Saturday, December 20, 2003

Wednesday, December 17, 2003

Many people are looking for the DSL305E firmware. Please try the Aztech website. If you have any technical queries, you can ask me and I'll try to help.

I also provide consultation for networking, wireless, and software. Feel free to contact me.

Tuesday, December 16, 2003

Virgin Performance

Nov 24, 2007: I've had many hits by prospective wedding emcees looking for a script to follow. These can usually be obtained from the hotel banquet manager (that's where I got mine). However, for the convenience of those who want some prior preparation, here is a pretty good one which has both English and Chinese versions. I'm also available for hosting arrangements, please leave me a comment!

Sunday, December 14, 2003 will be a forever memorable day.

I did it! I did it for the first time. I have ventured into uncharted waters.
Just what the heck did I do? I hosted Guowei's (one of my best friends) wedding!
On top of that, I was also time keeper and contact person for the ceremony in
the day activites (tea ceremony, etc). This certainly is a great honour to be
such an important person at my friend's wedding!

Guowei and I have been friends since Secondary 3 in school. We went through the
last 2 years of secondary school and 2 years of JC. Though we took separate
paths since then, through army and university, I can say we have that unique
irreplacable connection between us that time will not be able to break.

It was 3 weeks ago that we met up. Then he popped the question to me - he asked
me to be the MC for his wedding dinner! I have absolutely no prior experience,
but the lack of experience is no excuse, because everyone has to start
somewhere. After a grand 10 seconds of comtemplation, I agreed, knowing full
well in my heart that I have many obstacles to surmount. There is only one
option for me - that is I have to do a good job - nothing else!

There would be two emcees for the dinner. One would be a friend of the bride
(her name is Xinyi) and myself. The choice of the co-host was a toss up between
Shan Shan and Michelle. Michelle was originally asked to be the English speaking
host, but she declined, stating stage fright. So Shan Shan was was asked to be
the Mandarin speaking host. We decided on Michelle in the end. I was happy to be
speaking either English or Mandarin.

I was apprehensive and nervous prior to the big day. My mind was in a constant
whirl because I didn't know exactly what to do, which given my character, I
absolutely dislike. I even paid my uncle a visit to get some pointers from him.
This uncle of mine is a veteran in hosting wedding dinenrs, having done so for
more than 3/4 of the weddings in our family. He is the de-facto MC for every
event.

After all the preparation, quesions asked, I still felt unsure. This confidence
has to be built from experience, through actually hosting events. I'm just going
to do it. Things will turn out fine. Positive psychology helps, definitely!

I put on my new shirt and tie, made sure my hair looked good, and put on my
jacket, looking my best. They say any guy looks good in a suit and tie. Haha. A
good thing, since the air-conditioning in the hotel was extremely cold. Michelle
was feeling cold, but looking stunning in a simple black dress.

I kept fumbling during the rehearsal. I either forgot my lines, or mispronounced
words. A clear sign of nervousness. I was thinking that if I fumbled during
rehearsal with no one watching, then how I would perform with 400 paris of eyes
on me. More about this later...

Michelle and I had only about one hour to plan what we were to say and how we
were going to say it. We decided that I would first speak in Mandarin, and she
would follow up with the English version. Most of the guests would understand
Mandarin, so it would be more appropriate to start off in Mandarin. We didn't
want to deliver a clinical performance, which while proper, was boring. Luckily,
despite our inexperience, we managed to plan in some banter to make the event
appear to be more lively and spontaneous. We also had help from the event
manager at the hotel who provided us with a wedding dinner script template, from
which we extracted information about the champagne pouring ceremony into the
speech. Someone later told me that it was a good move to mention the
significance of the champagne pouring, which my the way, symbolises wealth and
the overflowing of the couple's love.

I was already down with a bad cough. In the morning, I was still feeling
relatively alright. But into the evening, no amount of lozenges could sooth my
irritated throat. I just kept coughing and coughing. I had to drink lots of warm
water and chinese tea, which helped somewhat. Thank my lucky stars I could
finish my speech without breaking into a coughing fit.

I didn't dare to eat anything because I feared agitating my throat. So I only
had shark's fin, some vegetables and noodles, which came after we have finished
the champagne pouring and toasting.

Guests at the wedding, please skip ahead two paragraphs ... ignore the following
one.

Things went without noticable hitches. But there were some unexpected turns. I
forgot to ask the guests to raise their glasses before the 'yum seng'. I did not
expect that I had to lead the 'yum seng' as well! I also forgot to touch glasses
with my co-host during the 'yum seng', how ungracious of me! There was also once
that Michelle had to remind me to stand straight, because I was leaning on the
rostrum with my weight on only one leg; that looked ugly!

While our performance cannot be compared with the professionals, but I think it
was a credible first time performance for both of us. It was hard, but yes, we
pulled it off! Good work, Michelle!

