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?
Friday, March 03, 2006
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.....
Friday, February 17, 2006
Jwee Chup Choke!
Pig's organs porridge (Jwee Chup Choke) at Chinatown is so so goood!!!! The place to go is Tiong Shan Porridge at the junction of Eu Tong Sen and Kiong Saik Street (KS). KS is also known for "other" stuff but let's focus on the porridge for now.....
The pig's organs porridge served there is different from your regular fare but very similar to the famous one at the Tiong Bahru market (though my mum says they're getting very stingy over there nowadays). Very generous helpings of pigs organs and cuttlefish (I have no idea what part of the pig that's supposed to be...), especially the fried small intestines! That stuff is so tasty! I think the one at Tiong Bahru market has fried large intestines too though, but considering that Tiong Shan Porridge is so generous with the other organs, I guess that can be forgiven. I finished two bowls, which is really quite a bit for dinner....
I wonder why dubious places like KS and GL are also known for their good food? Guess maybe the original reason was that patrons needed to get some replenishment after their orrr eee orr.... No wonder Joo Chiat, which has some pretty damn good food, is also starting to attract dubious businesses!
The pig's organs porridge served there is different from your regular fare but very similar to the famous one at the Tiong Bahru market (though my mum says they're getting very stingy over there nowadays). Very generous helpings of pigs organs and cuttlefish (I have no idea what part of the pig that's supposed to be...), especially the fried small intestines! That stuff is so tasty! I think the one at Tiong Bahru market has fried large intestines too though, but considering that Tiong Shan Porridge is so generous with the other organs, I guess that can be forgiven. I finished two bowls, which is really quite a bit for dinner....
I wonder why dubious places like KS and GL are also known for their good food? Guess maybe the original reason was that patrons needed to get some replenishment after their orrr eee orr.... No wonder Joo Chiat, which has some pretty damn good food, is also starting to attract dubious businesses!
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Battalion on alert, so pack it up and go!
It's the time of the year for NS mobilization. The time when everything you are looking for is not where it was the last time you saw it.... And everything you are not looking for suddenly shows up!
Battalion on alert
So pack it up and go
Oh what a way to start another day!
Chorus:
Here we go-o-o o-o-o-o-o-o!
Here we go-o-o o-o-o-o-o-o!
Late at night when we're sleeping
Airborne rangers come on creeping
Round and round, round round
Here we go!
The jump master says
Stand in by the door
The LZ never looked so small
So small before!
Battalion on alert
So pack it up and go
Oh what a way to start another day!
Chorus:
Here we go-o-o o-o-o-o-o-o!
Here we go-o-o o-o-o-o-o-o!
Late at night when we're sleeping
Airborne rangers come on creeping
Round and round, round round
Here we go!
The jump master says
Stand in by the door
The LZ never looked so small
So small before!
Tennis and Ma Maison
Today's after work activities started with tennis and ended with dinner at Ma Maison. I really suck at tennis, but so does my playing partner, so it's all good.... Ma Maison is this chic Japanese-Western restaurant tucked in a corner on the second floor of Bugis Junction. It wasn't the first restaurant we wanted to eat at but "The Olive Tree" was way out of our budget, and this place looked pretty interesting.
Ma Maison serve's Japanese-Western fusion cusine, though its not your typical "fusion" fare. I was expecting the standard duck pasta, curry chicken pasta and stuff, but their food was a little more unique. You'll have to try it to understand. The interior decor looks very western, without much hint of Japanese except for some Japanese flyers pasted on the wall. YW didn't think it looked authentic western though... The music was good 'ol jazz, very nice. We had escargos with garlic and butter, this weird "cheese balls" kinda dish, and seafood paella. The paella was basically Spanish style but with Japanese rice. That just made it seem like seafood fried rice with some shellfish on top haha!
We were gonna finish that last bottle of Sam Adams tonight but I had to go home and sleep early because tomorrow will be another long day at work. Guess that bottle will have to wait till a month later as YW will be going away....
