bet you didn't know this

I just read this in the Economist:

"The Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River is not quite what it is often made out to be. It is often called the world's biggest hydroelectric dam. But several others are taller or longer. The Itaipu dam on the Brazil-Paraguay border produces more electricy...."

So much for the Three Gorges huh?

Turtles

YW's going away again. So what's new huh? Well this time he left his little turtle with me, since it's gonna be a really long time. I have turtles at home, 3 huge ones actually, but this tiny little one needs more attention I guess, so I can't just leave it lying around with the bigger ones.

I got my first turtles many years ago. There were 2 of them, but for some reason they died. Mum says my brother ill treated them or something. Whatever the reason, the hype over the turtle purchase never lasted more than a few months, and after that they became more of a liability. I think we kept them in a little fish tank in those days, so they must have felt pretty trapped.....

After that, no more turtles for me. At least no more until grandma got some turtles and decided that she had difficulty looking after them and gave them to us. I didn't think they were gonna last very long. I mean turtles are supposed to last a hundred years, but the first bunch that came into my house didn't last very long. There were 3 of them. At first they just occupied a small basin in the bathroom. Then they grew, and grew and grew, and now they each occupy a basin and that fills up the whole bathtub! I never really cared much bout them, since they weren't really mine anyway, but mum gives them lots of attention.

So now we have a new addition to the turtle family, and I think it's probably gonna be here for a long time, maybe forever, since I don't think YW's gonna be in town very much and he'll be leaving for good eventually. I'd have just gave it to my mum to look after with the rest of 'em, except she's not around now. My brother's supposed to do the job in the meantime, but he's been out late a lot, so I've actually been the one making sure these turtles are happily fed and all that. The little one's been very restless, I don't think he likes being in a bathtub. That's just too bad since I ain't gonna build a nice rock garden for the turtle. I think people living in apartments just shouldn't keep turtles. They need a proper natural rockscape environment or something....

eyesight

So my eyesight is getting bad. Myopia, presbyobia, astigmatism, you name it, I got it. It's kinda embarassing when for the umpteenth time a colleague comes up to me and asks why my laptop screen resolution so low ah?

Anyway, its not the end of the world. Most people will get there someday, it's just that mine has accelerated I guess. Hopefully it's stabilizing and doesn't get any worse. I've got a wonderful optometrist, who works at this place called Igard. He's a professional, masters degree in optometry, visiting fellow at AH and some local polytechnic too, and it normally costs 35 bucks to see him, but they have a tie up with my workplace so its free consultation. Basically, he says there's nothing seriously wrong, and this happens to the best of us I guess, so I have reading glasses for the long hours of work, but regular glasses are fine for the most part except I got to make the font sizes a little bigger. OK, a lot bigger.

It's been a while since I've got the problem fixed so why only start blogging about it now? Well, there's a lot of other young people out there with a multitude of vision problems, especially since Singapore has the highest rate of prescription eyewear in the world (70% of all people). And I recently noticed other people of my age having problems reading. If you think u got problems with your eyesight, better go see a proper professional optometrist. Most of the quacks out there don't know nuts, and if you don't fix it fast with the proper eyewear, it'll only get worse!

And why do u need a professional? Well, I gotta tell u it took a considerable amount of effort for the guy to make sure I didnt have any other eye ailments such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, etc etc, and then a lot of effort using some laser and all that stuff to determine the right glasses alignment and all that to get it done right. Your typical quack who just uses the eyechart is gonna miss something I tell ya. Don't settle for anything less when it comes to your eyes! ;)

skate bearings

The new skates have arrived! They really are a major improvement over the old ones. Itchy fingers me just removed an axle to take a look at the well lubed shiny ILQ-9 bearings, aren't they just a beauty?

It was then that I realised I don't know how much exactly to tighten it when I put it back! I searched online, and there are a couple of tips, but it hadn't occured to me that it was such a complex system. After all its just a screw onto an axle that holds the wheel bearings together...

