Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Restructuring
What a great start to restructuring: I just worked 15 hours today!! Apparently during the transition period somebody forgot that I'm working 200%... Somebody better figure out the handing/taking over process quick!!
Sunday, April 09, 2006
I watched Ultraviolet today. It may sound like a "save the earth" kinda movie (UV rays and all), but really its about a superhero/mutant/"experiment gone wrong" chick called Violet, hence Ultra-Violet. Ultraviolet's full of fast pace action and violence, kinda like a cross between Kill Bill and Run Lola Run, with some fantastic matrix style fighting, though YK was right to point out that some parts were copied right out of The Matrix. It went a little to fast to catch the full story, and the show lasted less than an hour an a half. Didn't help too much that the superhero's a vampire of some sorts (had enough of that in Underworld Evolutions) and appears to be all too invincible. But otherwise an enjoyable movie for a Sunday afternoon with discounted tickets! ;)
Lesson 1 for villians: Don't encircle your enemy in a circle and then try to shoot her, 'cos if she ducks u'll be shooting at your own comrades!
Lesson 2 for villians: If Violet says you're all dead, better start running away!
Yeah it's just a show, but the way Violet starts killing a whole room of baddies it's almost like a reflex action for her. Like she doesn't need to think. Brushing my teeth is almost like a reflex action too. I almost don't need to think. Couple of days ago, however, I realised that I've unwittingly been slacking off and brushing a few strokes less! I guess all that "doing without thinking" just inadvertantly to slacking off huh? Does this happen to doctors in the ER? After many shifts of nightwork doing CPR, do chest compressions seem so much like a reflex action that they skip a step without knowing it? Maybe if you have a sense of purpose and you know something more important is at stake your reflex thinking won't subconciously start to slack off. Or maybe not...
A foreign visitor would naturally concur that Singaporean's aren't a very happy bunch. A ride on public transport is often greeted with disenchanted looks and pushing/shoving to get up the bus/train. Some say it's just the result of being in an overpopulated overcrowded city. But is that really so? San Francisco is pretty overcrowded. There may not be that many people living there, but certainly the number of commuters by rail, car or bicycle is astounding! Just look at the Friday evening jam up the Bay Bridge! I know of commuters who go straight to the bars/restaurants till late night on Fridays just because of avoiding the jam. But San Franciscans (Is that what you call it? sounds like the monks...) seem a much more happy lot...
I think the lack of cheer is largely attributed to diet. Most Singaporean food sold in the hawker centers/foodcourts is unhealthy, no matter how much we swear by the taste! All that salt increases our blood pressure, and all that grease brings up our cholesterol to obscene levels! I see so many young people in the office who have high blood pressure and cholestorol. This is exacerbated by poor working conditions (overworked and underpaid, no time for exercise), super hot weather, and of course the crowded city effect. Which is what accounts for the unhappy outlook. So why do I care? If you look at all those factors above, we can do something about it (except for the crowded bit, which is not so important from the SF example), so we are not doomed to being an unhappy bunch!
Another thing that disturbs me a lot is the "herd mentality". Peer pressure is about people wanting you to conform to their idea of what's cool and what's not. And I must say we have reached the pinnacle of "herd mentality"! Anyone disagrees? Just talk a walk down Shenton Way during lunch time what will you see? See what colour pants all the locals are wearing? All black. How about the shirts? For bankers, mostly white long sleeves with some patterns. Non bankers, standard one tone pastel or dark (for the flashy, but u stick out like a sore thumb in the office). In fact, people in the office are telling me how I should comb my hair, what type of glasses I should wear. If we all follow the same advice won't we just be a bunch of drones? Just take a walk down Wall Street or Market Street, and you'll see what it means to show your true personality, be it dreadlocks in a suit, or grey suit with striped shirt and pink tie, or guys with tied back long hair (and suit). How about that professor who used to skateboard to work at Cal (though skateboarding is now banned on campus)? That's what I'm talking about.
Lesson 1 for villians: Don't encircle your enemy in a circle and then try to shoot her, 'cos if she ducks u'll be shooting at your own comrades!
Lesson 2 for villians: If Violet says you're all dead, better start running away!
Yeah it's just a show, but the way Violet starts killing a whole room of baddies it's almost like a reflex action for her. Like she doesn't need to think. Brushing my teeth is almost like a reflex action too. I almost don't need to think. Couple of days ago, however, I realised that I've unwittingly been slacking off and brushing a few strokes less! I guess all that "doing without thinking" just inadvertantly to slacking off huh? Does this happen to doctors in the ER? After many shifts of nightwork doing CPR, do chest compressions seem so much like a reflex action that they skip a step without knowing it? Maybe if you have a sense of purpose and you know something more important is at stake your reflex thinking won't subconciously start to slack off. Or maybe not...