Ma Maison serve's Japanese-Western fusion cusine, though its not your typical "fusion" fare. I was expecting the standard duck pasta, curry chicken pasta and stuff, but their food was a little more unique. You'll have to try it to understand. The interior decor looks very western, without much hint of Japanese except for some Japanese flyers pasted on the wall. YW didn't think it looked authentic western though... The music was good 'ol jazz, very nice. We had escargos with garlic and butter, this weird "cheese balls" kinda dish, and seafood paella. The paella was basically Spanish style but with Japanese rice. That just made it seem like seafood fried rice with some shellfish on top haha!
We were gonna finish that last bottle of Sam Adams tonight but I had to go home and sleep early because tomorrow will be another long day at work. Guess that bottle will have to wait till a month later as YW will be going away....
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Das Wunder Von Bern
Das Wunder Von Bern is a wonderful story about how a little boy helped Germany win the 1954 World Cup by traveling all the way to Switzerland to support his favorite soccer star. I found it a very touching story of the lives of a post-WWII family of an ex-Nazi soldier. Especially since most movies focus on people on the other side of the war.
But what makes the 1954 World Cup such a significant event (at least according to The Economist) was that nobody expected post-war Germany to win the World Cup, and winning the World Cup actually led a nationalistic fervour that resulted in a post-war economic miracle (Wirtschaftswunder)! It could be that this was only a coincidence, but now it starts to make some sense why Singapore wanted to make it to the World Cup finals in 2010. I wonder if Germany achieved its "Wunder" with any foreign talent though....
But what makes the 1954 World Cup such a significant event (at least according to The Economist) was that nobody expected post-war Germany to win the World Cup, and winning the World Cup actually led a nationalistic fervour that resulted in a post-war economic miracle (Wirtschaftswunder)! It could be that this was only a coincidence, but now it starts to make some sense why Singapore wanted to make it to the World Cup finals in 2010. I wonder if Germany achieved its "Wunder" with any foreign talent though....
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Quote for the week
"If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain."
I attended a talk recently by a guy who has studied human behavior for 12 years. He said that people today can be broadly grouped into three generations: baby boomers, generation X and generation Y.
Baby boomers grew up during the second world war and are probably around late 40s and 50s today. They experienced hardship and therefore treasure loyalty. You can see them stay loyal to one company, one boss for many years even if it may mean forgoing better opportunities.
The next group to come about is generation X, which comprises people who are in their late 30s or so. These guys came out of the post war era, but were taught good values by their elders. They want more benefits and good stuff in life, but are willing to be patient and work hard for it, though seizing the opportunity if there is one.
Generation Y defines myself and others around my age (and younger). Generation Y people want instant benefits. They do reckless things, job hop and all that in order to get the maximum benefit in terms of social status and monetary gains in the shortest times. They squander money on clubbing and having the latest products to show the world that they have "arrived". You routinely see such people racking up huge credit card debts and losing all their life savings when the stock market crashes.
The conflict that young employees have today is that they work with seniors/mentors from generation X and are managed by baby boomer bosses who cannot understand why they are so restless and cannot treasure loyalty, hard work, patience and thrift. Instant benefits for the gen Y often means skipping the hard work part and getting burnt instead. Just look at the way they trade their stocks (I am sometimes guilty of that too, just can't resist the urge)! Maybe we need take a step back and learn from the elders. "If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain."
I attended a talk recently by a guy who has studied human behavior for 12 years. He said that people today can be broadly grouped into three generations: baby boomers, generation X and generation Y.
Baby boomers grew up during the second world war and are probably around late 40s and 50s today. They experienced hardship and therefore treasure loyalty. You can see them stay loyal to one company, one boss for many years even if it may mean forgoing better opportunities.
The next group to come about is generation X, which comprises people who are in their late 30s or so. These guys came out of the post war era, but were taught good values by their elders. They want more benefits and good stuff in life, but are willing to be patient and work hard for it, though seizing the opportunity if there is one.
Generation Y defines myself and others around my age (and younger). Generation Y people want instant benefits. They do reckless things, job hop and all that in order to get the maximum benefit in terms of social status and monetary gains in the shortest times. They squander money on clubbing and having the latest products to show the world that they have "arrived". You routinely see such people racking up huge credit card debts and losing all their life savings when the stock market crashes.