One guy on an online forum says that it don't matter how much u tighten the axle, because its the bearing racers (the middle part of the bearing that sticks out) that gets squashed, and since its supposed to remain still anyway, why bother how much u tighten it? I totally agreeed with him at first. Then a pro replied saying that in order to have bearings not wear out excessively fast, it needs perfect alignment, and a thousandth of an inch out of alignment (or somewhere along that order of magnitude) could screw up the whole thing. Since most products aren't that precise, screwing the axle too tight would actually place your bearings out of alignment and they wont be able to adjust themselves when skating!

Ok, so you don't want to overtighten then. So be on the safe side and undertighten? That doesn't work out too. If you undertighten, the bearings spin around the racers, and the racers spin too, which causes a click click sound while skating and wears out the whole setup too! Argh!

So, to get it all right, you need perfect tightness, so that its barely tight enough and there's minimal spin of the racers when you spin the wheels freely, but no spin of the racers at all when the wheels spin while u skate. And how to achieve that? Well, tighten the wheel until it just barely doesnt move anymore when u try to twist it. Easier said than done though, especially when you are dealing with all these parts with low stiffness! For now, I just try to tighten it to the same amount of twist as the brand new axles that I haven't fiddled with yet. Will let u know what happens after the first wheel rotation.....

Medical checkup

I got the results of my recent medical checkup today. Basically I'm healthy, so that's good. However, my LDL (bad cholesterol) is borderline, which is not good, though I have very low levels of triglycerides.

Bad cholesterol? We all know what that is, and definitely that's not a good path to go down, so I gotta start working out more, especially when those new skates come! ;) But what in the world are triglycerides? I searched Wikipedia and all, but still I don't really know what they are. I know its got something to do with fat (so I'm really not that fat after all huh?) and something to do with arterial blockage, so it's probably a good thing that I don't have much of this stuff. But I also see some websites say that its not that much of a big deal compared to LDL (damn). So looks like I still need to work out more after all! (not to mention that IPPT is just around the corner....)

busy busy!

In case you think this blog has died, rest assured I'm still here and still posting. It's been a really busy week, with the new boss and all those election rallies to go to. Wading in the mud with throngs of people (and some frogs too) at Tampines was not exactly the most comfortable thing to do after work, but I guess it was worth the entertainment value. Did I just miss an episode of Lost 2? Argh!

Anyway, elections are over, results were the same as last time, and I predict that life will be back to normal for everyone. As in back to the apolitical state that we've always been in except for the 9 days every 5 years when there is election campaigning.

The one day off that we can claim is well worth it though! Especially considering that there was no line at my polling station, and i took like 1 minute to complete the whole process. 1 minute of voting and I get a whole day off huh? ;)

Biotech, boom or bust?

Just read this in the Economist today about the biotech industry:
"Its American stockmarket value is up tenfold over the past decade, to about $500 billion... (but) Thirty years after the biotechnology revolution began, the industry has yet to turn an aggregate profit. Take away the huge profits of a few success stories such as Genentech and Amgen and the picture darkens further. David Beier of Amgen estimates ath thte industry as a whole has lost $100 billion since its creation in the 1970s.
...most biotech firms are start-ups that have no products and little clue about how to convert their wizardry into things they can sell."

To be fair, the article later mentions how biotech can probably survive by teaming up with big pharma looking for promising new drugs developed via biotech. But with current uncertainties in both industries, I wouldn't invest in either 'cos its too big a gamble!

In other news, today's papers reports that construction contracts are expected to rise 19% this year. So I guess we need civil engineers after all huh?

Uber burger!

