Here are some nice shots. I have some skillz yeah?
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Printeet!
I'm doing a plug (voluntarily) for a friend who runs an online extension to their printing business. Click on the title of this post, or visit the "You shoot it, We print it!" (the caption had input from me :-)) link by the side.
I like combining the wonders of modern Internet technology with traditional brick-and-mortar businesses. The technology is there, and the possibilities are endless. It really takes an open-mindedness and a forward looking attitude to make these things possible.
Companies should really take full advantage of all this booming technology to improve their business processes. The era of running your business and operations on spreadsheets has passed, but sadly, so many companies are still using methods from 20 years ago.
What is the winning combination? Just remember this acronym: N.O.T.I.T.!
I like combining the wonders of modern Internet technology with traditional brick-and-mortar businesses. The technology is there, and the possibilities are endless. It really takes an open-mindedness and a forward looking attitude to make these things possible.
Companies should really take full advantage of all this booming technology to improve their business processes. The era of running your business and operations on spreadsheets has passed, but sadly, so many companies are still using methods from 20 years ago.
What is the winning combination? Just remember this acronym: N.O.T.I.T.!
Need, Opportunity, Technology, Imagination, Talent.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
I'm a Cubist
09-Nov-2007: Sob, sob ... my cheapskate cube broke already. I shall put this on my X'Mas wish list - a smooth durable Rubik's Cube!
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
History, MyStory, Literally
Books are a luxury these days. The only reading I've been doing is on my computer. Technical datasheets, Request for Comments, TR-069/TR-098, PDF copies of the Linux Journal, Linux Man-pages, Wikipedia, news websites, blogs, the list goes on.
When was the last time I actually read a book from start to finish? I cannot remember the number of books I've picked up from the library only to return them, having only read as much as BEFORE I checked them out.
Besides Unix Network Programming, DHTML and CSS, TCP/IP Illustrated, Python Cookbook, Singapore Street Directory (*gasp* does that count???), what REAL books have I read? I'd better write them down now than to struggle to remember them when my memory starts failing.
Most recently in 2005, I remember reading 3 out of 4 installments of Dan Brown over a few months. The daVinci Code, Angels and Demons, Digital Fortress. Particularly, I started daVinci Code during the outgoing flight on a business trip to the US, read it through my jet-lagged induced insomnia in the hotel, and finished it on the flight back a week later.
In2004 2003, a (former) colleague recommended Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, saying I would be able to identify myself with the book. I feel very flattered that he thought this way. Atlas Shrugged, with it's classic question "Who is John Galt?", was one of the hardest books I've ever read. I would bring it to the office and read it everywhere.
The book cover shows Atlas (a Greek Titan made by Zeus to hold up the sky after losing a battle with the Olympians) buckling under the weight of the huge book title. What would happen if people of ability - or Atlas - went on strike? The result is tantamount to the sky falling down! And the world as we knew it would end! I shudder at the thought of such a possibility.
Here I am with Atlas at Rockerfella Center in New York in July 2007. Thank goodness he's still holding up. :)
I bought two copies of the book in total - I left the first one in the elevator or something and I could not find it since. When someone asked me which character I liked most in the book, I could not readily answer. Now I have realized that I really like Eddie Willers. He is the epitomization of the common man who makes an effort.
I do not claim to be John Galt, Hank Rearden, or Francisco d'Anconia - I am not worthy, yet. I am Eddie Willers - I TRY.
To see why I really like the book, why my friend thought why I would really like it, why I feel that it really captures the mindsets of most people in the world, even up till today, read the following excerpt:
To illustrate how impressed I am with the book and its ideas, (I have updated this portion of this entry close to ten times, but that's just the beginning) I have two computers at home - the laptop is called JohnGalt (aiding my creativity, engineering, and productivity) and the Linux server desktop is called Dagny (always reliable, never whines, never letting me down, plus she looks sexy to boot).
I encourage you to read this book too. I could never find it in the library, but you should be able to get a copy at one of the many used bookshops in Singapore. I bought mine from San Bookshop at Suntec. You can try Sunny Bookstore in Far East Plaza too.