To Guowei and Xinyi, I have witnessed your romance blossom 10 years ago; you
have stayed with each other through the years. I only have this to say - that
you two are a perfect match - althought you still have your little arguments. I
have not seen another couple who fit each other so well. Now your love has
matured, become more deeply rooted; may your love be stronger with each passing
day. So, when is the tree bearing fruit?

Tuesday, November 11, 2003

When and How to Lie Effectively


Yes I know, people hide or distort the truth for various reasons. Not all the reasons are malicious, of course, there may be a really sensible one. For example, you deliberately ignore a call from someone you don't like. When the person next asks you why you did not answer the call, you will cook up some excuse like "the phone was on silent" and "I was asleep", or "watching TV". It would be bad manners to admit that you deliberately ignored the call, wouldn't it? But then again, it would be overkill to emphasize how tired you were, or even going to the extent of saying that you fell asleep a few minutes before the call came in. Talk about being lame!



Restaurants and Food Places


Hmm ... realised that the first Mc Cafe is at Great World City first floor. On the same floor, there is Delifrance and Coffee Bean, all within line of sight of one another. Talk about competition. There is also a Kenny Rogers at Great World City! I thought only Suntec and Tampines Mall had it. Tiong Bahru Plaza have some new restaurants on the second level. Seems that these places are springing up all over the place. I should frequent Great World City more.



Taking Hints


Yeah, I geuss some people dun like to be direct and straight to the point. They prefer to beat around the bush till the cows come home. Please pardon my poor language. Well, unfortunately, if you wanna tell me something, you have to tell it to me straight. Beating around the bush never gets the point across. This explains why I am taking up Wing Chun kung fu.


Monday, November 10, 2003

We're Screwing You - Hope You are Okay with It.



I misplaced my EZLink card (with $20) since Friday. I could have dropped it on
the cab, or it could be in an obscure corner at home, to be found only many
years later if and when we are moving.


While I was buying a replacement card this morning, the helpful station staff
advised me of the revised charges, that the $15 we are paying for the card only
gives us $7 in value with a non-refundable $3 deposit.


As if headline coverage in all the local media over the past week has not been
enough! He asked me if I was okay with the new conditions, to which I replied,
"I am being very sarcastic here, but tell me, do we have a choice?"


My Weekend



Had a wonderful weekend with family and relatives. I spent Saturday at home tidying up my room (but the amount of rubbish in the place still stays the same). Chloe visited around 1:30pm, earlier than the usual 5pm or so. We had a great time laughing at her antics. Too bad I had to attend a Deppavali dinner at 7pm at the Community Club downstairs, which dragged on and on and on ... duh ... but the food wasn't too bad, except for the fact that it was served so late.



Cousin David booked a chalet for a barbecue at Aranda resorts in Pasir Ris, next to Downtown East. It was great having the four young ones altogether at once. Rachel, Herman, Cody, and Chloe. The big sisters and brothers were very obliging to 'sayang' little baby Chloe (who has just turned 1 almost a month ago); very admirable considering the fact that they are so hyperactive. Herman and Cody had no reservations about playing with uncles like Anson and myself whom they seldom met. Rachel still needs a bit of work. :)



Had two games of bowling at long last. It must have been more than a year since I've last bowled. My first game was not good. I left too many frames open, but managed to squeeze in a spare at the last frame to total 100. In the second game, I was more focused and consistent. Proper aim and the fact that the ball actually went were I wanted it to go helped a lot. I had only 3 open frames in the first 9. I spared the 10th frame and hit a 7 on the last throw, giving a grand total of 144, which I think will most likely be a year-high, considering that it is already so close to year end and I might not bowl for quite some time. I'm thinking if Wing Chun might have helped? Hee hee. Maybe all the Siu Leem Tau has strengthened my wrists, giving me better ball control. My arms felt stronger as well. Cool! Thanks to Sifu!



The score: 9- X 9/ 9/ 3/ 8/ 5- X 81 3/7 (Total: 144)

Thursday, October 02, 2003

Without a Trace


Got a new pair of Sennheiser's Wireless headphones from Sid, who in turn got
a Netgear 802.11g router from me. Now I don't have to contend with Dad and
Mum telling me to lower the volume of the stereo or the TV!


Feeling rather tired ... need some extra inspiration ... sigh ... not getting
much of it though ... tough going upstream ...

Wednesday, August 27, 2003

Mr Brown is BACK!


Laugh till you drop! Check out Mr Brown coming out of a one year hiatus to entertain us all!


Check it out! Mr Brown

Wednesday, August 20, 2003

The Book that I am Reading


From Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.
I quote this paragraph:



"It was only in the first few years that she felt herself screaming silently, at times, for a glimpse of human ability, a single glimpse of clean, hard, radiant competence. She had fits of tortured longing for a friend or an enemy with a mind better than her own. But the longing passed. She had a job to do. She did not have time to feel pain; not often."


