. "I've been told the U.S. and Israel have considered it for antiriot material," he says.
Most admirers prefer eating them. The Indian pepper is the latest discovery by a fraternity of eaters who relish the sweaty, addictive pleasures of hot chilies.
The bhut jolokia pepper, which is farmed in the northeast part of the country, was plucked from obscurity last year when the Guinness Book of World Records declared it the world's hottest. The standard measure for such things is the Scoville Heat Unit, or SHU, named after Wilbur Lincoln Scoville, a chemist who in 1912 developed a method of assessing the heat given off by capsaicin, the active ingredient in chili peppers. Jalapeño peppers measure about 5,000 SHUs. The bhut jolokia tops a million.
"When you eat it, it feels like dying," touts one online retailer. Even packaging the stuff is a pain. "Our workers wear goggles, face masks, head cover and protective clothing," says Ananta Saikia, whose firm is the pepper's sole exporter. "They look like astronauts." He and his wife have started shipping tons of dried bhut jolokia around the world, including Germany, England and the U.S. Annual sales, he says, are expected to jump 500% this year.
Locals here in Assam and the neighboring states of Manipur and Nagaland add fresh chopped chilies to the pot when cooking curries. The hardiest eat them raw as a condiment. Dried pepper powder and flakes are sold online in the U.S. and abroad.
The spread of Mexican, Thai and Sichuan cuisines that use chili peppers is kindling America's interest in hot dishes. There are hundreds of Web sites selling sauces and chili seeds, says Dave DeWitt, of Albuquerque, N.M., who has written 31 books on the topic. Visits to his Web site, fiery-foods.com, have doubled in the past five years to 2.5 million annually, he says.
"There's also the macho, who-can-eat-the-hottest aspect," says Dave Hirschkop, owner of Dave's Gourmet Inc. and the producer of Dave's Insanity Sauce. This spring, he plans to add bhut jolokia to his 2008 Private Reserve hot sauce, priced at $30 for a five-ounce bottle packaged in a small wooden coffin. Mr. Hirschkop says he got in the business after opening a Mexican restaurant in Maryland in the early 1990s. He started serving superhot sauces in his restaurant as a joke. Then he discovered customers liked them.
Hard-core chili addicts incorporate the pursuit of hot food into their travels. Terry and Marty Ward of Virginia Beach, Va., have chased chilies in Jamaica, Venezuela, Aruba, Mexico and New Mexico. India is now on the couple's trip list, says Mr. Ward.
Food scientists speculate that hot chilies have an unexpected side effect that boosts their popularity. A publication of the Brooklyn Botanical Garden in New York described it this way: "When capsaicin comes into contact with the nerve endings in the tongue and mouth, pain messengers, called neurotransmitters, are sent to the brain in a panic. The brain, mistakenly perceiving that the body is in big trouble, responds by turning on the waterworks to douse the flames. The mouth salivates, the nose runs and the upper body breaks into a sweat. The heart beats faster and the natural painkiller endorphin is secreted. In other words, you get a buzz."
It's similar to a runner's high, says Bruce Bryant, a researcher for the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, which specializes in analyzing taste. That may explain why plants shunned by starving animals end up in party bowls next to the chips. "We're about the only species who like hot peppers," he says. "You can't even train a rat to like them."
The chilies are so loved in Assam that locals brighten at just the mention of bhut jolokia. "I've been eating them for 25 years," says Indrajit Karayan Dev, a filmmaker in Guwahati, Assam's capital. "I have two plants near my garage and every morning I pluck one for lunch. We eat them raw, pickled, in vegetable stir-fries and in chicken soup." Hoihnu Hauzel, the New Delhi-based author of a cookbook on northeast Indian cuisine, says her mother keeps her stocked. "I grew up in Manipur," she says. "Now, whenever someone comes here from home, my mother sends me some."
Besides its heat, the bhut jolokia departs from other peppers with its distinct flavor. Raw, it has a strong vegetable smell. Cooked with pork in a curry, it gives the meat a perfume-like sweetness. "It doesn't just make the dish spicy," says Ms. Hauzel. "It enhances the flavor." Bhut jolokia chilies look like jalapeño peppers and redden as they ripen. Some devotees chop a single chili for a pot of curry; others use a half pepper to accompany a meal. "Our whole family can share one chili for an entire week," says Mr. Saikia.
Although it's been eaten in northeast India for centuries, the bhut jolokia pepper would still be undiscovered by the rest of the world if not for scientist R.K.R. Singh. He works at the Indian government's Defense Research Laboratory, which occupies a tree-shaded campus in Assam, outside the city of Tezpur. Seven years ago, Mr. Singh, who loves bhut jolokia, got curious about its heat quotient. "We knew it was hot, but no one knew how hot," he says. He asked for a lab analysis, and the results were submitted to a scientific journal.
Word of the tests reached the Chile Pepper Institute of New Mexico State University, which is widely regarded as the final arbiter of all chili questions. The institute is headed by Paul Bosland, a 54-year-old horticulture professor. "I put all my chilies in one basket," he says of the 22 years he's devoted to studying hot peppers. "It was always a poor sister to tomatoes in terms of research."
Mr. Bosland grew bhut jolokia from seed in the desert climate of southern New Mexico and discovered, " 'Oh my gosh, this is hot,' " he recalls. A panel of tasters used to rank chilies. Now a process called high performance liquid chromatography does all the work, with results given in Scoville Heat Units. The peppers yielded a reading of 1,041,427 SHUs, twice that of the California red savina pepper, the previous record-holder. An SHU is the amount of dilution needed before the chili is undetectable. A drop of bhut jolokia extract needs a million drops of water.
The Saikias expect their company, Frontal Agritech Ltd., to sell 25 tons of dried chilies for the fiscal year ending in March. Mr. Saikia, 45, a horticulture professor at Assam Agricultural University, says the couple started their export business in 2004, knowing "we had a unique thing here." Shipments are certified by the Spices Board of India, a stamp of approval that allows entry into most overseas markets, he says.
Among their customers is Tom Beasley, of Merritt Island, Fla. He started buying powdered bhut jolokia six months ago and sells it at his Web site, burnmegood.com, with the promotion, "It's so hot, you can't even imagine; when you eat it, it's like dying."
The market for bhut jolokia, while growing, may be limited by the very quality that's put it on the map. "I've never even had a bite of bhut jolokia," says Mr. DeWitt, despite his career promoting hot foods. "I've reached the level I really like, and there's no reason to exceed that level." The head of India's defense lab, Mr. Srivastava agrees. "I'm from New Delhi," he says. "It's too hot for me."
It's 200 times hotter than the jalapeño. Workers handle it with goggles and face masks. And spicy-food lovers can't wait to get their hands on it.