A foreign visitor would naturally concur that Singaporean's aren't a very happy bunch. A ride on public transport is often greeted with disenchanted looks and pushing/shoving to get up the bus/train. Some say it's just the result of being in an overpopulated overcrowded city. But is that really so? San Francisco is pretty overcrowded. There may not be that many people living there, but certainly the number of commuters by rail, car or bicycle is astounding! Just look at the Friday evening jam up the Bay Bridge! I know of commuters who go straight to the bars/restaurants till late night on Fridays just because of avoiding the jam. But San Franciscans (Is that what you call it? sounds like the monks...) seem a much more happy lot...
I think the lack of cheer is largely attributed to diet. Most Singaporean food sold in the hawker centers/foodcourts is unhealthy, no matter how much we swear by the taste! All that salt increases our blood pressure, and all that grease brings up our cholesterol to obscene levels! I see so many young people in the office who have high blood pressure and cholestorol. This is exacerbated by poor working conditions (overworked and underpaid, no time for exercise), super hot weather, and of course the crowded city effect. Which is what accounts for the unhappy outlook. So why do I care? If you look at all those factors above, we can do something about it (except for the crowded bit, which is not so important from the SF example), so we are not doomed to being an unhappy bunch!
Another thing that disturbs me a lot is the "herd mentality". Peer pressure is about people wanting you to conform to their idea of what's cool and what's not. And I must say we have reached the pinnacle of "herd mentality"! Anyone disagrees? Just talk a walk down Shenton Way during lunch time what will you see? See what colour pants all the locals are wearing? All black. How about the shirts? For bankers, mostly white long sleeves with some patterns. Non bankers, standard one tone pastel or dark (for the flashy, but u stick out like a sore thumb in the office). In fact, people in the office are telling me how I should comb my hair, what type of glasses I should wear. If we all follow the same advice won't we just be a bunch of drones? Just take a walk down Wall Street or Market Street, and you'll see what it means to show your true personality, be it dreadlocks in a suit, or grey suit with striped shirt and pink tie, or guys with tied back long hair (and suit). How about that professor who used to skateboard to work at Cal (though skateboarding is now banned on campus)? That's what I'm talking about.
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Which superhero are you?
I tried this test: http://www.seabreezecomputers.com/superhero/
You are Green Lantern.
Hot-headed. You have strong will power and a good imagination.
You are Green Lantern.
Hot-headed. You have strong will power and a good imagination.
We have been restructured!
So we have finally been restructured! It was supposed to happen on April 1st, but for some reason April 1st came and went and nobody seemed to have figured out anything, as if the Enhancing Business Model (EBM 3.0) was just an April Fool's joke (didn't help that April 1st was on a Saturday too). But finally on Thursday the bosses worked it out and the staff were told on Friday what would happen to them. Just by coincidence I had Friday off though! So I kept receiving text messages and calls all day!
So what's in it for me? Turns out that I'm having a new boss and gonna be working on different projects. Not that its that much difference since I've been doing some part time projects previously with my new boss and the last few months my efforts have stepped up since one of his own staff quit. But still, it's a change alright, and I'm sure some might have found it quite unexpected. I've been working here one and a half years already and its the second time I'm changing project/boss! Some others spend their entire career doing the same thing haha!
DJ Tiesto is in town next friday! He'll be playing MOS. For the uninitiated, Tiesto is one of the world's top trance DJ's. P doesn't really like his music though, and I must say P knows his trance. I've never actually been to one of Tiesto's gigs before, but I've heard its music and I like it, and so do quite a number of people I know. So I'm probably going with M, though I'm sure that the queue is gonna be ridiculously long. They should do it like 1015 Folsom Spundae nights in SF. Let anybody buy and print tickets out online first. That makes it easier for everybody. Anyhow, if you got any comment's on Tiesto's music, feel free to just shout out!
So what's in it for me? Turns out that I'm having a new boss and gonna be working on different projects. Not that its that much difference since I've been doing some part time projects previously with my new boss and the last few months my efforts have stepped up since one of his own staff quit. But still, it's a change alright, and I'm sure some might have found it quite unexpected. I've been working here one and a half years already and its the second time I'm changing project/boss! Some others spend their entire career doing the same thing haha!
DJ Tiesto is in town next friday! He'll be playing MOS. For the uninitiated, Tiesto is one of the world's top trance DJ's. P doesn't really like his music though, and I must say P knows his trance. I've never actually been to one of Tiesto's gigs before, but I've heard its music and I like it, and so do quite a number of people I know. So I'm probably going with M, though I'm sure that the queue is gonna be ridiculously long. They should do it like 1015 Folsom Spundae nights in SF. Let anybody buy and print tickets out online first. That makes it easier for everybody. Anyhow, if you got any comment's on Tiesto's music, feel free to just shout out!
