Ice Skating

I went ice skating today! So ice skating isn't really that different from in-line skating. The basic moves are the same I guess, xcept that its a lot more slippery, and nobody wears guards so expect to get some bruises.... Oh and its really wet when you fall! It's like falling into a puddle of water! I've nvr had so much fun going round and round in a circle hahaha!

After skating we checked out Yann Arthus Bertrand's photographic art pieces along orchard road. Strangely enough, we noticed that some of the most colourful pictures were those of polluted waters. The world is probably better of with less colour sometimes!!

Where's My Economist?

It's Friday. Okay, not any more. My "Economist" didn't come today! I am actually having withdrawal symptoms. Can't sleep. Can't get myself to read anything else. Can't trust the regular papers....

Oh, F has finally subscribed to the "Economist"!!! Finally one more person has seen the light! As they say, Fiat Lux, let there be light (and there was light....)! That was a great dinner we had tonight F. Feels great to know I have a true friend. The food was great, but the company better!

It's 3am and I'm real tired. But I still can't sleep. I'm not sure if its the lack of my favorite periodical or the latte at 9pm. Or a combination of both for that matter.... Today was an eventful day, but tomorrow will be a more eventful one. I'll be going ice skating, followed by checking out some art installation on orchard road which everyone says is good stuff. I have only ice skated once, a long time ago. I wonder if its anything like inline skating with less friction? If it is, hell yeah, I'm gonna love it every bit!

In the papers some ppl were lamenting bout the closure of local ice skating rinks, with Fuji being the last one alive. They are trying to find investors to set up rinks so that they can organise skating courses. Take a look at the successful ice skating rinks in California and what do you see? Ice Hockey! With the growth of international schools here and more Ang Moh style education, ice hockey is the only way an ice skating rink can survive and remain profitable. and spectator ice hockey that is. One skating rink for each international school home team! I pick ACS (International) for the championship! Already some Ang Mohs play ice hockey at JEC. Now we need to expand it into a proper league. And if the local sports school and sports powerhouses such as ACS, RI, SJI, Saints etc wanna join in, that'd be even better!

Political inclination

http://imunimaginative.deviantart.com/

Democrat 92%
Anarchism 58%
Green 58%
Socialist 42%
Communism 42%
Republican 33%
Nazi 8%
Fascism 8%

So I'm a through and through democrat. 'nuff said.

Conversations

I had the most interesting conversation with the most interesting person today. And after work I had more interesting conversations with my former JC classmates! Can we ever do without interesting conversations? ;)

Cal Cafe

After a long weekend of clubbing and weddings, I finally turned on my computer and discovered Cal Cafe (calcafe.berkeley.edu). This is the ultimate "friendster" for all Cal Alumni! I've practically spent the entire holiday creating groups on this website. So far I've got:
Cal Singapore
Chi Epsilon
Tau Beta Pi
ASCE
Cal Football
Californians
Concrete Canoe
If you are a Cal Alumni and belong to one of these categories, now's the time to add yourself to the list!

You win some, you lose some

Some people have been complaining that I don't update my blog enough. Maybe it doesn't occur to them that SOME people actually have to work. Or that SOME people don't actually go shopping for good deals the whole time. Maybe it's just that SOME people don't actually have very much energy left to blog after work.....

Anyway, I finally found something that I love doing. Unfortunately, it is related to WORK! And sometimes I feel that I'm not getting enough support or appreciation for doing what I love doing at work. I guess that beats some ppl who absolutely detest their job (or is that most people, going by a recent unofficial survey?). You win some, you lose some. Dynamic equilibrium. :P

Beating the Monday Blues

My junior from Berkeley CE made this website for a new company serving Singaporean food in the Bay Area: http://www.primatasteusa.com/index.html
They do catering too. Sounds good huh? Those of you still in Bear Territory, check it out and give me some feedback. Oh, the Bears beat Washington State 42-38 (by a whisker) last weekend! Go Bears!

I have the day off today. What better way to beat the Monday blues than to go skating at East Coast Park all morning? Ok, skiing down Whistler Mountain on a Monday morning would've been better, but no prizes for guessing why that's not gonna happen anytime soon (yw, u lucky b******!).

From Marine Parade to Changi (and back) on an almost deserted asphalt path, devoid of the usual weekend chatter, I can hear the birds chirping and the waves crashing onto the shore even through the mp3s blaring in my ear! Now that's what I call music! Coupled with the 15 minute break enjoying the shoreline and cityscape from Bedok jetty, what a great way to start the week! I don't want to go back to work anymore hahaha....

Anyway, I'm learning to skate backwards. I know the basic strokes already, but I think there are more advanced strokes to master, because I'm still going too slow to be on the path, and I can't see where I'm going.... So if anyone's got some tips, please holler out in the comments section!

I've been tagged

Tagging is supposed to be 1 list 5 items. I don't know how it evolved to this.