Oh, and did you know, former United States Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan is a Randian?!
Update: A film adaptation of Atlas Shrugged has been scheduled for 2008 (finally after years of delays). Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt will be starring! Both Pitt and Jolie are Rand fans as well, can you believe it? (If only all Dagny Taggarts in the world looked like Jolie!!) Check out the reports at AmericanHeritage and variety.com.
Besides technical material, I've had an affinity for detective thrillers (推理小说) because of the logical reasoning element involved. But of course, often when I read books with the intention of trying to guess whodunit, I fail miserably because the author never reveals enough to let you deduce the twists in the stories.
I forgot when I became a fan of John Grisham - I read A Time to Kill - it reminds me of the same racial themes in To Kill A Mockingbird which I had read in secondary school. I cannot recall what I read about the book by now.
I have Sherlock Holmes among the other detective novels I have read, or are in my possession.
During my later years in primary school, I had a fabulous gift from my aunt and uncle - something that my parents could never afford for me - The Charlie Brown Children's Encyclopedia. You would be wondering what kind of freak reads ENCYCLOPEDIAS!!! Yep, I was that freak. I was freaking engrossed with the series then. I can't remember right now, but within a year, I had polished off all 15 volumes of the encyclopedia. They make for really, really good reading! With all this knowledge, I managed to ace all my science tests and was able to answer secondary school geography test questions that I have never studied for!
Another manifestation of my freakish behavior came in the form of me bringing along a pocket dictionary everywhere I went. My dad bought me "The Little Collins Dictionary" on August 14, 1986, 2 days before my 10th birthday. (I remember this because it is still on my shelf, and I just opened the cover to see that I have written the date of purchase on the first page!) I looked up every word I saw that I was unfamiliar with. Such was the thirst of learning. I also made a goal of reading a few pages of the dictionary each day, but regrettably, that did not last very long.
I started reading the Lone Wolf series of game books in primary school on the recommendation of my cousin, and I got hooked ever since. Over the years as soon as a new copy was released, I would open my kitty, carry $5.50 in coins to my favorite hangout Times the Bookshop in Specialist Center to buy the book. All from my own saved pocket money (50 cents a day).
I finished the last few books up to the 20th and last book in the GrandMaster series "The Curse of Naar" during my army days when I was hospitalized for a week at NUH due to tonsillitis. By then I was a already an invincible GrandMaster - breezing through all the combat situations without even needing to pick from the RNT (Random Number Table). I also had more gold coins, potions and weapons than I could ever use. :)
I still have all 20 volumes lined up orderly on my bookshelf!
There is now a Lone Wolf revival movement, and Joe Dever, the author of the Lone Wolf series, has agreed to open-source his works under Project Aon!
I owe my writing proficiency in English to reading Lone Wolf books. I was still in Primary Three, and my english composition scores were barely passable, like 23, 24 out of 40. After reading these, my scores increased significantly to 33, 34 and even 35! Ironically, I felt that I have reached a plateau after that, and my english proficiency never really progressed from my primary three level. :-) (Does this entry look like it's written by a primary three student?)
Lone Wolf, obviously, were not the first books that I started reading. Like many other children of my time, I started on Enid Blyton, moving on to Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew (*gasp*). Reading these books were sort of fun, but they were not really useful in improving English proficiency. The whole school was practically reading these, and I didn't see them (nor myself) getting anywhere. I guess, maybe, that my limited maturity at this point (I was only 7 or 8 years old at that time) didn't allow me to really learn from the books.
I'll stop here and post this entry. If you are in my generation, I hope you will find it memorable, if not interesting. Next time, I hope to write about my trials and tribulations of learning the Chinese language, and my experience with an old game that has recently returned to popularity: the Rubik's cube.
When was the last time I actually read a book from start to finish? I cannot remember the number of books I've picked up from the library only to return them, having only read as much as BEFORE I checked them out.