Thursday, July 17, 2003

Attitude - This is a good one

Quoted from a forwarded email ...

The 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud lady, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with her hair fashionably coifed and makeup perfectly applied, even though she is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today.

Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.

After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready. As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of her tiny room,including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on her window. "I love it," she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

"Mrs. Jones, you haven't seen the room ..... just wait."

"That doesn't have anything to do with it," she replied.

"Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't dep end on how the
furniture is arranged... it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it ... "It's a decision I make
every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have
with the parts of my body that no longer work,or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.

Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away .... just for this time in my life.

Old age is like a bank account ... you withdraw from what you've put in ....... So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories

Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing.

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

FAMILY

Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days. But the family we left behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.

And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than into our own family, an unwise investment indeed, don't you think?

So what is behind the story? Do you know what the word FAMILY means?

FAMILY = (F)ATHER (A)ND (M)OTHER (I) (L)OVE (Y)OU

Wednesday, July 16, 2003

MSN Search Rules!


I have been a die-hard Google fan all this while since its inception in 1998. I use Google and only Google for all my web searches. But it seems that Google may be selective about what it includes in its database. A search on MSN for "chnrxn" turned out far more accurate results than Google. Cool! Never put all your eggs in one basket!

Monday, July 07, 2003

Minor Scare


My hard disk was acting up over the weekend. My PC would sometimes not boot, or it would hang occasionally. Then WinXP refuses to boot up properly.


Turned out to be a loose power connecter. I pushed it in, wiggled it a bit and things seemed to be okay. But first I had to boot into Win2K, my alternative OS and let it correct errors on my WinXP partition before I could get into WinXP again.



The Big Event


Getting a new apartment, worrying about renovation, buying new stuff for the house, dealing with contractors and designers, the works. Sidney is busy running around for all these things. We were at IKEA on Saturday morning to buy lights and bulbs. He bought a sheepskin rug, to the protests of everyone else except me (I always support you buddy!). My sister was kind enough to drop by and sign for the purchases to get a discount. "It pays to know people", so said his future mum-in-law. :-)



Tired but Happy


Never enjoyed myself so much on a weekend for a very long time. Even though I slept at 5am (I really was not watching the clock, and it just felt like only a minute has passed since I started at 1am) and woke up at 8am, the whole day was really fruitful. Saw Sid's new place in the afternoon at Seng Kang. The theme of the estate is very nice, but too bad it is not very populated yet. We deposited the purchases at Sherri's place (where I saw her cats) and then went to Pasir Ris for dinner. Thought of catching a sneak for T3, but we were too bushed and there were no sneaks for T3 at that time. So we all made our way back home. It was truly a memorable evening.


Woke up at 11am on Sunday feeling slightly hung over. The headache lasted the whole day. But I still went over to Sim Lim Square to check out the latest product offerings and prices. Was dozing off on the bus journey back home, woke up just in time to get off the bus, otherwise I would have ended up at Harbour Front (good I could have visited the NEL station there).


Friday, July 04, 2003

Positive Thinking Visited



The warning signs are all there. I really have to do some serious self-reflection. They say a leopard never changes its spots, but try I will, and succeed will I. I really need to be more positive about life. This previous statement is already a good start by not mentioning the negative.



Too much complaining and looking at things from a negative standpoint has already gotten me into trouble many times. It is really bad PR to be doing such things. I am lucky to have many concerned people who remind me that positivity wins at the end of the day. Thank you very much, you know who you are! Well, if you read my site that is ...



Will people start seeing and hearing a better me? I definitely wish it to be so. However I still need guidance from many people. Tough as it might seem, I really have to get it right!



I just came across this site about positive thinking



"Always look on the bright side of life ... " by Monty Python.

Tuesday, July 01, 2003

Special Day



Today has been a rather nice day for me. Had some interesting and funny conversations with friends and colleagues, and that is very nice. Today is also my father's lunar birthday, so we went to have dinner at ABC market hawker center along Jalan Bukit Merah. Simple pleasures can be so fun! This really lightens up an otherwise dull working life!



I have removed a portion from this entry, which basically is an unjustified complaint. I shall not find excuses for myself - I have already done someone a disservice - and I sincerely apologise.

The Unfilial Singaporean Daughter Revisited



I cannot get to sleep ... something is bothering me ...the feeling of scrunity and evaluation is strong ... something, someone I just cannot figure out. Sounds like a song? Nah ... no chance! Anyway, let's cut to the chase.



"With great power, comes great responsibility". These are the last words that Peter Parker heard from his beloved Uncle Ben before Uncle Ben was killed by a snatch thief whom Peter didn't bother to stop when he had the chance.



The same concept applies to freedom. Many of us yearn for freedom, but at the same time, we also have to enjoy our freedom responsibily. We are still responsible to our parents and people who care about us.