7 things that scare me:
the "lady dressed in white" on the jacob's ladder
seeing someone die and not being able to help (came close once)
high ski jump
to stop believing in a better tomorrow
being struck by lightning (had a few close shaves last month!)
being hit on by a gay who wont back off
getting stuck in a toilet cubicle (it did happen before, i almost had to break down the door to get out)
7 things i like the most:
skiing
skiing
skiing
skiing
skiing
skiing
skiing black diamond (advanced only)....
7 important things in my room:
me
bed
alarm clock (tho i still can never wake up in time for work)
radio
mobile phone
fan
window view of the sea
7 random facts about me:
sociable
like to ski (if u havent already noticed)
likes to listen to some S.H.E. (hahaha)
enjoys clubbing (but not paying for it)
listening to 9.33fm right now
will take skating if i can't ski
would love to find an "S" (you probably wont know what the hell i'm talking bout here)
7 things i plan to do before i die:
win the nobel prize (yah right)
make a billion dollars
be the next Warren Buffet
have kids
get married (ok this is not in the right order but i'm too lazy to rearrange)
travel across the world
the great american road trip (all 52 states, ok by boat to hawaii and alaska)
7 things i can do:
reading
writing
'rithmetic
skate backwards (kinda learned the proper technique only today)
ski ski ski!!! (black diamond, no moguls please....)
love
get a conversation going
7 things i can't do:
snowboard
hockey stop
backflip
run a marathon
high ski jump
360 spin on skates
moguls (arghhh, my biggest disappointment)
7 things i say the most:
Whack first talk later!
Then how? (only at work)
**** must advise (you probably won't get this either hahahaha)
man
wah lau
don't pray pray!
I need a raise.....
7 celeb crushes:
(no real crushes but fav celebs i guess)
Fiona Xie
Helen Hunt
Nicole Kidman
Stefanie Sun
Monica Belucci
Athena Chu
Warrent Buffet (He's my idol!!!!)
7 people who could do this:
The next 7 ppl who read this, you're tagged! make sure you fill up all the lists! :P

carpe diem

I've been attending a customer interaction course the last 2 days, which would explain why you haven't been seeing me in the office (except after 5). Oh and I got the best trainee award! I haven't had any awards in the last 2 years, so I guess this is a happy occasion. As Forrest Gump says, "Life's like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get!" So, in the words of inspiration from the Dead Poet's Society, we've got to Carpe Diem (seize the day)!

I'll be in chinatown for Oktoberfest this saturday night, if anyone's interested in joining me for a pint or 2 drop me an sms. It'll be a little hot compared to Munchen but I guess we'll still feel the atmosphere. Which reminds me right now of the best foreign film I've watched in the past year, a German movie called "Das Wonder Von Bern". A lot of Germans think I'm mistaken for a swiss movie cos Bern is in Switzerland and the swiss speak German too! But trust me, it's a German movie. Who came up with this term "foreign film" anyway? Every movie we have here is really a "foreign film" from the US or HK or something yah? It was probably the Hollywood chaps who came up with that term. We can come up with something better.

Back to Munchen. A lesser known gem of Munchen that is not Oktoberfest, or that shopping district, or its churches, is the Munich Museum of Science and Technology. I can't describe it, and we chanced upon it accidentally. I read bout it in some travel guidebook, and i suggested we check it out tho it was only 2 hrs before closing. But I can tell you, that museum is absolutely amazing. You can't even imagine what I'm talking about. You would need 2 WEEKS to see and appreciate the whole place!!! Now that's what I call a real science museum!

Build your house on a rock!

Don't build your house on a sandy land
Don't build it too near the shore
Though it might look kinda nice
But you gotta build it twice
Oh you gotta build your house again!

You gotta build your house on a rock!
A firm foundation on a solid spot
Though the storms may come and go
But the peace of God you will know!

superplasticizer

I added another wikipedia entry. Boy, am I addicted to wikipedia or what?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superplasticizer

Pozzolanic ash

I'm trying to expand the "stub" in wikipedia for "pozzolanic ash" into a full article, so all you civil engineers out there please contribute!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pozzolanic_ash

The most bizzare incident....

I witnessed the most bizarre incident on the bus today. Just one stop away from Tiong Bahru MRT station, 2 young kids and 4 middle-aged adults (parents, aunt and uncle I presume) got up the bus. One of the young kids was just over the 0.9m mark, and did not have a concession pass, so I suppose the driver asked his parents to pay the full fare. The mum was not too happy, and expressed her displeasure at the driver. What followed was the most bizarre thing....
The aunt suddenly started swearing hokkien vulgarities at the driver! And boy, not only was she shouting very loudly (the whole bus could hear), but the vocabulary she was using (which cannot be repeated here) was pretty intense! And she didn't stop till she got off at the MRT station. That middle-aged lady was insulting the Indian driver's parents and all, with language that I thought I would only hear in an army camp! And in front of their kids and all the other kids/office workers/ students etc on the bus too! Everyone was just staring at them the whole time!
So much for the ugly Singaporean.....