By STAN SESSER
February 2, 2008
Guwahati, India
The bhut jolokia chili pepper fires up the imagination, as well as the taste buds. The thumb-sized chilies are so potent they could be used in pepper spray, says the director of India's Defense Research Lab, R.B. Srivastava. "I've been told the U.S. and Israel have considered it for antiriot material," he says.
Most admirers prefer eating them. The Indian pepper is the latest discovery by a fraternity of eaters who relish the sweaty, addictive pleasures of hot chilies.
The bhut jolokia pepper, which is farmed in the northeast part of the country, was plucked from obscurity last year when the Guinness Book of World Records declared it the world's hottest. The standard measure for such things is the Scoville Heat Unit, or SHU, named after Wilbur Lincoln Scoville, a chemist who in 1912 developed a method of assessing the heat given off by capsaicin, the active ingredient in chili peppers. Jalapeño peppers measure about 5,000 SHUs. The bhut jolokia tops a million.
"When you eat it, it feels like dying," touts one online retailer. Even packaging the stuff is a pain. "Our workers wear goggles, face masks, head cover and protective clothing," says Ananta Saikia, whose firm is the pepper's sole exporter. "They look like astronauts." He and his wife have started shipping tons of dried bhut jolokia around the world, including Germany, England and the U.S. Annual sales, he says, are expected to jump 500% this year.
Locals here in Assam and the neighboring states of Manipur and Nagaland add fresh chopped chilies to the pot when cooking curries. The hardiest eat them raw as a condiment. Dried pepper powder and flakes are sold online in the U.S. and abroad.
The spread of Mexican, Thai and Sichuan cuisines that use chili peppers is kindling America's interest in hot dishes. There are hundreds of Web sites selling sauces and chili seeds, says Dave DeWitt, of Albuquerque, N.M., who has written 31 books on the topic. Visits to his Web site, fiery-foods.com, have doubled in the past five years to 2.5 million annually, he says.
"There's also the macho, who-can-eat-the-hottest aspect," says Dave Hirschkop, owner of Dave's Gourmet Inc. and the producer of Dave's Insanity Sauce. This spring, he plans to add bhut jolokia to his 2008 Private Reserve hot sauce, priced at $30 for a five-ounce bottle packaged in a small wooden coffin. Mr. Hirschkop says he got in the business after opening a Mexican restaurant in Maryland in the early 1990s. He started serving superhot sauces in his restaurant as a joke. Then he discovered customers liked them.
Hard-core chili addicts incorporate the pursuit of hot food into their travels. Terry and Marty Ward of Virginia Beach, Va., have chased chilies in Jamaica, Venezuela, Aruba, Mexico and New Mexico. India is now on the couple's trip list, says Mr. Ward.
Food scientists speculate that hot chilies have an unexpected side effect that boosts their popularity. A publication of the Brooklyn Botanical Garden in New York described it this way: "When capsaicin comes into contact with the nerve endings in the tongue and mouth, pain messengers, called neurotransmitters, are sent to the brain in a panic. The brain, mistakenly perceiving that the body is in big trouble, responds by turning on the waterworks to douse the flames. The mouth salivates, the nose runs and the upper body breaks into a sweat. The heart beats faster and the natural painkiller endorphin is secreted. In other words, you get a buzz."
It's similar to a runner's high, says Bruce Bryant, a researcher for the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, which specializes in analyzing taste. That may explain why plants shunned by starving animals end up in party bowls next to the chips. "We're about the only species who like hot peppers," he says. "You can't even train a rat to like them."
The chilies are so loved in Assam that locals brighten at just the mention of bhut jolokia. "I've been eating them for 25 years," says Indrajit Karayan Dev, a filmmaker in Guwahati, Assam's capital. "I have two plants near my garage and every morning I pluck one for lunch. We eat them raw, pickled, in vegetable stir-fries and in chicken soup." Hoihnu Hauzel, the New Delhi-based author of a cookbook on northeast Indian cuisine, says her mother keeps her stocked. "I grew up in Manipur," she says. "Now, whenever someone comes here from home, my mother sends me some."
Besides its heat, the bhut jolokia departs from other peppers with its distinct flavor. Raw, it has a strong vegetable smell. Cooked with pork in a curry, it gives the meat a perfume-like sweetness. "It doesn't just make the dish spicy," says Ms. Hauzel. "It enhances the flavor." Bhut jolokia chilies look like jalapeño peppers and redden as they ripen. Some devotees chop a single chili for a pot of curry; others use a half pepper to accompany a meal. "Our whole family can share one chili for an entire week," says Mr. Saikia.
Although it's been eaten in northeast India for centuries, the bhut jolokia pepper would still be undiscovered by the rest of the world if not for scientist R.K.R. Singh. He works at the Indian government's Defense Research Laboratory, which occupies a tree-shaded campus in Assam, outside the city of Tezpur. Seven years ago, Mr. Singh, who loves bhut jolokia, got curious about its heat quotient. "We knew it was hot, but no one knew how hot," he says. He asked for a lab analysis, and the results were submitted to a scientific journal.
Word of the tests reached the Chile Pepper Institute of New Mexico State University, which is widely regarded as the final arbiter of all chili questions. The institute is headed by Paul Bosland, a 54-year-old horticulture professor. "I put all my chilies in one basket," he says of the 22 years he's devoted to studying hot peppers. "It was always a poor sister to tomatoes in terms of research."
Mr. Bosland grew bhut jolokia from seed in the desert climate of southern New Mexico and discovered, " 'Oh my gosh, this is hot,' " he recalls. A panel of tasters used to rank chilies. Now a process called high performance liquid chromatography does all the work, with results given in Scoville Heat Units. The peppers yielded a reading of 1,041,427 SHUs, twice that of the California red savina pepper, the previous record-holder. An SHU is the amount of dilution needed before the chili is undetectable. A drop of bhut jolokia extract needs a million drops of water.
The Saikias expect their company, Frontal Agritech Ltd., to sell 25 tons of dried chilies for the fiscal year ending in March. Mr. Saikia, 45, a horticulture professor at Assam Agricultural University, says the couple started their export business in 2004, knowing "we had a unique thing here." Shipments are certified by the Spices Board of India, a stamp of approval that allows entry into most overseas markets, he says.
Among their customers is Tom Beasley, of Merritt Island, Fla. He started buying powdered bhut jolokia six months ago and sells it at his Web site, burnmegood.com, with the promotion, "It's so hot, you can't even imagine; when you eat it, it's like dying."
The market for bhut jolokia, while growing, may be limited by the very quality that's put it on the map. "I've never even had a bite of bhut jolokia," says Mr. DeWitt, despite his career promoting hot foods. "I've reached the level I really like, and there's no reason to exceed that level." The head of India's defense lab, Mr. Srivastava agrees. "I'm from New Delhi," he says. "It's too hot for me."