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
ducks
Somebody's got a new blog! Finally, after all the resistance! And it's about ducks or something. So here's a tribute to ducks:
Three little ducks went out one day
Fat one, fair one, skinny one too
But the one little duck with the feather on his back
He ruled the others with a quack quack quack!
Down the river they would go
Wibble wobble wibble wobble to and fro
But the one little duck with the feather on his back
He ruled the others with a quack quack quack!
Home from the river they would come
Wibble wobble wibble wobble ho ho hum
But the one little duck with the feather on his back
He ruled the others with a quack quack quack!
Incidentally there appears to be many different versions of this song, as I have discoverd using a google search. But this is the one we sang in scouts. I don't know and don't care much about ducks really, but they taste so good! Especially Johnson Lock roast duck! But ducks are also so fatty and sinful....
Speaking of good food, I had lots of oysters and escargots for lunch at Jack's Place today, yummy! And the day before I tried lunch at Raffles City Bakerzin. Tried the clam pasta which was good, and we had some of those dessert "tapas" too. The one with chocolate and hazelnut and the ginger jelly with lychee were good. There was one tapas we tried with egg white and chocolate sauce and some fruit. The egg white was good, but the fruit made the whole thing so so sour! Eeeks! And this was served in some weird cup/bowl that can't balance straight up and just keeps rolling on the table! Talk about weird crockery, or shall I say rockery?
Anyway, we are undergoing some huge restructuring right now at work, and anything could happen, anytime. Some people are still trying to convince me that nothings gonna happen, and it'll all be the same. We'll see....
Three little ducks went out one day
Fat one, fair one, skinny one too
But the one little duck with the feather on his back
He ruled the others with a quack quack quack!
Down the river they would go
Wibble wobble wibble wobble to and fro
But the one little duck with the feather on his back
He ruled the others with a quack quack quack!
Home from the river they would come
Wibble wobble wibble wobble ho ho hum
But the one little duck with the feather on his back
He ruled the others with a quack quack quack!
Incidentally there appears to be many different versions of this song, as I have discoverd using a google search. But this is the one we sang in scouts. I don't know and don't care much about ducks really, but they taste so good! Especially Johnson Lock roast duck! But ducks are also so fatty and sinful....
Speaking of good food, I had lots of oysters and escargots for lunch at Jack's Place today, yummy! And the day before I tried lunch at Raffles City Bakerzin. Tried the clam pasta which was good, and we had some of those dessert "tapas" too. The one with chocolate and hazelnut and the ginger jelly with lychee were good. There was one tapas we tried with egg white and chocolate sauce and some fruit. The egg white was good, but the fruit made the whole thing so so sour! Eeeks! And this was served in some weird cup/bowl that can't balance straight up and just keeps rolling on the table! Talk about weird crockery, or shall I say rockery?
Anyway, we are undergoing some huge restructuring right now at work, and anything could happen, anytime. Some people are still trying to convince me that nothings gonna happen, and it'll all be the same. We'll see....
Monday, April 03, 2006
Coffee
Why is it that when i comment on my own blog I have to type in some random letters to make sure i'm not a robot, but when I comment on other blogspot blogs I don't have to? Weird...
Anyway, did you know how much effort goes into making good coffee?
"Coffee bushes must be grown in shade -- neither too much, nor too little. A hillside is best -- but it mustn't be too steep. After 3 years, the bushes will start to produce bright-red coffee "cherries", which are picked, processed to remove the pulp, and spread out to dry for days, ideally on concrete. They are milled again to separate the bean, which needs to rest, preferably for a few months. Only then can it be roasted, ground and brewed into the stuff that dreams are quelled with." - The Economist
Wow, bet you didn't know that huh? Next time I have that Blue Mountain or Ethiopian Harra at TCC I know that it's worth what it really costs! But how about those 50 cent kopi at the coffeeshop? Wonder if it requires as much effort to make those? Does it really require 20 times as much effort to brew a $10 blue mountain? I'm not much of a coffee addict, but I always appreciate a nice cuppa gourmet coffee on a cold rainy day..... ;)
Anyway, did you know how much effort goes into making good coffee?