The conflict that young employees have today is that they work with seniors/mentors from generation X and are managed by baby boomer bosses who cannot understand why they are so restless and cannot treasure loyalty, hard work, patience and thrift. Instant benefits for the gen Y often means skipping the hard work part and getting burnt instead. Just look at the way they trade their stocks (I am sometimes guilty of that too, just can't resist the urge)! Maybe we need take a step back and learn from the elders. "If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain."
Friday, February 10, 2006
New Phone!
I got a new mobile phone today! Yay! And its FREE!!!! My dad's bank gave him a brand new silver Nokia 6060, and since he doesn't really use it, I swapped it with my old Nokia 3120. It isn't anything fancy, but it has no camera and has more functions than my older phone, which makes it just perfect for the office. Oh, and it's a clamshell, which I'm not really used to, but I guess I'll get the hang of it sooner or later ;).
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Topsy Turvy
Everything's been a little topsy turvy since the last post. From work to social life, to new sports pursuits etc. It's really been a huge break in my routine! Which is good excitement I guess? Though now its time to stop eating, get everything sorted out at work, get more exercise and sleep more.....
Well, for those who cared, thanks for caring. Things will probably ease up by the end of this week. We all need a little excitement once in a while, but these 2 weeks or so have been just a little too much haha. Chou doufu (smelly tofu) and Samuel Adams last night was really good though! There's still one more bottle left in the stash.... I guess my Chinese New Year resolution will be to get more exercise, work out those muscles and abs, get rid of all those fat put on in the last 2 weeks, and to eat more chou doufu!
Well, for those who cared, thanks for caring. Things will probably ease up by the end of this week. We all need a little excitement once in a while, but these 2 weeks or so have been just a little too much haha. Chou doufu (smelly tofu) and Samuel Adams last night was really good though! There's still one more bottle left in the stash.... I guess my Chinese New Year resolution will be to get more exercise, work out those muscles and abs, get rid of all those fat put on in the last 2 weeks, and to eat more chou doufu!
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Ecumenism
The Ulster Unionists and the Irish Republican Army have pretty much stopped their long religious and political war. George W Bush, a staunch Protestant Southern Baptist, has appointed 2 Catholics, Samuel Alito and John Roberts, to the Supreme Court of the United States of America. These appointments effectively give Catholics a 5-4 majority in the US Supreme Court. Is this a sign that ecumenism is around the corner?
The US has always been the bedrock of the Protestant movement. There has only been one Catholic ever voted President of the United States, and that was John Fitzgerald Kennedy, whose presidency was unfortunately short-lived. However, with the recent appointment by George W Bush, does it signify that Protestants and Catholics are ready to set aside their differences?
Christianity today is split up broadly into 3 main categories: Eastern Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant. The Eastern Orthodox Church has already been making some headway in reconciling their differences with the Catholic Church. The Protestant movement, however, has had quite a bit of infighting lately, especially with the Anglican Church in Europe threatening to split away from its Episcopal brethren in the US. So is there hope for ecumenism, for a unified Christian Church evolving? Probably. But it's not likely to happen in our generation.
The US has always been the bedrock of the Protestant movement. There has only been one Catholic ever voted President of the United States, and that was John Fitzgerald Kennedy, whose presidency was unfortunately short-lived. However, with the recent appointment by George W Bush, does it signify that Protestants and Catholics are ready to set aside their differences?
Christianity today is split up broadly into 3 main categories: Eastern Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant. The Eastern Orthodox Church has already been making some headway in reconciling their differences with the Catholic Church. The Protestant movement, however, has had quite a bit of infighting lately, especially with the Anglican Church in Europe threatening to split away from its Episcopal brethren in the US. So is there hope for ecumenism, for a unified Christian Church evolving? Probably. But it's not likely to happen in our generation.
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Happy New Year!
Happy lunar new year everyone! I've had two sumptious reunion meals with family already, and one more to go! Boy, is it great to be back home for Chinese New Year or what? No matter how commercialized Chinese New Year gets, these fantastic meals with family remain just as great! And every dish has its significance too.... I'll attempt to recall what I've eaten so far and what these foods symbolize.