Friday, February 01, 2008
Crazy
If you haven't heard from me its not cos I'm dao but cos I'm hella busy. If I havent commented on your blog its cos I havent read it. And if I suddenly have it means I suddenly don't feel like working cos I'm feeling SICK!
Anyway, things are going a little crazy here. I've taken on a little more than I can handle, inside and outside of the office. And I think I've stepped on some toes in the office by taking things a little too extreme this time. Maybe I should have just STFU and let people do what they want and then clean up the mess late. Well, then again maybe its because I've cleaned up other's mess once too many times already and I'm sick and tired of taking this shit....
I've spent too many hours reading and reading and working on the computer everyday. Getting real fat and my eyesight's failing. I need a long vacation but I cant afford it. maybe after June..... Need more excercise. Miss cycling and skating (damn the weather) and skiing (damn no money).
I need to take it easy more otherwise my blood pressure is boiling and will pop sooner or later.... Just lay back and enjoy a beer...
Okay, no beer, too fattening, shit.
How bout some buffalo wings? Damn...
Just lie down and do nothing also can lah! :P
Anyway, things are going a little crazy here. I've taken on a little more than I can handle, inside and outside of the office. And I think I've stepped on some toes in the office by taking things a little too extreme this time. Maybe I should have just STFU and let people do what they want and then clean up the mess late. Well, then again maybe its because I've cleaned up other's mess once too many times already and I'm sick and tired of taking this shit....
I've spent too many hours reading and reading and working on the computer everyday. Getting real fat and my eyesight's failing. I need a long vacation but I cant afford it. maybe after June..... Need more excercise. Miss cycling and skating (damn the weather) and skiing (damn no money).
I need to take it easy more otherwise my blood pressure is boiling and will pop sooner or later.... Just lay back and enjoy a beer...
Okay, no beer, too fattening, shit.
How bout some buffalo wings? Damn...
Just lie down and do nothing also can lah! :P
Monday, January 28, 2008
Judgement
A man and his girlfriend were married.
A few months later, the wife comes to the husband with a proposal: "I read in a magazine, a while ago, about how we can strengthen our
marriage." she offered.
"Each of us will write a list of the things that we find a bit annoying with the other person. Then, we can talk about how we can fix them together and make our lives happier together."
The husband agreed. So each of them went to a separate room in the house and thought of the things that annoyed them about the other.
They thought about this question for the rest of the day and wrote down what they came up with.
The next morning, at the breakfast table, they decided that they would go over their lists.
"I'll start," offered the wife. She took out her list. It had many items on it. Enough to fill 3 pages, in fact. As she started reading the list of the little annoyances, she noticed that tears were starting to appear in her husbands eyes.
"What's wrong?" she asked. "Nothing" the husband replied, "keep reading your list."
The wife continued to read until she had read all three pages to her husband. She neatly placed her list on the table and folded her hands over top of it.
"Now, you read your list and then we'll talk about the things on both of our lists." She said happily.
Quietly the husband stated, "I don't have anything on my list. I think that you are perfect the way that you are. I don't want you to change anything for me. You are lovely and wonderful and I wouldn't want to try and change anything about you."
The wife, touched by his honesty and the depth of his love for her and his acceptance of her, turned her head and wept.
"If you judge people, you have no time to love them. Never take someone for granted. Hold every person Close to your Heart because you might wake up one day and realise that you have lost a diamond while you were too busy collecting stones." -- Mother Teresa
A few months later, the wife comes to the husband with a proposal: "I read in a magazine, a while ago, about how we can strengthen our
marriage." she offered.
"Each of us will write a list of the things that we find a bit annoying with the other person. Then, we can talk about how we can fix them together and make our lives happier together."
The husband agreed. So each of them went to a separate room in the house and thought of the things that annoyed them about the other.
They thought about this question for the rest of the day and wrote down what they came up with.
The next morning, at the breakfast table, they decided that they would go over their lists.
"I'll start," offered the wife. She took out her list. It had many items on it. Enough to fill 3 pages, in fact. As she started reading the list of the little annoyances, she noticed that tears were starting to appear in her husbands eyes.
"What's wrong?" she asked. "Nothing" the husband replied, "keep reading your list."
The wife continued to read until she had read all three pages to her husband. She neatly placed her list on the table and folded her hands over top of it.
"Now, you read your list and then we'll talk about the things on both of our lists." She said happily.
Quietly the husband stated, "I don't have anything on my list. I think that you are perfect the way that you are. I don't want you to change anything for me. You are lovely and wonderful and I wouldn't want to try and change anything about you."
The wife, touched by his honesty and the depth of his love for her and his acceptance of her, turned her head and wept.
"If you judge people, you have no time to love them. Never take someone for granted. Hold every person Close to your Heart because you might wake up one day and realise that you have lost a diamond while you were too busy collecting stones." -- Mother Teresa
Saturday, January 19, 2008
wine expert doesnt drink wine?
The Wine Antisnob
Maverick entrepreneur Tim Hanni is trying to reinvent the American wine business. Part of his secret -- he doesn't drink.
By KATY MCLAUGHLIN
January 19, 2008
Tim Hanni is one of the wine industry's top-tier experts. He is also a recovering alcoholic who hasn't had a drink in 14 years, rarely even "sipping and spitting" wine to taste it. He says that's part of the secret of his success.
A wine adviser to hotels and restaurants from Ruth's Chris to P.F. Chang's, Mr. Hanni, 55, is on a mission to combat snobbery in the wine industry -- and get more Americans to drink wine. Unlike many wine experts, he doesn't rely on the sophistication and sensitivity of his own palate, although he was one of the first two Americans to hold the highest credential in the field, Master of Wine. He argues that no one has a palate superior to anyone else's, and that there's nothing wrong with liking wines many experts consider tacky, like White Zinfandel. He also thinks traditional tasting notes comparing wine to berries or chocolate are useless in helping most consumers find wines they enjoy.
Instead, he has developed new systems that help customers choose wines based on factors like how they take their coffee and cocktails -- and how many taste buds they have.
His maverick approach is transforming the way that many Americans drink wine. Mr. Hanni's most widely used innovation is the "progressive wine list," a menu format that organizes wine from lightest to heaviest, rather than grouping Loire Bordeaux and Tuscan Brunellos together. WineQuest, a company Mr. Hanni founded in 1999, has categorized more than 80,000 wines by flavor characteristics, allowing them to be sorted into progressive wine lists. According to an estimate by Winemetrics, a Connecticut-based wine-market researcher, 30% of casual and upscale chains, including Olive Garden and Ruth's Chris Steak House, use some version of the progressive wine list. So do about 4% of fine dining restaurants, including Nobu in New York.