"Coffee bushes must be grown in shade -- neither too much, nor too little. A hillside is best -- but it mustn't be too steep. After 3 years, the bushes will start to produce bright-red coffee "cherries", which are picked, processed to remove the pulp, and spread out to dry for days, ideally on concrete. They are milled again to separate the bean, which needs to rest, preferably for a few months. Only then can it be roasted, ground and brewed into the stuff that dreams are quelled with." - The Economist
Wow, bet you didn't know that huh? Next time I have that Blue Mountain or Ethiopian Harra at TCC I know that it's worth what it really costs! But how about those 50 cent kopi at the coffeeshop? Wonder if it requires as much effort to make those? Does it really require 20 times as much effort to brew a $10 blue mountain? I'm not much of a coffee addict, but I always appreciate a nice cuppa gourmet coffee on a cold rainy day..... ;)
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Long time no post
Ok, it's been a while since I last posted something on this blog. Don't worry, the blog's not dead yet! It's just that I've been having a lot of strain on my eyes and so I had no mood to use the computer much after staring at a screen all day at work. Anyway, now that I've got a new pair of glasses and a new table lamp, hopefully things will be back to normal! ;)
I was planning on going skating today, but ended up sleeping all afternoon and it started raining when I woke up. Bummer huh? Last night we had a party at G and E's so I came home late. It was a really busy day. Started off with golf lessons at Sembawang, which was really bummer too. I hit 80-90 balls with the 3 woods and they didnt go anywhere at all! Then I realised all i had to do was pull my left arm a little more to the right and voila! 80-100m shots! Such a small difference in your swing makes a big difference in your shot! After golf was huge pork knuckle lunch at werner's oven, followed by promiseworks meeting and dinner at FL's. Then G&E's party when FL's crowd started watching soccer. The berkeley gang of MR, L, KY, SZ, PP, T, YK, S were there, as well as some other familiar faces: K, F, E, KY2, I. The crowd was really interesting, with some ang mohs, some salsa dudes, some djs and some of the dudes I used to see at zouk! And of course, more alcohol than we can finish! :P
Someone at the party kept asking S, the geotechnical expert, all kindsa stuff about soil and rocks. It made me realise that most people out there have absolutely no idea about soil-structure interaction and what you need to do to the ground before you build your building. Anyway, why bother right? Just hire some experts to do the job. Well, for small jobs at least, where there are no real experts, you might end up building your house on some seriously bad ground conditions, and never be able to fix it ever again unless you tear down the house. I guess majority of us live in high-rise buildings, and a majority of those are public housing, so it's easy to leave it as somebody else's problem. More important to make sure you don't have a leaky HDB flat!
Oftentimes I worry that I don't gain enough knowledge at work that is applicable to the outside world. But this week my fears were laid to rest a little. See, my project is now at the stage where the subcon's are doing the architectural finishes such as floor screeding, false ceiling, plastering, partitioning, tiling, raised flooring etc. You don't learn that stuff in school, but my colleague told me that once you handle one big project you should be able to know everything. And to some extent its true. I feel that I can now assess the quality of a renovation contractor's workmanship. Given that everyone has to go through a renovation at some point of time, it's probably a useful skill for myself and for those around me who ask for help haha. As a good civil engineer I always want to make sure everyone's house is built right! ;)
I was planning on going skating today, but ended up sleeping all afternoon and it started raining when I woke up. Bummer huh? Last night we had a party at G and E's so I came home late. It was a really busy day. Started off with golf lessons at Sembawang, which was really bummer too. I hit 80-90 balls with the 3 woods and they didnt go anywhere at all! Then I realised all i had to do was pull my left arm a little more to the right and voila! 80-100m shots! Such a small difference in your swing makes a big difference in your shot! After golf was huge pork knuckle lunch at werner's oven, followed by promiseworks meeting and dinner at FL's. Then G&E's party when FL's crowd started watching soccer. The berkeley gang of MR, L, KY, SZ, PP, T, YK, S were there, as well as some other familiar faces: K, F, E, KY2, I. The crowd was really interesting, with some ang mohs, some salsa dudes, some djs and some of the dudes I used to see at zouk! And of course, more alcohol than we can finish! :P
Someone at the party kept asking S, the geotechnical expert, all kindsa stuff about soil and rocks. It made me realise that most people out there have absolutely no idea about soil-structure interaction and what you need to do to the ground before you build your building. Anyway, why bother right? Just hire some experts to do the job. Well, for small jobs at least, where there are no real experts, you might end up building your house on some seriously bad ground conditions, and never be able to fix it ever again unless you tear down the house. I guess majority of us live in high-rise buildings, and a majority of those are public housing, so it's easy to leave it as somebody else's problem. More important to make sure you don't have a leaky HDB flat!
Oftentimes I worry that I don't gain enough knowledge at work that is applicable to the outside world. But this week my fears were laid to rest a little. See, my project is now at the stage where the subcon's are doing the architectural finishes such as floor screeding, false ceiling, plastering, partitioning, tiling, raised flooring etc. You don't learn that stuff in school, but my colleague told me that once you handle one big project you should be able to know everything. And to some extent its true. I feel that I can now assess the quality of a renovation contractor's workmanship. Given that everyone has to go through a renovation at some point of time, it's probably a useful skill for myself and for those around me who ask for help haha. As a good civil engineer I always want to make sure everyone's house is built right! ;)
Friday, March 24, 2006
Nuclear power
The uninformed often cite nuclear power as the way to go. And why do they say it's the way to go? That's because nuclear power produces very low carbon emissions, therefore we save the earth, therefore it's good. So very wrong! Nuclear power produces 2 major problems. The first is heat. Nuclear fission produces so much heat which gets transferred to water which is used to cool the reactor. So you get lots and lots of hot water which is dumped where? Into the sea, rivers, lakes etc, and trust me, hot water pollutes and kills wildlife. And not only does it just kill the wildlife nearby, but it screws up the salinity and temperature gradient for a larger part of the water body its dumped into.