Besides Unix Network Programming, DHTML and CSS, TCP/IP Illustrated, Python Cookbook, Singapore Street Directory (*gasp* does that count???), what REAL books have I read? I'd better write them down now than to struggle to remember them when my memory starts failing.
Most recently in 2005, I remember reading 3 out of 4 installments of Dan Brown over a few months. The daVinci Code, Angels and Demons, Digital Fortress. Particularly, I started daVinci Code during the outgoing flight on a business trip to the US, read it through my jet-lagged induced insomnia in the hotel, and finished it on the flight back a week later.
In
The book cover shows Atlas (a Greek Titan made by Zeus to hold up the sky after losing a battle with the Olympians) buckling under the weight of the huge book title. What would happen if people of ability - or Atlas - went on strike? The result is tantamount to the sky falling down! And the world as we knew it would end! I shudder at the thought of such a possibility.
Here I am with Atlas at Rockerfella Center in New York in July 2007. Thank goodness he's still holding up. :)I bought two copies of the book in total - I left the first one in the elevator or something and I could not find it since. When someone asked me which character I liked most in the book, I could not readily answer. Now I have realized that I really like Eddie Willers. He is the epitomization of the common man who makes an effort.
I do not claim to be John Galt, Hank Rearden, or Francisco d'Anconia - I am not worthy, yet. I am Eddie Willers - I TRY.
To see why I really like the book, why my friend thought why I would really like it, why I feel that it really captures the mindsets of most people in the world, even up till today, read the following excerpt:
"I'll count to three," she said. "Then I'll shoot."All around me, I see people with this mentality, especially at work. If you can understand the above, and appreciate what it means, then we can be best friends or even soul mates, really. If you also enjoy this book, please get in touch with me. Managed to influence other friends to read the book, and I am very happy that they did.
"Wait! Wait! I haven't said yes or no!" he cried, cringing tighter against the door, as if immobility of mind and body were his best protection.
To illustrate how impressed I am with the book and its ideas, (I have updated this portion of this entry close to ten times, but that's just the beginning) I have two computers at home - the laptop is called JohnGalt (aiding my creativity, engineering, and productivity) and the Linux server desktop is called Dagny (always reliable, never whines, never letting me down, plus she looks sexy to boot).
I encourage you to read this book too. I could never find it in the library, but you should be able to get a copy at one of the many used bookshops in Singapore. I bought mine from San Bookshop at Suntec. You can try Sunny Bookstore in Far East Plaza too.
Oh, and did you know, former United States Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan is a Randian?!
Update: A film adaptation of Atlas Shrugged has been scheduled for 2008 (finally after years of delays). Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt will be starring! Both Pitt and Jolie are Rand fans as well, can you believe it? (If only all Dagny Taggarts in the world looked like Jolie!!) Check out the reports at AmericanHeritage and variety.com.
Besides technical material, I've had an affinity for detective thrillers (推理小说) because of the logical reasoning element involved. But of course, often when I read books with the intention of trying to guess whodunit, I fail miserably because the author never reveals enough to let you deduce the twists in the stories.
I forgot when I became a fan of John Grisham - I read A Time to Kill - it reminds me of the same racial themes in To Kill A Mockingbird which I had read in secondary school. I cannot recall what I read about the book by now.
I have Sherlock Holmes among the other detective novels I have read, or are in my possession.
During my later years in primary school, I had a fabulous gift from my aunt and uncle - something that my parents could never afford for me - The Charlie Brown Children's Encyclopedia. You would be wondering what kind of freak reads ENCYCLOPEDIAS!!! Yep, I was that freak. I was freaking engrossed with the series then. I can't remember right now, but within a year, I had polished off all 15 volumes of the encyclopedia. They make for really, really good reading! With all this knowledge, I managed to ace all my science tests and was able to answer secondary school geography test questions that I have never studied for!