I believe in finding a balance. The girl in the article and people taking her father's side have their own valid views. The girl should not have just run away from home just like that. It is not fair to her parents. She is also allowing herself to be bought, but she chose to see it as an affirmation of the man's love for her. That's cheap, I could have bought her out if I had the money (yeah, if I had the money).



But on the other hand, she could have been given more freedom by her parents to choose the courses that she wanted to pursue. As long as she knows what she is getting into and is willing to bear the consequences, her parents should have let her be.



To love her is to set her free. Be not afraid that she get hurt, be afraid that she doesn't know how to recover. If she wants to blade, cycle, ride a bike, let her learn. Trust her to be responsible with her skills; for otherwise, how else is she going to look after her own children, if she never learns?


Root Searching


Read about my trip to Hong Kong and Guangdong during the summer of 1999. Now if I can only have more space to put my pictures ...

Sunday, June 29, 2003

Xinyao Festival 2003 Finals



It was a spectacular display of local singing, song-writing and composing talent at the Kallang Theater last night 28-Jun-2003 as 12 finalists of the Xinyao Festival 2003 strutted their stuff on stange in front of a 700-strong audience.



All the participating entries are very mature, very professional, very well-done. Themes also varied from the usual love songs to hopes and dreams, world and social issues, and the feelings of a cat!



Among the guest stars were Joi Tsai (Cai Chunjia), Tanya Chua, Cai Lilian, Seven, and big brother Jiang Hu, belting the best of new songs and old favourites, while the judges battled it out in recess deciding which prizes should be awarded to which song.



It also helps a great deal to have appreciative company around!



The judges include Liang Wenfu, Li Weisong, Feng Huishi, Wu Qingkang; all familiar names in the local chinese music scene.



To be continued ...



Saturday, June 28, 2003

Quote of the Day


"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." - Albert Einstein


Friday, June 27, 2003

Who were you in your last life?



Find out for yourself!



This is mine:


Your past life diagnosis:

I don't know how you feel about it, but you were male in your last earthly incarnation.
You were born somewhere in the territory of modern USA South-West around the year 1700.
Your profession was that of a map maker, astrologer, astronomer.
Your brief psychological profile in your past life:
Timid, constrained, quiet person. You had creative talents, which waited until this life to be liberated. Sometimes your environment considered you strange.
The lesson that your last past life brought to your present incarnation:
Your main task is to make the world more beautiful. Physical and spiritual deserts are just waiting for your touch. Keep smiling!
Do you remember now?

Thursday, June 26, 2003

The Unfilial Singaporean Daughter



Got this from an email by an unknown person this morning. It is in response to an article/letter that appeared in The New paper Sunday Edition on June 15, 2003.



See the entire text of the response.


Wednesday, June 25, 2003

90 min delay


400 ferried by bus between Punggol and Sengkang stations on NEL



By Goh Chin Lian

THE North-East Line (NEL) ran into its longest delay yet early yesterday, when services between Punggol and Sengkang were disrupted for about 90 minutes.

The glitch, which happened shortly after 6am, meant 400 commuters had to take buses instead.


Rating for NEL: 8/10
THAT'S the score that Acting Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan gave the NEL despite the delay yesterday, saying that compared to the North-South line when it first opened in 1987, 'we've done much better'.

Despite the morning hold-up and another 10 delays of five to eight minutes since the line opened five days ago, Acting Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan yesterday gave the line a rating of eight out of 10.

Mr Khaw, who took an official ride at about 10am, said that the rash of short delays had been caused by commuters accidently activating an emergency call button near the train door.

As for yesterday's technical fault, he said: 'There will be these little glitches here and there. The important thing is to find out what the reason is.'

The operations control centre at Sengkang depot was alerted to a fault at Punggol station at 6.09am.

The system automatically shut down the tracks there, so trains could not move out.

Engineers rushed to Punggol station to change a faulty modem card in a computer that communicates with the train control system.

NEL operator SBS Transit also mobilised 35 buses to ferry passengers to Sengkang station, until train services between the two stations resumed at 7.35am.

Except for a 15-minute hold-up at Sengkang station at 6.24am, the rest of the line was not delayed.

Despite the line's teething problems, Mr Khaw's overall assessment was upbeat.

Compared to the first five days of the North-South Line when it opened in 1987, 'I think we've done much better', he said.

He was confident that SBS Transit would iron out NEL's glitches faster than the two years it had taken SMRT for the North-South Line.

But, he said, SBS Transit would have to address commuters' feedback to earn a higher performance rating from him. One area it should address, he said, was the lack of signs in Chinese at Chinatown station.

He also felt that announcements in the train were too jarring, and that the announcements which were made in different languages at Little India station should be more concise.

Mr Khaw defended the Government's decision to build the fully-automated line, despite public grumbles about having to pay high- er fares for the system while being told to expect glitches.

He said Singaporeans should not shy away from automation.