What is the second problem? Well, that's nuclear waste. Nuclear waste can be used to make nuclar weapons, so that's one thing you have to deal with. Secondly, it takes thousands or millions of years to disintegrate. So how? Just dump into the ground lah! Yah the ang mohs have been trying to dump nuclear waste under a mountain in Nevada, and they have so much problems with that. There is even a whole ship load of nuclear waste from the US that is doing a world tour because nobody wants to be responsible for it. Just this week there is an article in the Economist bout some scientists who discovered a way to shorten the life of nuclear waste to 100+ years and its supposed to be a big deal! 100+ years is still a pretty long time!
I think fuel cells are the way to go. That's probably the cleanest fuel around, though it costs a bomb. And all that production of hydrogen probably has some side effect. What process is used to make hydrogen? Not so sure, but I recall learning in secondary school that it was the Haber process? Haber process also produces ammonia, is that good or bad? Seems like every new scientific process has many side effects that we may not realise in the short term. Guess that's just life....
What is the second problem? Well, that's nuclear waste. Nuclear waste can be used to make nuclar weapons, so that's one thing you have to deal with. Secondly, it takes thousands or millions of years to disintegrate. So how? Just dump into the ground lah! Yah the ang mohs have been trying to dump nuclear waste under a mountain in Nevada, and they have so much problems with that. There is even a whole ship load of nuclear waste from the US that is doing a world tour because nobody wants to be responsible for it. Just this week there is an article in the Economist bout some scientists who discovered a way to shorten the life of nuclear waste to 100+ years and its supposed to be a big deal! 100+ years is still a pretty long time!
I think fuel cells are the way to go. That's probably the cleanest fuel around, though it costs a bomb. And all that production of hydrogen probably has some side effect. What process is used to make hydrogen? Not so sure, but I recall learning in secondary school that it was the Haber process? Haber process also produces ammonia, is that good or bad? Seems like every new scientific process has many side effects that we may not realise in the short term. Guess that's just life....
Monday, March 20, 2006
Never trust the HR!!!
I stole this from a friend's blog. But considering its incredibly funny, and she found it on google, I guess I'm not gonna get sued. Here goes:
A highly successful Human Resources Manager was tragically knocked down by a bus and killed. Her soul arrived at the Pearly Gates, where St. Peter welcomed her: "Before you get settled in," he said, "We have a little problem... you see, we've never had a Human Resources Manager make it this far before and we're not really sure what to do with you." "Oh, I see," said the woman. "Can't you just let me in?""Well, I'd like to," said St Peter, "But I have higher orders. We're instructed to let you have a day in hell and a day in heaven, and then you are to choose where you'd like to go for all eternity." "Actually, I think I'd prefer heaven", said the woman. "Sorry, we have rules..." at which St. Peter put the HR Manager into the downward bound elevator.
As the doors opened in hell she stepped out onto a beautiful golf course. In the distance was a country club; around her were many friends - past fellow executives, all smartly dressed, happy, and cheering for her. They ran up and kissed her on both cheeks and they talked about old times. They played a perfect round of golf and afterwards went to the country club where she enjoyed a superb steak and lobster dinner. She met the Devil, who was actually rather nice, and she had a wonderful night telling jokes and dancing. Before she knew it, it was time to leave; everyone shook her hand and waved goodbye as she stepped into the elevator.
The elevator went back up to heaven where St. Peter was waiting for her. "Now it's time to spend a day in heaven," he said. So she spent the next 24 hours lounging around on clouds and playing the harp and singing, which was almost as enjoyable as her day in hell.
At the day's end St Peter returned."So," he said, "You've spent a day in hell and you've spent a day in heaven. You must choose between the two." The woman thought for a second and replied, "Well, heaven is certainly lovely, but I actually had a better time in hell. I choose hell." Accordingly, St. Peter took her to the elevator again and she went back down to hell.
When the doors of the elevator opened she found herself standing in a desolate wasteland covered in garbage and filth. She saw her friends dressed in rags, picking up rubbish and putting it in old sacks. The Devil approached and put his arm around her. "I don't understand," stuttered the HR Manager, "Yesterday I was here, and there was a golf course, and a country club, and we ate lobster, and we danced and had a wonderful happy time. Now all there's just a dirty wasteland of garbage and all my friends look miserable." The Devil looked at her and smiled. "Yesterday we were recruiting you, today you're staff."