Another manifestation of my freakish behavior came in the form of me bringing along a pocket dictionary everywhere I went. My dad bought me "The Little Collins Dictionary" on August 14, 1986, 2 days before my 10th birthday. (I remember this because it is still on my shelf, and I just opened the cover to see that I have written the date of purchase on the first page!) I looked up every word I saw that I was unfamiliar with. Such was the thirst of learning. I also made a goal of reading a few pages of the dictionary each day, but regrettably, that did not last very long.
I started reading the Lone Wolf series of game books in primary school on the recommendation of my cousin, and I got hooked ever since. Over the years as soon as a new copy was released, I would open my kitty, carry $5.50 in coins to my favorite hangout Times the Bookshop in Specialist Center to buy the book. All from my own saved pocket money (50 cents a day).
I finished the last few books up to the 20th and last book in the GrandMaster series "The Curse of Naar" during my army days when I was hospitalized for a week at NUH due to tonsillitis. By then I was a already an invincible GrandMaster - breezing through all the combat situations without even needing to pick from the RNT (Random Number Table). I also had more gold coins, potions and weapons than I could ever use. :)
I still have all 20 volumes lined up orderly on my bookshelf!
There is now a Lone Wolf revival movement, and Joe Dever, the author of the Lone Wolf series, has agreed to open-source his works under Project Aon!
I owe my writing proficiency in English to reading Lone Wolf books. I was still in Primary Three, and my english composition scores were barely passable, like 23, 24 out of 40. After reading these, my scores increased significantly to 33, 34 and even 35! Ironically, I felt that I have reached a plateau after that, and my english proficiency never really progressed from my primary three level. :-) (Does this entry look like it's written by a primary three student?)
Lone Wolf, obviously, were not the first books that I started reading. Like many other children of my time, I started on Enid Blyton, moving on to Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew (*gasp*). Reading these books were sort of fun, but they were not really useful in improving English proficiency. The whole school was practically reading these, and I didn't see them (nor myself) getting anywhere. I guess, maybe, that my limited maturity at this point (I was only 7 or 8 years old at that time) didn't allow me to really learn from the books.
I'll stop here and post this entry. If you are in my generation, I hope you will find it memorable, if not interesting. Next time, I hope to write about my trials and tribulations of learning the Chinese language, and my experience with an old game that has recently returned to popularity: the Rubik's cube.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
How Many Days A Year Do You Work
I was 'prompted' to make this calculation to prove that we are indeed slackers who are paid more than we are worth:
=> ((52 * 5) - 18 - 11 - 14 -14 )) * (100-30)%
= 142.1 days (39%)
And I have not applied the theory of Monday blues and Friday moods, which would practically reduce the effective number of working days a week to only ONE (Wednesday).
Not to mention that lots of extra money that goes into, and the frequent flyer miles earned from company sponsored business trips that translates into personal free tickets. Mileage claims, entertainment expenses, overseas travel allowances, hotel stays, transport claims, medical/dental claims, etc., all come into the picture.
See how fortunate we all are - and you dare ask for a raise???
- 52 weeks a year
- 5 days a week
- 18 days of annual leave
- 11 public holidays
- 14 days of medical leave
- 14 days of hospitalization leave
- 30% each day spent chatting, idling, and sitting on the bowl
=> ((52 * 5) - 18 - 11 - 14 -14 )) * (100-30)%
= 142.1 days (39%)
And I have not applied the theory of Monday blues and Friday moods, which would practically reduce the effective number of working days a week to only ONE (Wednesday).
Not to mention that lots of extra money that goes into, and the frequent flyer miles earned from company sponsored business trips that translates into personal free tickets. Mileage claims, entertainment expenses, overseas travel allowances, hotel stays, transport claims, medical/dental claims, etc., all come into the picture.
See how fortunate we all are - and you dare ask for a raise???
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Joke of the Day - Procrastination
A: I have a problem.
B: What is it?
A: I'm prone to procrastination.
B: What are you going to do about it?
A: I guess I'll take care of it later ...
B: What is it?
A: I'm prone to procrastination.
B: What are you going to do about it?
A: I guess I'll take care of it later ...
__________________________________
Yahoo! Movies - Search movie info and celeb profiles and photos.