'If you are not prepared to break new ground and try out new technology, there will be no progress,' he said.

Other commuters have asked why the NEL fares cannot be the same as those on the North-South and East-West lines, instead of being between five and 25 cents higher.

Mr Khaw said that if the fares were the same for the entire MRT system, all train commuters would end up paying more to subsidise the new $5-billion line, instead of just its users.

So can NEL fares be lowered given that the Public Transport Council (PTC) approved them without knowing Buangkok station would not open for now?

Not likely, said Mr Khaw.

That is because the PTC had turned down SBS Transit's original bid for a higher fare structure, so any money saved on not opening Buangkok would help to offset this projected shortfall.

Never a dull moment on my first NEL ride



I TOOK my first ride on the North-East Line (NEL) at 9 pm on Saturday. After a somewhat-confusing walk from the Dhoby Ghaut MRT station, involving several escalators, some going up, and some down, I made it to the new station.



I boarded the spanking-new train with several middle-aged women and a family of three. After one stop, we were treated to a spectacular display of how well the doors had been made. The train stopped for 10 minutes at Farrer Park Station, seemingly for no other reason than to show us the doors' ability to open and close 10 times rapidly. This was followed by an announcement for passengers to alight and board the next train.



We all alighted and the train started to move off, prompting one of the women to comment, 'Now no people in the train, that's why can move.'



The next train was rather packed. I managed to find space to step in, not a moment too soon. The doors closed barely four seconds after they opened, separating the family of three.



The train must have been on a very strict and precise timetable because the couple outside banging on it were ignored and left behind as we sped away with their child.



The other passengers in the train must have sensed the operator's unyielding schedule and jostled to get ready at the doors even before we reached the next station. Imagine their horror when the train pulled into the station and they were greeted by a sign stuck on the station door saying, 'Door Faulty. Please use next door'. There was a small stampede to get to the next door before the four seconds were up.



The rest of my trip was spent eyeing the doors, trying to guess which might correspond to a faulty door at my destination. All in all, it was a very interesting ride.



CHIANG SEOK PHENG (MADAM)

If you are using an Aztech DSL305E/EU, you can access your modem configuration page here.

I also wanna watch The Hulk!

I put so much information about myself online, am I not afraid of being stalked, or having my identity hijacked? Yes, admittedly, I have thought as much, but what would people want to do with my information?

Tuesday, June 24, 2003

New Page Added


I've added a new page to my personal website. It is on the music that I have done. Actually, I' not not really musically inclined at all. I just like to sing, and used to write some songs and poetry in the past. All this is history now, but it is nice to relive some of the memories.



Take a look at my MUSIC page.

Sunday, June 22, 2003

Why are my latest Blogs not Showing Up?


The ?noCache query string works though ...but people won't know ...maybe I should change my template again!

Thursday, June 19, 2003

Busy Week Ahead



This is a busy week for all of us at the RC. We have yet to finish distributing the invitations for the Upgrading Completion Ceremony on Sunday. We are walking door to door distributing the invites. This is a really tough chore, given that only a a few of us are doing it.



Two of us just finished the distributing the invites to a 140 residents in a block< tonight. At the end of it we are pretty much wet with perspiration. Another group took care of distributing the bread for the Food from the Heart program.



Then I have to attend this PA pre-conference on Saturday. Luckily there is nothing to prepare on Saturday except at night when we need to take delivery of some items. They have already put up the scaffolding and tentage.



Hope to heave a sigh of relief, after we are done with the ceremony, and the SARS kit distribution at the end of the month!


Wednesday, June 18, 2003

ICQ in the Office


I am behind a proxy server in the office, so I have major reliability problems with ICQ during office hours. Best way is still to email me.

Thursday, June 12, 2003

Problem with BLOG



Hmm ... somehow my blogs seem to remain stagnant at this post. You have to add a ?noCache modifier to the end of the URL to load the most recent page. Get the most recent page.



Compromise Thou Relationship


"A relationship based on compromise is meaningless"


Heard this phrase on TV - it made me think hard. Would you make compromise yourself to stay in a relationship with your partner?


For the things that matter, most of us believe that we are open-minded enough to tolerate doing more of what our partner wants and less of what we want. In the long run, would we be able to take the resentment, pressure, and regret? How many compromises can we make?


What we want, is freedom from the expectations of our partners - their respect for our freedom to our beliefs. Yet we must still stay together at the end of the day.


It is very important to find someone with whom you can 'click'. Choose wisely. If you keep finding yourself in the same rut in a relationship, get out of it, amiciably.


I should have realised this long ago ... sigh!

Tuesday, June 10, 2003

Oh yeah I am a lazy slob who never updates my weblogs .. so let's get over it!