Some of Mr. Hanni's latest projects -- from the "budometer," a questionnaire for predicting what wines a person will like, to a condiment meant to make any dish pair well with any wine -- may seem more far-fetched. But they are aimed at solving the biggest challenge facing the $27.8 billion U.S. wine business: getting more Americans to drink wine regularly.
Only 17.8% of American adults drink wine once a week or more, according to the Wine Market Council, a wine trade group. While last year, 35% of U.S. adults drank at least some wine, up from 25% in 2000, according to WMC, beer is still more common, consumed by 45% of adults, according to Mintel, a market-research firm.
WSJ.COM PODCAST
One of the wine industry's top experts is changing the way that consumers and restaurant's purchase their wine. The Journal's Katy McLaughlin talks about this wine expert and his battle against wine snobbery.Mr. Hanni, who lives in Napa, Calif., believes the solution lies in discarding cherished wine conventions and drilling down the physiological, biological and psychological reasons people like the wines they do. It's an approach that reflects his fascination with wine, an abiding obsession that has been the source of joy and despair throughout his life.
He was introduced to gourmet food and drink by his father, John Hanni, who cooked meals such as Chinese red-clay-pot chicken and braised goose at their home in Miami. Though the younger Mr. Hanni was a C-student with a "class clown" personality, he says, he easily absorbed details about cuisine and wine from Julia Child's television shows and Larousse Gastronomique, a culinary encyclopedia. As a teenager, when his friends struck out trying to buy beer, Mr. Hanni could convince clerks at the local wine store that he was of age by rattling off requests for Corton or Volnay.
At the University of South Florida in Tampa, where he majored in "partying" and took business classes, Mr. Hanni made grilled duck and escargot at beach barbecues and once fattened a pheasant on Fritos in a dormitory closet. (A friend slaughtered it, and Mr. Hanni wrapped the breast in bacon and roasted it in a toaster oven.) At age 20, he dropped out of college to work as a kitchen gofer at Bern's Steak House, the start of five years of apprentice-style chef training in restaurants around south Florida.
Wine Class: Mr. Hanni at the Culinary Institue of America in St. Helena, Calif.
Two constants anchored Mr. Hanni's youth: relentless focus on learning about food and wine, and abundant drinking. "I never thought I wasn't an alcoholic," he says. He could down two or three bottles of wine without appearing drunk -- many of his closest colleagues say they never realized he had a problem until he told them. His father, however, says he was "concerned" from the time Tim was a teenager, particularly because he and his own father were alcoholics. In 1977, the younger Mr. Hanni entered a tumultuous marriage marked by fights, drinking and poor finances.
After seven years in restaurants, Mr. Hanni changed tracks and managed wine programs at Atlanta's Happy Herman's gourmet store and then worked as an independent wine broker for three years. In 1988, he was hired by Wine World Estates, now known as Beringer Vineyards, in the Napa Valley, to promote the company's wines to restaurants and hotels.
In 1990 came the experience that would turn Mr. Hanni into a star in the wine world: the Masters of Wine exam. The four-day exam and dissertation are notoriously difficult, with challenges such as identifying the region, production method and alcohol levels for wines from a blind tasting. Out of about 80 people selected to take the exam annually, typically five to seven people become Masters of Wine each year, according to the British organization; currently 265 people world-wide hold the title. When Mr. Hanni and fellow American Joel Butler passed the exam, they became the first two American Masters of Wine.
Mr. Hanni was immediately "a god in the wine world," he says. The title gave him the credibility to start promoting two radical new ideas to the wine trade. The first he called the progressive wine list, a menu that arranges wines in order from lightest to heaviest. At P.F. Chang's China Bistro, a 170-unit chain that uses the system today, for instance, white wines are divided into three categories: "sweet white/blush," which includes a Riesling; "light-to-medium intensity" with some Sauvignon Blanc choices; and "medium to full intensity," which offers several Chardonnays.
But his personal life was in disarray: He had declared bankruptcy, finalized a divorce and noticed a change in his alcohol tolerance -- now, two or three bottles of wine made him much drunker than they had before. "If conditions were right, I could drink to a blackout," he says. His drinking didn't hurt his professional reputation -- he was disciplined about sipping and spitting at events, and then hit the bar after hours, he says. But a new marriage in 1993 was off to a rocky start.
While there is little data on alcohol abuse in the wine industry, national surveys indicate that people who work around alcohol have higher-than-average rates of abuse. A report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, using statistics from 2002 to 2004, found that 12% of hotel and food service workers reported drinking heavily in the past month compared to 8.8% of the general working population.
In late 1993, Mr. Hanni decided his drinking was a serious problem. He says he took his last drink -- a glass of Meridian Chardonnay -- on Dec. 16 and checked himself in for a month of rehabilitation at Crutcher's Serenity House in St. Helena, Calif.
Emerging from treatment, "I had to accept that I might never work in the industry again," he says. But Mr. Hanni opted to stay in the business. With an ability to control himself around alcohol that addiction researchers say is highly unusual, he can occasionally sip and spit at professional tastings without being tempted to imbibe, he says.
Not drinking forced Mr. Hanni to rethink his approach to wine. He decided that he had long propped up his ego with wine pretensions. "I was an arrogant ass. I completely looked down on people" who drank wine he considered inferior, he says.
In search of a better explanation for why different people prefer different wines, he consulted with sensory scientists at the University of California, Davis and the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, among others. He became convinced that some people prefer light, sweet wines to high-alcohol, high-intensity ones because of factors such as the number of taste buds they have -- and not because White Zinfandel drinkers are unsophisticated.
In 1999, Mr. Hanni left Beringer and founded WineQuest, a company based in El Cerrito, Calif. With more than $1 million in annual sales, WineQuest has created progressive wine lists for about 60 hotel and restaurant clients and trained more than 100,000 hospitality workers, says CEO David Bash.
Based on his sensory-science research, Mr. Hanni developed the "budometer," which consists of a series of questions about a drinker's preferences in coffee, beer, cocktails and soft drinks. The answers, Mr. Hanni says, predict what kind of wine the person will like.
In 2005, Mr. Hanni stepped down from the day-to-day management of WineQuest, retaining roughly a quarter of the company's ownership. Today, he works in an office a few minutes from his home, where he lives with his wife and their 12-year-old son, Landen. He has roughly 50 speaking engagements a year.
One concept he promotes to chefs and wineries is an approach he calls "flavor balancing." Rejecting the idea that wine pairing is a complex art, Mr. Hanni says that by adjusting the salt, acidity and sweetness in a dish, one can pair it with any wine. The Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, Calif., now teaches this approach in a class for wine-industry professionals, where Mr. Hanni guest lectures. As part of a consulting deal with China Grill Management, Mr. Hanni will teach his theories to the company's 27 fine-dining staffs, says director of operations Claude Roussel.