Monday, September 10, 2007
It's a Rainy Morning Today
Could not catch a cab. The bus took a long time.
What to do?
Quote of the day: "maybe she's like chocolate...sweet on the outside, nuts in the inside. "
What to do?
Quote of the day: "maybe she's like chocolate...sweet on the outside, nuts in the inside. "
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Welcome the new additions to the family
Came in by VPost this morning. Bare, no case, no card, but soo small and cute.
Visited Comex over the weekend with my brother in law. (Yay, no women and kids in tow :))
Anyway, I bought a Brother DCP-130C for my scanning and printing needs. My mum is making enough noise already. She wants to print her recipes.
Out of sheer vanity, I got myself a SanDisk Cruzer Titanium 4GB ... am I satisfied? Maybe ... but it can be better. :-P
Heh, there is a real addition to the (extended) family. Sophia biaomei's Darell is having his first month celebration and Baby Shower this coming Sunday (tomorrow). It's interesting cos this is the first time I have heard of the baby shower concept. I'm sure my 'baby' will have lots of fun with baby Darell. I'll post them here, or on Picasa maybe.
From left to right: Aunt Anita, Rachel, Aunt Mabel, Mum, Cat, Aunt WaiChing, Edmond (Cat's boy), Yvonne (sis).
My item on Alangaaram should be around 11:30am tomorrow (Sunday) at Radin Mas CC.
I've 'completed' the scheduler for our own TR-069 ACS (I am open to business opportunities). More info up and coming in Comsul.
OK lunch time (it's 3:40pm now)!
Visited Comex over the weekend with my brother in law. (Yay, no women and kids in tow :))
Anyway, I bought a Brother DCP-130C for my scanning and printing needs. My mum is making enough noise already. She wants to print her recipes.
Out of sheer vanity, I got myself a SanDisk Cruzer Titanium 4GB ... am I satisfied? Maybe ... but it can be better. :-P
Heh, there is a real addition to the (extended) family. Sophia biaomei's Darell is having his first month celebration and Baby Shower this coming Sunday (tomorrow). It's interesting cos this is the first time I have heard of the baby shower concept. I'm sure my 'baby' will have lots of fun with baby Darell. I'll post them here, or on Picasa maybe.
From left to right: Aunt Anita, Rachel, Aunt Mabel, Mum, Cat, Aunt WaiChing, Edmond (Cat's boy), Yvonne (sis).My item on Alangaaram should be around 11:30am tomorrow (Sunday) at Radin Mas CC.
I've 'completed' the scheduler for our own TR-069 ACS (I am open to business opportunities). More info up and coming in Comsul.
OK lunch time (it's 3:40pm now)!
Friday, September 07, 2007
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Shopping List
- Nokia E65 for its WLAN, connectivity features, VoIP, camera (wish it was 3.2MP), and slim form factor. (Maybe getting in November.)
- Canon MP160 All-In-One for basic printing and copying. (Update: I got the Brother DCP-130C instead because at $98 it is much cheaper than even the MP145 which was supposed to replace the aging MP160 and MP180).
- Canon LiDE600F for power scanning abilities, fast, lightweight and film scan for archiving all the old photos. (I haven't got this yet.)
Friday, August 10, 2007
Buying Good Camera for Cheap
BuyDig was recommended by a friend for digital cameras, camcorders, etc. Prices are quite low according to what I have seen. They offer a free shipping option too!
Amazon, is quite good too. I found the lowest base price there, but including shipping brings the cost higher than BuyDig.
Most American online retailers do not ship outside of US, but things have now changed with vPostUSA! Take note of shi
pping charges (quite reasonable), insurance and custom GST.
Amazon, is quite good too. I found the lowest base price there, but including shipping brings the cost higher than BuyDig.
Most American online retailers do not ship outside of US, but things have now changed with vPostUSA! Take note of shi
pping charges (quite reasonable), insurance and custom GST.Saturday, August 04, 2007
Happiness Is ...