Dinner last night we had: cold dish comprising top shell and century egg and crabsticks and fishballs and shredded chicken/egg in gelatin, roast duck, steamed chicken, prawns (laughter), mushroom stew, vegetable stir fry, abalone (guaranteed luck) with spinach and clams, lotus root (yearly abundance) and lotus root soup, mandarin oranges for dessert (gold).
Lunch today: chinese sausage, fake chinese sausage, fatty roast pork, fish cake, fried toufu, luncheon meat, pigs tongue (wealth) with some tuber, century egg and ginger, fried bean sprouts, prawns, mushroom oyster (good news) stew with fa cai (prosperity), fried fish (luck), agar agar and fruit cake for dessert.
Am I getting fat or what? Home cooked food never tasted so great! It's a pity my mum says people are opting to go out for reunion dinners nowadays....
Dinner last night we had: cold dish comprising top shell and century egg and crabsticks and fishballs and shredded chicken/egg in gelatin, roast duck, steamed chicken, prawns (laughter), mushroom stew, vegetable stir fry, abalone (guaranteed luck) with spinach and clams, lotus root (yearly abundance) and lotus root soup, mandarin oranges for dessert (gold).
Lunch today: chinese sausage, fake chinese sausage, fatty roast pork, fish cake, fried toufu, luncheon meat, pigs tongue (wealth) with some tuber, century egg and ginger, fried bean sprouts, prawns, mushroom oyster (good news) stew with fa cai (prosperity), fried fish (luck), agar agar and fruit cake for dessert.
Am I getting fat or what? Home cooked food never tasted so great! It's a pity my mum says people are opting to go out for reunion dinners nowadays....
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Unexpected day
Quite a few unexpected things happened today. To start with, we got off work real early, so my colleagues and I went for karaoke, which was totally unplanned for. We really need to hang out more often. Most of the socialising that happens among colleagues is only during lunch break, which isn't nearly enough and largely centers around babies, marriage, shopping, COEs and petrol prices. Anyway, my singing was awfully terrible, but P2 and AK were absolutely fantastic! They should be signing up for Singapore Idol!!!
It just so happened that karaoke ended just about the right time for me to head to the Esplanade for dinner with the Cal dudes. And just as I walked out the Esplanade into the courtyard, I saw fireworks! What a pleasant surprise! I think it must have been for the River Hongbao festivities or something. Anyhow, it's cool to be so close to fireworks just when you least expect it :D. Just by the bay there was this local band playing 70s music. I was never a big fan of 70s music, but these guys were soooo good! The lead singer was a young lady, and she not only sang but played the flute once in a while too! This reminded me of a friend of mine who plays the flute. I always thought the flute had to go along with a whole orchestra or something, guess not. Maybe I shld request a solo performance someday ;).
Dinner with the Cal dudes back home is always an interesting occasion. Especially now that we have some juniors joining our ranks as the working class. It's funny how just about 2 years ago we were pretty much all the same, worrying bout the same issues and things in life, such as midterms, finals, moving house etc. Also funny how most of us never really talked bout the future when we were in school. I guess since most of us are bonded there wasn't really much future to talk about huh? But now everyone is doing a different thing, operating in a different environment with different aspirations, different experiences, different outlooks on life. And it is at this point that I start thinking bout all the what ifs. I mean signing on the dotted line (ok signing on 120 dotted lines, I counted!) on that one fateful day made me what I am today, what if......
What if, what if, what if? Well, the what ifs don't matter anymore. We live for a better tomorrow, not a better yesterday, so the best is yet to be!
It just so happened that karaoke ended just about the right time for me to head to the Esplanade for dinner with the Cal dudes. And just as I walked out the Esplanade into the courtyard, I saw fireworks! What a pleasant surprise! I think it must have been for the River Hongbao festivities or something. Anyhow, it's cool to be so close to fireworks just when you least expect it :D. Just by the bay there was this local band playing 70s music. I was never a big fan of 70s music, but these guys were soooo good! The lead singer was a young lady, and she not only sang but played the flute once in a while too! This reminded me of a friend of mine who plays the flute. I always thought the flute had to go along with a whole orchestra or something, guess not. Maybe I shld request a solo performance someday ;).