In late 2006, Mr. Hanni launched Napa Seasoning Co. and a new product: Vignon, a condiment designed to balance flavor in food so that it pairs well with any wine. The product is a mixture including salt, lemon juice, soy sauce, shiitake-mushroom powder and Parmesan cheese. Developed by Mr. Hanni with a food scientist, chef and former seasoning executives, it is sold in some gourmet stores and Web sites for $6 for a 2.75-ounce bottle.
On a recent sales call at Kendall-Jackson Wine Center in Fulton, Calif., Mr. Hanni demonstrated Vignon to nine winery chefs and executives. They took a sample of plain boiled asparagus, notorious for making wine taste bad, then a sip of the winery's Cabernet Sauvignon. Most tasters grimaced. Then Mr. Hanni asked them to try a piece of asparagus sprinkled with Vignon. This time the wine had no off-taste, the group agreed, though some quibbled with Vignon's flavor, which is salty and slightly lemony.
Back in his car, Mr. Hanni took both praise and criticism in stride. "I'm having a blast," he said, as he drove down roads flanked by hillside vineyards.
Maverick entrepreneur Tim Hanni is trying to reinvent the American wine business. Part of his secret -- he doesn't drink.
By KATY MCLAUGHLIN
January 19, 2008
Tim Hanni is one of the wine industry's top-tier experts. He is also a recovering alcoholic who hasn't had a drink in 14 years, rarely even "sipping and spitting" wine to taste it. He says that's part of the secret of his success.
A wine adviser to hotels and restaurants from Ruth's Chris to P.F. Chang's, Mr. Hanni, 55, is on a mission to combat snobbery in the wine industry -- and get more Americans to drink wine. Unlike many wine experts, he doesn't rely on the sophistication and sensitivity of his own palate, although he was one of the first two Americans to hold the highest credential in the field, Master of Wine. He argues that no one has a palate superior to anyone else's, and that there's nothing wrong with liking wines many experts consider tacky, like White Zinfandel. He also thinks traditional tasting notes comparing wine to berries or chocolate are useless in helping most consumers find wines they enjoy.
Instead, he has developed new systems that help customers choose wines based on factors like how they take their coffee and cocktails -- and how many taste buds they have.
His maverick approach is transforming the way that many Americans drink wine. Mr. Hanni's most widely used innovation is the "progressive wine list," a menu format that organizes wine from lightest to heaviest, rather than grouping Loire Bordeaux and Tuscan Brunellos together. WineQuest, a company Mr. Hanni founded in 1999, has categorized more than 80,000 wines by flavor characteristics, allowing them to be sorted into progressive wine lists. According to an estimate by Winemetrics, a Connecticut-based wine-market researcher, 30% of casual and upscale chains, including Olive Garden and Ruth's Chris Steak House, use some version of the progressive wine list. So do about 4% of fine dining restaurants, including Nobu in New York.
Some of Mr. Hanni's latest projects -- from the "budometer," a questionnaire for predicting what wines a person will like, to a condiment meant to make any dish pair well with any wine -- may seem more far-fetched. But they are aimed at solving the biggest challenge facing the $27.8 billion U.S. wine business: getting more Americans to drink wine regularly.
Only 17.8% of American adults drink wine once a week or more, according to the Wine Market Council, a wine trade group. While last year, 35% of U.S. adults drank at least some wine, up from 25% in 2000, according to WMC, beer is still more common, consumed by 45% of adults, according to Mintel, a market-research firm.
WSJ.COM PODCAST
One of the wine industry's top experts is changing the way that consumers and restaurant's purchase their wine. The Journal's Katy McLaughlin talks about this wine expert and his battle against wine snobbery.Mr. Hanni, who lives in Napa, Calif., believes the solution lies in discarding cherished wine conventions and drilling down the physiological, biological and psychological reasons people like the wines they do. It's an approach that reflects his fascination with wine, an abiding obsession that has been the source of joy and despair throughout his life.
He was introduced to gourmet food and drink by his father, John Hanni, who cooked meals such as Chinese red-clay-pot chicken and braised goose at their home in Miami. Though the younger Mr. Hanni was a C-student with a "class clown" personality, he says, he easily absorbed details about cuisine and wine from Julia Child's television shows and Larousse Gastronomique, a culinary encyclopedia. As a teenager, when his friends struck out trying to buy beer, Mr. Hanni could convince clerks at the local wine store that he was of age by rattling off requests for Corton or Volnay.
At the University of South Florida in Tampa, where he majored in "partying" and took business classes, Mr. Hanni made grilled duck and escargot at beach barbecues and once fattened a pheasant on Fritos in a dormitory closet. (A friend slaughtered it, and Mr. Hanni wrapped the breast in bacon and roasted it in a toaster oven.) At age 20, he dropped out of college to work as a kitchen gofer at Bern's Steak House, the start of five years of apprentice-style chef training in restaurants around south Florida.
Wine Class: Mr. Hanni at the Culinary Institue of America in St. Helena, Calif.
Two constants anchored Mr. Hanni's youth: relentless focus on learning about food and wine, and abundant drinking. "I never thought I wasn't an alcoholic," he says. He could down two or three bottles of wine without appearing drunk -- many of his closest colleagues say they never realized he had a problem until he told them. His father, however, says he was "concerned" from the time Tim was a teenager, particularly because he and his own father were alcoholics. In 1977, the younger Mr. Hanni entered a tumultuous marriage marked by fights, drinking and poor finances.
After seven years in restaurants, Mr. Hanni changed tracks and managed wine programs at Atlanta's Happy Herman's gourmet store and then worked as an independent wine broker for three years. In 1988, he was hired by Wine World Estates, now known as Beringer Vineyards, in the Napa Valley, to promote the company's wines to restaurants and hotels.
In 1990 came the experience that would turn Mr. Hanni into a star in the wine world: the Masters of Wine exam. The four-day exam and dissertation are notoriously difficult, with challenges such as identifying the region, production method and alcohol levels for wines from a blind tasting. Out of about 80 people selected to take the exam annually, typically five to seven people become Masters of Wine each year, according to the British organization; currently 265 people world-wide hold the title. When Mr. Hanni and fellow American Joel Butler passed the exam, they became the first two American Masters of Wine.
Mr. Hanni was immediately "a god in the wine world," he says. The title gave him the credibility to start promoting two radical new ideas to the wine trade. The first he called the progressive wine list, a menu that arranges wines in order from lightest to heaviest. At P.F. Chang's China Bistro, a 170-unit chain that uses the system today, for instance, white wines are divided into three categories: "sweet white/blush," which includes a Riesling; "light-to-medium intensity" with some Sauvignon Blanc choices; and "medium to full intensity," which offers several Chardonnays.