I tried this new restaurant called Uber Burger yesterday night. They're the ones who sell the $101 burger which has truffles-filled bun, foie gras, and wagyu beef. If that type of beef really is so good, I wonder why anyone would grind it up into a pattie? After all, aren't ground beef patties the worst meat you can find 'cos you probably can't tell the difference? Anyway, that burger costs too much, so I went for the $15 sirloin-porkloin burger. The burger bun was the healthy variety, a tad hard and with oats/nuts on it. The pattie was so fat and juicy you can hardly fit it into your mouth! I saw some ladies actually cutting up the bun and pattie into pieces and just forking it into their mouths like that. No no, that's not how you eat burgers man! No matter how thick it is, you gotta squeeze it flat and bite it straight!

After dinner was beer at Paulaner Brauhaus. They really have only 2 types of homebrew, light and dark. That's quite different from the large variety of inhouse brew I expected (like Brewerkz or Pyramid's). I had the light one, very malty and really fresh and good! The band was also good. One of the former Singapore Idol finalists, Beverly, was on hand to make a guest performance. Pretty good singing!

In other news, DJ SINGAPORE PRESS: DBS Bank Loses Two More Executives. 6% of the upper management of DBS have resigned so far. Time to bank with someone else? From the moment they had the fixed deposit box screw up some 1-2 yrs ago I knew they were going downhill.

In other news, Perry Tong, our very own Berkeley Alumni with a First class honours in Poli Sci, is running for elections in Singapore with the opposition! Go Bears!

clowns and the stick

A week or so ago I remember reading somewhere about a few foreign clowns who travelled all over Iraq bringing cheer to young Iraqi kids with their hilarious routine. I thought this was probably the most noble act, bringing joy and happiness to the war-stricken youth. Just this weekend, 2 of the clowns were brutally murdered by disapproving Iraqi militants. The bastards ambushed the clowns and covered their vehicle in a hail of gunfire. So they oppose the occupation, oppose modernization/capitalism/democracy and all that shit. But come on, a couple of harmless clowns cheering up your kids? Every one of those militants deserved to be punished in a war crimes tribunal. Unfortunately most of them will probably get away scot free when the allies finally pull out......

I'm taking lessons to learn to drive stickshift. And it's a living hell! Did somebody tell me you can learn to drive a stick on your own? You got to be kidding me man! I got honked at so many times for stalling at traffic lights! Reminds me of the time somebody tried to race with someone down Shattuck the first time he got into a stick car, and ended up stalling before he even got going! (you know who u are, don't deny it!) At least my booboos weren't that embarassing! ;)

What kind of crap do they show on UK tv?

I just read about this show that was on UK TV:

"Ralph is afraid of peaches," the host gleefully announces.
"Ooh," the audience chants.
"He can't come near them."
"Ooh," the audience chants louder. Then, a basket of peaches appears on a big screen behind Ralph. The host points up at it. Ralph turns, swears, screams and jumps up. His 270 pounds of sheer terror races down the studio hall, followed, of course, by the camera crew.
Hysterical laughter from the audience.
Ralph, covered by 3 cameras, cowers in the corner backstage. At the host's goading, the audience begins chanting till he's back on stage.
The crowd applauds.
Why winking at the audience the host asks Ralph why he doesn't like peaches.
"They're fuzzy, they're slimy." Then almost inaudibily, he mutters something about a girlfriend who had peach shampoo.
At that moment, two voluptuous women bring in 2 big baskets of peaches.
...Ralph runs through the audience. They tackle him and succeed in pulling his pants down, which only adds to the ridiculousness of the spectacle. The camera catches the rear view of Ralph crawling away from the taunting audience, on all fours, his trousers around his knees.
Ralph once again crouches in the foetal position in a corner of the studio wings. The host follows and sneers, "Do you know what you are now? A 6-foot tall, 270-pound man cowering in the corner?"

Easter Song

My Lord, He died for a kingdom,
To redeem the hearts of men,
Now my people don't you weep,
He has risen from His sleep,
He lives again, Alleluia.

Refrain:
Sing Alleluia, the Lord is risen,
He is risen again, Alleluia

My Lord came forth like the morning,
With the splendour of the sun,
Came triumphant from the womb
From the darkness of the tomb,
The victory won, Alleluia.