Been on a weekend trip to KL and Malacca, but for work, mind you! I think I managed to keep the 750 unit deal, and probably gave them more confidence in us for the 100k tender ahead. In fact I don't mind making more trips to Malaysia, Australia, France, London probably. I just have to sign up for my miles now... which I have wasted about 30k worth because I never claimed them...

Tuesday, June 03, 2003

I'm So Full of Myself



More than one person has commented to third parties that they find me very proud. Maybe it is the few joking boastful comments that I've made, maybe something else.



I'm not frustrated that people are criticising me, but more at the fact that none of them wanted to be upfront to me about it. By tell other people who might not know me well, they are getting people to be biased towards me.



It's hard not to care what people think of you if a significant portion think that way, or maybe even more of them are too polite to comment.



Granted everyone has something to say about someone, it's still good to know that people feel good about you.

Monday, June 02, 2003

A Misfortunate Coincidence


I was searching on the web for my email ID cohawk, and most of the links I turned out are porn sites. Worst of all, they are GAY sites! How can I have realised this only after 5 years???

Sunday, June 01, 2003

Chain Reaction


Bought myself a VCD copy of my namesake, "Chain Reaction" starring Keanu Reeves, Morgan Freeman and Rachel Weisz. Some people have commented that I've modelled the name after this movie, but my idea was totally original. Since it was shot in 1996, I got it for a cheap $8.50 at a shop in Peninsula Plaza.

I am Sam - Love is All You Need

I never felt emotional while watching TV or movies. "I am Sam" changed all that. Sterling performances by Sean Penn and Michelle Pfeiffer and dear cute Lucy turned me into marshmallow.

"You need to set your dreams high." "It's about constancy." The lawyer who never loses a case loses her husband, and almost loses her son as well. When we are smart, good looking, capable, 'perfect', we strive to keep the status quo, but we miss out on the things that really matter.

While buying school shoes for Lucy at the shoe store, Sam didn't have enough money (because he had to go to the teachers parents meeting the previous week), his friends selflessly chipped in whatever little they had. How many of us affluent punks could ever do that? I don't know if the amount ever made up $16.19, but heck, the gestures were worth more then $16.19 million. Thinking about this still brings the pH level down in my nose (ha! I just won't admit it!)

P.S. Anyway, my mum thinks I am catching a cold. :D

To Buy or not to Buy (or which one?)


My mum's ancient Nokia 3210 is getting cranky, refusing to cooperate. Cracking my brains over which new phone to buy for her. Should I get a phone upgrade at the expense of another 2 year contract? Should I stick with Singtel or go with M1? The possibiities are endless.There was a phone shop in the neighborhood centre, but the range there is not very wide, choices not many, Ought to shop around some more. Should I get a second hand unit? I may need a tri-band phone for myself when I travel occasionally to the US (via Japan). Feel quite naked without a phone.



The Market Reloaded


For the first time in more than ten years, I went with my mum to the market. Bought some vegies, lunch and of course 4D. This is one activity which I should engage in more often. There is more to life than just work and work and work ...



What is Community Service?


So the few students who were around for the brisk walking session for the past 2 weeks were from RJC fulfilling their community service hours. To them this is more of fulfilling a school requirement than outright altruism (although I do agree that doesn't really exist nowadays, espeially in Singapore). I didn't remember in my time we were required to do community service.


When we did visit an old folks home during an event when I was in JC2, I was the unfriendly stranger on the bus who didn't like to talk to anybody, but I really scored points with the elders (because they mainly spoke cantonese and RJC students are mostly too 'ang mor sai'). Alright, the rest of them were shyly standing at one side waiting for someone to start the ball rolling so naturally I stepped in and did a great job.

Friday, May 30, 2003

The Way to Crack an Egg


For years I have been cracking eggs against the edge of a bowl. More often than not, I end up with egg shell scraps in the bowl as well. I heard some advice on the radio not too long ago about cracking eggs on a flat surface - I tried it this morning on a couple of hard boiled eggs - with great success!


So remember, there is more than one way to crack an egg; some are better than others.

Thursday, May 29, 2003

Singaporeans are Innovative


Talk about innovation! As I got off Paya Lebar MRT to work this morning, I saw a group of people standing at the elevated end of the covered overhead bridge looking for their slow-moving buses to come round the heavily congested Paya Lebar Road.


The road runs in a north-south direction. At 9am in the morning, the bright, hot sun is still low in the sky, making the bus stop shelter ineffective at protecting commuters. The covered overhead bridge walkway serves a really good purpose!


Growing Pains


Ah, the joys of growing up! Chloe has started teething. My sis can feel a tooth erupting at the bottom row.

Tuesday, May 27, 2003

Okay I admit I am a cheapo for not paying for a custom webhost, but thinking about it, how many people do visit my website? I must have some really interesting stuff first yeah?


But I am looking around for some hosting packages. My preference is for a local hosting located in Singapore, but why does a .SG domain cost more than a TLD? I really don't understand. In Singapore, everything costs more! The thought of running my own server at home did cross my mind, but the power bill is not going to be a joke.