But his personal life was in disarray: He had declared bankruptcy, finalized a divorce and noticed a change in his alcohol tolerance -- now, two or three bottles of wine made him much drunker than they had before. "If conditions were right, I could drink to a blackout," he says. His drinking didn't hurt his professional reputation -- he was disciplined about sipping and spitting at events, and then hit the bar after hours, he says. But a new marriage in 1993 was off to a rocky start.
While there is little data on alcohol abuse in the wine industry, national surveys indicate that people who work around alcohol have higher-than-average rates of abuse. A report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, using statistics from 2002 to 2004, found that 12% of hotel and food service workers reported drinking heavily in the past month compared to 8.8% of the general working population.
In late 1993, Mr. Hanni decided his drinking was a serious problem. He says he took his last drink -- a glass of Meridian Chardonnay -- on Dec. 16 and checked himself in for a month of rehabilitation at Crutcher's Serenity House in St. Helena, Calif.
Emerging from treatment, "I had to accept that I might never work in the industry again," he says. But Mr. Hanni opted to stay in the business. With an ability to control himself around alcohol that addiction researchers say is highly unusual, he can occasionally sip and spit at professional tastings without being tempted to imbibe, he says.
Not drinking forced Mr. Hanni to rethink his approach to wine. He decided that he had long propped up his ego with wine pretensions. "I was an arrogant ass. I completely looked down on people" who drank wine he considered inferior, he says.
In search of a better explanation for why different people prefer different wines, he consulted with sensory scientists at the University of California, Davis and the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, among others. He became convinced that some people prefer light, sweet wines to high-alcohol, high-intensity ones because of factors such as the number of taste buds they have -- and not because White Zinfandel drinkers are unsophisticated.
In 1999, Mr. Hanni left Beringer and founded WineQuest, a company based in El Cerrito, Calif. With more than $1 million in annual sales, WineQuest has created progressive wine lists for about 60 hotel and restaurant clients and trained more than 100,000 hospitality workers, says CEO David Bash.
Based on his sensory-science research, Mr. Hanni developed the "budometer," which consists of a series of questions about a drinker's preferences in coffee, beer, cocktails and soft drinks. The answers, Mr. Hanni says, predict what kind of wine the person will like.
In 2005, Mr. Hanni stepped down from the day-to-day management of WineQuest, retaining roughly a quarter of the company's ownership. Today, he works in an office a few minutes from his home, where he lives with his wife and their 12-year-old son, Landen. He has roughly 50 speaking engagements a year.
One concept he promotes to chefs and wineries is an approach he calls "flavor balancing." Rejecting the idea that wine pairing is a complex art, Mr. Hanni says that by adjusting the salt, acidity and sweetness in a dish, one can pair it with any wine. The Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, Calif., now teaches this approach in a class for wine-industry professionals, where Mr. Hanni guest lectures. As part of a consulting deal with China Grill Management, Mr. Hanni will teach his theories to the company's 27 fine-dining staffs, says director of operations Claude Roussel.
In late 2006, Mr. Hanni launched Napa Seasoning Co. and a new product: Vignon, a condiment designed to balance flavor in food so that it pairs well with any wine. The product is a mixture including salt, lemon juice, soy sauce, shiitake-mushroom powder and Parmesan cheese. Developed by Mr. Hanni with a food scientist, chef and former seasoning executives, it is sold in some gourmet stores and Web sites for $6 for a 2.75-ounce bottle.
On a recent sales call at Kendall-Jackson Wine Center in Fulton, Calif., Mr. Hanni demonstrated Vignon to nine winery chefs and executives. They took a sample of plain boiled asparagus, notorious for making wine taste bad, then a sip of the winery's Cabernet Sauvignon. Most tasters grimaced. Then Mr. Hanni asked them to try a piece of asparagus sprinkled with Vignon. This time the wine had no off-taste, the group agreed, though some quibbled with Vignon's flavor, which is salty and slightly lemony.
Back in his car, Mr. Hanni took both praise and criticism in stride. "I'm having a blast," he said, as he drove down roads flanked by hillside vineyards.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
work work work
I can't seem to get where I wanna be. Perhaps maybe at certain times I'm not even clear or sure where I wanna be. It used to be so clear, so pristine. There was once I thought I was close, but it was not to be.
I can hardly concentrate on anything these days. Not at work or out of work. Well, I'm doing 3 persons job in the office and nobody seems to care, so that makes it hard to concentrate on any one task. I used to be concerned about producing the best quality work but now my day to day tasks are ensuring that things just get sufficiently completed and submitted. And of course trying to make sure I dont end up staying too late in the office because there clearly isn't any incentive for working yourself to death.
Well outside the office I've been distracting myself with heroes 2, 24 season 7 and DOTA. Which is way too much stuff which I shouldn't be playing with if I'm to keep my new year's resolution. I need more exercise (okay bad weather is the excuse I'm giving myself). I need to spend more time on the WSJ (cos I paid for it?). And I need to figure out the market.
I put some into a bond fund some 2 wks ago and that has shot up tremendously. Knowing that bonds take time to mature, I'm quite sure there'll be a sufficient lag for me to pull out before it drops in the future, so I think i snagged a good investment there!
Take a look at the public transportation in this country. All of a sudden taxi fares have shot up like 50% or something! It cost me $32 to get to NTU in the morning, and $10 was for surcharges! No wonder the train and the bus stop appears to be much more crowded than usual. Well, good time to buy train and bus shares! Okay maybe it's already priced in, but I don't care, cos I already got my hands onto some ;P
Well, its time to sleep now. That's my other new years resolution, to sleep early. Though I really don't know how that's gonna happen with all that's going on.
My strategy now: dont think about work once u step outside the office, and dont think about anything else once you step into the office. which really means I should spend less time in the office to feel more satisfied...... :P
I can hardly concentrate on anything these days. Not at work or out of work. Well, I'm doing 3 persons job in the office and nobody seems to care, so that makes it hard to concentrate on any one task. I used to be concerned about producing the best quality work but now my day to day tasks are ensuring that things just get sufficiently completed and submitted. And of course trying to make sure I dont end up staying too late in the office because there clearly isn't any incentive for working yourself to death.
Well outside the office I've been distracting myself with heroes 2, 24 season 7 and DOTA. Which is way too much stuff which I shouldn't be playing with if I'm to keep my new year's resolution. I need more exercise (okay bad weather is the excuse I'm giving myself). I need to spend more time on the WSJ (cos I paid for it?). And I need to figure out the market.