Dinner with the Cal dudes back home is always an interesting occasion. Especially now that we have some juniors joining our ranks as the working class. It's funny how just about 2 years ago we were pretty much all the same, worrying bout the same issues and things in life, such as midterms, finals, moving house etc. Also funny how most of us never really talked bout the future when we were in school. I guess since most of us are bonded there wasn't really much future to talk about huh? But now everyone is doing a different thing, operating in a different environment with different aspirations, different experiences, different outlooks on life. And it is at this point that I start thinking bout all the what ifs. I mean signing on the dotted line (ok signing on 120 dotted lines, I counted!) on that one fateful day made me what I am today, what if......
What if, what if, what if? Well, the what ifs don't matter anymore. We live for a better tomorrow, not a better yesterday, so the best is yet to be!
Thursday, January 26, 2006
"Signs" has a boo boo!
Have you watched the movie "Signs" by M. Night Shyamalan? Well, that was one show that I liked a lot, but unfortunately, I just discovered a boo boo....
I just read from my book that "In patients with asthma, the trouble isn't with getting air into the lungs; it's with getting air out". In the last scene of "Signs", the alien tries to poison the little boy by putting something up his nose. However, the little boy at that moment has an asthma attack, so he survives and doesn't get poisoned. Except that in reality if he did have an asthma attack, the poison would have GOT IN and not been able to GET OUT!! Oooops....
Well, if the boy didn't survive then the father wouldn't have put on his robes and become a pastor again and that really would have ruined the story huh? So lets just pretend we missed that boo boo, though I really hate it when people get scientifically incorrect....
By the way, somebody in today's papers wants to have huge parks in Singapore that emulate's New York's Central Park. Can somebody tell me what's so great about Central Park? Sure its a nice patch of green, but it's totally unsustainable, requiring vasts amount of watering and constant returfing. Has anyone gone to central park in the winter? Go see what maintenance needs to be done during the "off season". Nice green area? Yes. Ecologically sustainable? No. We already have a great park right here that I'm so proud of, and that's East Coast Park. Although its entirely artificial (sits on reclaimed land), it requires no watering, little maintenance (except clearing the leaves and branches from the tracks so skaters like myself don't trip over), and looks au naturel! That's the kind of park we need for a greener city! Save on water and taxpayer's money too! (Though with the new $160mil makeover we don't know if ECP will ever be the same again....)
I just read from my book that "In patients with asthma, the trouble isn't with getting air into the lungs; it's with getting air out". In the last scene of "Signs", the alien tries to poison the little boy by putting something up his nose. However, the little boy at that moment has an asthma attack, so he survives and doesn't get poisoned. Except that in reality if he did have an asthma attack, the poison would have GOT IN and not been able to GET OUT!! Oooops....
Well, if the boy didn't survive then the father wouldn't have put on his robes and become a pastor again and that really would have ruined the story huh? So lets just pretend we missed that boo boo, though I really hate it when people get scientifically incorrect....
By the way, somebody in today's papers wants to have huge parks in Singapore that emulate's New York's Central Park. Can somebody tell me what's so great about Central Park? Sure its a nice patch of green, but it's totally unsustainable, requiring vasts amount of watering and constant returfing. Has anyone gone to central park in the winter? Go see what maintenance needs to be done during the "off season". Nice green area? Yes. Ecologically sustainable? No. We already have a great park right here that I'm so proud of, and that's East Coast Park. Although its entirely artificial (sits on reclaimed land), it requires no watering, little maintenance (except clearing the leaves and branches from the tracks so skaters like myself don't trip over), and looks au naturel! That's the kind of park we need for a greener city! Save on water and taxpayer's money too! (Though with the new $160mil makeover we don't know if ECP will ever be the same again....)
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Eclectic cuisine
Had a real great dinner tonight! Foie Gras followed by tenderloin stuffed with mushroom and cheese washed down with Sangria and Limoncello, whoa! U all need to go check out Naxos "eclectic cuisine" down at China Square! It's basically Mediterranean and real good!
Btw, Limoncello was on the house! ;)
Btw, Limoncello was on the house! ;)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