Monday, May 26, 2003

I screwed up my template code somehow, and now I get an empty textarea where my template is supposed to be. I have tried to switch templates to no avail; the changes won't take. I've even tried to save some other template code into the empty text area, but even that goes into /dev/null.


What's going on? Any pointers? Lemme know. Thanks!


I'm starting a new weblog called Comsul which is a collection of computer tips and interesting factoids that I have managed to learn in everyday life.


Also publishing Chnrxn at BlogSpot now instead of FortuneCity, which disallows too many FTP logins. any idea how much space I have on BlogSpot?

Sunday, May 25, 2003

There were not many people at the brisk walking session this morning. Just some people from the youth community club, RC and civil defence. This is only the third week and it seems like the enthusiasm from the general community is wearing off. We have to actively encourage the residents to come out to excercise more regularly.

Bought some new shirts and pants today with Yvonne and Eric, of course not forgetting dear little Chloe. Eric even bought a circular rotation fan for Chloe to cool her off during the night, as she often wakes up in the morning with her head all wet with perspiration.

Oh well, going back to work again tomorrow. What a drag!
Had dinner with Guangrong last night; complained about the usual things and basically caught up with each other. Tried out Singnet's wireless access at Delifrance with his brand new Acer laptop with the Centrino chipset. Performance is not too bad at all.

While spending the rest of the night at Borders, I was browsing this book by Dr John Gray (of "Men are from mars, Women are from Venus" fame) about men and women in the workplace. I forgot the title though. It was a very interesting read, since I can identify with most of what it said.

Was helping Vanessa this afternoon installing Windows 2000, so that true multi-tasking has finally become reality.

Spend the rest of the day at the library. Really has to finish those books. I managed to get what I wanted from the Embedded Systems book and skimmed through the Cisco Wireless book, learning about HiperLAN and what not. Finished just before the library closed and grabbed another CSS+DHTML book in the process.

Tried to look for Ayn Rand's "Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology" but it was on loan. Laurens introduced me to Ayn Rand to help me achieve a better understanding of life and why things are. Check out Ayn Rand and Objectivism.

Thursday, May 22, 2003

Hmm... how do you get people to visit your site? What makes it worthwhile for people to visit day after day? It doesn't make sense for me to maintain a site that read by only me myself and I does it? I should really be finding some interesting stuff to put on the website then. Any tips for me? Email me.

Wednesday, May 21, 2003

Getting too much spam on your personal free web-based email account? Deactivate it for 3 months and you will be spam free forever. Since everyone of us probably has a few of these accounts, it doesn't hurt to switch to using another one for the moment. Just remember NOT to leave it lying around newgroups and forums. I just found one of my never-used email accounts and this is what I saw after I logged in.

Your Yahoo! Mail account is no longer active.
Why is my account inactive?
Yahoo! Mail deactivated your mail account because either:
  1. You have not logged into your account in at least 4 months, or

  2. You have asked that your mail account be deactivated
What does this mean?
  • All emails, folders, attachments and preferences have been deleted
  • All messages sent to xxxxxx@yahoo.com are being bounced back to the sender
  • You can still use your Yahoo! ID to access other registered services on Yahoo!
  • Deleted information cannot be recovered

My father just bought a new Samsung flat screen PLANO 15 inch TV with Teletext (for the 4D) to put in the kitchen. It will go on top of the smaller of our two large refrigerators. Don't ask me why we need two, ask my mum.

Now all it needs is an antenna and to preset the channels. Of course the only channels needed are Channel U and Channel 8.
Adding this large banner for some sitestats.


Sunday, May 18, 2003

ChannelNewsAsia reports a new case of SARS. This is a reminder that the battle is still on.
My mum has become a TV fanatic! So we are now going around shopping for a smaller TV to put in the kitchen! That's besides the 2 29 inch sets that we already have in the living room!

I bet right now, she knows "Ah Cheng" (showing weekdays Channel U 7pm) better than she knows me!

Okay, IMH cases 99% confirmed not SARS. What a relief.

As if I had nothing better to write about, I cleaned my keyboard today, yeah, what an achievement! Oh yeah, and I got a haircut ...

Saturday, May 17, 2003

FortuneCity is only good for text now. Can't get any pictures to load properly from them. They may even delete my account!

Friday, May 16, 2003

My resume is mostly done. Just have to touch up the small parts.
Bummer ... cannot upload files via FTP through proxy server ...
Find me a cure!

Thursday, May 15, 2003

Man, it is damned HOT HOT HOT!!! My whole body is caking up with sweat!!!

Just finished capturing the last of my father's 8mm videos, going to encode and burn them, and keep the camcorder in a safe place. Hmm ... tempted to get a digital camcorder $$$.