I put some into a bond fund some 2 wks ago and that has shot up tremendously. Knowing that bonds take time to mature, I'm quite sure there'll be a sufficient lag for me to pull out before it drops in the future, so I think i snagged a good investment there!
Take a look at the public transportation in this country. All of a sudden taxi fares have shot up like 50% or something! It cost me $32 to get to NTU in the morning, and $10 was for surcharges! No wonder the train and the bus stop appears to be much more crowded than usual. Well, good time to buy train and bus shares! Okay maybe it's already priced in, but I don't care, cos I already got my hands onto some ;P
Well, its time to sleep now. That's my other new years resolution, to sleep early. Though I really don't know how that's gonna happen with all that's going on.
My strategy now: dont think about work once u step outside the office, and dont think about anything else once you step into the office. which really means I should spend less time in the office to feel more satisfied...... :P
Monday, January 07, 2008
downloads
I downloaded some really good stuff today. Mininova really rocks man! So I'm finally back to the bit torrent world haha! Really good stuff which I didn't think I could get anywhere.
Oh, and if u wanna watch tv shows from anywhere in the world, go to www.xiaoli.cc. There's streaming video of everything. You might wanna download the VLC player (from some website) to download the streaming videos if it takes too long to load. I just watched a whole season of 24 in 3 days hahahaha.
And for movies there is www.haru.tv, but you can only access the first page unless u subscribe to spam and ad popups (not good). Well, the first page has I am legend and some new movies, so its all good :P.
So, that's what I've been doing lately, apart from going to ppl's house all wk last week (let's see, WT, F, YK, yeah a lot of house visits), learning how to play mahjong (and losing), and cramming over meaningless questions.
Check out the putting / chipping / sand wedge area at the marina bay golf course! It's fantastic man, the grass is new, the sand feels good, totally awesome! Okay, u gotta pay 10 bucks to use it lah. Gonna find another sunny day to go down.
Oops, its midnight already. I resolve to sleep early this year, no more late nights (unless its at Paulaner's)! Night night.....
Oh, and if u wanna watch tv shows from anywhere in the world, go to www.xiaoli.cc. There's streaming video of everything. You might wanna download the VLC player (from some website) to download the streaming videos if it takes too long to load. I just watched a whole season of 24 in 3 days hahahaha.
And for movies there is www.haru.tv, but you can only access the first page unless u subscribe to spam and ad popups (not good). Well, the first page has I am legend and some new movies, so its all good :P.
So, that's what I've been doing lately, apart from going to ppl's house all wk last week (let's see, WT, F, YK, yeah a lot of house visits), learning how to play mahjong (and losing), and cramming over meaningless questions.
Check out the putting / chipping / sand wedge area at the marina bay golf course! It's fantastic man, the grass is new, the sand feels good, totally awesome! Okay, u gotta pay 10 bucks to use it lah. Gonna find another sunny day to go down.
Oops, its midnight already. I resolve to sleep early this year, no more late nights (unless its at Paulaner's)! Night night.....
Saturday, December 29, 2007
I'm back
So, its been a while. A new year is dawning, and new things are coming. 2008 is gonna be a hectic year, at work and outside work. You probably won't be hearing much from me cos I'll be busy busy busy!
December is a month of weddings. Wait, correction, 3 weddings in one week! Ya I'm 2/3 of the way there and I'm like gonna explode from all that food already. So far its been pretty good food and unique dishes that I don't see everyday, so its not like I'm eating the same 'ol chinese dishes everytime. Even for shark's fin they manage to cook it in so many different ways, interesting huh?
Well, at Raymen and Kat's wedding just now there was this lady singing jazz. Her voice was absolutely fantastic OMG! You can find out more about her on this website: www.joannadong.com. She's quite young and she dances too, full time! And she performs at a local pub. It's not easy finding a good lounge/pub with great live music that you can sit there and enjoy all day. I used to hang out at Paulaner's but they changed singers and its not as good now. Then there is Wala Wala on thursday nights with Shirlyn, but it often gets too crowded to sit haha. And she's kinda punk rock, so once in a while is good, but not so often. Of course one of the best places I've been is Divine Wine at Parkview Square. That place is always the best lounge for a date, though its quite pricey and atas, must dress up to go in one!
I'm gonna have to pick up the pace of my workouts to stay fit during the wining and dining of this festive season. I also find that staying fit helps me handle lotsa stress and multi-tasking. I'm pretty much learning few different things at work and outside work at the same time, its kinda driving me crazy. Someone told me that I'm not as quick and smart as in Uni days anymore, so probably its tougher. I'm not so sure about that, I think I'm quicker and smarter than I can ever be, and definitely better than a fresh grad! Maybe a little rusty sometimes though.... haha
It's 2am and I should be sleeping and not thinking so much haha. I've not been sleeping so well lately and I think I know why, too much chinese tea! been drinking tea all night at weddings and even regular dinner outings too. It's probably too much caffeine than I am supposed to take argh. Well, I'll probably read the news or something then.
Its a pity how Bhutto got assassinated. Yesterday morning I saw her in the news rallying exposed on top of her car and I actually was wondering how she manages to stay safe, and if she's gonna get another attempt on her life. And by evening she's dead. Sigh, violence is everywhere these days. Yet people seem more worried about the sub-prime crisis.....
December is a month of weddings. Wait, correction, 3 weddings in one week! Ya I'm 2/3 of the way there and I'm like gonna explode from all that food already. So far its been pretty good food and unique dishes that I don't see everyday, so its not like I'm eating the same 'ol chinese dishes everytime. Even for shark's fin they manage to cook it in so many different ways, interesting huh?
Well, at Raymen and Kat's wedding just now there was this lady singing jazz. Her voice was absolutely fantastic OMG! You can find out more about her on this website: www.joannadong.com. She's quite young and she dances too, full time! And she performs at a local pub. It's not easy finding a good lounge/pub with great live music that you can sit there and enjoy all day. I used to hang out at Paulaner's but they changed singers and its not as good now. Then there is Wala Wala on thursday nights with Shirlyn, but it often gets too crowded to sit haha. And she's kinda punk rock, so once in a while is good, but not so often. Of course one of the best places I've been is Divine Wine at Parkview Square. That place is always the best lounge for a date, though its quite pricey and atas, must dress up to go in one!
I'm gonna have to pick up the pace of my workouts to stay fit during the wining and dining of this festive season. I also find that staying fit helps me handle lotsa stress and multi-tasking. I'm pretty much learning few different things at work and outside work at the same time, its kinda driving me crazy. Someone told me that I'm not as quick and smart as in Uni days anymore, so probably its tougher. I'm not so sure about that, I think I'm quicker and smarter than I can ever be, and definitely better than a fresh grad! Maybe a little rusty sometimes though.... haha
It's 2am and I should be sleeping and not thinking so much haha. I've not been sleeping so well lately and I think I know why, too much chinese tea! been drinking tea all night at weddings and even regular dinner outings too. It's probably too much caffeine than I am supposed to take argh. Well, I'll probably read the news or something then.