A highly successful Human Resources Manager was tragically knocked down by a bus and killed. Her soul arrived at the Pearly Gates, where St. Peter welcomed her: "Before you get settled in," he said, "We have a little problem... you see, we've never had a Human Resources Manager make it this far before and we're not really sure what to do with you." "Oh, I see," said the woman. "Can't you just let me in?""Well, I'd like to," said St Peter, "But I have higher orders. We're instructed to let you have a day in hell and a day in heaven, and then you are to choose where you'd like to go for all eternity." "Actually, I think I'd prefer heaven", said the woman. "Sorry, we have rules..." at which St. Peter put the HR Manager into the downward bound elevator.
As the doors opened in hell she stepped out onto a beautiful golf course. In the distance was a country club; around her were many friends - past fellow executives, all smartly dressed, happy, and cheering for her. They ran up and kissed her on both cheeks and they talked about old times. They played a perfect round of golf and afterwards went to the country club where she enjoyed a superb steak and lobster dinner. She met the Devil, who was actually rather nice, and she had a wonderful night telling jokes and dancing. Before she knew it, it was time to leave; everyone shook her hand and waved goodbye as she stepped into the elevator.
The elevator went back up to heaven where St. Peter was waiting for her. "Now it's time to spend a day in heaven," he said. So she spent the next 24 hours lounging around on clouds and playing the harp and singing, which was almost as enjoyable as her day in hell.
At the day's end St Peter returned."So," he said, "You've spent a day in hell and you've spent a day in heaven. You must choose between the two." The woman thought for a second and replied, "Well, heaven is certainly lovely, but I actually had a better time in hell. I choose hell." Accordingly, St. Peter took her to the elevator again and she went back down to hell.
When the doors of the elevator opened she found herself standing in a desolate wasteland covered in garbage and filth. She saw her friends dressed in rags, picking up rubbish and putting it in old sacks. The Devil approached and put his arm around her. "I don't understand," stuttered the HR Manager, "Yesterday I was here, and there was a golf course, and a country club, and we ate lobster, and we danced and had a wonderful happy time. Now all there's just a dirty wasteland of garbage and all my friends look miserable." The Devil looked at her and smiled. "Yesterday we were recruiting you, today you're staff."
Cal in The Economist
Thanks CC for pointing out that Leon Powe, Cal basketball player, is on page 57 of The Economist this week. If you are not reading the Asian edition it's probably on a different page. I haven't read the article yet, so I have no idea what his pic is doing there, but I don't think it has anything to do with Cal. Well, Go Bears anyway!
(StanfUrd Sux!)
:P
(StanfUrd Sux!)
:P
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Mosaic music festival
Big news for today:
1. Slobodan Milosevic has died of natural causes in jail.
2. Michael Schumacher has claimed pole position for the Bahrain GP.
3. I bought a new pair of shoes! ;)
2 of my credit cards are cracked from overuse! I guess I've been spending too much money lately huh? Time to save up for a better tomorrow..... Golf really is costing me something, attire, used clubs, lessons, balls, tees, and I still suck at it! It's really interesting though :P.
Last night we watched a Jazz performance at the Mosaic Music Festival at the Esplanade. I'm not really a jazz person but this performance was really really good! The main man of the night was Dennis Rollins, an afro-american trombone player who plays solo with mixed soundtracks and videos in the background. That was some awesome stuff man! After that there was like a jazz jamming session by all the international jazz artistes in town. There was 4 of us guys, but we bumped into MY and her friends, whom we haven't seen in ages, and so we had quite a decent crowd. I gotta say that the seats and ambience in the Esplanade studio were pathetic. There were no bar stools, and the "cushions" were hardly enough or comfortable. They should have had couches and turned it into a jazz lounge. One of the organizers said it was supposed to be a "dance floor", but I sure as hell didn't see anyone dancing for more than 5 minutes....
1. Slobodan Milosevic has died of natural causes in jail.
2. Michael Schumacher has claimed pole position for the Bahrain GP.
3. I bought a new pair of shoes! ;)
2 of my credit cards are cracked from overuse! I guess I've been spending too much money lately huh? Time to save up for a better tomorrow..... Golf really is costing me something, attire, used clubs, lessons, balls, tees, and I still suck at it! It's really interesting though :P.
Last night we watched a Jazz performance at the Mosaic Music Festival at the Esplanade. I'm not really a jazz person but this performance was really really good! The main man of the night was Dennis Rollins, an afro-american trombone player who plays solo with mixed soundtracks and videos in the background. That was some awesome stuff man! After that there was like a jazz jamming session by all the international jazz artistes in town. There was 4 of us guys, but we bumped into MY and her friends, whom we haven't seen in ages, and so we had quite a decent crowd. I gotta say that the seats and ambience in the Esplanade studio were pathetic. There were no bar stools, and the "cushions" were hardly enough or comfortable. They should have had couches and turned it into a jazz lounge. One of the organizers said it was supposed to be a "dance floor", but I sure as hell didn't see anyone dancing for more than 5 minutes....