My Lord united the mountains,
With the everlasting hills,
Now the seasons and the sea,
Sing the song of victory,
Rocks and rills, Alleluia.

My Lord renewed all creation,
That had waited late and long,
Now we all with one accord,
Live and love the risen Lord,
This is our song, Alleluia.

Skates broken, Argh!

I tripped and fell and my skates broke today! Ouch! And I was a long way from home, so I had to limp back in broken skates and a bruised elbow! Double Ouch! I'll have to try to get it repaired, failing which it'd be time to get a new pair. Either way, $$$ will have to be spent, sigh...

The only consolation is that my IRiver Mp3 player is still completely intact even though I landed right smack on top of it! Not even a scratch! If I had an IPod Nano I can guarantee you that it would have been smashed into smithereens. Finally verified the durability of the IRiver MP3 players that have been touted on the internet. And mine is the regular model, not even the rubber-coated sports version! Oh well, Easter is tomorrow, something more cheerful to think about ;).

View from my room

So, that's the view from my room, ain't it pretty? For u guys in the US, I always told you I lived by the sea, so here's to prove it! There are disadvantages, like things get rusty even though they are stainless steel, and there's the perennial dust problem, but you get used to it after a while. That whole vast patch of green looks like a jungle huh? That's East Coast Park, where I in-line skate regularly. No wonder Singapore is called a Garden City huh?

Good Friday

It's been a rainy Good Friday. Good Friday's a holiday over here, so the faithful typically flock to church in the morning, followed by fasting and penance for some. In the US, religious holidays aren't allowed, so Good Friday isn't a holiday. And cos it isn't a holiday, many of my Christian friends over there don't go to church, and it becomes just another day. Easter Sunday is the big deal, they say (cos of the easter eggs?). Many of my Christian friends over here however, are extremely appalled when they hear of Christians not going to church on Good Friday! How could they not remember Christ died for us? I tend to agree with the latter. The fundamental belief of Christianity is that Christ died for us that we may have eternal life, then followed by He rose from the dead 3 days later. So it makes sense that Good Friday (and of course Christmas) is the one day that all Christians go to church.

Well of course the convenience plays a part in Christian behavior here in Singapore. My church has 4 services today, 1 in Chinese too, and it's a public holiday too. Back at Newman Hall in Berkeley, there's only 1 service at 7pm, it's not a holiday, and you probably can't get a seat anyway. But as my Cathechism teacher once taught me, can't you sacrifice a teeny bit of inconvenience to worship the Lord? Another big turn off in Berkeley was that the veneration of the Cross takes so long! The priest brings out this huge Cross, and some old folks even take up to 5 mins praying while there's a long line behind! You can imagine how long the service would last huh?

In other completely unrelated news, 6 HK women lost their breasts because they injected some breast enlargement gel which caused complications and cant be removed after injection. What a bummer huh?

Not too recently I learned something new about corruption. Why are corrupted officials in government always so eager to push for more and more pork barrel construction projects, even projects that do not benefit anyone? Examples include roads to nowhere, bridges that don't increase capacity, replacing buildings that are perfectly fine, etc. I mean, it seems counter-intuitive because by building these useless things they are not exactly benefiting anybody, not even their supporters or themselves huh? Well, the simple reason is that in many developing countries a huge portion of government expenditure goes to construction, and typically one single developer/contractor executes the project. So by pushing for a large redundant construction project and giving it to ONE crony developer/contractor, you can actually receive huge bribes and only have to deal with ONE (or a few) person! Think about it, for a typical airport terminal costing say $500million, I'm sure the developer can spare you AT LEAST a $10 million bribe? $10 million in the pocket without having to do anything at all huh? Compare this to receiving bribes from businesses: small money, many businessmen (and companies) you have to deal with to earn the same amount, which increases your risk of exposure. Interestingly, by accepting bribes from businesses you will have monopolies and cronyism, but the citizens may not actually suffer as much as having to pay huge taxes for completely redundant public construction projects.

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!!