... being able to give your team members a promotion
... being able to give your team members a pay rise
... being able to treat your friends to a nice dinner
... being able to feel like you are adequately compensated for your contributions at work (not quite there yet ...)
... being able to give your team members a pay rise
... being able to treat your friends to a nice dinner
... being able to feel like you are adequately compensated for your contributions at work (not quite there yet ...)
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Policy Forum @ Tanjong Pagar GRC
YOU ARE INVITED!
The Radin Mas CC YEC will be organising the Policy Forum @ Tanjong Pagar GRC,
Topic: "Working / Living Overseas - Home away from Home” on
Date: Saturday, 12 May 2007
Time: 1.30pm - 5pm
Venue: Zouk, Velvet Underground
Guest-of-Honour: RADM (NS) Lui Tuck Yew, Minister of State for Education
Programme
1.30pm Registration & Lunch
2.45pm Arrival of Speakers
2.50pm Arrival of Guest-of-Honour (GOH)
3.00pm Tanjong Pagar GRC PAYM Policy Forum Commences
Opening Address and sharing by GOH
Sharing by Guest Speakers
3.45pm Dialogue with Panelists (GOH & Speakers)
4.30pm Reception
5.00pm The End
Target Participant: Working youth age between 25 and 35 yrs old
The organising committee invites you and your friends to join us in the forum
You may RSVP your attendance by 08 May 2007. E-mail on contact:
Ms Tracy Tan
Deputy Constituency Manager, Radin Mas CC
Tel: 62735294 Fax: 62730768
Email: tracy_TAN@pa.gov.sg
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Saturday, February 17, 2007
New Mobile - Samsung X210
My Philips Xenium9@9c LCD display conked out on me right after I landed in Newark at the beginning of my 2 week US+Carribean business trip.
Upgrading my handset on my current phone contract is not an option, so I went to get myself an X210, simple, no frills phone for the new year.
Thanks to ST for the standby phone loan while I was choosing the new handset.
Upgrading my handset on my current phone contract is not an option, so I went to get myself an X210, simple, no frills phone for the new year.
Thanks to ST for the standby phone loan while I was choosing the new handset.
Monday, January 08, 2007
Virus Removal
Was bothered by a virus that I could not seem to eradicate with avast! free antivirus. I am not linking to it because it is not good! I switched to ClamWin antivirus and found the following:
C:\WINDOWS\system32\e1.dll: Worm.Stration.XL-6 FOUND
C:\WINDOWS\system32\ipv6rasm.dll: Worm.Stration.XL-5 FOUND
C:\WINDOWS\system32\ipv6rasm.exe: Worm.Stration.XL-4 FOUND
C:\WINDOWS\system32\ssdprasa.dll: Worm.Stration.XL-2 FOUND
C:\WINDOWS\system32\tlntqedw.dll: Worm.Stration.XL-1 FOUND
C:\WINDOWS\system32\vdieasyc.exe: Worm.Stration.XL FOUND
Try as I might, I could not remove the files, until I found Unlocker from The Free Country.
ClamWin is not a on-access/realtime scanner. Combining it with WinPooch makes it so. There is reportedly a Firefox extension to do the same thing.
Here are some more links:
Monday, December 25, 2006
X'Mas Presents
Got this Sudoku device from Toys 'R' Us as a xmas present to keep myself occupied on the morning train ride. A pity it does not have a backlight so that I can play with it in dim lighting conditions (but that is bad for my eyes).
Jerome doing a solo. Picture taken and printed courtesy of uncle Park Woon.
Family photo with Sis and Brother-in-law.
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Taipei 2006
In Taipei for the TR-069 plugfest organized by the Asia DSL Forum. Here are some pictures to share:
Taipei 101. 91st floor outdoor viewing gallery. It's only about 6 degrees, and it is raining. I was the only visitor atop at that time.
In the stairwell of the same floor. I am really not bluffing!
Signboard of the DSL TR-069 plugfest.
Aztech's booth. I was the only representative.
From the bottom, looking up.
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