Its a pity how Bhutto got assassinated. Yesterday morning I saw her in the news rallying exposed on top of her car and I actually was wondering how she manages to stay safe, and if she's gonna get another attempt on her life. And by evening she's dead. Sigh, violence is everywhere these days. Yet people seem more worried about the sub-prime crisis.....
Friday, November 30, 2007
Hell runneth over
"Bravo Platoon 4, charge!!!!"
Out of the jungle we ran, adrenaline rushing, all ready to fight. Once out in the open we found ourselves knee deep in mud, directly facing a heavy machine gun. tat-tat-tat-tat-tat, one by one my platoon mates fell all around me, stuck in the mud!
"Platoon 4 pull back, retreat!" Damn, we started to turn around. "Never mind, Platoon 4 press on, move ahead, charge!!!" Shucks, turn around again and run!
By the time we made it across, whole platoon down, only 3 persons alive, including myself of course because I was at the back. But we're not done yet. Have to cross another stretch of road. "Okay, on my count, 1, 2, 3, go go go!"
We run across the road to the other side. Just as we step foot "arty arty take cover!!!!!" And there went the rest of the platoon.....
4 days of living hell are finally over. You have no idea what it was like, and probably never want to know haha. I'm so glad to have survived and booked out early so I can go home and surf the net peacefully on a friday night! ;)
Out of the jungle we ran, adrenaline rushing, all ready to fight. Once out in the open we found ourselves knee deep in mud, directly facing a heavy machine gun. tat-tat-tat-tat-tat, one by one my platoon mates fell all around me, stuck in the mud!
"Platoon 4 pull back, retreat!" Damn, we started to turn around. "Never mind, Platoon 4 press on, move ahead, charge!!!" Shucks, turn around again and run!
By the time we made it across, whole platoon down, only 3 persons alive, including myself of course because I was at the back. But we're not done yet. Have to cross another stretch of road. "Okay, on my count, 1, 2, 3, go go go!"
We run across the road to the other side. Just as we step foot "arty arty take cover!!!!!" And there went the rest of the platoon.....
4 days of living hell are finally over. You have no idea what it was like, and probably never want to know haha. I'm so glad to have survived and booked out early so I can go home and surf the net peacefully on a friday night! ;)
Sunday, November 25, 2007
ATEC
Tomorrow morning is ATEC Stage 2 -- the final battle. In 4 days it will be over, only the toughest will survive...
Hooah!
Hooah!
Saturday, November 24, 2007
reservist
I'm out for the weekend. This week's reservist training wasn't that bad, but next week is going to be a living hell!
I hope I make it out alive, stay tuned....
I hope I make it out alive, stay tuned....
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Amazing grace
Amazing grace how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now am found
Was blind but now I see.
Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.
These words have always brought me comfort since I was a kid. I used to hum the tune when I was swimming alone long distance in the pool in the evening. I remember when it was cold and it was dark and I felt something might happen at the deep end when nobody was looking. But these words brought me comfort and everything was fine.
It has been difficult to find happiness in the little things. Well I guess there are no big things to start with, so I'll settle for the little ones. Often it just feels so easy to slide into the shadow of darkness that I'd never seen before. Oftentimes I can't imagine that I'd ever see the light. And frankly, I can't believe what has become of me.
But I'm happy for the support that I've received. Happy for the people who read this blog during the 6 months or so that it was not active (ok lah, I know you all got RSS feed, but thanks anyway!). Happy for the friends that love me not just for who I am but because they care about me.
People say life is tough. But think of the carnage in Sudan. Think of the 250 people who died in Pakistan when Benazir Bhutto arrived. Think about Chechnya. Think about Baghdad. Congo. Aung San Suu Kyi. Life is not tough, we are more privileged that anyone can ever be! Life is good, and it is worth living to the fullest!
Dance like no one's watching. Sing like nobody's listening. Blog like nobody's reading. Love until it hurts and don't expect anything in return. Cry those tears out till the rivers overflow and they turn to tears of joy. Live like there is no tomorrow. And when tomorrow comes there's a new happiness awaiting.
Fiat Lux, let there be light.
Amazing grace how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.....
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now am found
Was blind but now I see.
Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.
These words have always brought me comfort since I was a kid. I used to hum the tune when I was swimming alone long distance in the pool in the evening. I remember when it was cold and it was dark and I felt something might happen at the deep end when nobody was looking. But these words brought me comfort and everything was fine.
It has been difficult to find happiness in the little things. Well I guess there are no big things to start with, so I'll settle for the little ones. Often it just feels so easy to slide into the shadow of darkness that I'd never seen before. Oftentimes I can't imagine that I'd ever see the light. And frankly, I can't believe what has become of me.
But I'm happy for the support that I've received. Happy for the people who read this blog during the 6 months or so that it was not active (ok lah, I know you all got RSS feed, but thanks anyway!). Happy for the friends that love me not just for who I am but because they care about me.
People say life is tough. But think of the carnage in Sudan. Think of the 250 people who died in Pakistan when Benazir Bhutto arrived. Think about Chechnya. Think about Baghdad. Congo. Aung San Suu Kyi. Life is not tough, we are more privileged that anyone can ever be! Life is good, and it is worth living to the fullest!
Dance like no one's watching. Sing like nobody's listening. Blog like nobody's reading. Love until it hurts and don't expect anything in return. Cry those tears out till the rivers overflow and they turn to tears of joy. Live like there is no tomorrow. And when tomorrow comes there's a new happiness awaiting.
Fiat Lux, let there be light.
Amazing grace how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.....
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
clothes
I've just bought a lot of clothes lately, and it has cost me. Well, nice new clothes are always good to look pretty in I guess. :P
Now I'm just wondering if I should get that new pair of leather shoes....
I went jogging just now. Clocked 32mins and 41 seconds. I think the last time was 32 mins and 10 seconds or something. So it looks like I'm not really improving. Funny thing is, I was really energetic today! Well, except for that last round... But I really thought I'd make better time.
So, counting down, just a few more days.... (to the weekend, or?)
;)
Now I'm just wondering if I should get that new pair of leather shoes....
I went jogging just now. Clocked 32mins and 41 seconds. I think the last time was 32 mins and 10 seconds or something. So it looks like I'm not really improving. Funny thing is, I was really energetic today! Well, except for that last round... But I really thought I'd make better time.
So, counting down, just a few more days.... (to the weekend, or?)
;)
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