Friday, March 03, 2006
Guacamole double bacon cheesburger!!!
Guacamole double bacon cheesburger!! And chilli cheese fries to go with it too!! Yum Yum Yum!!! Only at Carl's Junior! haha, I sound like a big advert on my blog huh? Well, that was one hella good dinner last night. Oh, and make yourself lemon tea to go with it too, heheh. I think guacamole's expensive (not sure where you can find it here to start with), because they only gave a little. Cheese whiz probably is cheap though, they loaded it up! That stuff just kept oozing out, eeeewwww! Feel like I'm gonna get angina from all that oily cheese whiz that's not real cheese to start with. Oh, and "angina" means heart attack, not some reproductive organ (in case there are some perverts out there)... I asked my friend if we should add some chilli sauce to the chilli cheese fries. And she said maybe its hot already, cos its 'chilli' cheese fries. Boo boo! hahaha. It's chilli beans, not chilli sauce!! It's not hot! :P
There's 2 songs I can't get out of my head right now. I don't know what they're called (that's what happens when u listen at work) but one's by Jack Johnson, and the other's by Fort Minor. And I gotta say, that's some good stuff! I'm switching my radio back to Perfect 10 already!
Thought for the day: What's knowledge worth if you can't use it?
There's 2 songs I can't get out of my head right now. I don't know what they're called (that's what happens when u listen at work) but one's by Jack Johnson, and the other's by Fort Minor. And I gotta say, that's some good stuff! I'm switching my radio back to Perfect 10 already!
Thought for the day: What's knowledge worth if you can't use it?
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Skating day!
Today's weather was perfect for skating! The sky was overcast, but it didn't rain, so it was nice and cool. I couldn't get myself out of the house at first. There was a lot of inertia after I did my little weights work out, but I finally dragged myself out of the house in the evening. And after that, I almost didn't want to come back.... The new cable-ski park at ECP is drawing lots of onlookers and passers-by, but I'm not sure if there are many actual participants. I notice that half the people trying out don't go very far, which makes it quite an expensive failure! Maybe they need to have a little pool for lessons or something. Didn't make it to the jetty as there were too many distractions along the way and I had to be back by nightfall. Anyhow, it does make life more exciting at the lagoon area.
That's one thing I never really did in the bay area: skate along the shore in singlet and shorts. The strong winds (even in the summer) at caeser chaves park will freeze you to death. And skating isn't all the same if you're wrapped in a thick jacket and your face is freezing! East Coast Park rocks way better than the Berkeley Marina ;P!
That's one thing I never really did in the bay area: skate along the shore in singlet and shorts. The strong winds (even in the summer) at caeser chaves park will freeze you to death. And skating isn't all the same if you're wrapped in a thick jacket and your face is freezing! East Coast Park rocks way better than the Berkeley Marina ;P!
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Work Work Work!
Today was a super long day at work. I spent almost 12 hours at the office, at site, etc.... I'm supposed to be coming home to a good workout, good homecooked meal and a good read in the evening. But instead, its just work work work, more work, and crappy fast food! Not to mention my schedule is almost packed all week with meetings and such on so many different projects that I can hardly have time to sort it all out! We're not talking about efficiency anymore. How can you be efficient if you don't even have time to think through what you are doing? Work work work, and I'm very sure I'm gonna just end up stepping on someone's nerves or missing out something important this week. Oh well, guess that's what u got to do when the department is understaffed.
I saw the new canoe pics that Kyle posted up. It's just awesome! And good 'ol Chris is back to cast the boat. Chris, Kyle, Rory, Danny, Salman, Aviva, Margarita, Mary, Christi, Hank, Lacey, damn I miss the canoe team of 2003! Ok, I must have said this a million times already, but I'd much rather work 12 hours on canoe (remember Calcatraz? Part 3....) than on this work right now. In fact, doing individual research without being paid 12 hours a day was probably even more exciting. I think part of the reason was that we set our own goals in school, not anymore. Someone else sets the goals, and the rewards, and I'm not sure if they match up anyways (though if you screw up real bad it will match up for sure!). Other reason is probably that I'm getting old, no more energy for 12 hour workdays.
So I read this article in the paper today that Singaporeans eat almost twice the daily recommended amount of salt when they eat out. Especially when you eat a bowl of noodles. Soup noodles apparently has much more salt than dry noodles. In fact, every single thing in the hawker center is just laden with salt! And I'm just so used to it that I can't stand eating something like a sandwich for lunch, and come to think of it that's probably because of the lack of salt! We are a nation addicted to salt (just as America is a nation addicted to sugar....)! Which is worse? Sugar makes you obese and diabetic which eventually leads to heart disease. Salt gives you high blood pressure, which eventually gives you heart problems too. Incidentally, just look around your office, I'm sure you find lots of people with blood pressure on the high side. It's almost too common even among people who haven't hit 30. We got to eat less salt!