The IMH fever cases are not confirmed SARS cases yet, thankfully. The health authorities said it is likely to be a type B flu virus, whatever that is. Maybe it is the same one that is floating around.

Eeek!
Staying home today to recover from the slight flu I have. Darn ... people are going to avoid me like hell. Well, I can take this time to clean up my room for once. Hmm... hungry ... wanna makan.

Wednesday, May 14, 2003

Okay, screw records. SARS is a really potent creature, we have to fight it together. Onward Singapore!
Oh, new suspected SARS cases at IMH (WoodBridge Hospital). Seems to be a mass infection. There goes the record of SARS free days in Singapore. Let's hope MOH is able to trace it fast.
Still feeling a bit wierd, although my throat does not feel sore, but quite sure there is something wrong with me still. Well, tomorrow is another holiday, Happy Vesak Day!

Tuesday, May 13, 2003

Finally became a blogger today. Guess I can concentrate on writing the entries instead of worrying about how they look on the website. I really have to trim the size of my resume webpage. Saving to HTML from Microsoft Word is a sure no-no.

Initiation

Became a blogger tonight. See so many people doing it that I just had to jump onto the bandwagon, despite my constant criticism of many non-forward-looking companies of doing the same thing. Since Singnet's servers do not allow FTP access from non-Singnet domains, something I still do not understand. I am putting it on my FortuneCity website, which prepends to every webpage, but hey, at least they allow FTP access! WAKE UP! Singnet!!! FortuneCity still gives me 100MB of space!!!But no MP3s and no single files over 3MB. So here it is, myBlog.

Discovered the most elegant name for flu; get this - "Upper Respiratory Tract Infection" or URTI for short. More information. The most disparing thing about virus infections is that it cannot be cured using medicines. The medicines provide symptomatic relieve while allowing your body to fight off the virus naturally. I just had a major bout of flu at the end of last year, and now I am getting one again. Went to this doctor who is really thorough with his examination and patiently explains facts to you. I've seen my fair share of doctors who expects to know what is wrong with a patient by the patient's own description WITHOUT doing any medical evaluation, then packing the patient off with paracetamol, a cough mixture and some lozenges. Well, I can be my own doctor then!

Sunday, May 11, 2003

Went for the Walk-A-Jog organised by the PA at 8am this morning. Walked about 1/4 way before running the rest. Quite fun. Took the rest of the group another 20 minutes to make it back to the CC.

Had a Mother's day dinner last night with my mum, aunt Anita and uncle Yap. Giving them a treat together with Yvonne and Eric. The restaurant was over filled and under staffed. Our food took ages to arrive; many diners got so fed up that they left without finishing.

I caught a cab to Jadine's place right after the dinner. I had the responsibility of conveying many other people's birthday wishes to her, so I just had to go.

Jadine is back in Singapore on holiday, as well as to celebrate her birthday. She turns 23 this year. Happy Birthday Jadine!. Bought her a Disney's Theme Song Double CD from you-know-where 1. Good thing is, Jadine doesn't already have the CD.

Oh, I didn't manage to see the Miss Beautiful Legs 2003 finals, so I am square!

Footnote 1: Dun wanna mention it's name because they preferred to stand around than to attend to me, and I was left standing at the counter WAITING TO PAY!!! If I did something wrong, tell me!!!

Sunday, May 04, 2003

Watched A VIEW FROM THE TOP at Lido this afternoon. Starring Christina Applegate, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kelly Preston, Mike Myers, it certainly has all the makes of a big production. Quite interesting - the movie actually has a few themes that are worth thinking about.

Hung out at THAT CD SHOP for a while listening to an SACD from Hacken Lee and an XRCD collection of Jacky Cheung. The SACD really seems to sound better than ordinary CDs, or it could very well be the headphones or the glib tongue of the salesgirl. Will be back there again ...

Chloe is here again, but she doesn't seem to be too happy. Must be the teething... poor dear... I'm looking forward to the day that she calls me "Uncle", or in Cantonese, "Kau Fu".

Saturday, May 03, 2003

Friday, May 02, 2003

first ever entry

Finally got my HTTP file upload script to run through successfully, using cURL. What a relief! Now that the concept has been proven, what's left is to add in some informative progress ' indicator messages, and then pack the thing into a self-extracting ZIP archive. Hope it is able to run the batch file upon opening the archive executable. Oh yeah, hope that those guys don't come asking for a Windows GUI for the thing... ' bengz

Caught X-Men 2 with Sidney and Sherri after dinner. The themes from X-Men 1 are carried over into X2, but X2 also has a few new themes of its own. There is a lot more action in X2 compared to X1. A notable addition in X2 is the appearance of Kelly Hu as the female version of Wolverine, super regenerative abilities plus an Adamantium skeleton - her 'claws' grow out of her finger nails in the most elegant manner. Too bad she died before the audience (okay, I admit it is just me) could get enough of her perfect bodily curves. What a waste...