Face Analyzer

http://www.faceanalyzer.com/member.aspx?id=63615 (Thanks for the link CY)

Race Analysis
100% Chinese
0% East Indian
0% Middle Eastern
0% Eastern European
0% Southern European
0% Anglo Saxon
0% S0uth East Asian
0% Korean/Japanese

Personality Profile Rank
Celebmatch Bruce Willis
Intelligence 6.2 Average Intelligence 11983
Risk 5.4 Average Risk 5369
Ambition 5.6 Average Ambition 24861
Gay Factor 1.8 Very Low Gay Factor3586
Honor 6.0 Average Honor 3702
Politeness 6.7 High Politeness 4103
Income 6.2 $30,000 - $50,000 17168
Sociability 5.3 Average Sociability 20615
Promiscuity 2.5 Very Unpromiscuous28773

Your Archetype: White Collar

Personality Profile:
You particularly enjoy the traditional way of life. Having drinks with your friends, attending parties and relaxing while watching TV are some of the simple pleasures you indulge in. You may also enjoy physical exercise. Your driving force is to retire as early as possible, so that you can do the things you enjoy more often. Your main source of ambition comes from this desire. You dont particularly like your job but you do it without complaining. You realize that the income that it provides is essential to your lifestyle. You are friendly yet competitive with your co-workers. This competitiveness may lead you to squander your earnings to match other peoples' possessions. You operate most effectively when there is a set power structure, and the lines of authority are clear. You know your place in the ranks, you play by the rules, and will deliver what is expected of you. You do not care for responsibility; you would rather be care free.
Your view of other types
You sometimes disagree with Boss types, but you respect them for the most part. You may even be envious of their lifestyles. You find Academic types boring and uptight. You have very little in common with them. However some White collar types may respect the accomplishments of certain Academic types. You think that Artist types are unrealistic and immature. You like interacting with Charmer types, and sometimes envy their charisma. You perceive Gambler types mostly as loners and untrustworthy. However, since you may have to interact with them on a daily basis you are not hostile to them. You believe Drifters are too lazy to work for a living but you sometimes feel pity for them.
Other types' view of you
Boss types may have some things in common with Blue collar types, but for the most part they only interact with you during the course of business. Academics see White collar types as unsuccessful versions of themselves, but because of work situations they may have to interact with you often. Artists do not interact with you, for they consider you to be a slave of conformity. Charmer types may associate with you; they find that the collar types are the people that mostly want to hang around them. To the Drifter types your repetitive routines seem boring; they would prefer having more fun and excitement. They may however enjoy the company of some Blue collar types.

The Big One

I just read this article http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/172816/1/.html predicting that the next big earthquake in San Francisco has a 25% chance of occuring in the next 25 years. The authors of the study say that "As we approach the 100-year anniversary of that event, critical concern is the hazard posed by another such earthquake".

Well, most buildings in the Bay Area are designed to sustain minimal damage (continued occupation) in a 10% in 50 year event, and the more important ones are designed to sustain minimal damage in a 2% in 50 year event. Even the regular buildings are designed for life safety in a 2% in 50 year event, so I think you're pretty safe in a building, at least much safer than outside (falling glass hazards, fault rupture etc).

By the way, I was on the Bay Bridge when that quake in 2004 occured (the one that toppled some tower in the south bay). It was quite a big jolt in the city (I heard it on the radio) but guess what? I didn't feel a thing on the bridge. As I said, you're probably safer on a bridge or in a building than on the streets haha!

Oh, and lest we forget, the 1906 earthquake was actually more of the 1906 fire. More people perished due to the spread of fire than anything else. I'd say the fire protection engineers are the ones who should be on the alert rather than building designers....

The San Andreas Fault slips every single day. It's only a matter of time before the earthquake comes, so its no point being frantic just because the 100-year anniversary is approaching. Just remember your drills.

Here's my top ten tips:
1. Hide under the table if there is one. you dont want the lights or cupboard crashing down on your head.
2. Open all your room doors and unlock them before you hide! you don't want to be stuck in the room if the door gets jammed!
3. If there's no table hide in the doorway, stuff is less likely to fall on your head there.
4. If you are stuck in a corridor, run to the staircase. They are usually safer and u can make a quick exit from the rubble or fire.
5. Stay away from parking structures (don't ask why, just stay away!!!)! If you are stuck in one, hide in the staircase.
6. Don't run out into the streets! You are more likely to be hit by falling windows and stuff especially if you are in the city.
7. Don't run to the beach like those silly people who drove to the beach when there were tremors here! You might get hit by a tsunami! sheesh.....
8. If you could have anything in the world, it would be a hard hat. Just nice to protect your noggin from all those spalling concrete/shattered glass/flowerpots...
9. The safest place to be in during an earthquake is a hospital. Don't ask why. Though it wouldn't have been too nice to be in the Kobe general hospital in '95 (though they all made it out alive...).
10. After you've survived the Big One, don't take it easy just yet, there could still be aftershocks, floods, fires, etc!