If you eat too much sugar, working out probably will get rid of it. But can you reduce your body salt content by working out? Through sweat? Not so sure about that..... Anyway, everybody here is too overworked and underpaid to worry about salt, sweat or working out. Comon, after a long hard day of work, just grab a bowl of noodles or fatty pork rice on your way home huh? Forget about the salt and the cholesterol. After all, work is so depressing, let's enjoy life by indulging in the good food huh? Just like the smokers always tell me, life is short, enjoy first! Yah, tell that to the 40 year old on his deathbed.....
They say people with a lot in common should have no problem getting along. Well, look at the Jews and the Muslims. They actually have so much in common but they have been fighting for the most part of modern history. Both do not eat pork. Both have stringent dietary restrictions. Both subject males to circumcision. In fact ultra-orthodox Jews and fundamentalist Muslims have the same practice of separating men and women in society. These two religions probably have more in common than any other religion e.g. Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc. Just as the Muslims have Shias and Kurds and Sunnis, who are at loggerheads with each other, so do the Jews have Ashkenazi, Sephardim and Ultraorthodox who are at loggerheads with each other. But the sad thing is, even with all the bickering and fighting going on all day, most of the world's people don't really care about the conflict in the Middle East. What's in it for them anyway? If you talk about magnitude of conflict, Africa probably is much more worrying. If you talk about economy, eyes are focused more on India and China. If you talk about global harmony, we look to the EU, US and their dealings with Iran and South Korea. The world is probably too troubled today with other more important things than to worry about the bickering between Israel and its occupied territories (or Russia and Chechnya). Meanwhile, innocent people continue to be killed everyday.....
I saw the new canoe pics that Kyle posted up. It's just awesome! And good 'ol Chris is back to cast the boat. Chris, Kyle, Rory, Danny, Salman, Aviva, Margarita, Mary, Christi, Hank, Lacey, damn I miss the canoe team of 2003! Ok, I must have said this a million times already, but I'd much rather work 12 hours on canoe (remember Calcatraz? Part 3....) than on this work right now. In fact, doing individual research without being paid 12 hours a day was probably even more exciting. I think part of the reason was that we set our own goals in school, not anymore. Someone else sets the goals, and the rewards, and I'm not sure if they match up anyways (though if you screw up real bad it will match up for sure!). Other reason is probably that I'm getting old, no more energy for 12 hour workdays.
So I read this article in the paper today that Singaporeans eat almost twice the daily recommended amount of salt when they eat out. Especially when you eat a bowl of noodles. Soup noodles apparently has much more salt than dry noodles. In fact, every single thing in the hawker center is just laden with salt! And I'm just so used to it that I can't stand eating something like a sandwich for lunch, and come to think of it that's probably because of the lack of salt! We are a nation addicted to salt (just as America is a nation addicted to sugar....)! Which is worse? Sugar makes you obese and diabetic which eventually leads to heart disease. Salt gives you high blood pressure, which eventually gives you heart problems too. Incidentally, just look around your office, I'm sure you find lots of people with blood pressure on the high side. It's almost too common even among people who haven't hit 30. We got to eat less salt!
If you eat too much sugar, working out probably will get rid of it. But can you reduce your body salt content by working out? Through sweat? Not so sure about that..... Anyway, everybody here is too overworked and underpaid to worry about salt, sweat or working out. Comon, after a long hard day of work, just grab a bowl of noodles or fatty pork rice on your way home huh? Forget about the salt and the cholesterol. After all, work is so depressing, let's enjoy life by indulging in the good food huh? Just like the smokers always tell me, life is short, enjoy first! Yah, tell that to the 40 year old on his deathbed.....
They say people with a lot in common should have no problem getting along. Well, look at the Jews and the Muslims. They actually have so much in common but they have been fighting for the most part of modern history. Both do not eat pork. Both have stringent dietary restrictions. Both subject males to circumcision. In fact ultra-orthodox Jews and fundamentalist Muslims have the same practice of separating men and women in society. These two religions probably have more in common than any other religion e.g. Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc. Just as the Muslims have Shias and Kurds and Sunnis, who are at loggerheads with each other, so do the Jews have Ashkenazi, Sephardim and Ultraorthodox who are at loggerheads with each other. But the sad thing is, even with all the bickering and fighting going on all day, most of the world's people don't really care about the conflict in the Middle East. What's in it for them anyway? If you talk about magnitude of conflict, Africa probably is much more worrying. If you talk about economy, eyes are focused more on India and China. If you talk about global harmony, we look to the EU, US and their dealings with Iran and South Korea. The world is probably too troubled today with other more important things than to worry about the bickering between Israel and its occupied territories (or Russia and Chechnya). Meanwhile, innocent people continue to be killed everyday.....
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